A Living Sacrifice

10-14- ‘01 A Living Sacrifice

A. Armstrong

ROMANS 12:1-2

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.

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.

In the 11th chapter of Romans, we learned of about the mercies of God extended to the Gentile world.

In verse 32 & 33

For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unreachable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

I personally do not understand all the ways of God. They are too great for me to comprehend. I feel like the Psalmist who said…

Ps 139:6

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

And the last verse of chapter 11 says this…

For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

I feel that if we are going to get the most we can out of the first verse of chapter 12, we must at least pick up this last verse of 11.

First it says… ALL THINGS ARE OF HIM…

We see in the beginning God created…

And in John 1 we read… ‘without him was not anything made that was made…’ of course this refers to the fact that Jesus was in the beginning the Word. But in it we still find that everything had it’s beginning in God- everything was made by him.

Man has become very pompous in his thoughts that he should exclude his creator from them, and deny the one who created him. All things in existence can be traced back to God.

And THROUGH HIM….

Not only do all things have their beginning in God, but they continue by God.

2 Pet 3:7

7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store,

Our very preservation is by his mercy.

And TO HIM…

All things exist for God. We read in …

Revelations 4:11

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and FOR THY PLEASURE they are and were created.

Proverbs 16:4

4 The LORD hath made all things FOR HIMSELF:

Col 1:16-17

16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and FOR HIM:

And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

So Colossians also actually says all things are of him, through him, and to him.

So our lesson opens up with these words…

I beseech you therefore by the mercies of God…

Because of the mercies that has been before outlined…

Because of all that he has written to them up to this point in this epistle.

Because we have been created FOR HIM. Because our continuing is by his grace. Because he has had mercy on us in reconciling us to him through Christ. Because he has delivered us from the bondage of siN;etc...

THAT YE PRESENT YOUR BODIES A LIVING SACRIFICE, HOLY, ACCEPTABLE UNTO GOD, WHICH IS YOUR REASONABLE SERVICE…

Note here that God is not only interested in your inner man, but he also desires that we are yielded to him in the flesh.

When we belong to God, we belong to him body, soul, and spirit.

To present your body to God, is to yield the flesh you are in to His will…

Rom 6:12-13

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

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.

Rom 6:16

16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

1 Corinthians 6:20

20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Is this too much for God to ask?

Some people seem to think so. Some think that all they owe God is their mind; their believing in him. But the word tells us that to give him our bodies also is not above the call of duty. It is only reasonable. This tells us that holiness is not just a heart condition.