What On Earth Are You Doing Here?
Romans 12:1-9
February 22, 2004
Intro:
A. There a lot of misunderstandings when it comes to the word: “sacrifice.”
1. [Will You Wash My Dishes? 1001 More Humorous Illustrations for Public Speaking, by Michael Hodgin, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, 1998]
Sometimes we get a distorted idea about what love is.
One night, a man decided to show his wife how much he loved her.
After dinner he began to recite romantic poetry, telling her he would climb high mountains to be near her, swim wide oceans, cross deserts in the burning heat of the day, and even sit at her window and sing love songs to her in the moonlight.
After listening to him go on for some time about this immense love he had, she ended the conversation when she asked, “But will you wash the dishes for me?”
2. [Genia Obal quoted in Humor for Preaching & Teaching, by Edward Rowell and Bonne Steffen, Baker Books, Grand Rapids, 1999]
Our seven-year-old daughter had just won $2 for her memory work in Sunday School.
After the morning service, the pastor’s wife congratulated her.
Our daughter proudly announced, “And I put it all in the morning’s offering!”
“My, how wonderful!” the pastor’s wife exclaimed. “I’m sure God will be pleased.”
“Yes,” the child replied, “now maybe God will let me do some of the things I want to do!”
3. There is certainly a lot of misunderstandings when it comes to sacrifce.
B. Today in Romans 12, I believe we can get some help in defining what sacrifice is as well as some help in understanding what on earth are you doing here?
I. Offer Your Body Sacrificially
(Romans 12:1 NIV) 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.
A. What is your spiritual act of worship?
1. Is it singing spiritual songs?
2. Is it lifting your hands?
3. Is it speaking in tongues or prophesying?
4. The Scripture says that your spiritual act of worship is offering your body as a living sacrifice.
B. What does it mean to offer your body as a living sacrifice?
1. It means to give your life in service to God and others seven days a week.
2. Offering your body as a living sacrifice is to give up yourself and offer yourself as a living sacrifice—not just on Sunday, but everyday.
C. Is what we call worship actually worship?
1. Yes, it is.
2. Singing to God is worship.
3. Raising your hands is worship.
4. Speaking in tongues is worship.
5. Praying is worship.
6. Teaching a children’s class is worship.
7. Taking the elderly lady next door to Wal-Mart is worship.
8. Watching your neighbor’s kids is worship.
9. Mowing someone’s lawn is worship.
10. Visiting someone in the hospital is worship.
11. Telling someone about Jesus is worship.
12. Do you see that worship is not an event that is enjoyed on Sunday morning, but a way of living your life?
13. Living your life in obedience and in service to God is worship.
14. Serving people for Christ’s sake is worship.
15. And raising your hands to God on Sunday means much more to God when you’ve offered your hands in service to others during the week.
16. Using your lips to sing praises to God is much more meaningful to God when your lips have glorified Him during the week.
17. We don’t just offer ourselves in worship on Sunday morning; we offer our bodies sacrificially seven days a week.
II. Offer Your Mind Discerningly
(Romans 12:2 NIV) Do 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.
A. The Bible says when we come to Christ, we must stop thinking like the world.
1. The Bible says that we must change the way we think.
2. The Bible says we need to transform ourselves by changing the way we think.
3. We need to learn to discern what are the ways of the world and what are the ways of God.
B. What are some of the thinkings of the world that need to change in this particular area?
1. “Don’t do any more than you absolutely have to.”
2. “What does it take to be saved? Don’t do or give anything more than is the absolute minimum.”
3. “Soak in all the benefits that you possibly can and don’t give back anything more than you absolutely have to.”
4. “Just sit there on Sunday morning and soak in the entertainment, sing the songs, learn what you can to benefit your own life and go home.”
5. “Enjoy the blessings of Sunday worship, but don’t put in the sweat of personal service.”
C. Those are thinkings or ways or patterns of this world, but we need to learn to discern the ways and patterns of Christ.
1. The Christian says, “I’m not here to merely receive, I’m here to give to God and others.”
2. The Christian says, “Christ said it is better to give than to receive, so I will give.”
3. The Christian says, “Christ did not come here to be served and neither will I.”
4. The Christian says, “Christ came to give Himself as a sacrifice for me and I will give myself as a sacrifice to Him.”
5. The Christian says, “I will worship God with my whole heart on Sunday morning, Sunday afternoon, and Sunday evening as well as Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.”
