Romans Series # 47 July 17, 2002
Title: How Should A Christian Live?
Website: www.newlifeinchrist.info
Email: pastorsarver@yahoo.com
Introduction: Welcome to New Life in Christ. We are currently in Chapter 12 of Romans as we continue with message #47 of our verse-by-verse study of the Book of Romans.
Read Romans 12:1-2
Opening Prayer
Tonight we’re beginning a new section of the Book of Romans. The first 11 chapters of Romans are primarily theological and focused on the subject: How to have a healthy relationship with God. In chapters 12-16 the primary focus is on the subject: How Christians should live. These concluding chapters contains both very brief and extensive sections on topics such as: commitment to God, humility, serving others, responding to enemies, judging others, attitudes toward civil government, and handling divisive people in the church. Because some of the instructions given are very brief, I will often cover more than one subject per message. The one thing that unites all of these passages is that each one is telling the Christians how they should live.
How should a Christian Live?
1. First, Christians should commit their entire lives to God.
This is the basic message of verses 1 and 2.
There is a story told about a pig and a chicken walking down the road together. As they walked along they read a sign advertising a breakfast to benefit the poor. The chicken said to the pig, "You and I should donate a ham and egg breakfast." The pig replied, "Not so fast, for you it would just be a contribution but for me it would be a total commitment."
Many Christians are like the chicken in the story. They are willing to contribute a small part of their lives to God but not commit their whole lives to God. They’re like a person going to an auction to buy a famous painting. That person has set a limit in his or her own mind as to how much they’re willing to spend on that painting; they do not go in ready to give all! Many Christians also try and set limits on their commitment to the Lord. They’re willing to sacrifice some of their money, some of their talents, some of their time, and some of their lives but not the whole thing.
In this passage the Apostle Paul exhorts Christians to "Offer your bodies as living sacrifices." This means to give your entire life to God, where everything you have and everything you are is first and foremost committed to him. The Apostle Paul is using Old Testament expressions familiar to the people. He is referring to the animal sacrifices that would be placed on altar. That sacrifice was totally devoted to the Lord and that is what Paul is calling the Christian to. How should a Christian live?
1. First, Christians should commit their entire lives to God.
Why should a Christian be willing to do this? What is supposed to be our motivation for giving or committing our whole lives to God? In verse 1 Paul says that we’re to do this "in view of God’s mercy." In other words, the motivating factor for total commitment to God is God’s undeserved goodness towards us. The motivation for Christians to be 100% committed to God is not threats of punishment or promises of blessing. God does the use of a whip to drive us or the carrot on a stick to compel us; he just shows us how kind he has been to us so that we will respond reasonably. A country song I heard as a kid illustrates how God works in our lives. The song’s lyrics are as follows:
Illustration: A little boy came up to his mother in the kitchen one evening while she was fixing supper, and he handed her a piece of paper that he had been writing on. After his mom dried her hands on an apron, she read it, and this is what it said:
For cutting the grass, $5.00
For cleaning my room this week, $1.00
For going to the store for you, .50
Baby-sitting my kid brother for you while you went shopping, .25
Taking out the garbage, $1.00
For getting a good report card, $5.00
For cleaning up and raking the yard, $2.00
Total Owed: $14.75
Well, I’ll tell you, his mother looked at him standing there expectantly, and the memories flashed through her mind. So she picked up the pen, turned over the paper he’d written on, and this is what she wrote:
For the nine months I carried you while you grew inside me, No Charge.
For all the nights I’ve sat up with you, doctored and prayed for you, No Charge.
For all the trying times, and all the tears you’ve caused through the years, No Charge.
When you add it all up, the cost of my love is, No Charge.
For all the nights that were filled with dread, and for the worries I knew were ahead, No Charge.
For the toys, food, clothes, and even wiping your nose, there’s No Charge, Son.
And when you add it all up, the full cost of real love is No Charge.
Well, friends, when the son finished reading what his mother had written, there were great big old tears in his eyes, and he looked straight up at his mother and said, "Mom, I sure do love you." And then he took the pen and in great big letters he wrote: "PAID IN FULL."
"No Charge" was written by Gospel singer Shirley Ceasar. It was also a country song produced by Howard-Sony Tree Publishing Co., Inc. and sung by Melba Montgomery.
Received from FranCMT.
The little boy was reminded of his mother’s kindness to him and that changed his attitude towards serving his mother. It is the same with Christians; only when we contemplate the kindness or mercy of God towards us will we be willing to commit entirely to the Lord.
Paul has spent the last 11 chapters telling us how merciful God has been towards us. Where were totally wicked, self seeking, and undeserving of anything but God’s wrath, but instead of wrath, God showed us mercy and sent his precious Son to really suffer and die in our place, so that we could live forever in heaven. How can we do anything other than surrender our entire lives to him?
1. First, Christians should commit their entire lives to God.
After this Paul goes on to describe several characteristics of the Christian’s commitment to God. First he notes that our commitment to God is to be complete. Paul says that we’re to offer our "bodies" as sacrifices. The word "bodies" is another way of saying "your entire person." Second, the Christian’s commitment is described as a "living sacrifice." In Old Testament times God was worshipped and served by the offering of dead animal sacrifices, but the Christian isn’t to literally die as much as there to die to their own wills. In other words, our daily lives are to be viewed as an offering unto God. Third, the Christian’s commitment is characterized as a "sacrifice." The fact that Paul uses the word "sacrifice" means that you and I are giving up something in serving the Lord. Many people are looking for what they can get out of Christianity but the essence of the Christian’s life is giving or sacrifice.
