A Living Sacrifice

Introduction

One of my Aunts and Uncles have three boys. The advice of one of their uncles at every wedding is, “set the bar low!”

As Christians, we have set the bar very, very low.

John Piper believes that verses one and two are Paul’s reiteration of the same point in different ways, verse one being symbolic and verse two being practical. I agree with his assessment.

Paul sets a very high bar, which is the only bar.

The Christian life worth living is full of God and empty of self.

Explanation and Application

English Standard Version Chapter 12

12 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.

(1)Paul *makes an urgent request* by God’s mercy that God’s people will (2) present their bodies as a living sacrifice (3) which is holy and acceptable to God (4) as an act of spiritual worship.

The Christian church needs leaders who speak emphatically to their people. He is appealing by God’s mercy.

Appeal, implore, and speak with urgency. Pastors and ministers are a mercy to the people around them - sometimes, because they say things that you don’t want to hear but that you need to hear.

Same thing with the people around us. We are so consumed with being impressive or having our independence that we spurn the loving counsel of people around us.

What does it mean to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God.

Abraham and Isaac - Are we literally sacrificing ourselves upon an altar?

NO! We live our lives dying to ourselves and the world.

What does that mean? Instead of taking the life of an animal, you are giving your life everyday to God.

This is not a sin offering. The sin offering is Jesus Christ. Paul is speaking of a “whole burnt offering.” The whole burnt offering was a valuable animal from the flock. Instead of an expensive animal, you are giving yourself.

You are the most expensive thing that you can give to God. To be a “living sacrifice” is to be totally at God’s disposal. It is writing a blank check to God.

How do we do it? Every morning when you wake up, you die so that Christ can live in you. Your ambitions die. Your dreams die. Your sins die. Your preferences die. Every stray thought dies. Every morning, Christ gets the say on the way you live, and you defer to Him.

*a living sacrifice means something totally different than a dead one. It is difficult to die for something, but it is even more difficult to live for it.

When we die to ourselves so that Christ can live in us, our lives are holy and acceptable to God, because Christ is working in and through us.

Most Christians are happy for Christ to die on an altar for their sins, but the call of Christianity is to crawl on the altar with Him each and every day.

Living for Christ means dying to self as Christ died for us. Some of us will say, it’s too much. Charles Spurgeon has a word for you

You never hear Jesus say in Pilate’s judgement hall one word that would let you imagine that He was sorry that He had undertaken so costly a sacrifice for us. When his hands were pierced, when He is parched with fever, His tongue dried up like a shard of pottery, when His whole body is dissolved into the dust of death, you never hear a groan or a shriek that looks like Jesus is going back on his commitment. // CS

Christ eagerly gave everything, and we are content to give so little.

In the Old Testament, sacrifice was often the pretext of worship. However, in the New Testament, worship is the pretext of sacrifice. We worship, thus we give ourselves.

I am afraid that even in this room, I preach every week to dry bones and dead hearts. Worshipful people give sacrificially of themselves.

Concrete examples #2

How can we say that we know Jesus when we have a hard time prioritizing Jesus even one hour a week to come to church?

How can we say that we know Jesus when we refuse to serve in the local church?

How can we say that we know Jesus when we have never proclaimed the gospel with our lips?

How can we say that we know Jesus when we have no desire for the sins of our hearts to be destroyed?

How can we say that we know Jesus when our Bible’s haven’t been touched in months?

I am broken over the fact that the bar for Christianity is so low, because Jesus never set a low bar. I am convinced that all who only want the low bar really pursue a false one. When our faith propels us away toward a makeshift Christian life with no desire for even the smallest of fruits, we don’t need to do better, we need to get saved!

English Standard Version Chapter 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.

(1) Christians should not look like the world, but (2) transformed by a renewed mind (3) so that they can know what God sees as good and acceptable and perfect.

Christians should not look like the world.

Living sacrifices will look a little strange. They make different decisions from the rest of the world.

We are transformed by minds that are renewed by the Holy Spirit.

Transformed, literally, “metamorphoo.” (Metamorphasis)

Our minds begin to understand what is good, acceptable, and perfect.

In our students vs. adults softball game a few weeks ago, we had an infield play where the first basemen had to cover second. As a result, the pitcher is supposed to cover first base. I was the pitcher, and I didn’t get there when I was supposed to get there. Years after years of baseball reflexes taught me to go to the bag when first base is not covered. However, there was a problem… I haven’t played baseball in awhile. So much of practice, day after day, is learning where to be and when to be there. Same thing with basketball, cheer, etc. You do the same things over and over, so that when you get into a game, you aren’t having to think, what should I do? You just react. Your mind has consistently been fed what you are supposed to do.

The Christian life is the same way. Unfortunately, we often go to the Bible like one of those Magic Eight Balls. Ask it a question, shake it, and get your answer. We see the Bible as a quick answer to our problems.

Instead, Paul says, Renew your minds, through the Bible and Prayer, so that you can discern what is good, acceptable, and perfect.

The Bible can provide a quick answer in a time of need, but the Bible is best used when we conform to what we do to what God reveals to us in His word.

Invitation