Men's Bible Study (2) - "Spiritual Realization" - Romans 12:1

“Spiritual Realization”

Annoucements:

Thank y’all for being here.

Week 2 in our books, if you didn’t get one you can back there.

Men’s work day.

Ladies Progressive Dinner

Title of our Study is “It’s My Turn”

We are going to spend the next week looking at Romans 12:1-2. The invitation to be a living sacrifice.

Over the next four weeks we are going to talk about (1) Spriitual motivation. (2) Spiritual Realization, (3) Spiritual Transformation, and (4) Spiritual Revelation.

Romans 12:1-2.

In our study tonight, the title of the lesson is this:

Romans 12:1-2 is the transition to the last major segment of this Epistle to the Romans. The doctrinal foundation for the Christian life has been laid down in the first 11 chapters. Now in chapters 12-15 Paul will spell out some of the ways our faith and doctrine should be demonstrated in our daily lives. These transitional verses introduce us to the attitudes and actions which should set the Christian apart from the world in which he lives.

It is vitally important that we know and understand the doctrines Paul has taught in the first 11 chapters of Romans. But we must recognize they are truths God intends for us to put into practice. We must not file these truths away in the back drawer of our minds; we must live them out in our daily walk in the Spirit. These two verses are a call to commitment, a commitment to be worked out by a whole new way of thinking and behaving. Heed well these words.

This message is:

1. For believers

2. A call to action

3. Built on foundation for what’s already been said “therefore by the mercies of God…”

But it goes even deeper than this. Chapters 1-11 describe the means whereby the actions called for in chapters 12-15 can be carried out. Chapters 1-11 also provide the motivation for doing so. Not until chapter 12 are we equipped and prepared for the application of chapters 1-11.

Recap last week:, we saw:

The Approach from Paul

Approaches with Good Motives

“I beseech you…”

He humbly implored believers.

Approaches God’s Men

Brethren...

The Appeal from Paul

In View of God’s Mercy

We talked about the motivation for us offering ourselves is “in view of the cross.:

God’s mercy includes:

Love

grace

the Holy Spirit

peace

faith

comfort

power

hope

The Action

be available

be alive

It Only Makes Sense

Opening illustration....

Present - to make available or accessible. provide or furnish.

1. The Presentation of a Living Sacrifice

Romans 12:1 KJV 1900

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.

Paul says, “present your bodies a living sacrifice...”

Now, we’re going to come back to this word “present” in our second point, but I want to ask a question… what did it take to present a sacrifice that was holy and acceptable unto God?

This is the 30,000 foot view of this… in a moment we will look at the close up and personal application.

What’s Required?

I think if we look back in the Old Testament, we can see a little bit more of the language that Paul is talking about.

When you think of sacrificing someone, what comes to mind? Where would you do it?

yielding yourself to The Lord Jesus.

How do we go about offering ourselves as a living sacrifice?

In order to

We are temple, priest, and sacrifice, as Christ was in his peculiar sacrificing. There were sacrifices of atonement and sacrifices of acknowledgment. Christ, who was once offered to bear the sins of many, is the only sacrifice of atonement; but our persons and performances, tendered to God through Christ our priest, are as sacrifices of acknowledgment to the honour of God.

a. The Place -

Where were holy and acceptable sacrifices made in the Old Testament?

Temple

1 Corinthians 3:16–17 KJV 1900

16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

you are the Temple of God.

His presence lives in you!

b. The Priest

Who made the holy and acceptable sacrifices in the Old Testament?

The priest!

1 Peter 2:5–6 KJV 1900

5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.

c. The Provision

The offering was sacrificed by the priest, but presented by the offerer, who transferred to God all his right, title, and interest in it, by laying his hand on the head of it.

