Romans 12:1-2
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In light of Mercy, Worship
In light of Mercy, Worship
Introduction (2 minutes)
Have you ever wondered to yourself, “What is the will of God?” Maybe you wondered about [something elementary and seemingly inconsequential] or [intermediate] or [something profound or heavy]. Well, there is a way to find out the will of God in any situation. It is not always easy to find out his will, but there is a way. Keep listening to find out.
Background - Paul has just finished speaking to the Roman Christians about the grand mysterious plan of God to save people from both Jewish and Gentile ethnic groups. That encompasses people from every tribe, tongue, nation, people group. But all of those groups can be described as either Jewish or non-Jewish. The Jews were God’s special people that were meant to be holy and devoted to God alone. But they failed in this, especially when Jesus came on the scene. And so, God turned to the Gentiles, that is, us, and chose to save many of us out of sin and into his salvation. Lastly, there would come a day when God would turn again to his people Israel to bring them back into the fold, or, back into the people of God. So, we then arrive at our text for this evening.
Read the text of Romans 12:1-2
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Thesis statement: In light of mercy, worship.
In Light of Mercy (5 minutes)
Introductory statement. Paul challenges the Romans to worship God, but he does so with a specific way in mind. By the mercies of God, he says. Because of mercy, they should live entirely different lives than the world and their former selves. What is mercy? “That tenderness of heart which [causes] a person to overlook injuries [faults, sins], or to treat an offender better than he deserves…” God’s mercy is his compassion for us. A love given to us even though we deserved worse, as we will see shortly. This compassion is what should drive every Christian’s worship. And this compassion is seen throughout this letter to the Romans, which Paul refers to in the phrase, “by the mercies of God.” Which were the mercies of God that Paul referred to? Why should the Christians worship God?
Evidence
Because we have righteousness through justification by faith
Righteousness
Justification
By faith
Because we have peace
Through faith, God has reconciled us to himself. Now, we are no longer at odds with God. He has secured our relationship with Him through the death and resurrection of Jesus.
Because we have union with Jesus
If you have believed in Jesus, you have died with him spiritually, and rose to new spiritual life.
Because we have eternal life
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Because we have the indwelling of the Spirit and adoption
If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
Because we have an inheritance with Christ
and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
Because we have favor with God
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Because we have salvation
For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Commentary
And this is all called the Gospel, the Good News which saved us Bad People. We had sinned against God and deserved to be punished by Him. But God was merciful, compassionate to us because that is who He is. He is a loving God who chooses to forgive many people of their sins.
Perhaps give story of prisoners freed.
Worship (15 minutes)
Introductory statement - Now in light of all of this that God has done, Christians must worship God! What does worship mean and what does it look like? I was at a conference lately where there were two of the men that I respect a lot, Bob Kauflin and Keith Getty (we sing a lot of their songs), and they were questioned during the conference. Both of them are worship leaders, just like myself, but have been doing it for decades. Both of them have been saved for a very long time as well and have written music for the church. They were asked the question, how would you define worship? And I’ll ask you guys the same question, “how would you define worship? What does that mean?”
Keith Getty responded by saying “Romans 12:1–2 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Worship is “presenting your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.” It is offering up your body unto God every day, saying, “Lord how would you use me today?” or “What do you want me to do for you today? How may I respond in worship because of your mercies?” This is the right posture to have with God. It is a living sacrifice, rather than a dying sacrifice. Why, the death has already occured with Jesus. He was a dying sacrifice on your behalf, so no more death is necessary. We are living sacrifices who give up our whole lives to God. Every body part, every muscle, every thought, every feeling, every dream and wish, every desire, every thing, is now devoted to God in response to his mercy.
It is Total Worship. And worship is more than singing. Worship is recognizing that there is a God who deserves to be served all the time and therefore living in accordance with that truth. Worship is about singing, praying, speaking, playing a game, watching a movie, brushing your teeth, tying your shoes… Christians worship all the time, by living in loving obedience to our God who has had mercy on us.
