Romans 12:8a - God's Gracious Gift of Exhortation

Think about some of the most difficult experiences in life. Receiving terrible news. Facing an important decision. Enduring a prolonged trial. Struggling against temptation. Suffering great loss. These are challenges that are all part of life in a fallen world. I’m sure you’ve experienced some of these. Perhaps you are at this moment.

But now imagine facing those kinds of circumstances entirely alone. No one to console you. No one to encourage you. No one to comfort you. No one to offer advice. No one to warn you when you're making a mistake. No one to remind you of what is true. Life is very difficult, but the difficulty is compounded without someone beside you.

And without those who come alongside us, these difficulties can do more than make life harder. The difficulties can hinder our faithfulness to God. Don’t those kinds of experiences test your faith and strain your will? It’s normal for our response to any of those challenges to be sinful.

But our God knows this. And graciously, He doesn’t leave us to face these things alone.

Over the past weeks, we’ve begun to look closely at spiritual gifts given by God to His church to help us know Him and grow in faithfulness to Him. These are gifts given to build us up in faith, hope, and love. The next gift Paul lists here is exhortation. What exactly is exhortation?

Exhortation is an ability given by God that varies depending on the circumstances. As we journey through the Christian life, sometimes consolation is needed, sometimes comfort, other times encouragement, or warnings, or advice. And so Christ has graciously given some in His church the gift to console, or comfort, or encourage, or warn, or advise others – the ability to exhort.

All believers must be willing to receive and even seek out exhortation, and if we have the gift, we must be willing to exhort others. Exhortation causes us to grow in grace. And it demonstrates the generosity, wisdom, and personal nature of that grace. How so? The generosity of grace: a wealth of consolation, comfort, encouragement, warnings, and advice; The wisdom of grace: exhortations suitable for every need; The personal nature of grace: exhortations coming through familiar, personal relationships

Now, just to refresh your memory or inform you, I’m taking a three-pronged approach to each spiritual gift from verse 6: “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us.” Out of God’s grace, the gifts are numerous and plenty, they are varied according to need, and given to persons; hence the generosity, wisdom, and personal nature of God’s grace in them.

This Greek word which we translate “exhort” had within its meaning the idea of calling for someone or inviting someone to come alongside you. You see there, “the one who exhorts.” The verb or action word here is “parakaleo.” This word and another important word belong to the same Greek word family. That word is “paraclete.” Maybe you’ve heard that. In John 14, Christ says he’ll give us another Helper to be with us forever, another “paraclete.” He was referring to God the Holy Spirit, to the third person of the Trinity. The Spirit would effectively come alongside us to comfort and teach and guide us.

Although these words have distinct meanings, they belong to the same Greek word family and share the idea of coming to someone's aid. That is the common idea, although each word expresses that idea differently. But the theological connection is fitting because the Holy Spirit who comes to the aid of Christ's people also equips His people to come to one another's aid.

Like every other spiritual gift, the God-given ability to exhort others is God-powered, and God makes it effectual. The Holy Spirit is active. And the result is nothing less than a wealth of consolation, comfort, encouragement, warnings, and advice, all of which greatly benefits believers.

Let’s think about each of those listed there. Consolation particularly addresses deep grief and sorrow. Comfort is broader. It strengthens and reassures someone experiencing affliction. Both are very much reactive.

Encouragement could be considered more proactive, but it’s also reactive. It strengthens someone's resolve to persevere in faithfulness to Christ. It’s meant to spur others on in holiness and in their duty as believers as they endure.

Now a warning – also called “admonishment” – is probably a little more obvious. The goal is protecting a brother or sister in Christ. And advice is spiritual wisdom for decision making. It’s godly counsel. For example, you might speak to a financial advisor. They don't have to be a Christian to give you good financial advice. But imagine that advisor is also a believer, who along with their financial expertise can offer biblical wisdom, encouragement, and even warnings that help you make a decision in faithfulness to God.

2 Corinthians 1 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” That summarizes the connection: God coming to our aid, that we may come to one another's aid. God is so gracious to do this.

