Our Reasonable Service

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

TITLE: “OUR REASONABLE SERVICE”

Intro: Values Change

The COVID-19 Pandemic

Hand Sanitizer

At the onset of the pandemic in a cleaning supplies store in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the price of Purell hand sanitizer soared from $7.50 to $60 a bottle in just days.

In Tennessee, two brothers hoarded up more than 17,000 bottles of hand sanitizer and then started selling them online at inflated prices.

One store actually advertised hand sanitizer for $1 a squirt.

Toilet Paper

One retailer had simple four-packs of toilet paper priced at $13 each.

A convenience store in Maine offered individual rolls of toilet paper for $10 each, with a sign next to them boldly stating: “This is not a joke.”

During that pandemic, values changed so fast. It was surreal. The world turned upside down in a short amount of time. Just a few days earlier, it seemed unthinkable that everyday items of life could be inaccessible. Then it just happened.

Value is a fickle thing. People who live a rich, lavish lifestyle often place great value on luxury items. But in times of crisis like the pandemic, luxury goods are suddenly passed immediately in value by much simpler necessities.

A Last-Days Change of Values

The Bible tells us that there is coming a day when everything is going to change “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye” (1 Corinthians 15:52).

Peter warned:

2 Peter 3:10 KJV 1900

10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

I believe we can expect that on that day, what seems valuable now will be shown to be worthless, and people who have built their lives around pursuing those things are going to be severely ashamed.

And here, we’re reading Paul telling people to live their lives in light of eternity. And encouraging them to present their bodies as living sacrifices to God (Romans 12:1).

I’m just going to tell you that I believe what we’re studying this morning to be one of the most crucial parts of Scripture (and it’s ALL crucial). But if you want to live a Christian life - not just CLAIM to be a Christian - you’ve got to get and understand this!

Romans 12:1–2 KJV 1900

Ladies and gentlemen, you have just received a directive from an Apostle of the Lord.

The Mercies of God

This is toward the last part of Paul’s letter to the Romans. And Paul was shifting away at the point from doctrinal teaching to practical instructions for daily living.

And he’s making this call for a certain way of living… and he’s basing this call off of the mercies of God. In other words, “We have to move into righteous living because of what God has already done in our lives.” No other motivation should be needed for us to live a life that honors God.

And so he reminds the reader that anything God asks of us is small compared to the great work His grace has already accomplished in our lives. The grace of God should bring about profound changes in our lives!

QUESTION: What changes? Like what???

A Living Sacrifice

So let’s dissect this… What does he say?

Romans 12:1 KJV 1900

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

He tells them to present their bodies to God. Now, that word that is translated as “present” simply means “to yield.”

So, I’m going to make this statement, and we need to feel the gravity of it, because it’s a small sentence, but it is no small thing. EACH ONE OF US IS TO OFFER OURSELVES TO GOD AS A LIVING SACRIFICE.

Okay… what does that mean?

When Paul wrote that to them, it instantly reminded them of the Temple. Before Calvary every happened, they came bringing a cow, a goat, ram, or a lamb into the Temple. And their sacrifices had to be perfect. Not even the slightest flaw. After they laid that sacrifice on the altar, it is received and the sacrifice is gone.

But that’s not how it’s going to work with us right now. We are called to be a “living sacrifice.”

And this is demonstrating the importance of serving God in our body as well as our spirit. Our body is an instrument that God uses to show His glory to the world. Hear this:

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 KJV 1900

19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

And when Paul described our yielded life as “a living sacrifice,” he was taking the traditional understanding of sacrifice and flipping it on its head. If you want to talk about actual sacrificial lambs of the Old Testament, they were penned up, separate from the other animals, to keep them from spots and blemishes. According to Exodus 12:5, a blemished sacrifice was unacceptable.

Now… when we follow Acts 2:38 and are saved, we don’t build a fence around you, separated from everyone and everything out there to make sure nothing can touch you. BUT… we should live our lives set apart from the world to keep from becoming spotted or blemished.

Each of us is to live a life pleasing to God. In Paul’s life, this resulted in him being “separated unto the gospel of God” (Romans 1:1).

Romans 1:1 KJV 1900

1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,

Something else about Old Testament sacrifice… Scripture describes the aroma of sacrifice as pleasing to the Lord (Genesis 8:21; Leviticus 1:9, 13, 17; 2:2, 9, 12). That fragrance came from the burning flesh of the animal as it was consumed by fire.

