Presentation for Service

Introduction

We have finally reached chapter 12 in the book of Romans, but we haven’t quite left chapters 1-11 behind. Chapter 12 begins with a key phrase that ties us to the previous chapters: I beseech you therefore… Therefore- that word therefore reminds us of everything we have just read. Because of who we are in Christ and what he has done for us, chapters 12-16 are going to focus on how we relate to each other and the world around us. Last week I said Theology affect our worship; but theology also affects our practice. What we believe about God and ourselves changes the way we live.

By the mercies of God- literally through mercy or in view of- compassions in his justification, sanctification and glorification of the believer. Paul is begging them to a certain course of action because of all the love, and grace they have received from God.

Imagine being out on a small boat out on the ocean. A violent storm has come up. The wind is knocking the boat and almost tipping it over. Some of the others on the boat have already fallen off. Meanwhile, the rain is coming down so heavily that your boat is filling with water. You are going to drown tonight and no one will find your body until this storm blows over. But off in the distance, a light shines from a larger boat. Someone throws you a life preserver and hauls you on board. You are saved from certain destruction.

As you look around you see, many of the people from your boat sprawled out on the deck of the ship. While the ship is much more secure than the boat you left behind, you can see that they need help. Some of the passengers are too terrified and cling to the railing ignoring instructions from the workers. You because of your gratitude for them saving your life jump in to start bailing water and help others to safety.

This is the connection between Romans 1-11 and Romans 12-16. We have been saved from certain and utter destruction because of our sins. There was nothing we could do to save ourselves. Now we enjoy the blessings of being a child of God, a part of the people of God. What seemed impossible is now our blessing to enjoy. When that truth truly hits you, it should create two responses:

praise- last week we saw Paul’s doxology that erupted from a grateful heart.

service- When I truly understand what I have received in Christ, I will want to serve him with the rest of my life.

This morning we are going to look at a classic passage on presenting ourselves for service. Romans 12 begins with three things that Paul pleads with us to do because of what Jesus did for us. First, we must present ourselves to God, Second, refuse to let the world shape us and third, allow Him to transform us to His will.

Present Your Bodies

The first exhortation is to present your bodies a living sacrifice. Romans 12:1 “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.”

The imagery here is clearly of a sacrifice on an altar. Sacrifices were often used as a means of expressing gratitude for what God had done. Leviticus 7:11–12 “And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he shall offer unto the Lord. If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried.” But what sacrifice could I give that would match or equal what God has done for me. There is none I could offer; so I bring all I can: my entire being.

The word present means to make available or place at someone’s disposal. It is placing myself in God’s hands to use however, He sees fit to use me. Pardon my technical terminology for a second, but it is an aorist infinitive which does not focus on time or duration, but the decisiveness of the event. So this verse isn’t saying when this needs to happen in your life or even how often. But it needs to happen. Think of it this way every thing in your life has a beginning point. If you got married, you got married at a specific point in time, but you don’t walk away tomorrow and say I was married yesterday but now I’m not. Marriage is a great illustration of this because it begins when you exchanged vows in a ceremony, but every day after that you live in the reality of that new relationship.

What is it we are to present to God? our bodies- the body is important because everything you do is done in this body. Even the thoughts you thing are done with this body which includes a brain. Paul is probably reminding us of Romans 6:13 “Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.” I think though that Paul has in mind more than merely our bodies. Your body is a shell that encompasses the whole of you. It is used as a figure of speech to represent the whole of you. Paul in the same verse tells us to yield yourselves unto God. We aren’t giving God pieces of our lives. It isn’t like God you have my eyes, I won’t look at porn but you can’t have my hands. Of God you can have my feet, I won’t go to evil places, but you can’t have my thoughts or my heart. This is an entire package offering to God.

Most sacrifices leave the animal that was sacrificed dead, but God wants a living sacrifice. The sacrifice God desires is your life. He wants you to live a life totally surrendered to Him.

Jim Elliot once said:

He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.

Jim Elliot gave his life, something he couldn’t keep. We are all going to die someday. This life is going to pass away. But the rewards of heaven are incorruptible. Why wouldn’t I be willing to give up the things that don’t last for something that does.

This sacrifice is described in three ways:

holy- when we make this sacrifice our lives are completely set apart to God. devoted to His use.

acceptable- it is pleasing to God

reasonable service- it is rational. It makes sense. Why would you want to live for anything less?

Be Not Conformed

Romans 12:2 “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.”

When you present your life completely to God, that is going to involve two things: not being conformed to the world and being transformed. You see, if God has your life, you know who doesn’t have your life: the world. If God has your heart, the world does not have your heart. 1 John 2:15 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” So when I have given my life over to God, my lies to the world are severed.

