Everyone Gets A Trophy (Romans 12:3)

Introduction

I was led to believe that trophies are for winners. Not anymore. We don’t want anyone to be upset or downcast or discouraged. Therefore, in many realms, everybody gets a trophy. For the purpose of illustration, I am awarding this magnificent valuable trophy this morning. To one of our deacons who is deserving. And then I started thinking about why they are deserving. And I could just go down the list. I mean, without Charles Coffee, we’d be in the dark. I really thought seriously about Charles Berkner, but he’s sitting way in the back. He put together a great meeting flyer for our meeting, and Kaylee’s here. Your granddaughter’s here. So you’ve got enough.

I mean, the guy has to get teachers for every quarter. And Scott, always ordering Bible class material. Scott, I need ten more. Scott, I need twenty more. He’s always right there. I needed somebody close. For no other reason than the fact that you raised John. So Steve gets the trophy. Now, what that means is all the other deacons are steeting. The coveted valuable trophy. I should have bought. How many deacons we got? Let’s see, I couldn’t name them all. I should have bought 13 trophies, but I’m way too tight for that. No way. So only Steve. The wrath is coming upon you, Steve, and I’m about to explain why. In our everyone gets a trophy world, I want to provide a little balance and reality to the mentality.

Read an interesting story in the Huffington Post entitled Everyone Gets a Trophy. And when everyone gets a trophy, no one wins, the article asserted. An elementary school was handing out honor roll awards to, I think, all the students. And one parent exclaimed how unfair it is, because as a result of her last name, she would be the last one to get the award. And one of the teachers got to go, maybe we can go boy girl, boy, girl. And then fix this problem. Somebody’s still gonna have to go last. I’m sorry. It’s gonna happen. Everybody can’t be a winner. Only Steve today. The deacons have totally tuned me out now. Everybody can’t be a winner. We need to learn to accept a little bit of losing.

The Master’s Tournament is going on. It’s a major. I don’t know what that means. Okay. There’s four majors held every year. And winning a major is huge, and particularly this one. But it’s huge. And they have this moniker that no golfer wants. It’s the best player to never have won a major. And there’s some guys on the top of the leaderboard, great golfers, who have never won a major. And they’ll be fighting that demon to finally break through and win that first major. Here’s the problem with all of that. And that is there’s only four every year. And there’s a lot of great golfers. And so to win one, it’s going to require an exceptional week. And though you are great at what you do, you may never win a major.

Broken limbs, concussions. I mean, you can get really hurt. I heard Lindsay Vaughn in an interview recently talking about how many broken bones she’s had. It’s crazy. She’s like evil can evil on skis. And beyond all of that, just the problems of winning and losing, there are inequities of all sizes and shapes that abound in life. And let me tell you this about winning trophies. Most of them end up in the attic if they’re lucky. I have a box of trophies in the attic. They’ve been up there for ever since we moved to our present location nine years ago. That’s where they are. I think. Somewhere in one of those boxes, that’s what happens to trophy. Trophies are overrated. To provide a little perspective on this, everyone gets a trophy mentality.

1. Why Was Joseph So Ready to Forgive?

I want to go to a story. In Genesis chapter 45, I believe we’ve talked about this recently. And one of the things that’s interesting in this story, we all love this story of Joseph and his brothers, is that Joseph is so ready to forgive his brothers. A lot of time takes place between the initial going down to Egypt because there is a famine fact. It starts in the story in chapter 43. In chapter 43, it’s the first time they go down, and Joseph knows them, but they don’t know him. And he accuses them of being spies in verses 12 and 13 of chapter 42. Yeah, it actually starts in chapter 42. He accuses them of being spies, and when he finds out, of course, he knows this.

They have a younger brother, Benjamin. Bring the youngest. One of you has to stay, and Simeon stays as surety. Well, when they go back, Jacob doesn’t immediately send them back with Benjamin. It’s not until they run out of supplies that they end up going back down to Egypt. Simeon’s in prison for some time. And when Benjamin comes back, now remember, he put the money in the sacks of all the guys as they went home, so they were scared about that. So Jacob said, Take double the money. And so they take double the money. And when they go back the next time, all of them going home, all the money back in the sacks, but Joseph’s cup, his kingly cup, his turbus tumbler. Before there was turbus, was put into the sack.

And I’ve always loved this part of the story, was put into the sack of Benjamin. Why Benjamin? When he sends out the guys after him, he says, only the person in whose sack is the cup is to be brought back. He’s dusted. Will they sell Benjamin down the river? As he was sold down the river, he’s no doubt the favorite of my father. But not this time. Not this time. Judah said, I offered my life as surety for the boy. Oh, wait a minute. Judah was the one who was advocating sell Joseph into slavery. Judah was the one to kill it. And so we see some growth and development in his brothers. And they all come back. And finally, in chapter 45, it says, Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried, have everyone go out from me.

