Sermon Tone Analysis

How Can We Be the Christians God Wants Us to Be?

The Book of Romans

Romans 12:1-2

Sermon by Rick Crandall

(Prepared July 29, 2021)

BACKGROUND:

*Romans 12 marks a big turning point in Paul's letter to the Christians in Rome.

Pastor Steve Weaver explained that "the first 11 chapters of the book of Romans mine the depths of God’s gracious purpose and plan for the redemption of sinful humans."

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*There, Paul spelled out the truth about our terrible sinfulness and our desperate need for God's salvation.

Paul made it clear that salvation can only come by grace through faith in our crucified and risen Savior Jesus Christ.

*This is the heart of the gospel, good news about Jesus.

He died on the cross for all of our sins.

But three days later, Jesus rose again from the dead, and now He will give eternal life to everyone who receives Him as their Lord and Savior.

*In chapters 9-11, the Holy Spirit led Paul to discuss the future of the Jewish people, and the bottom line is that they too can only be saved by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

He is the one and only Messiah promised in the Old Testament Scriptures, so all of Paul's letter from chapters 1 to 11 can be summed up by his pledge in Romans 1:15-17.

*There the Apostle declared, "As much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith.'''

*The only way to be just in God's sight is to live by faith in Jesus Christ.

But how are we supposed to live this new life we have as Christians?

That's what Paul began to discuss in Romans 12, and this is his theme for the rest of the letter.

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*Today's Scripture will help us be the kind of Christians God wants us to be.

Please think about this as we read Romans 12:1-2.

MESSAGE:

*Have you ever met someone who wanted to be a bad Christian?

Have you ever met someone who said, "I have been trying to be a lousy Christian for a long time, but I just can't seem to get the hang of it."?

No, and you never will.

*If you are a real Christian, if you are a Christian at all, then deep in your heart you want to be the best you can be for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

But how can we get there?

How can we be the Christians God wants us to be? Today's scripture goes a long way to help us.

1. AND FIRST, WE NEED TO BE MOVED BY GOD'S MERCIES.

*This is Paul's message for us in vs. 1, where he said, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service."

*Here Paul urges, begs, pleads with us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices to God, and he asks us to do this, because of the mercies of God.

As believers in Jesus Christ, we have received not just the mercy of God, but the multiplied mercies of God!

[1] SO, THINK ABOUT THE GREAT ABUNDANCE OF HIS MERCY.

*Christians: It’s for all of our sins, for all who believe in Jesus Christ, for all time!

And all of this mercy comes from God.

In 2 Corinthians 1:3 the Bible tells us that God is "the Father of mercies," and He surely is.

*Psalm 100:5 tells us that "the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endures to all generations."

Notice that there God put His mercy and truth together.

And I am glad He did, because we cannot have God's mercy without God's truth.

And the truth is that we all need God's mercy.

*King David surely did.

In Psalm 6:1-4, David prayed this prayer:

1. O LORD, do not rebuke me in Your anger, Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure.

2. Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am weak; O LORD, heal me, for my bones are troubled.

3. My soul also is greatly troubled; But You, O LORD how long?

4. Return, O LORD, deliver me!

Oh, save me for Your mercies' sake!

*In Psalm 86:3-5 David also cried out to God and said:

3. Be merciful to me, O Lord, For I cry to You all day long.

4. Rejoice the soul of Your servant, For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

5.

For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.

*King David was willing to seek for God's mercy.

And he was sure of God's mercy, so at the end of the 23rd Psalm David proclaimed, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever."

*Old Testament King Manasseh gives us another example of God's abundant mercy.

Years ago, I heard Billy Graham talk about Manasseh.

He was one of the most wicked, if not the most wicked king in the line of David.

Manasseh practiced witchcraft and worshiped the host of heaven.

He filled Jerusalem with blood, and probably had the prophet Isaiah sawed in two.

Manasseh gave his own children to be burned in sacrifice to false gods.

*But after all of that, 2 Chronicles 33:11-13 says:

11.

Therefore the LORD brought upon them the captains of the army of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze fetters, and carried him off to Babylon.

12. Now when he was in affliction, he implored the LORD his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers,

13. and prayed to Him; and He received his entreaty, heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom.

Then Manasseh knew that the LORD was God.

*John Gill explained that when Manasseh was in fetters, he confessed his sins to the LORD, expressing great sorrow and repentance.

Manasseh also prayed for the LORD to have mercy on him and forgive his sins.

The LORD heard Manasseh's supplication, granted his request, showed favor to him, and forgave his sins.

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*Billy Graham made the point that we probably would not have forgiven Manasseh.

But God did forgive that wicked king, and why? -- Because of God's abundant mercies.

[2] THAT'S THE GREAT ABUNDANCE OF HIS MERCY.

BUT ALSO REMEMBER THE GREAT COST OF GOD'S MERCY.

*It was the cross of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

The cross was the greatest cost ever paid!

Jesus had to pay the price for our sins!

That was the only way we could receive the wonderful mercy of God.

And this is why 1 Peter 1:18-19 speaks of Christians "knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."

*All of us deserved eternal punishment because of our sins, but Jesus was willing to take our punishment and die on the cross for us.

*William Ezell saw a picture of the cross in an amazing story from the Civil War.

A company of Confederate soldiers known as "Bushwackers" was captured by Union soldiers.

They were immediately sentenced to be shot, because they were guerilla fighters and not in uniform.

*One of the Confederate soldiers was a young man named Willy Lear.

But there was an amazing young soldier among the Union troops that day.

He went to his commanding officer, and pleaded for the life of Willy Lear.

*"Won't you let me take his place?" the Union soldier asked.

"I know him well.

He has a large family who needs him badly.

My parents are dead, and I have few friends.

No one will miss me.

Please let me take his punishment!"

*The officer hesitated, but finally gave his consent.

So, the young Union soldier pulled that condemned father to the side, and took his place on the death line.

The stone that marks the Union soldier's grave contains these words: "Sacred to the memory of Willy Lear.

He took my place."

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*Has anyone ever died for you?

-- The answer is Yes! Jesus Christ took our death, so that we could have God's gift of eternal life, by placing our trust in Him.

That's why Paul wrote these wonderful words to believers in Romans 5:6-9.

6.

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

7.

For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.