Be not conformed- Literally, Paul is saying stop conforming yourself to the world. This is something all of us have done and if we are not careful are doing. Conforming is allowing something external to mold you or shape you. Wuest says is does not come from within him nor is it representative of his inner heart life. This isn’t who you are as a believer. You are putting on a costume.

to the world- lit age- refer to all the goals, hopes, the opinions, the wisdom, the desires of society at any point in time- the spirit of the age a modern way of understanding world here is culture. Don’t let the culture shape you. There are things that we do because we have to do them. There are even styles of clothes we wear or the way we do our makeup that are culturally defined, but for the Christian this is a matter of who rules our heart. Do we do the things we do merely because the culture around us does them? Are we allowing the sinful influences of popular people in our culture to influence what we do? Is our heart consumed with fitting in with the crowd? There is a pressure from those around you. I know you can feel it. That peer- pressure tells you to talk a certain way, to look a certain way to act a certain way even to think a certain way. That pressure wants you to be pressed into their mold. It wants to force you to be like everone else. We have allowed its values, beliefs, and pursuits to shape who we are rather than Christ.

He gives this paraphrase of the verse:

Wuest’s Word Studies in the Greek New Testament Chapter Twelve

“Stop masquerading in the habiliments of this world, its mannerisms, speech expressions, styles, habits.”

A second ago I mentioned that conforming to the world was like putting on a costume. This is because the word speaks of something outside of you shaping you. (Ill fat guys and kyle with a pillow and belt)

I am not going to go into a list of what some would call worldly things because worldliness is ultimately a matter of the heart. But I want to ask you a question.

Who are you? (have the audience give answers)

Are you Taylor Swift?

Are you Lebron James?

Are you Adam Sandler?

Are you President Trump?

Are you Shai Gilgeous Alexander?

These are all figures of the world, why would we want to be what we are not?

We cannot be like a chameleon which takes on the color of its surroundings. - barclay

Where is your heart?

Do you feel the constant pull to look, act, talk like everyone else around you?

Do you feel you can’t be you because everyone else wants you to be something else? More importantly do you feel you can’t be a godly Christian because it might mean you don’t do some things your friends are doing?

Take any decision you make, the vocabulary you use, the clothes you wear, the music you listen to, the styles you adopt and ask one simple question: Why?

When you put on this costume of the world, you hide Jesus Christ.

Be Transformed

Romans 12:2 “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.”

When we have given our lives completely to Christ, we will find that instead of the world pressing us into its mold, we are being changed from the inside out.

Transformation is the opposite of conforming- conforming is adopting the external appearance of something. It isn’t you. You are a son of God, redeemed from your sin with all the rights and privileges of being a child of God. That’s who you are. When you conform, you are putting on a costume of something you are not; but transformation begins from the inside. It is allowing who you really are in Christ to change what you look like on the outside. It is the same word used of Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration in Matthew 17:2 “And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.” Jesus external appearance was changed because who he was shown through.

by the renewing of your mind- why is it that people struggle with worldliness? They think the world’s thoughts, the desire the world’s things What they think is cool is defined by the world. If you are going to obey these verses, you are going to have to allow God’s word to change your mind.

that ye may prove- to put to the test for approval

the good, acceptable and perfect will of God- The world wants to conform you to its will, but as we are transformed, as we present our lives to God, we experience God’s will. Many are afraid to make that sacrifice because they think God’s will is hard, cruel and miserable. I must be honest that God’s will sometimes costs us something, sometimes it isn’t easy or it hurts. But I have never known anyone who looking back said, it wasn’t good. These three descriptions are not three separate wills of God like maybe you can reach the good will of God but not the perfect will of God. Unfortunately language like that has slipped into our Christian vocabulary. No, God’s will is good, it is acceptable and it is perfect. Those words good speaks of moral excellence. God’s will is good, beautiful and excellent. Acceptable- it is pleasing both to God and to us. We may not see it as pleasing going into it, but God’s will brings the greatest satisfaction I could ever imagine. You know as a pastor I have had some stressful, hard times. I never had panic attacks until I became a pastor, but it has also been the most satisfying thing I have done in my life. I love being a pastor. I love seeing God use His word in my hands to change lives, to comfort the broken, to guide the blind and to save the lost. Walking with God and serving Him has brought the most fulfillment in my life. But God’s will is also perfect- This is the word for complete. God’s will is not lacking. Something isn’t missing.

Conclusion

I am concerned about Christians today because the specific will of God is not revealed to the un-surrendered, unseparated, or untransformed Christian. There are too many Christians who live like their favorite ball player, musician, or give in to the influence of their friends to be a certain way and never consider what does God desire for their lives. I have seen many who balked at doing God’s will because they wanted to have fun, but then I have seen their lives since. They are not living fulfilling, satisfied lives today. They were deceived into rejecting God’s will for the worlds. But it all stems from a life unsurrendered to God.

Has there ever been a point in your life where you said to God, “Take it all Lord, I want you to have it all. Use it for your glory.” Like marriage, there needs to be a moment where you made this surrender and then the rest of your life will be lived living it out. It has to begin somewhere, maybe today is that day for you.