REMEDY
The Remedy for Meaninglessness
“Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in thee..”
Saint Augustine, 420 A.D.
Key Scripture: Romans 12:1-2
Icebreaker: "What have you done that you believe in and you are proud of?"
That’s the question an old man used to begin conversations he had with the people he met. “What have you done that you believe in and you are proud of?”
He never asked conventional questions such as "What do you do for a living?" It was always, "What have you done that you believe in and are proud of?"
It was an unsettling question for people who had built their self-esteem on their wealth or their family name or their exalted job title.
Not that the old man was a fierce interrogator. He was delighted by a woman who answered, "I’m doing a good job raising three children;" and by a cabinetmaker who said, "I believe in good workmanship and practice it;" and by a woman who said, "I started a bookstore and it’s the best bookstore for miles around."
"I don’t really care how they answer," said the old man. "I just want to put the thought into their minds.
"They should live their lives in such a way that they can have a good answer. Not a good answer for me, but for themselves. That’s what’ s important."
Dr. Dale E. Turner, MSC Health Action News, July, 1993, p. 7.
Intro: So, I ask you that same question this morning: What have you done in your life that you believe in and are proud of? Here’s a better question: What are you doing right now that you believe in and are proud of?
-I think deep down, we’d all like to be able to answer the question that old man asked. We’d all love to be able to just recite our life’s purpose off of the top of our heads. But let’s be honest. Most of us can’t. If you can’t, I want you to listen to 2 verses from Romans chapter 12. And I really pray that by the time you leave here this morning, you’ll have a better answer for that old man’s question than when you came in today.
Scripture: Romans 12:1-2
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer 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.”
-Now, we’ve been moving pretty quickly through the book of Romans up to this point. But now we get to chapter 12, and we’re going to just park here for the next 3 Sundays. Because a shift happens at this point of Paul’s letter. Chapter 12 of Romans marks a major shift in Paul’s letter from understanding right belief to practicing right action. And your faith isn’t just something to believed, but something to be lived out in your daily life.
-And I’ll just tell you this, this morning: I truly believe, in the deepest parts of my heart, that we can never truly fulfill our life’s purpose until we give ourselves to God’s purpose. So, Paul starts this section by reminding us that before we can live for God, we have to be close to God. We have to yield to His purpose in our lives. So today, I want to talk to you about how to get closer to God.
(Prayer)
How to Get Closer to God
1. Reflect on what God has done for you (“in view of God’s mercy”)
Illustration: I’ll admit something to you: Sometimes ministry is hard. Not always. I wouldn’t even say, “usually.” But sometimes, definitely, it is. I have my moments where I wonder if I’m really cut out for it. Do I have the necessary leadership ability? What if I really am too young for this? And don’t even get me started on my preaching. I hate listening to myself on tape.
Questions: Do you have those times in your life when you feel like that? Like you’re not as close to God as you need to be and you never will be? Like you don’t have a purpose or you’ll never be able to live up to your purpose?
Statement: I have those moments, too. But you know what I’m learning to do when those feelings of inadequacy start washing over me? I’m learning to look back so that I can move forward. I’m learning that as I look back over my life and remember all of the things God has done for me, those feelings of inadequacy start to fade away. As I look back and remember what God has done, it makes me all the more confident about what He’s going to do. So, for me, I look back at the night 18 years ago when I felt Him calling me to a life of ministry. I was 7 years old. I know it sounds crazy, but I will never forget that night. I have never felt the presence of God that heavily in my life before or since. And so today, when I start feeling like I can’t do this, I look back on that night 18 years ago and remember that there is no doubt God called me.
-You know what? You should start doing that, too. The first thing that Paul says to his readers is, “I urge you, in view of God’s mercy…”
-Now, just hold on right there. Do understand the gravity of what he’s saying here? Remember the chapters we’ve studied leading up to chapter 12. God’s wrath. The problem of our sin. And that God sent Jesus as the sacrifice for our sin…Paul comes to this point and says, “by THAT mercy…” do this.
-In your life, if you want to start getting closer to God, reflect on what He has done for you. Do you feel like He’s distant from you? Have you kind of gotten off track in your life? Do you find yourself doubting His existence or His presence? Then I urge you, just like Paul, to start reflecting on His mercy in your life. Think about all the different ways He’s blessed you. Reflect on the people He has put in your life. A special family member. A good friend. A faithful Christian brother or sister.
-So Paul says, “do this.” What else does he say to do?
2. Give yourself to God because of what God has given to you.
(“offer your bodies…”)
-Then he says, “offer you bodies…” Yikes. What’s he talking about? Well, he’s not talking about your actual, physical body. He’s talking about your whole self. Offer all of you. Give all of you. Give yourself to God because of what God has given to you.
-In the Old Covenant – an act of worship meant you took an animal and sacrificed it on the altar. Now that Jesus has become our sacrifice for sin – we offer ourselves up not as dead sacrifices on the altar, but living sacrifices. The problem with living sacrifices, of course, is that we can get up off the altar. Sometimes we feel like we’re “giving it all up for God” but at other times we get scared or selfish and we jump down and say – not today God.
-Paul says that to give ourselves is our “spiritual” act of worship. “Spiritual” here means – informed, understanding. It is reasonable to give ourselves to God’s service in light of what God has done for us through Jesus – extending His mercy to us who didn’t deserve it.
