Introduction

Welcome, beloved family of God. It is a joy to gather together, united under the banner of Christ's love, to reflect upon His word and His will for our lives. It is in this spirit of unity and reflection that we turn our attention to the twelfth chapter of Romans, verses one and two.

The apostle Paul writes,

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

These verses, filled with divine wisdom and guidance, call upon us to live a life of sacrificial service, to honor those who serve, and to seek spiritual transformation. We are called to offer ourselves, our whole selves, to God. Not just in grand gestures, but in the everyday moments, in the small acts of service, in the quiet whispers of prayer.

Sacrificial Service in Scripture

As we delve deeper into the heart of today's message, we find ourselves standing at the foot of a great mountain. This mountain, my friends, is the mountain of sacrificial service. It's a mountain that's been climbed by many a faithful servant of God throughout the ages. And it's a mountain that each one of us is called to climb in our own lives.

It's not about us: It's about God. It's about offering ourselves up to Him, not out of obligation, but out of love. It's about saying, "Lord, here I am. Use me for Your glory." This is the kind of service that the apostle Paul is talking about in Romans 12:1. He's not talking about a one-time act of service. He's talking about a lifestyle of service. A lifestyle that says, "I am not my own. I belong to God. And because I belong to God, I am here to serve others."

Not easy: It requires us to put aside our own desires and needs, and to put the needs of others first. It requires us to step out of our comfort zones and to step into the messy, broken world around us. It requires us to be willing to get our hands dirty, to bear the burdens of others, and to love without expecting anything in return.

The beautiful thing about sacrificial service: It's in the giving of ourselves that we find our true selves. It's in the serving of others that we find our true purpose. And it's in the laying down of our lives that we find our true life.

What does this kind of service look like in practice?: It looks like Jesus. It looks like the One who, though He was God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant. It looks like the One who, though He was rich, for our sake became poor, so that we through His poverty might become rich. It looks like the One who, though He was sinless, became sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

The kind of service that we are called to: A service that is not about us, but about God. A service that is not about what we can get, but about what we can give. A service that is not about our comfort, but about our calling. And as we embrace this calling, as we climb this mountain of sacrificial service, we will find that it's not a burden, but a blessing. We will find that it's not a duty, but a delight. And we will find that it's not a sacrifice, but a privilege.

Press on: Let us not grow weary in doing good. Let us not become complacent in our comfort. Let us not settle for a life of self-service, but strive for a life of sacrificial service. For it's in the giving of ourselves that we find our true selves. It's in the serving of others that we find our true purpose. And it's in the laying down of our lives that we find our true life.

Saluting our Servicemen and Servicewomen

In Romans 12:1-2, we find a profound call to sacrificial service ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO