Our Bodies and the Body of Christ
Grace and Peace: Welcome One Another As Christ Welcomed You • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 12 viewsIf Paul’s primary goal in his letter to the Romans is peace between Jewish and Greek believers, what does he mean when he instructs them to present their bodies as a living sacrifice? It helps to notice what he says immediately following, they are all members of “one body in Christ.” Both the strong and the weak will understand God’s will for their lives only when they offer themselves fully to God, using everything at their disposal for the common good of the Christian community. The same is true for us, if we want to understand God’s will.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
Introduction:
Last week we talked about the push and pull of culture
- There are corrupting influences in the culture
- We are right to be concerned
- But we are sometimes more vulnerable than we think
The cultural influences that corrupt our Christian faith are rarely the ones we expect.
The cultural influences that corrupt our Christian faith are rarely the ones we expect.
We see all the danger in a different subculture, so we hold on to our own cultural heritage as a safety blanket…but it often blinds us to the truth.
Examples:
While we’re worried about the influences on the RIGHT, we are corrupted by the influences on the LEFT
While we’re worried about the influences on the LEFT, we are corrupted by the influences on the RIGHT
Churches were very concerned about atheism and evolution, but weren’t concerned about materialism and consumerism.
In the 50s and 60s, white churches that wouldn’t fellowship with their AA brothers and sisters, were concerned about the cultural influence of Hollywood, but couldn’t even see how their faith had already been corrupted.
In the 1st Century,
Jewish Christians were judging their Gentile brothers and sisters
Gentile Christians were despising their Jewish brothers and sisters
Neither one of them was seeing the full truth of God’s will for their lives.
Biblical Text:
Biblical Text:
1 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.
Because of God’s “mercies”
because you are thankful to him
because you owe him a debt of gratitude for the way he has rescued you
present your bodies as…a living sacrifice
present a sacrifice makes sense
but these don’t make sense:
“your bodies”
“living sacrifice”
How can you offer your body as a sacrifice
spiritual
REASONABLE
TRUE and PROPER
worship
service to God
priestly service
temple service
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.
conformed to this world
Gentiles - Conformed to this pagan age
Jews - Conformed to this divisive / exclusive / Law-keeping age
transformed by the renewal of your mind
change
we ALL need to change
we all need transformation
only when we SACRIFICE our whole self to God and SUBMIT to his transforming work will we begin to understand his will.
not when we just give him bits and pieces
not when we just give him a portion
3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
Don’t think too highly of yourself, you’re just one part in a much bigger body
You’re not the main character
None of us are the main character
See yourself through the lens of FAITH
There are parts of different…
Ages
Ethnicities
Languages
Nations
Tribes
Backgrounds
Abilities
We belong to each other…
That’s more than, be nice to each other
It’s more than give a little something to each other
YOU belong to EACH OTHER
You are members of EACH OTHER
6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
Let us USE them!
prophesy in proportion to your faith!
serve in proportion to your gift of serving!
teach in proportion to your gift of teaching!
exhort in proportion to your gift of exhorting!
contribute generously!
lead with zeal!
show mercy with cheerfulness
Do everything to the degree God has equipped and empowered you
You have those gifts for the good of the body
USE them
9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.
Unhypocritical Love:
Hating the evil
Holding fast to (joining yourself to) what is good
Everyone hates the evil in their own lives
Only genuine love hates the evil in the lives of others
Wants to join itself to the good in the lives of others
10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
NLT, “Take delight in honoring each other.”
Can you imagine if Greek Christians had done this for Jewish Christians?
Can you imagine how Christians can change the culture if we do that for one another?
“This is brother/sister so-and-so. We come from very different backgrounds, but let me tell you all the reasons he/she is a spectacular person.”
11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
Contribute to the needs…
This is LOVE - REAL, GENUINE, TANGIBLE, MATERIAL
What’s mine is yours
Because we’re part of the same body
It’s NOT patronizing to the poor, it’s unity and solidarity with the poor
This is what we are saved FOR, the PURPOSE for which we’ve been PURIFIED>
Application:
Application:
Earlier we sang, “All to Jesus I surrender…”
All to him I freely give
Worldly pleasures all forsaken
Do you really mean that?
Are you ALL IN?
Are you ALL IN?
…on serving the Lord?
does your body belong to him
does your mind belong to him
do your resources belong to him
…on using your gifts for the good of others?
do you recognize that EVERYTHING you have is a gift from God?
are you committed to using it for the glory of God and the good of your neighbor?
…on taking care of the needs of the “saints” (holy ones / God’s people)?
is your house, their house?
is your car, their car?
do you really see yourself as part of the same body?
Invitation:
Invitation:
This is what baptism is, a total surrender.
Surrender of body, mind, strength, and even resources
To the Lord and each other
Don’t walk out of here partially committed
