Living Sacrifices
Notes
Transcript
Bible Passage:
Ro 12:1-8
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.
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.
For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function,
so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.
Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith;
or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching;
he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
Intro:
Intro:
AG:
TS: Romans 12-15 is the third big division in the book of Romans
1. Saving Sinners 1:18-8:39
2. Concerning Israel 9-11
3. Concerning Christian Conduct 12-15:13
RS: Our conduct
should follow the pattern of Christ as described in the Scriptures. Conforming
to the Word of God instead of the world transforms us and we will know and live
out God’s will as we serve in this world.
I. Sacrifice of Self v 1
I. Sacrifice of Self v 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.
In Jewish culture, sacrifices were central to worship.
Paul reinterprets this in light of Christ's ultimate sacrifice.
The word "therefore" connects this to previous chapters;
Paul is shifting from doctrine to practice.
This and the following texts are practical and impact how we live our lives.
Theology is never meant to be cold and lifeless.
It must always have a practical application.
It’s as if he’s saying, “Based on everything that I’ve just said, this is what you now need to put into
practice.”
The immediate context is the doxology which ended ch 11.
In light of God’s mercy
Mercy, not grace. God’s withholding of the punishment we deserve
Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy.
IL: That reminds me of the man who stormed into a photo studio complaining about the quality of his photographs. He smashed his fist on the counter and fumed, “Sir, these pictures do not do my looks justice.” To which the photographer responded, “Sir, with a face like yours, you don’t want justice, you want mercy!”
"living sacrifice" implies a continuous offering of one’s life.
A. Present Yourself
A. Present Yourself
B. Living Sacrifice
B. Living Sacrifice
OT sacrifices:
All or portions of animals were to be drained of blood and completely burned in fire.
Significance of Old Testament Sacrifices:
1. Atonement for Sin:
The primary purpose of sacrifices in the Old Testament was to atone for sins. Leviticus outlines various sacrifices for
different sins, where blood was shed as a means of covering or atoning for human sinfulness (Leviticus 16:30).
2. Covenant Relationship:
Sacrifices were also a way to maintain the covenant relationship between God and His
people. They served as an acknowledgment of God's holiness and the people's
need for purification to approach Him.
3. Educational and Symbolic:
Sacrifices educated the Israelites about the seriousness of sin, the holiness of God, and the need for blood to make
atonement (Hebrews 9:22). They symbolized the cost of sin and the necessity of death to pay for it.
4. Typological:
Many aspects of these sacrifices were seen by Christians as types or shadows pointing forward to Christ. For instance, the Passover lamb (Exodus 12) prefigures Christ as the "Lamb of God who takes
away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
Living Sacrifice:
Under the New Covenant, Jesus Christ was the final sacrifice.
He accomplishes once for all, what the OT sacrifices couldn’t. In fact, they pointed forward to HIS sacrifice the whole time.
He doesn’t want or need us to die.
Paul introduces a new metaphor where believers themselves are the sacrifice, but they are to be "living."
This means:
Continual Dedication:
o Unlike animals that were sacrificed once, a living sacrifice implies a continuous,
daily commitment to living for God.
·
Active Service:
o It involves actively serving God with one's life, not just in rituals but through
one's entire being.
I have been crucified with Christ; 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 for me.
Application:
- Offer your life daily as worship to God.
Even today, we are urged to present ouselves to God
Challenge: Live each moment as an act of worship, not just in religious settings.
Everywhere you go, everything you do should glorify God
Paul in his letter to the Corinthians dealt with a dispute over dietary restrictions. He pointed out that it ultimately didn’t matter what you ate, but HOW you ate it and the impact that behavior had on each other (did it lead to unity or quarels)
He condluded it this way:
Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
In discussing our work life, Paul told the believers in Colosse:
And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,
knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.
God will get glory out of every human life. Man may glorify God voluntarily by love and obedience, but if he will not do this he will be compelled to glorify God by his rejection and punishment.
Augustus Hopkins Strong (America’s Leading Baptist Theologian)
II. Shaping of the Spirit v. 2
II. Shaping of the Spirit v. 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.
Roman culture pushed for conformity;
Make the world Rome was their aim.
Paul counters with spiritual transformation.
"Be transformed" is passive,
highlighting God's role in our transformation through our active mind renewal.