Consider the generosity of that grace, that so many believers, who upon being born again by the power of the Holy Spirit, are made spiritually able to console, comfort, encourage, warn, and advise others.

Now, the exhortation available in the church is much like the preaching and teaching of the Word in that it is suitable for every need. The treasure chest of consolation, comfort, encouragement, warnings, and advice is sufficient. How can we be sure of that? Because our God is sufficient. He’s omniscient – in other words, all knowing. He’s omnipotent – in other words, all powerful. He has sent His Holy Spirit into our hearts upon our faith in Christ. His people are able because He is able.

Have you ever thought, “Nobody here can relate to what I'm going through?” “None of these people have experienced what I've experienced. They don't know what it's like. How could they possibly help me?”

Perhaps no one in the church has experienced precisely what you've experienced. But that doesn’t mean that they have nothing to offer you. Someone doesn’t have to experience exactly what you have to encourage you. Someone can provide powerful, sufficient consolation or comfort, they can remind you of God's promises, and they help you see something you're overlooking, even if they haven’t gone through what you have.

The effectiveness of exhortation doesn't ultimately depend on the experiences or abilities of the person giving the exhortation. It depends on God who has graciously equipped that person to exhort.

God knows what His people need. That is at the heart of every gift. Every church did not need an apostle. Every church doesn’t need celebrities or millions of dollars or great internet notoriety or a certain kind of music or building or congregation makeup as far as outward characteristics in order to be God-glorifying and effective in the Great Commission.

But we do need these spiritual gifts that God gives. And where these gifts are present and being used, the sufficient work of God occurs! Where these gifts are on display, you can and will be ministered to and blessed – even if technically no one has experienced exactly what you have.

Though as you get to know others, you will be surprised at what people have endured. You will be shocked and you will feel a special closeness and solidarity with others. You will feel the mutual support and the shared sense of purpose that is unique to the body of Christ in the local congregation.

Now like the other gifts we’ve looked at – preaching, serving, and teaching – exhortation is obviously personal. It’s from believer to believer. And similar to serving, all believers should encourage each other, or provide comfort, though some will be especially gifted by the Lord for the work.

One common question related to the subject of spiritual gifts is, “How do I know what mine are?” Gifts become evident through their exercise. The desire must be there, but also, the effectiveness. So to learn if you are gifted in exhortation, try exhorting. Where can you offer consolation, comfort, encouragement, warnings, or advice?

In Hebrews 3, the author of Hebrews tells the church, “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” He doesn’t limit the message in the congregation. He tells everyone who hears to exhort one another. Everyone should urge each other to persevere. Are some especially gifted in this? Sure. But like serving, we all must participate.

This occurs most naturally through familiar, personal relationships. With people whom we know and trust. Through others who hear the same preaching and teaching, who serve one body of Christ together, who gather together every Lord’s Day to be nourished by Word and sacrament, who gather together for prayer and fellowship. These are relationships where on occasion, the people sin against each other. They know each other well, and so they’ve seen the good and the bad in each other.

Sadly, in much of society and even the church, once people get close enough to let each other down, they separate. That’s not faithful application of the gospel of Christ in our lives. Yes, sometimes people must go their separate ways, but not always. Believers can and should work through things. We can and should forgive each other. How is this possible? Because the one true God is with us and working among us!

He has established a familiar, personal relationship with each man, woman, and child who has trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is our common bond. The grace He has shown each of us, the love of God for us that He proved – these are our common bond. Through His humble birth, sinless life, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection – we have the power and ability to forgive. By the redemptive work of Jesus, we have a life-giving relationships with God, and are enabled by Him to show grace and love to each other, and point one another toward that life that is found only in Him.

Right now, we go once again to a familiar, personal place: to His table. Christ died and He rose and He reigns on high for our consolation and comfort and encouragement. He performed His glorious, saving work that we may benefit from all the warning and advice that pours from the heart and mouth of God. And He gave Him – a work of which this table is a sign and seal – that we may care for each other in all these ways.

Let’s bow in prayer.