Romans part XII
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
Everything we have been talking about leading up to this point in Romans has been doctrine and theology. Paul has been laying the ground work to explain the problem of sin, our need for a savior, and how we can be born again. Starting in chapter 12 Paul is shifting to more practical application. Last week we talked about how God in his sovereign grace has made us gentiles to be part of the family tree of Abraham. He has grafted us in, took us wild olive branches, and he has made us fruit bearing branches supported by faith in Christ and in Christ. We are part of New Covenant era and as we look at how we are called to live there is first an invitation to come and die. Surrendering to Christ isn’t just a one time event. Salvation is a one time event but every day we are called to surrender to Christ’s Lordship. He is our savior but He is also our Lord. This New Covenant began with Christ’s sacrifice and is continued through our sacrifice in obedience.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship.
Paul calls us to present ourselves as a living sacrifice to God but where do we start?
Being a living sacrifice begins by fixing our eyes on Jesus
We start in view of the mercies of God. When take our eyes off of God’s mercy and the grace He shows us in the Gospel our obedience quickly becomes ritual. God doesn’t want us to do good things for the sake of doing them. He doesn’t want us to be religious for religion’s sake. He wants our hearts. This relationship that we are brought into by grace is one that grows out of the love Jesus demonstrates for us on the cross.
I love watching the Olympics and one of my favorite things to watch is Olympic swimming. In an Olympic swimming pool there are all these different markers to let racers know where their lane is and where the wall is. Without these swimmers wouldn’t be able to plan as well or wouldn’t be able to know precisely where to turn or how much distance is left. Keeping their eyes open and watching the markings is what lets them focus on swimming fast.
For us when we take our eyes off the mercy of God we lose what is most important. Like a swimmer who keeps their eyes closed and who doesn’t know where there lane is, doesn’t know when to turn, or where they are in the pool we just splash around hoping we are doing everything right. It is the mercies of God that drive us forward and it is to Jesus that we fix our eyes.
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
It is important for us to never take our eyes off of Jesus. Why?
1. He is the example
There has never been and there will never be a greater example of sacrifice and of devotion to God’s will than Jesus. He is the standard. He did it perfectly. When we aren’t sure what it would look like to be a sacrifice in a specific situation Jesus shows us in the way He lived. God shows us His humility in being born in human form and in being the literal sacrifice for us.
Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death— even to death on a cross. For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow— in heaven and on earth and under the earth— and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
As we present ourselves as living sacrifices to God we look to Jesus and His attitude of humility as the example of how to live a life completely surrendered.
2. He is our motivation
It is Christ’s love that draws us forward. Every step we take in following Him is one compelled by His love.
For the love of Christ compels us, since we have reached this conclusion, that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the one who died for them and was raised.
We are motivated to present ourselves as living sacrifices because God has demonstrated His love to us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. His death was so that we wouldn’t live for ourselves but so that in this new life we have been born again into we might life for Christ who died and was raised for our sake.
3. He is our confidence
Where, death, is your victory? Where, death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Jesus Christ is our victory. This labor that we have been called to is not one done in vain. It isn’t a waste of time to live holy. It isn’t a waste of time to be a living sacrifice. It isn’t in vain as long as our eyes are fixed on Him. Our labor, if it is in the Lord, will not be in vain. We can hold onto that hope. That is a promise we can cling to. When nobody around us follows Jesus. When following Jesus costs us popularity and relationships we know that it isn’t a waste. When people make fun of us or when we have to resist a temptation or deny ourselves a comfort it isn’t in vain.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship.
Paul calls us to present ourselves as a living sacrifice to God but what does that mean?
Being a living sacrifice means our life is not our own
“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
Our life belongs to God. He created us for Himself and He has bought us with the blood of Christ. Our lives are not ours to live but are ours to give. Paul lived a life of sacrifice. He knew the cost of following Jesus. He knew the cost of sacrifice and He knew it was all worth it for the sake of knowing Jesus.
But everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith. My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.
Being a living sacrifice means everything this world has to offer us means nothing to knowing Jesus. Gaining Christ and being found in Him. To know him and the power of His resurrection, to share in his sufferings. That is all that matters.
Being a living sacrifice means everything is on the table
When we present ourselves as living sacrifices to God there isn’t any part of ourselves that we should hold back. We offer God everything.
There is a temptation for us to only give God part of us. Give Him what we are comfortable surrendering and keeping the rest for ourselves. Giving enough to where we look good on the outside but there are those secret parts of our lives that nobody knows about that we hold on to. Being a sacrifice means everything is His. In the Old Testament a lamb didn’t get to pick which parts got sacrificed. The same should be true of us. Secrets create a space for shame and guilt to run rampant. They allow satan a foothold in our life and allow sin to have room to grow in our life. The more darkness we let in the more light we refuse.
Don’t participate in the fruitless works of darkness, but instead expose them.