To us, that smell would probably be unpleasant. But the reason that it was pleasing to God was because it signified to Him the people’s desire to be in right relationship with Him.

Translate that to us…

Our life is not consumed by LITERAL fire. BUT, we are consumed by living for God, and the product of living that holy life is like a pleasing aroma to God.

If you haven’t become consumed by this, IT’S TIME TO BECOME CONSUMED BY THIS!

Don’t settle for part-time! This lifestyle is not a hobby for me! Pentecost is not a fun thing I do on the weekends! I’M IN LOVE WITH GOD! AND HIS HAND IS ON MY LIFE!

Transformed, Not Conformed

Romans 12:2 KJV 1900

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

In Romans:12:2, Paul defined what a separated life is by telling us not to be conformed to this world.

The word translated as “conformed” means “to be fashioned after or patterned after.” The word for “world” refers to the customs or patterns of the worldly society we find ourselves living in. And these meanings are simple but powerful.

Essentially, we are not to conform to the culture we live in.

And this nonconformity extends to how we act, dress, and treat others. Shall I elaborate more?

Everything in our lives should be characterized by the fact we are living sacrifices to God rather than the world’s influence.

This world we’re talking about is marked by sin and is guided by a carnal way of thinking (by carnal, I mean the physical, temporary desires). And that way of thinking is at war with the ways of God.

Romans 8:7 KJV 1900

7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

James 4:4 KJV 1900

4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

Today’s culture, like the culture of Rome, stands against everything God considers to be good, holy, and acceptable. And so we DO NOT conform to it. In how we act, speak, think, work, dress… can I elaborate more?

The culture of the world is no commitment - if you see someone else that you like, you can easily leave that marriage and not have to deal with whatever issues are there. While divorce rates are at an all-time high, we reject the idea that commitment no longer matters. It’s a covenant!

The culture of the world says: do what makes you happy (hedonism - pleasure). While we enjoy many things that God has blessed us with, if you are going to “present your body as a living sacrifice,” that requires a DENIAL OF SELF. It’s not about what pleases me, it’s about what pleases God! And it just so happens, He’s for my happiness and He knows what’s best for me!

The culture of the world says: watch what you want to, do, say, and act however you want to. You feel like cussing? Let ‘er fly. Want to go party? Have fun. But we reject that because we know that we were delivered from those things. We have overcome! These are not things that flow from a Spirit-filled life! There is a modest way to dress and please God.

I’ll move on…

So, Paul says not to be conformed to worldly influences. Then, he tells them what?

Romans 12:2 KJV 1900

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

The Greek word that is translated “transformed” is the word that we also get metamorphosis from. And that describes the transformation a caterpillar undergoes when it becomes a butterfly. So, that is expressed EXTERNALLY.

Renewing our mind does more than just transform our inner person; it produces an external transformation as well. When our minds are renewed in the Holy Ghost, our lives are transformed, and we become progressively more Christlike in every way.

Colossians 3:2 KJV 1900

2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

Our mind is the seat of our intellectual and moral judgment. And so that makes the renewing of the mind to be the renewing of the ability to think correctly, especially about spiritual and moral matters.

Many of the world’s efforts seek to influence how we think, giving us what is deemed to be right and wrong. We are constantly surrounded by ungodliness. If we are not careful, we could become desensitized to the world’s perspective and begin to think actions and attitudes are permissible that Scripture specifically condemns.

Discipleship is a perfect balance of loving righteousness and hating unrighteousness. This should be in us. And we need the renewing influence of God, the power of the Holy Ghost working in us, to keep our minds right.

I Will Yield Myself to God as My Reasonable Service

So, I’ve said it this way before: our response is our responsibility.

God is calling us to yield ourselves to Him as our reasonable service. He is not asking us to do anything illogical or unreasonable - discipleship is reasonable.

Building Materials

Now let’s move into 1 Corinthians 3. In this chapter, Paul compares people who live for God to God’s building. A few verses later, he wrote:

1 Corinthians 3:16 KJV 1900

16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

And this is all intended to cause his readers to consider how they were constructing their lives.

1 Corinthians 3:9–17 KJV 1900

9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. 11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. 14 If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. 16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

Gold, Silver, and Precious Stones

In verse 11, it’s clear that the foundation of the building is Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 3:11 KJV 1900

11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

You’re not going to lay any other foundation that is sure and strong as Jesus Himself.