There were sacrifices of atonement and sacrifices of acknowledgment. Christ, who was once offered to bear the sins of many, is the only sacrifice of atonement; but our persons and performances, tendered to God through Christ our priest, are as sacrifices of acknowledgment to the honour of God

Voluntary Sacrifices There were three voluntary offerings. The first was the burnt offering, a voluntary act of worship to express devotion or commitment to God. It was also used as an atonement for unintentional sin. The elements of the burnt offering were a bull, a bird, or a ram without blemish. The meat and bones and organs of the animal were to be totally burnt, and this was God’s portion. The animal’s hide was given to the Levites, who could later sell it to earn money for themselves. The second voluntary offering was the grain offering, in which the fruit of the field was offered in the form of a cake or baked bread made of grain, fine flour, and oil and salt. The grain offering was one of the sacrifices accompanied by a drink offering of one-quarter hin (about a quart) of wine, which was poured into the fire on the altar (Numbers 15:4–5). The purpose of the grain offering was to express thanksgiving in recognition of God’s provision and unmerited goodwill toward the person making the sacrifice. The priests were given a portion of this offering, but it had to be eaten within the court of the tabernacle. The third voluntary offering was the peace offering, which consisted of any unblemished animal from the worshiper’s herd, and/or various grains or breads. This was a sacrifice of thanksgiving and fellowship followed by a shared meal. The high priest was given the breast of the animal; the officiating priest was given the right foreleg. These pieces of the offering were called the “wave offering” and the “heave offering” because they were waved or lifted over the altar during the ceremony. The fat, kidneys, and lobe of the liver were given to God (burnt), and the remainder of the animal was for the participants to eat, symbolizing God’s provision. The vow offering, thanksgiving offering, and freewill offering mentioned in the Old Testament were all peace offerings. Mandatory Sacrifices There were two mandatory sacrifices in the Old Testament Law. The first was the sin offering. The purpose of the sin offering was to atone for sin and cleanse from defilement. There were five possible elements of a sin sacrifice—a young bull, a male goat, a female goat, a dove/pigeon, or 1/10 ephah of fine flour. The type of animal depended on the identity and financial situation of the giver. A female goat was the sin offering for the common person, fine flour was the sacrifice of the very poor, a young bull was offered for the high priest and the congregation as a whole, and so on. These sacrifices each had specific instructions for what to do with the blood of the animal during the ceremony. The fatty portions and lobe of the liver and kidneys were given to God (burnt); the rest of the animal was either totally burned on the altar and the ashes thrown outside the camp (in atoning for the high priest and congregation), or eaten within the tabernacle court. The other mandatory sacrifice was the trespass offering, and this sacrifice was exclusively a ram. The trespass offering was given as atonement for unintentional sins that required reimbursement to an offended party, and also as a cleansing from defiling sins or physical maladies. Again, the fat portions, kidneys, and liver were offered to God, and the remainder of the ram had to be eaten inside the court of the tabernacle. The sacrifices in the Old Testament pointed forward to the perfect and final sacrifice of Christ. As with the rest of the Law, the sacrifices were “a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ” (Colossians 2:17). Christians today recognize Christ’s atoning death on the cross as the only needed sacrifice for sin, offered once for all (Hebrews 10:1–10). His death opened the “holy place” for us (Hebrews 10:19–22) so that we can freely enter God’s presence and offer our “sacrifice of praise” (Hebrews 13:15; cf. 9:11–28; 4:14—5:10).

2. The Practice of a Living Sacrifice

go back to that word “present.”

you know what it means?

Yield!

This practice includes two things:

a. The Sacrificial Do’s

One of the defaults as a man is the “you scratch my back, I scratch your back” mentality.

Spiritual sacrifices are any words or deeds motivated by a desire to glorify God alone. Jesus promised us rewards for every kind action done in His name (Mark 9:41; Revelation 22:12). But we don’t offer spiritual sacrifices for what we will get out of it. We offer them without strings attached because our hearts long to live in close fellowship with God. Sacrifice is part and parcel of worship. Christians offer sacrifices of the heart.

Spiritual sacrifices include the believer’s prayers, praises, will, bodies, time, and talents. Such sacrifices are made acceptable to God only through Jesus Christ, the great High Priest. 1. Prayer is a spiritual sacrifice. Under the law, incense, often associated with prayer, was offered on the altar of incense in the tabernacle and temple. David prayed, “May my prayer be set before you like incense” (Psalm 141:2).

