PRESENTING OURSELVES For SERVICE-II—Romans 12:1-2
Attention:
MEMORIAL DAY celebrations tomorrow...
Parades...
Speeches made...
Family get-togethers...
Visits to the cemetery...
Remembrance...
All of these events will help us to remember & respect those who presented themselves for the service of this country to maintain the freedoms of its civilians.
As our soldiers gave their very lives in the service of their country, so, believers must Present Themselves for the Service of their God.
Need:
Paul informed the Roman Christians of their need to properly live out God’s will.
We must properly offer our bodies for God’s service.
How are we to best offer/present ourselves for God’s service?
8 considerations effecting our usefulness to God.
The Sunday before Memorial Day we discovered that Those used of God habitually...
1. Consider GOD’s MANIFOLD MERCIES(:1a)
2. Consider The COST(:1a)
3—Those used of God habitually...
Consider HOLINESS(:1c)
Explanation: (:1c)Separation/Purity/Distance from sin
:1—“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.”
In order to be “presented” to God properly, our bodies must be given in sacrificial “holiness.” Thus given, our submitted “bodies” will be “acceptable” to God. Such sacrificial offerings are surrendered moment-by-moment, day-by-day, & year-by-year.
What does it mean to be holy?:
“Holy”—agiov—Adj.—1) Most holy thing, a saint. Agiov has probably as its fundamental meaning separation, i.e., from the world to God’s service. If not the original meaning, this at any rate is a meaning early in use. This separation, however, is not chiefly external, it is rather a separation from evil & defilement. The moral signification of the word is therefore the prominent one. This word, rare & of neutral meaning in classical Greek, has been developed in meaning, so that it expresses the full N.T. conception of holiness as no other does. Strong—Sacred (physically, pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially, consecrated).
Argumentation:
Eph. 1:3-4—“Blessed be the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy & without blame before Him in love,”
Eph. 5:25-27—“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church & gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify & cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy & without blemish.”
Heb. 12:12-15—“Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, & the feeble knees, & make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed. Pursue peace with all people, & holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, & by this many become defiled;”
Isa 6:3—“And one cried to another & said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!””
1Pet. 1:13-16—“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, & rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.””
Amos 3:3—“Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?”
Rom. 8:28-30—“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; & whom He justified, these He also glorified.”
1Tim. 2:4—“No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.”
1Cor. 5:9-11—“I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous & swindlers, or with idolaters; for then you would have to go out of the world. But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he should be an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler--not even to eat with such a one.”
2Tim. 2:22—“Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”
Mat. 5:8—“Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.”
Your heart comes out in your actions.
Php. 4:8—“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue & if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things.”
1Tim. 1:5—“Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, & from sincere faith,”
Illustration:
Purity of gold determines its worth/The more gold the more it is worth/The same size of gold piece may vary in price due to presence of impurities/Consider HOLINESS
Maintaining security among troops/WWII adage—‘Loose Lips Sink Ships’/What happens when a soldier does not maintain security?/If the enemy knows your position, others of comrades in arms are killed/Mission is thwarted/Consider HOLINESS
I made Meat Loaf one Friday/I use Pace chunky salsa for the tomatoes onions, etc./The container was safety-sealed with a plasticised paper barrier which I had to cut thru to remove/It comes in an impermeable plastic container/The salsa is always consistent & held to the strictest standards so that it does not mix with other flavors/Consider HOLINESS
Application:
?You habitually Consider PERSONAL HOLINESS in asking God to use you?
?How do you present yourself for God’s use?
4—Those used of God habitually...
Consider GOD’s SATISFACTION(:1d)
Explanation: (:1d)Pleasing
:1—“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.”
Most people want to please God. But they do not know God personally, ironically locking themselves out of the ability to please Him!
We can be acceptable to God. Our lives can honor God. But they honor Him thru His design, & not one of our own.
*It is the ultimate insensitivity & presumption to impose our belief upon God, rather than to heed His revealed will!
“Acceptable/Pleasing”(See 12:2)—euarestov—Adj.—1) Well pleasing, acceptable. Strong—Fully agreeable. Used 9X.
From—eu—neuter of a primary euv(Good); adverbially--Well—&— arestov—Agreeable; by implication--Fit.
Argumentation:
1Thes. 4:1, 3, 7—“Finally then, brethren, we urge & exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more & more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk & to please God;”.....“For this is the will of God, your sanctification:...”.....“For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.”
2Tim. 1:8-9—“Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us & called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose & grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,”
Rom. 3:21-26—“But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law & the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all & on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned & fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just & the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
*1Jn. 4:9-10—“In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us & sent His Son to be the propitiation[satisfaction] for our sins.”
Rom. 8:1-9—“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin & death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life & peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.”