When it comes to the building materials, they will vary, depending on how we live our lives. Some materials will endure. Others are going to be burned up. What is the main difference in those materials? The quality.

Verse 12 mentions gold, silver, and precious stones. These can endure the final Day of Judgment when this happens:

1 Corinthians 3:13 KJV 1900

13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.

Trial by fire! We will see for sure what is real and what is not!

So we should take care to build up our spiritual houses with things of eternal significance that will stand the test of time and reflect the fact that we belong to God!

Wood, Hay, and Stubble

Now, if you remember Solomon, he was once tasked with building the Temple of God. And here’s what he said:

Proverbs 24:3 KJV 1900

3 Through wisdom is an house builded; And by understanding it is established:

It takes wisdom and understanding to build a house for God that reflects His character. You’re going to need both of those if you’re going to build a spiritual house for God.

If you look at verse 12, Paul doesn’t just list gold, silver, and precious stones:

1 Corinthians 3:12 KJV 1900

12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;

So he is listing wood, hay, and stubble as inadequate building materials. Why are they inadequate? Because they are temporal. None of them can endure the test of fire that’s coming.

So what is all of this saying? It’s saying that it is foolish and futile to build our life around worldly pursuits when we should be building in light of ETERNITY.

For sure, beautiful buildings can still be made out of lesser materials. But one day that beautiful building will be tested.

For us, all that is going to matter is that we build on the right foundation - Jesus Christ - and with the right materials, with eternity in the view.

I Will Build My Life Upon Jesus Christ

So if I don’t want my house to go up in smoke, what do I need to use? What actually is the gold, the silver, the precious stones???

Very quickly, I’m going to give you one example, and you can look over your life and the things of God and surely find several more.

There’s a song on our pre-service prayer playlist that is called “House of Prayer.” It’s a very simple but powerful song. The words go like this: “Lord, make me a house… make me a house of prayer. May the fire on my altar never burn out… may the fire on my altar never burn out. Day and night, night and day, make me a house of prayer.”

If prayer is what you’re using to build, that can only mean that it has become a consistent part of your life (day and night, night and day).

I understand that there are many things that you could make habits in your life. Some of them can increase your income. Some of them can bring a lot of fun and happiness. You can race, you can shop, you can hunt, you can do all sorts of things.

You choose what things you do and what takes up your time. No one else does. Time and money are so closely related. Where are all my Financial Peace people?! If you don’t tell your dollars where to go, other people will! Time is the same. “Ohhhh… I can’t this or that…” No, no, no - you decide how you spend your time. And if you want to fit prayer into your materials for the life you’re building, you’re going to cut some time elsewhere and make a house of prayer.

YOU WILL SEE MASSIVE RETURN FOR THIS WAY OF LIFE.

The Will of God

Paul told the church in Corinth:

1 Corinthians 3:19 KJV 1900

19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.

The values and philosophies that govern our world are directly opposed to the will of God. The point of the cross was that Jesus sacrificed Himself to deliver us from the influence of an evil world and into the will of God.

He wants us to walk in His will!

The Will of God Is Good, Acceptable, and Perfect

If you can find and live in God’s will for your life, it is altogether good, acceptable, and perfect - all at the same time. That’s not three difference levels of His will. It’s a full description of it!

It is good…

Philippians 2:13 KJV 1900

13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

It produces a life that is acceptable or pleasing to God…

Ephesians 5:8–10 KJV 1900

8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: 9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) 10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

And, it results in a perfecting or maturing of the person…

1 Peter 5:10 KJV 1900

10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

Conclusion

I want to go back to Romans 12…

Romans 12:2 KJV 1900

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

God is in the business of mind renewal.

Matthew 11:28–30 KJV 1900

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

The pressure, the weight, the heaviness that lingers on our minds… it should not stay there. Because through the Holy Ghost, God wants to renew our minds and release that weight from us.

There’s another scripture…

Isaiah 61:3 KJV 1900

3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, To give unto them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they might be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

The garment of praise is the prescription for your heaviness. It is not something that has to feel like the moment has arrived or there is a process for it to happen and be right. It’s as simple as grabbing the garment off of the rack and putting it on.

Praise… let the Holy Ghost come on you… BE RENEWED.

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