Set Apart: A Living Sacrifice

Membership Matters: A Series on Church Membership at Mathiston FBC

Fall 2025

Message Eight

10/26/2025

Romans 12:1-2.

Central Idea: Followers of Jesus present their lives to Him for the work of His ministry.

It is important to notice the transitional sections in Romans: “This is the fourth ‘therefore’ in the letter. Romans 3:20 is the ‘therefore’ of condemnation, declaring that the whole world is guilty before God (Romans 3:20 “For no one will be justified in his sight by the works of the law, because the knowledge of sin comes through the law.”). Romans 5:1 is the ‘therefore’ of justification (Romans 5:1 “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”), and Romans 8:1 the ‘therefore’ of assurance (Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus,”). In Romans 12:1, we have the ‘therefore’ of dedication, and it is this dedication that is the basis for the other relationships that Paul discussed in this section.” [1] (Warren W. Wiersbe, “Romans” in Be Right: How to be Right with God, Yourself, and Others (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2008), 147.)

I. What should be the motivation of our lives?

The mercies of God

Romans 11:33–36 “Oh, the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments and untraceable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? And who has ever given to God, that he should be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.”

Yet, also the important doctrines covered by Paul in chapters 1-8— Justification, sanctification, and glorification.

Thus, in view of the fact that we are justified persons, righteous in our standing before God, we are under obligation to live a righteous life. In view of the fact that we are the objects of the Holy Spirit’s work of sanctification, we are to live those lives in the spiritual energy He supplies. In view of the fact that we are yet to be glorified, we are to look forward to our Lord’s coming, and purify our lives. Wuest, Kenneth S. 1997. Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English Reader. Vol. 2. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

APPLICATION: Maybe you ask the question, “Why should I live my life set apart for God?” Because God has done everything for you to have forgiveness, freedom, and purpose; Because God has demonstrated His mercy and love by sending His only Son, Jesus, for your sins and my sins, so that we might be freed from the rule and reign of sin and from the wrath of God bringing judgment upon sin.

II. What is the call of our lives?

To present our lives to God as living sacrifices

Set apart for His purposes

This is our worship

But the Christian hagios (ἁγιος) (holy) accrues to itself the idea of purity and freedom from sin in that the God of the Christian is both infinitely pure and is also free from sin. Thus, the physical body of the believer, put at the disposal of God, presented to Him, is holy, both in the sense of being set apart for His use, and holy in the sense of being used for pure and righteous purposes, and thus, free from sinful practices. Wuest, Kenneth S. 1997. Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English Reader. Vol. 2. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

To be transformed by the renewing of our mind

Not conformed to the pattern of the world

Transformed by the power of Christ

Paul (calling to mind the same use of the word that is recorded in the transfiguration event) therefore says in effect to the saints, “Change your outward expression from that which you had before salvation, an expression which came from your totally depraved nature and was representative of it, to an expression which comes from your regenerated inner being and is representative of it.” Wuest, Kenneth S. 1997. Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English Reader. Vol. 2. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

Through the renewal of our minds

“Renewing” is anakainōsis (ἀνακαινωσις), which Trench defines as “the gradual conforming of the man more and more to that new spiritual world into which he has been introduced, and in which he now lives and moves; the restoration of the divine image; and in all this so far from being passive, he must be a fellow-worker with God.” Thayer defines the word, “a renewal, renovation, complete change for the better.” That is, the change of outward expression is dependent upon the renovation, the complete change for the better of the believer’s mental process. This is accomplished through the ministry of the indwelling Holy Spirit, who when definitely, and intelligently, and habitually yielded to puts sin out of the believer’s life and produces His own fruit. Wuest, Kenneth S. 1997. Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English Reader. Vol. 2. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

So we might discern/test God’s will for our lives

When the saint in dependence upon the Spirit renovates his mental processes, the result will be that he will “prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.” “Prove” is dokimazō (δοκιμαζω), “to put to the test for the purpose of approving, and finding that the thing tested meets the specifications laid down, to put one’s approval upon it.” As a result of the Spirit’s control of the mental processes of the saint, the latter is enabled to put his life to the test for the purpose of approving it, the specifications being that it conform to the Word of God, and thus, experiencing what obedience is to the Word, and finding out what it feels like to have the Word saturate and control the life, he sees that it really is the Word of God and puts his approval upon it. Wuest, Kenneth S. 1997. Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: For the English Reader. Vol. 2. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

APPLICATION: Maybe you ask, how can I accomplish this? Only by the power of God living in you accompanied by a full surrender and submission to His authority in your life. This is not a half-hearted pursuit or something accomplished with a partial or distanced dedication.

Response

Unbeliever: Have you recognized your life as broken, without purpose, and full of void/longing?

God created you to know Him and display His glory to the rest of creation.

Sin separated you from this and led you to a place of longing and brokenness where, at best, you live a distorted version of what God intended you to.

Many try to fill the void through worldly things

Yet, through the Gospel, when one believes in the name of Jesus and repents of their sin, they are restored back to fellowship with God and His purpose for their life— to be set apart to know Him and to make Him known.

What is the Gospel?

Rm. 1:16— The power of God for salvation for those who believe

Rm. 3:23— The reality that all have sinned and in their sin, are separated from God

Rm. 5:8— The demonstration of God’s love perfectly shown through Jesus, His Son, that while we were still sinners, He died for us.

Rm. 6:23— The gift of God’s grace granting eternal life for those who believe in Jesus when they deserve death.

Rm. 10:9-10— The invitation for all who hear the Gospel to confess Jesus as Lord with their mouth and believe in their heart God raised Him from the dead; thus, receiving salvation for all eternity.

Do you believe this?

Follower of Christ: Have you yielded your life to God, fully, so that your life might be a sacrifice unto Him— set apart for His work and for His holiness?

If not, what is holding you back?

Unconfessed sin?

Skepticism?

Comfort or complacency?

Lack of genuine desire to follow Christ?

Other things?

Would you confess these matters to God today, and repenting of them, commit to live a life, starting today, set apart for His purposes?