Another characteristic of the Christian’s total commitment to God is that it is "holy." In Old Testament times not every animal sacrifice was considered holy or acceptable to God. Some sacrifices, such as blemished animals, were an offense to God, and as such were unacceptable to him. The Bible says that when the Christian commits their daily life to the Lord that this sacrifice is acceptable or holy to God. Our commitment is a sweet aroma of offering to the Lord. This is why Paul goes on to describe the Christian’s commitment to God as "pleasing." The worship that pleases God is simply for Christians to surrender their wills to God’s will. For those who may wonder how to please God, it is not a matter of religious rituals, good works, or perfect moral behavior; he is pleased when you and I finally say sincerely, "My whole life belongs to you Lord."
How should a Christian Live? How should a Christian respond to God’s mercy?
1. First, Christians should commit their entire lives to God.
Read Romans 12:2
I believe, along with most Bible scholars, this verse is not a new and distinct exhortation rather that it is an elaboration and explanation of what it means for Christians commit their entire lives to God. This verse basically has three parts: what a Christian should not do, which is conform to the pattern of this world, what a Christian should do, which is be transformed by the renewing of your mind, and what the result of this will be, which is to be able to test and approve of God’s will. Let’s take a look if these parts in turn.
First, the Bible says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world." In other words, do not copy the lifestyle and live choices of non-Christians. Don’t imitate or adhere to this world wicked immoral values and darkened thinking. Part of our commitment to the Lord is making a choice to reject the thinking and ways of this world. Everyone else may think that telling so-called "white lies" is acceptable but you are not to conform to the pattern of this world. Ladies, the world says that fashions that show an abundance of skin are fine in this modern age but you are not to conform to this world standard. Everyone else may think that cursing and foul language is harmless parts of entertainment but you as a Christian are to be different. Men, this world may promote viewing women as sex objects, but your thoughts and attitudes are not to be controlled by this world values! I can give you more examples of not conforming to the pattern of this world but I think you get the picture. Do not copy the lifestyle and values of this world. To be committed to the Lord meets rejecting the thinking of this world.
Second, the Bible says, "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind." In other words, let your way of thinking be reprogrammed. In a similar way to when a corrupt computer program needs to be reprogrammed so that it can perform its function correctly, so our minds or way of thinking need to be reprogrammed or renewed. We are like a computer that has been affected by a virus. Our minds have been corrupted by the thinking of this world so that we oftentimes have desires and thoughts that are not in line with God’s will. God solution for this situation is that we are "transformed by the renewing of our minds." The word "transformed" is from the same Greek word that we get the English word "metamorphosis." It means to be changed gradually into a completely new person. This happens by the Holy Spirit and the word of God. The Holy Spirit is in the Christian, giving them the "mind of the Spirit" (Romans 8:5) which does agree with God’s will, but the Christian has the responsibility to yield to the Holy Spirit’s guidance so that they could be transformed.
What happens as a result of this spiritual transformation? What are the results of a renewed mind? The Bible says, "Then you’ll be able to test and approve what God’s will is." In other words, as you reject the ways of this world and yield to the Holy Spirit’s guidance you will be able to recognize and want God’s will. The New Living Translation translates this verse like this, "Do not copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is."
Let me give you an example for my own life. Many years ago I used to spend my weekends in the bar scene. This is something that appealed to me. In fact, I looked forward to Friday nights off so that I could go and party. After committing my life to the Lord, I rejected that activity because I knew that it was inconsistent with the Christian life. Although at that time the bar scene had lost some of its appeal to me, a part of me still wanted to go. Now, many years later, I have a different attitude toward the bar scene. Not only is it no longer appealing to me, it is actually appalling to me. I feel toward that behavior the same way I feel towards eating liver! I don’t want anything to do with it. I don’t want anything to do with it not because I fear punishment or because I know it would be wrong, I simply find no appeal in that behavior anymore. My thinking has gone from appealing to appalling.
What has happened? How could there be such a change in my viewpoint? Well through the years the Holy Spirit has renewed my thinking so that now I both recognize and desire God’s will. With my whole heart I view God’s will in this area as "good, pleasing, and perfect" for me personally. The same is true in other areas of my life. Immodest fashions in women that used to find attractive, I now find unattractive. Morally questionable TV shows and I used to want to watch, I would now hate to watch. There are other areas of my life where this transformation is not as complete but the point is that my mind or my way of thinking is in process of being changed by the Spirit.
What is true of me is also true of every Christian. We’re to commit our entire lives to the Lord. This means not copying of the ways of this world and coming to a new way of thinking by yielding to the Holy Spirit. When we do this we will not only know but also desire God’s perfect will.
Conclusion: God loves you and has shown his love for you by sending his Son to die and suffer in your place. The reasonable response to such mercy is for us to surrender our entire lives to God. If you have not done that yet then tonight is a good time to sincerely make that decision.
Closing Prayer
