A Renewed Dedication
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· 61 viewsIt’s a new year. God has called us to be transformed while the world is calling us to be conformed. Being it’s a new year, let us become transformed by a new mind in the new year, a mind that honors God, worships God, surrenders its will to God.
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Introduction
What did we find ourselves dedicated to over this past year? Was it the Lord or was it the world? I challenge each of us to renewed in our dedication and let that dedication be to the Lord. This is what Paul calls the Christians at Rome to be as they face persecution on top of persecution.
Focus Passage: Romans 12:1-2
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Outline
A Series of Therefore’s… (v. 1a)
Romans 12:1a (NKJV) 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice…
The therefore of condemnation
30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.
The therefore of justification
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
The therefore of assurance
1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
Finally, we find the fourth therefore within the book of Romans…
The therefore of dedication
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
Paul implores, I beseech you therefore, the Christians, brethren, at at Rome to be dedicated to the Lord. He declares this urgency of being dedicated to God. Like no other time in history, probably since the 1st Century Church itself, we are a time of urgency. We must be dedicated. We, the Church, find ourselves in a time of desperation. We are not only being attacked from without, but we are also fighting cancer from within. We find more and more, maybe even some of us, finding ourselves in a state of apathy and lethargy, because we are not dedicated. We may be dedicated to our spouses, our partners, our family, or even our careers, but we are not dedicated to our Lord.
As we stand on the cusp of a new year, let this change. Let this year be a year of dedication. Let us realize that we are not our own. Let us realize that we, as children of God, are by God, for God, and from God. That is what this therefore looks back.
36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.
In true Paul fashion, he does not call us to do or be without giving reason and direction.
The WHY of Dedication (v. 1b)
Romans 12:1b (NKJV) 1 …holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
The first “why” of dedication is because of our calling - ‘…holy…’
We are called to be holy, righteous. We are called to eschew evil and embrace good. God himself, through His Word, writes…
15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
We are called to be a holy priest hood that offers sacrifices before God
5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
We are not able to be any of this, holy or offer acceptable sacrifices (i.e. our worship, our praise, our testimony, our service, our giving) without first dedicating our heart to a singular focus, and that is God. We are called to be dedicated to the Lord. Without that singular dedication we cannot be what God has purposed for us to be.
The second “why” is because of the state we should strive to be - ‘…acceptable…’
From an early age we strive to be accepted. We strive to be accepted by our parents/family. We strive to be accepted by our piers at school. We strive to be accepted by our co-workers as we get older. We strive to be accepted by those at church. We find this inner drive to accepted. This is only natural. This is how God has created us. However, we should not be worried about being accepted by the world, we should be desirous of being accepted by God.
The only way for us to be accepted by God is to be dedicated. God showed His dedication to us, His creature, man, when He not only allowed His Son, our Great God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come, live, and die on the cross for our sin, but sent Him with this sole purpose, to be sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. This is exactly what Paul writes to the church at Corinth.
21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
We will never find ourselves ‘acceptable’ to God without genuine dedication. Our soul priority in live should be an acceptance from and by God, not man. This only comes through a true dedication that is found in a full surrendering of self to God and for God.
All of this, as Paul writes, is our reasonable service.
The third “why” is because of what we are to be - ‘…reasonable service…’
We are called to be servants in service to the Lord. As with any other area of service, God demands dedication. Each and everyone of us were called to a particular area of service within the household of faith. We are all equipped and called for differing areas of service.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
However, our first area of service (i.e. worship) is a true surrendering, a true dedicating of one’s self to the Lord, which is your reasonable service.
Not only does Paul tell us “Why,” He tells us “How”!
The HOW of Dedication (v. 2a)
Romans 12:2a (NKJV) 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…
Do not be a conformist - ‘…do not be conformed to this world…’
As stated previously, we spend a vast majority of our lives trying to be accepted by our parents, our families, our peers, our co-workers, and even people within the church. Within that desire and drive to be accepted, all to often we find ourselves conforming to be accepted.
Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines the word, Conform, as…
CONFORM, adjective [Latin , form.] Made to resemble; assuming the same form; like; resembling. [Little Used.]
CONFORM, verb transitive [Latin , to form, or shape, form.]
1. To make like, in external appearance; to reduce to a like shape, or form, with something else; with to; as, to conform any thing to a model.
2. More generally, to reduce to a likeness or correspondence in manners, opinions or moral qualities.
Be a transformer - ‘…but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…’
Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines the word, transformed as
TRANSFORM'ED, participle passive Changed in form or external appearance; metamorphosed; transmuted; renewed.
God does not call us to be conformed, but be transformed. He calls us to go through a metamorphoses, where we become something completely new. The best description is this is that was when a caterpillar goes through the process of transforming into a butterfly. God wants to transform us into the likeness of His Son, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. This begins with dedication within the mind. We are called not to transform into the likeness of the world, but be transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ and once again this begins in the mind.
So, how does one become transformed in the mind? It begins with prayer. How often do you pray? What do you pray about? It is followed up through a daily regiment of the Word of God. How often to do you read the Word of God? How often do you study the Word of God? How much time do you spend meditating on the Word of God throughout the day?
It then is continued by what you allow to influence your mind. What music do you listen to? What are watching on TV? What do you view on social media? What do you search on the internet? My dad always stated, garbage in, is garbage out. At times he would look at me and state, Charlie, it’s time to take out the garbage. For many of us here, it may be time to take the garbage out. Until we become transformed in the mind, we will truly be able to be dedicated to the Lord, or as Paul states, living sacrifices.
Finally, the RESULT of dedication (v. 2b)
Romans 12:2b (NKJV) 2b …that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
What is the result of being full dedicated to God? What does one get out of it? Is not that the question we ask about everything? What is in it for me? Paul gives us this answer too. It all pertains to the will of God for our lives. What better will to be in!
Through dedication to the Lord we will be able to discern what the will of God is for our lives - ‘…you may prove…’
Through dedication to the Lord will be able to be blessed by God - ‘…good…’
Through dedication to the Lord will be able to be in agreement with God - ‘…acceptable…
Through dedication to the Lord will lack nothing in our labor for God - ‘…perfect…’
Conclusion
Through the Scripture, we are shown two very real examples of what it means to be a living sacrifice before God and what it means in a very vivid way, present your bodies a living sacrifice…unto God. The first was Isaac, who willing lied upon the altar for his father to be sacrificed for God. God spared his life, but in that moment he truly became a living sacrifice. He truly was a foreshadowing of One who would come later and once again willingly lay his life on the altar for God, Jesus Christ. God would not spare His life but would take it. However, God would raise that life three days later and Jesus truly would become a living sacrifice as He prays in intercessions for us at the right hand of the Father this very moment. Let us follow their example and be dedicated, living sacrifices for the Lord, which is our reasonable service.