So there was no man with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And then this, he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it. And the household of Pharaoh heard it. I mean, that is huge. And then he inquired about his father. So why was Joseph so ready to forgive? This is probably a lesson in and of itself. Despite what they had done to him. This was his fact. Forgiveness is not an easy thing. But it is easier, I think, sometimes with family. You have a special kinship and relationship to family. And so we might be more ready and willing to forgive if someone is an actual family member. So these were, these were his, these men were his family. But I think it’s much more than that.

Joseph was ready to forgive because he knew there was a special promise to him and his family. The promise that was made to his great grandfather Abraham, that through his descendants shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. He knew that God had a great purpose, that he was working out in his family. Despite this difficulty that he has had with his brothers, the promise was bigger than that. It was more important than that. And then there were the dreams. All those dreams that got him into so much trouble with his brothers at the very beginning of how they would bow down before him. And he’s seeing all of that come to fruition in this reveal of Genesis 45. All of this is happening. Everything that he had dreamed as a teen was coming true.

So he sees God’s hand in all of this. And here’s this as well. We’re talking about crying over spilt milk. You can’t put the genie back in the bottle. He can’t undo the last decade or so of his life. What’s done is done. And you could sit there and rue about it and refuse to forgive and refuse to move on, but there is a future to embrace, a future that is related to this promise. There is a future to consider, and he will be talking about the future all the way to his last breath when he says, You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good, preserved this family alive, and he said, You shall surely carry my bones up from here. Even his death was not the end.

He saw a bigger future beyond even his own life, and that’s what’s being emphasized in Hebrew chapter 11. By faith. He gave instruction concerning his bones.

2. But to Benjamin He Gave Three Hundred Pieces of Silver

But I think there’s this too. He has witnessed the growth of his brothers. They’re not the same men who sold him into slavery. Judah obviously has changed. And the fact that all of them have come back with Benjamin when only Benjamin was going to be held responsible for the king’s cup. The fact that they all came back with him was a sign that they had grown and matured from what they once were. So how does all of this go from here? Let’s look at what happens in chapter 45 and verse 22. To each of them he gave changes of garments. Nice. Fresh clothes. Nice clothes. But to Benjamin, his full brother, the other son of Rachel, his mother. But to Benjamin, the youngest, who is still the apple of his father’s eye, and we read that earlier in the text when the inquiry was made about the youngest son.

He loves Benjamin as he had loved Joseph because they are the sons of Rachel. But to Benjamin, he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments. Now, how would you feel about that if you’re the other brothers? You’ve got changes of clothes. But he got five changes. And 300 pieces of silver to boot. Wait a minute. In our everyone gets a trophy world, this doesn’s a spiritual principle to be made from this story.

3. God Has a Sovereign Right to Choose

As it relates to you and me and the role that we play in the local church. Look at Romans chapter 12. Romans chapter 12 and verse 4. For just as we have many members in the body, and all the members do not have the same function, notice that. So we, who are many are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. And since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let each exercise them accordingly. If prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith, if service in his service, 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. And so as he talks about the body being many members and different functions in the body, I want you to go back and I want you to notice verse 3.

This is such an important verse in so many respects. For through the grace given to me, I say, because of the favor of God bestowed upon me.

Boy, this is a very common problem. People who want to have an inflated view of themselves. He says, now, because of the grace that’s given to me, I think it’s important to say this. A man ought not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think, but to think so as to have sound judgment. Well, we could use some of that, right? Sound judgment as God has allotted to each the measure of faith. This speaks to God’s sovereign right to choose. Which has been demonstrated several times in the message of Genesis in regard to through whose lineage there would be blessing and the Christ would come in regard to Judah’s lineage, for example. As God has allotted each his choice of Jacob over Esau, God has a sovereign right to choose.

And he does so in the body. He places people in the body to do what they can do. And not everybody can do the same.

4. The Place That You Occupy Is Meaningful

There’s a lesson here about God’s arrangement of the body. And that even though, in the story of Benjamin and his brothers and the excessive blessings bestowed upon Benjamin in relation to his brothers, what did the change of garments mean to the brothers? It meant that they still had promise of provision from Joseph. They weren’t going to be neglected. They weren’t going to be out on the street. They weren’t going to be without food in the midst of this famine. Joseph is saying, I’m going to take care of you. He has forgiven them. He is going to take care of them. And yet, greater things still are provided for Benjamin. And that’s okay. And it’s okay in Romans chapter 12 if somebody else is the one who gets the lead.

Somebody else is the one who serves in some greater capacity than I do. Or wield influence in a way that I cannot. Everyone’s circumstance and placement in the body is different. But here’s the thing. You’re still in the body. If you’re in the body, that’s the place to be. Because God gives more abundant honor to the member that lacks. In Paul’s whole explanation of the body in 1 Corinthians chapter 12. God levels the playing field. It doesn’t matter that another brother has more talent than me, that can excel in service in a greater way than I can, or qualifies to receive the trophy when I do not. That doesn’t matter.