A. Don’t be conformed
A. Don’t be conformed
Non-Conformity:
Paul urges not to conform to the "pattern of this world," which includes its values, behaviors, and thought patterns that are contrary to God's teachings.
The world, let me emphasise it again, is everything that stands between us and glorifying God only, utterly and absolutely.
Life in God, 37
David Martyn Lloyd-Jones (Welsh Preacher and Writer)
Our society pushes us to fit us into their mold
That mold is nearly always contrary to God’s Will
Jesus said:
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
To deny self is to become a nonconformist. The Bible tells us not to be conformed to this world either physically or intellectually or spiritually.
Billy Graham
Be Transformed
Be Transformed
Transformation:
Instead, believers should be "transformed by the renewing of your mind."
This renewal involves:
A change in how one thinks,values, and perceives life through the lens of Scripture and the Spirit.
An ongoing process where the mind is continually shaped by God's truth, leading to a life that reflects Christ's character.
This will be informed and guided by His Inspired word
C. Prove the will of God
C. Prove the will of God
The transformation leads to the ability to "test and approve what God's will is."
This implies:
A deeper understanding and alignment with God's desires for one's life.
The capacity to make decisions that reflect God's will, which is described as "good, pleasing and perfect."
Application
- Resist cultural pressures by renewing your mind with Scripture.
Don’t be afraid to reject the world’s view on matters which are contrary to God’s word.
- Challenge: Engage in regular Bible study and prayer to align your thoughts with God's will.
Then you will be equipped to walk in a manner that glorifies God
III. Service in Simplicity v. 3-8
III. Service in Simplicity v. 3-8
1. Healthy view of ones self
1. Healthy view of ones self
Roman society was hierarchical;
If you had authority, you flaunted it!
There were powerful people and they demanded you acknowledged it!
Paul promotes humility and service.
For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
Measure of Faith (Metron pisteos):
Likely refers to the faith given for service, not the quantity of faith.
God has dealt
What prevents pride from cropping up is a sober estimation of one’s faith, and this sober estimation is based on the truth that God apportioned to each one a measure of faith. Pride is eliminated when one recognizes that the faith one has is a gift of God, not the result of one’s own virtue.
Thomas Schreiner
Gifts (Charismata):
In context, these are gifts for the common good of the church, reflecting the corporate nature of faith in early Christian communities.
2.The illustration concerning these gifts (12:4–5):
2.The illustration concerning these gifts (12:4–5):
For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function,
so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.
Paul likens spiritual gifts to members of the human body.
Organization of life
Life is highly organized!
All matter is made up of atoms of elements which form compounds.
Each compound has different properties from the atoms within it
Together, the right chemicals in the right proportions make up the smallest level of life, the cell.
Cells specialize and work together to make up tissues
Tissues join to make up organs which make up systems until finally the systems work together to be an organism: One horse, One man, One woman, etc.
We are members of the body (The church!)
As a church, we need each other.
Notice how Paul describes it in 1 Cor 12
If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?
And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?
If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?
But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.
And if they were all one member, where would the body be?
But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.
And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”
No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.
And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty,
but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it,
that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.
And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
3.The identification of these gifts (12:6–8):
3.The identification of these gifts (12:6–8):
Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith;
or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching;
he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
Seven spiritual gifts are listed. (other gifts are listed in 1 Cor 12 and Eph 4)
a.Prophesying (12:6)
b.Serving (12:7a)
c.Teaching (12:7b)
d.Encouraging (12:8a)
e.Giving (12:8b)
f.Leading (12:8c)
g.Showing kindness (12:8d)
Notice how they all serve and impact others!
Each member fulfilling their God given role, builds up the body
for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
Application:
Humility: Recognize your place within the body of Christ, neither inflating nor diminishing your role.
All are needed and we all need each other
Be clear in your thinking on this.
Service: Use your unique gifts in service, understanding that every role is essential for the health of the church.
Conclusion
Conclusion
- Serve with humility, recognizing all abilities come from God.
- Challenge: Assess your gifts with humility, serve others without seeking personal glory, and work in unity with the church body.
Summation: Romans 12:1-8 teaches us to offer our lives as sacrifices, renew our minds for transformation, and serve humbly with the gifts given to us by God.
Final Challenge: Dedicate yourself to a life where sacrifice, spiritual renewal, and simple service define your walk with Christ in today's world.