Psalm 141:2 KJV 1900

2 Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; And the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.

Revelation 5:8 KJV 1900

8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

Luke 18:1 KJV 1900

1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

1 Thessalonians 5:17 KJV 1900

17 Pray without ceasing.

In his vision of heaven, John saw that the elders around the throne “were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people” (Revelation 5:8; cf. 8:3). Our prayers offered to God ascend as the smoke of the incense ascended in the sanctuary. The fact that the incense was always burning means that we should always pray (Luke 18:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:17). 2. Another spiritual sacrifice is praise. God created us to praise Him, and we offer a “sacrifice of praise” (Hebrews 13:15) when we turn toward God rather than away from Him in the midst of suffering. Praise is easy when all is right with our world. But when the sky falls in, Satan is ready to suggest, like Job’s wife did, that we “curse God and die” (Job 2:9). When we resist the urge to judge God for our misfortune and offer praises instead, that becomes a spiritual sacrifice.

3. Another spiritual sacrifice is surrender of the will. Just as Jesus surrendered His will to the Father’s (Luke 22:42), so do we. Surrender of our will is an ongoing battle. The sin nature that resides within each of us battles for supremacy (Romans 7:18–20).

b. The Sacrificial Don’ts

Picture a wild stallion being ridden for the first time. It doesn’t want to submit to the rider or do what it’s told. It enjoys being fed, having its trough filled with fresh water, and being allowed to go out and nibble grass in the sunshine. The problem comes when the saddle is tossed on its back and the harness is placed over its head.

A cowboy has more sense than to toss a saddle on the back of a wild horse that has never been ridden. For days, he may lead the animal around a pen as it adjusts to the feel of the harness and its new surroundings. Then the saddle comes out of the tack room and is placed on the horse’s back but without a rider. Finally, the cowboy puts a foot in one of the stirrups.

There are many steps in between these, but we can form a mental picture of the process used to break a horse and prepare it to be ridden. When the cowboy climbs into the saddle, the initial shock of having someone on its back is frightening and irritating. The animal might buck and rear its head before it begins to settle and trot around its pen. Some horses refuse to be broken and risk being sold. Others, in time and through proper care, are broken and begin the enjoyment of a lifetime of service to their owners.

When God begins to work in your life, He doesn’t immediately toss a saddle on your back or break you through the circumstances of life. Instead, He works with a plan and goal in mind. Bit by bit and inch by inch, He trains you to live a life that glorifies Him and is a blessing to others.

Self wants to rule. It is an act of worship when we willingly crucify self and embrace surrender to the will of God. We choose His way rather than our own. what are some of the “don’ts”:

1. Living sacrifices aren’t victims

The only victim in this room is Jesus

2. Don’t be lazy

Proverbs 13:4 KJV 1900

4 The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: But the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.

Colossians 3:23 KJV 1900

23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

2 Thessalonians 3:10 KJV 1900

10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

3. Living Sacrifices aren’t Perverted

Ephesians 5:3 KJV 1900

3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;

1 Thessalonians 4:3 KJV 1900

3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:

4. They refuse to use their bodies for theft Ephesians 4:28

Ephesians 4:28 KJV 1900

28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

(Ephesians 4:28)

or for bringing harm to another person Colossians 3:12-13

Colossians 3:12–13 KJV 1900

12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

. They offer their bodies daily to God, asking Him to live His life through them (Galatians 2:20; Romans 6:12–14).

We are a living sacrifice for God by not being conformed to this world. The world is defined for us in 1 John 2:15-16 as the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. All that the world has to offer can be reduced to these three things. The lust of the flesh includes everything that appeals to our appetites and involves excessive desires for food, drink, sex, and anything else that satisfies physical needs. Lust of the eyes mostly involves materialism, coveting whatever we see that we don’t have and envying those who have what we want. The pride of life is defined by any ambition for that which puffs us up and puts us on the throne of our own lives.

3. The Realization

Which is your reasonable service.