When we’re in the body. We are included in, as Joseph’s brothers were, we are included in the ultimate blessings of God. We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places. According to Ephesians chapter 1. And that’s not because you’re an apostle or an elder in the local church. It’s because you are included among the saved, and included means ultimate blessings. And so I want to make this observation and make this very practical. Someone else may receive more attention than you do. They may receive public mention. Their name may be mentioned from the pulpit. Others may notice them more than you get noticed. But in the body, the place that you occupy. And I like being able to just say you, it’s everyone. The place that you occupy is meaningful.

That’s the way God has arranged the body. Regardless of your talent or capabilities or what you’re going to be able to accomplish, your place, male or female. Teacher are not having that ability, though most of you do. Your place in the body matters. You’re one of the redeemed. You’re numbered among the saved. The Lord was adding to the body daily those who are being saved. And that makes you meaningful, and that makes you fit for the master’s use. And if you have struggles with this in terms of my place not being meaningful in the body, you just yield yourself as a servant of the Lord to the best of your ability and circumstances. Cleanse yourself from evil things, as he says in 2 Timothy chapter 2, and present yourself as a useful vessel to the Lord.

5. You Are Sons of the Most High God

That’s such a high calling that each of us have. The fact that we’re even vessels, just instruments that God can use to further his great cause. And as I was thinking about these thoughts, I was studying in our home Bible study in Hebrews chapter 12, and something really hit me. There are two things specifically happening in Hebrews chapter 12 that emphasize this truth, this point. As he talks about the great hall of faith in chapter 11, the great cloud of witnesses that surrounds us, and that we need to look to Jesus, who is the author and perfecter of our faith.

But this admonition he gives to you as sons. And I just want to stop right there. He’s going to go on to talk about the chastising, the difficulty, the discipline of the Lord. And for the moment it seems sorrowful. There’s some training involved in it, however, and it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness, which is a lot of questions about the chastening of the Lord and what that means in our circumstances as believers, and I’ll never have all the answers to that. But I do want to know what this text is about, first and foremost. And it says, your sons of the most high God. That’s the important thing. And every son that is loved by his father, my son just happens to be here today.

He only had to have a little discipline. Mostly just really good. But there were a few times. We won’t talk about this. But every father who loves his son disciplines his son. And so we get, our circumstances train us. Our circumstances can help us to produce the likeness of Christ in our attitudes and character. And so the fact is, he’s saying, look, despite the struggles, despite the encumbrances that you have to lay aside, despite the entanglements of sin that we have to lay aside. He says, understand this. You are sons. All of you. All of you who are in Christ. You are children and children’s and heirs. And join heirs with Christ, Paul would say in Romans chapter 8. And then he goes on to say, and you have something better than even the Israelites had.

When they were the covenant people of God. As they received the Ten Commandments at Sinai, and they were God’s chosen and covenant people. And as a result of that covenant, it says they beheld God and they ate and drank. Wonderful passage in Exodus chapter 24, as they had this covenant meal with God. A personal visit with God in a very thunderous, powerful way, but they were afraid of God. And he says, Not you. They were the covenant people, but you’re the covenant people of God in a very special way. He says, You have come to Mount Zion. They had Jerusalem as a city, but you are spiritual Zion. To the city of the living God, to the blood of Jesus, and a better covenant. To God the judge of all.

He says, these are the things that you have in Christ. That to which every believer needs to cling. And here he would go on to say in chapter 13, we do not have a lasting city. But we seek a city that is to come. Let me tell you about the war awards of this world. You can get a whole bag of trophies.

But none of them are as valuable as what we have in Christ.

And the eternal treasure.

Conclusion

Want to say more about that tonight when we talk about flying first class. But I want to conclude with two passages this morning. 1 Corinthians 9 and verse 24. Do you not know that those who run in a race all run? But only one seeds.

But here’s the cool thing about this race. He goes on to say, run in such a way that you may win. Only one guy is going to get the green jacket this afternoon. We all wear the green jacket in Christ. And even more. Infinitely more. We get the real promise. Isn’t it great that the likes of you and me, as horrible as of an athlete I am, and I guess I’m comparing my, I’ve always been average. But I wish I was so much better. I can win! I can win. If I’m running a foot race, I’m gonna lose the tad. That’s bad. Exercise self-control. That’s the outgrowth of it. You can win. But you’re gonna have to give some effort. You’re gonna have to rein in some desires that you have exercise self-control and all things.

Buffet my body and make it my slave. Lest after I preach to others, I myself might be disqualified. You got a trophy coming. If you’re in Christ. In James chapter 1 and verse 12, James promises despite trials. Bless is a man who perseveres under trial, for once he has been approved, he stood the test. He will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love him. You love him. We’re on that tonight. You love him. You get the prize of prizes. Stand the test. Remain firm in the faith. That you need to put on Christ so that you can win the prize. What a trophy awaits believers. Won’t you come while we stand in faith?