-The word “worship” doesn’t actually appear in the Greek – it’s the word: “service” which means – hired service, or service to God. We aren’t slaves in the sense of not having a choice – every day we have a choice to serve God – and we do it because we love Him.
So, how can we serve God?
A. Make yourself available to be used by God.
-God isn’t looking for perfect people. He’s looking for available people. Maybe you’ve been a Christian for a while but have never opened yourself up to be used of God. You’ve got to get off of the sidelines and into the game.
-The verb "offer" in this verse means "offer once and for all." Just as a bride and groom in their wedding service commit themselves to each other. So commit yourself to being available to God.
B. Continually give God the best of your life.
-Give God your best. He gave his best for you. I heard someone say once that in marriage, 50/50 isn’t good enough. 50/50 is a recipe for disaster. I didn’t understand because I always heard that 50/50 is a good thing. But then the person told me, “For a marriage to last, it’s got to be 100/100, all the time.” How many of you could testify to that? It’s the same way in your walk with God. He’s already given the best He has to give. He gave His only Son to win your love. Will you give it to Him? Will you give Him 100% of your life?
C. Make your every aspect of your life an act of worship.
-Last week we talked about how a real, living relationship with God allows us to get creative with our faith. And that’s one of the best ways we can give ourselves to God. By making our jobs an act of worship to Him, no matter how small they may seem. By making the time we spend with our families an act of worship. By serving in our church as an act of worship. When we make every aspect of our lives an act of worship, we are giving ourselves back to God as living sacrifices.
-And don’t forget, sacrifices cost something. In fact, the word, “sacrifice,” by its very definition, implies that is costs sometimes. It will cost you some of your time. It will cost you some of your talent. It will cost you some of your wealth. But we give it anyway, because we want to worship Him.
3. Refuse to let the world dictate the way you live.
(“Do not conform…to the pattern of this world…”)
-Thirdly, refuse to let the world dictate the way you live. There is always a danger of giving in to the temptations of the world to just feel like being “normal” in our modern society. Today it is easier to try to fit in, blend in and give in to the popular trends in the world rather than to live by Biblical principles.
-The secular-humanistic voice in our society says, “I can do all things through me!” There is a subtle belief in much of our culture that says, “Each person has the solution to their problems hidden in their inner being. If they will just reach down deep, everyone can find in themselves the answers to their deepest needs.” The problem is that what’s inside you is what got you into trouble in the first place. And that’s sin.
-The difficulty that most people have in conforming to this world is that they fail to take initiative in transformation, and they just react to whatever problem comes along. There are literally generations of people now who just kind of “float along” through life reacting to problems as they come because that’s the way the world has dictated for them to live.
-But there were people like that, even in Paul’s day. And to them, he said this:
4. Let God transform the way you live.
(“but be transformed…”)
How?
A. “By the renewing of your mind,” which takes place as we stay close to Him.
-The world wants to control your mind, but God wants to transform your mind. The Greek word for transform is:
metamorphooô (met-am-or-fo’-o) Where we get our English word "metamorphosis." It describes a change from within.
-Remember, in the Old Tesament, the Israelites offered burnt sacrifices. And those sacrifices burned on the altar would change – they were burned up – their literal chemical properties were different as the fire would oxidize the meat.
-And so we as living sacrifices should also be changed – no longer conforming (the word means “to fashion something after another”) but transformed (from the word where we get “metamorphosis.”).
-The world system around us sets a pattern for behavior and demands that we conform to that pattern. Instead, Paul says, we should be changed to a different pattern – how? By the renewing of our minds. That word “renewing” comes from the Greek word for “renovation.”
-God takes us a sacrifice and starts a remodeling project on our character and our behaviors – tearing out walls here, laying new carpet – invading our lives to change us from the inside out.
Q: Why is it important for you to be closer to God?
A: So that you can know God’s will for you life!
Some things to know about God’s Will…
1. There is nothing more important in your life than doing God’s will.
2. God’s will is not something to be simply talked about, hoped for, or admired. It is to be lived out!
3. Dedication to God’s Will leads to discernment of God’s
Will which leads to delight in God’s Will!
Conclusion/Invitation
-Now, it’s important to note that Paul doesn’t just stop here in verses 1 and 2. He goes on in the following verses to tell us exactly how we can offer ourselves as living sacrifices. So you don’t want to miss the next couple of weeks, because what he says will blow you away.
-But as we close today, I want you to commit to doing something this morning. Commit to finding God’s purpose in your life. Maybe you need to start reflecting more on what God has done for you. Maybe you’ve never fully given yourself to Him. Maybe you’re not making yourself available to be used. Maybe you’re allowing the world is dictating the way you live your life. Maybe you’re not allowing God’s Spirit to transform your thinking.
-Whatever it is, I want you to commit to change today. I invite you to come to an altar today if you need to pray. And I also want you to write down what you need to do to change. In your bulletin there’s a connection card, and on the back of that card there’s a box that says, “My next step today is…” There’s a blank space there at the bottom for you to fill in what your next step is. Take a moment as we sing and pray to fill that space in with your next step and turn it in to an usher as you leave. I’ll be praying for you this week for that step you’re taking in your life.