We need to let God into every area of our lives. Our relationships, our hobbies, what we watch, what we do, all of it is offered up to God. All of it is brought into the light. When we offer everything on the altar we can begin to heal and grow in our relationship with Jesus. When all these other things are trash compared to knowing Jesus offering them is easy, but even when surrender is difficult we can have faith knowing that Jesus is worthy.
When I think about sacrifice I think about Abraham and Isaac. Abraham was really old but God promised him that he would have a son in his old age. After years of waiting Isaac is born. However, sometime after his birth, God called Abraham again and commanded him to sacrifice Isaac. So Abraham was obedient. He and his son made their way up to mount Moriah. They took wood and a fire. They got there and when it was time to sacrifice Abraham tied his son up, put him on the altar and raised the knife ready to kill his son. Suddenly, an angel stopped Abraham and God provided a ram to sacrifice instead. I think about this story because of how hard it would have been to be in Abraham’s place. Here was this boy whom he loved and waited for. He was a gift from God. Isaac was a good thing. Yet, God told Abraham to sacrifice him. God doesn’t condone human sacrifice and if Abraham had killed Isaac it would have gone against the covenant God had made. Abraham knew this and it says that he even had faith that if he killed Isaac God would have raised him back from the dead. So why would God tell him to do this? I think God was teaching Abraham a lesson about faith and surrender. God is the provider. Sometimes in this world we want to worship the things we have and hold on to things, even good things, when God is the one who provides. But our hearts should belong to the creator not to His creation.
When God calls us to surrender the answer is yes. All things belong to Him. For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. That is what we read last week in Romans 11. That means our passions, our time, our very lives belong to Him.
Being a living sacrifice means getting back on the altar
The problem with living sacrifices is that they keep crawling off the altar. Everyday we have to choose to surrender. It doesn’t happen accidental. Following Jesus takes discipline and intentionality. It takes hard work and sacrifice. Following Jesus means denying ourselves daily, picking up our cross and following Him. Remember it is grace and love that drive us forward in surrender. It isn’t about just trying harder and figuring it out on our own. It is trusting the Holy Spirit’s guidance in our lives. Being sensitive to God’s call and to when He convicts our hearts. It is saying yes to whatever He asks without needing to know the outcome. That is the beauty of faith. We don’t get to see the full picture. Abraham didn’t know what would happen with Isaac but he was obedient. We don’t know where following Jesus will take us but the call remains the same.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship.
A sacrifice that is pleasing to God is given from the heart.
God doesn’t want ritual, He wants relationship. He doesn’t want us to just sacrifice and punish ourselves for the sake of doing it. He wants authentic and genuine relationship with us. After sleeping with Bathsheeba and murdering her husband King David is confronted by God through the prophet Nathan. After this David writes this prayer in Psalm 51.
For the choir director. A psalm of David, when the prophet Nathan came to him after he had gone to Bathsheba. Be gracious to me, God, according to your faithful love; according to your abundant compassion, blot out my rebellion. Completely wash away my guilt and cleanse me from my sin. For I am conscious of my rebellion, and my sin is always before me. Against you—you alone—I have sinned and done this evil in your sight. So you are right when you pass sentence; you are blameless when you judge. Indeed, I was guilty when I was born; I was sinful when my mother conceived me. Surely you desire integrity in the inner self, and you teach me wisdom deep within. Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Turn your face away from my sins and blot out all my guilt. God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore the joy of your salvation to me, and sustain me by giving me a willing spirit. Then I will teach the rebellious your ways, and sinners will return to you. Save me from the guilt of bloodshed, God— God of my salvation— and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. You do not want a sacrifice, or I would give it; you are not pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit. You will not despise a broken and humbled heart, God. In your good pleasure, cause Zion to prosper; build the walls of Jerusalem. Then you will delight in righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.
A sacrifice that pleases God is a broken and humbled heart. It is when we come to understand our need for Jesus. We cannot do this life on our own. We cannot stand in our strength. We desperately need Jesus.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship.
What is worship? How do we define worship?
For a long time I would have said worship is singing songs to God, but worship is how we live our lives. Everything we do can be an act of worship.
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.
True worship is how we live our lives
Our lives are an act of worship to God. So how do we live a life that honors God? We will talk about that over the next couple of weeks, but Paul gives us a starting point and a blue print of the process that has to take place. The process of sanctification begins with being obedient. Being a living sacrifice to God, saying yes to His will. And as we continue in that daily surrender we begin to understand what exactly the will of God is.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.
As we surrender we say no to the ways of this world. They can offer us nothing. We will not be conformed to how this world tells us to live. Conformed to the way this world thinks. Because this world will happily lead us into death and destruction. Instead through surrender by keeping our eyes fixed on the mercies of God and pursuing obedience we are transformed by the renewing of our minds.
Don’t be conformed but be transformed
As we grow in surrender and in following Jesus we grow in discernment and in wisdom. The more we follow Jesus the more we hear his voice.
My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me.
As we follow Him we grow in knowing the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. We follow His voice and not the worlds.
How can you fix your eyes on God’s mercies this week?
What is something God might be calling you to surrender?
What would it look like to live a life that is pleasing to God and worships Him?