Insert story here about man whose entire life was changed by the Gospel.
This is the kind of life, in Christ, that is considered holy and acceptable to God. Through Christ, his works are seen as good and righteous.
Second point: That’s a great vision and all, an ideal situation for every Christian, to be “totally surrendered” to God in every moment, but how do you get there? Paul offers two ways. First, do not be conformed to the world.
Evidence
Romans 12:2a “Do not be conformed to this world…”
Commentary
Being holy means that you are set apart. Unlike the things around it. If you are to be holy, you cannot be conformed to this world. This world is unholy. You must be unlike the culture in which you live. Isn’t that difficult? How does a junior high student live a holy life to God?
I am not saying (1) that you remove yourself from the world. or (2) that everything in the world is unholy and you should stay away from everything in the world, for although the world has been stained, that does not mean that it is entirely apart from the attesting power to God’s nature and divine power. or (3) that you should not eat cereal because the world eats cereal. We are talking about principally, Christians must be different than the world. This plays out in practice, because what you believe is what you will do. If you believe that there are more than two genders, then you will affirm that publicly. If you believe that God is a joke, then you will not take religion seriously. If you believe your parents are liars, you will not listen to them. If you believe your parents ought to be respected, then you will obey them and love them. We deal with principles first when we talk about holiness, which play out in the what we wear say and do. The world dresses immodestly, Christians must not. The world hates, but we do not. The world slanders and gossips, but we must not, for God has had mercy on our souls and we live to worship Him in every atmosphere.
What does the world do? Especially what do junior highers in the world do? Popularity, fame, lust, fear…
Transition Statement - Second step to the way of total worship, be transformed by the renewal of your mind.
Put good in, get good out. And no, I’m not talking about Jamba Juice. Or health diets. The “good” I am talking about is the truth!
Evidence
Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind…”
Commentary
Your mind will be renewed as you fill it with God’s truth. This is done through reading the Word, praying the Word, singing the Word, seeing the Word in baptisms and communion, and hearing the Word preached. Public and private worship.
Transition Statement: After being transformed by the renewal of your mind, then you can seek God’s will. Remember at the start of this sermon how I asked if any of you have ever wondered about the will of God, “What is it? How can I find out his will for my life?”
Evidence
Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Commentary
To find out the will of God, the first steps are not being conformed to this world and being transformed by the renewal of your mind. Then you will be in a place where you can test to see the will of God. As your mind is renewed, you can test everything to see if it is in line with God’s ways.
God’s specific will for your life is seen when you survey your life with His Word. His guidelines in the Word will guide you as you make decisions in life. The proverbs are especially helpful. Where are ways in which you can love God and love your neighbor? That is God’s will in your life. Where are ways in which you may present your body as a living sacrifice? That is probably God’s will in your life. I say probably because there are sometimes ways in which we see things wrongly. This is why asking others for counsel on God’s specific will in your life is very helpful.
Very often, when someone wants to know “God’s will for their life” they can run into a problem where their will clashes with God’s will. Their desires are for one thing, where God’s desires are for another.
(living for yourself, or living for God - what is your life’s purpose?
Example?
For the Christian, they find pleasure in living by God’s will. And only Christians can, as one commentator puts it, “ascertain, do, and enjoy the will of God” (BKC). His will is good, acceptable and perfect. Therefore strive to live by it.
Concluding statement to the section: The right response to God’s mercy is total worship.
Application/Conclusion
In light of mercy, worship.
He has been merciful to us, therefore it is right and fitting and reasonable to give him our whole lives.
Application:
Reflect on his mercy. This is how you will renew your mind. Spend 10 minutes thinking about God’s mercy for you. Read the Bible every morning.
Do not follow the culture, do not affirm what they affirm, do not follow the language they use, the hatred they share, the obsession for fame…
Sing to God. Grow your relationship with Him, knowing that he deserves all of your worship.