6. The Christian says, “I will study the Word and change the way I think in order to be able to discern the will of God.”
III. Offer Your Service Faithfully
(Romans 12:3-8 NIV) For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. {4} Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, {5} so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. {6} We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. {7} If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; {8} if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
A. Paul lists some of the ways we can serve…
1. prophecy
2. serving
3. teaching
4. encouraging
5. giving
6. leading
7. showing mercy
B. We all have different talents and abilities that we should be using to serve others.
1. God has given you different talents and abilities that you should be using in the church.
2. Does it have to be in the church? No but this passage does say that it should be done in the church.
C. We should be serving God within the body of Christ, the church.
1. What on earth on you doing here?
2. What on earth on you doing for the kingdom of God?
3. What on earth are you doing to further His kingdom here on earth.
4. What on earth are you doing here?
D. We should not think more highly of ourselves and we should not think more lowly of ourselves than we should.
1. Instead we should think of ourselves soberly.
2. God has given certain talents and abilities that you should be using.
3. You have strengths and you have weaknesses.
4. Your neighbor in the pew with you has strengths and weaknesses.
5. Don’t think of yourself more highly than God made you and don’t think of yourself more lowly than God made you.
6. But think of yourself soberly—understanding your own strengths and weaknesses.
7. Serve joyfully in whatever capacity God has enabled you to serve!
E. In your bulletin is a list of opportunities to serve here at Somerset.
F. Serve in proportion to the faith that you have.
1. Show up.
2. Do what you’ve agreed to do.
3. Be trustworthy and dependable.
4. Don’t quit when you get discouraged.
5. If you can’t fulfill your responsibility get a replacement or at least call in to let others know that you can’t make it.
6. Fulfill your responsibilities faithfully.
7. Fulfill your responsibilities to the best of your ability.
8. Understand that you are really doing what your doing for Jesus—serve in such a way to please Him.
9. You’ll find that as you are stretched in these areas of service your faith muscles will grow bigger and bigger.
IV. Offer Your Love Sincerely
(Romans 12:9 NIV) Love must be sincere.
A. Don’t play games with your service and your love.
1. Did you know it is possible to do the wrong thing and still not be acceptable to God?
2. (2 Chronicles 25:1-2 NIV) Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Jehoaddin ; she was from Jerusalem. {2} He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not wholeheartedly.
2. Amaziah did what was right in the eyes of God, but he did them halfheartedly.
3. It is possible to do the right thing and not do it sincerely.
4. Love must be sincere.
C. Sincere servants think more about others than themselves.
(Philippians 2:4 NIV) Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
C. Sincere servants think more about the image of Christ than their own image.
(Philippians 2:5-7 NIV) Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: {6} Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, {7} but made himself nothing,
D. Sincere servants think more about what they’re doing than what others are doing.
(Galatians 6:4 NIV) Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else,
E. Sincere servants think more about opportunities than obligations.
(Galatians 6:10 NIV) Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
Conclusion:
A. [Love’s Motive, Citation: Fr. John Shea in U.S. Catholic (March 1990). Christianity Today, Vol. 34, no. 7.]
Whenever people expend themselves, they want results. If they lay down their life, they want someone’s life raised up. If they empty themselves, they want someone to be filled. They want their sufferings to bear fruit.
If this doesn’t happen, they’re tempted to give up. The refusal of the gift quickly becomes a reason not to offer it. Instead of leaning into resistance with love, they’ll back off and say, "Well, we tried."
However, the motive for offering love is not that it be successful. Christians want response, but they are not bound to it. They sacrifice for others because they are the recipients of sacrifice. They are the current generation of a long line of broken bodies and shed blood.
This gift Christians have received, they freely give. They join the living history in enacting the dream of God, [which] is a people sustained and transformed by mutual sacrificial love.
B. How is your worship?
1. Are you offering your body sacrificially?
2. Are you offering your mind discerningly?
3. Are you offering your service faithfully?
4. Are you offering your love sincerely?