Gal. 1:9-11—“As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ. But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man.”
Col. 1:9-12—“For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, & to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom & spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work & increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience & longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.”
Heb. 11:6—“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, & that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
Heb. 13:15-16—“Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good & to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.”
1Cor. 7:29 -34—“But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none, those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess, & those who use this world as not misusing it. For the form of this world is passing away. But I want you to be without care. He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord--how he may please the Lord. But he who is married cares about the things of the world--how he may please his wife. There is a difference between a wife & a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body & in spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world--how she may please her husband.”
Are we really concerned about God’s satisfaction above our own?
Illustration:
Supposed response to a statement by Dr. Laura Schlesinger about homosexuality based on a Leviticus passage/Unknown author responded in defense of homosexuality with arrogant statements about the Mosaic Law/Did not apply them in Christ but kept them in the Jewish context/Consider GOD’s SATISFACTION
Dog training/A love of its master & obedience to him are instilled/The dog will never be trained if it does not consider its master’s satisfaction/Consider GOD’s SATISFACTION
A soldier’s commanding officer is not pleased(understatement) if the soldier does not comply with his training/The intensity of Marine training is meant to change the soldier’s mindset to explicitly recognize their commanding officer & to satisfy their commanding officer’s command/And so with Christians...We must Consider GOD’s SATISFACTION
Application:
?You habitually Consider GOD’s SATISFACTION in asking God to use you?
?How do you present yourself for God’s use?
5—Those used of God habitually...
Consider RATIONAL APPLICATIONS(:1e)
Explanation: (:1e)
:1—“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.”
Such sacrificial commitment is the logical(“reasonable”) choice for the Christian who rightly honors the One, true & living God by faith in Christ. There is no other way to make ourselves & our “service”(worship & works) “acceptable” before Him.
All this exhortation to presentation is just that...an exhortation. It is entirely volitional! The believer must freely allow the Holy Spirit to compel him/her to surrender.
If the Spirit is quenched(1Thes. 5:19) there is no possibility of proper submission of the heart. And without the heart there can be no surrender of the flesh & mind to the God who rightly deserves such sacrificial honor.
These(Living sacrifice, Holiness, Acceptability) are things which just ‘naturally’ go with such a supernatural salvation & eternal life lived now!
*It just makes good sense by the Gospel!
*To live unchanged by the “mercies of God” signifies that there has been no regeneration, but only religion.
We must interpret Scripture w/ Scripture.
“Reasonable/Spiritual”—logikov—Adj.—1) Pertaining to speech or speaking; 2) Pertaining to the reason or logic—2a) Spiritual, pertaining to the soul, 2b) Agreeable to reason, following reason, reasonable, logical. Strong—Rational ("logical"). Used 2X.
“Service/Service of worship/Act of worship”—latreia—N. f.—1) Service rendered for hire—1a) Any service or ministration: the service of God; 2) The service & worship of God according to the requirements of the Levitical law; 3) To perform sacred services. Strong—Ministration of God, i.e. Worship. Used 5X.
A compound—eidwlolatreia—is used to describe idolatry, idol worship or serving false gods.
Argumentation:
1Cor. 1:27-31—“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, & God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; & the base things of the world & the things which are despised God has chosen, & the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God--& righteousness & sanctification & redemption-- that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.””
2Cor. 5:20—“Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.”
Rom. 1:13—Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles.
1Cor. 10:1—Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea,
1Cor. 12:1—Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant:
2Cor. 1:8—For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life.
1Thes. 4:13—“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.”
Heb. 10:24-25—“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love & good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, & so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”
It’s Illogical to shrink back from the church!
Illustration:
An AWOL soldier defies logic/Such a person(soldier?) is a picture of hypocrisy/Consider RATIONAL APPLICATIONS
Many young boys enlist without really considering the ramifications of their decision(put themselves in harm’s way)/They are enamored by a paid education, & overlook the fact that they are entering a dangerous occupation upon which their lives are placed on the line by their superios/Consider RATIONAL APPLICATIONS
Likewise Christians must think Rationally about their allegiance to Christ/& Before you enlist in Christ’s service...Consider RATIONAL APPLICATIONS
When we spout & believe certain theological tenets, have you followed the argument out to its logical conclusion?
Application:
?You habitually Consider RATIONAL APPLICATIONS in asking God to use you?
?How do you present yourself for God’s use?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
Those used of God habitually...
3. Consider HOLINESS(:1c)
4. Consider GOD’s SATISFACTION(:1d)
5. Consider RATIONAL APPLICATIONS(:1e)
1. Consider GOD’s MANIFOLD MERCIES(:1a)
2. Consider The COST(:1a)
Presented 06/03/2012am
MEMORIAL DAY 2012 to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
