INTRODUCTION: What we have been learning so far in this series is mainly on the subject of church doctrine
(A highly oversimplified look at the last few weeks would be this)
„X The Doctrine of Sin is that we are all guilty of sin, all in need of a Savior
„X The Doctrine of Righteousness is that it is imputed unto the believer when he becomes justified of sin by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ
„X The Doctrine of Sanctification is the process by which the Holy Spirit molds and shapes us to be more and more like Christ
Last week you will notice that Romans reared from discussing church doctrine to talking about the Jews
In fact many have said that you could leave out Romans 9-11 altogether and the book would never miss a beat because chapter eight is actually the segue into chapter twelve
The reason Paul so pointedly changes from doctrine to speaking of the Jews specifically is because the doctrines discussed in the first eight chapters were being disputed by the Jewish people
***Now he returns to his original premise of Christian doctrine and begins to give the believers in Rome practical ways to apply these doctrines
He tells us to offer ourselves as a ¡§living sacrifice¡¨
Illustration: ¡§Pictures in instructions¡¨ Years ago instruction booklets only came with just the words. Little by little they began adding pictures to the words and now whenever you buy something with ¡¥assembly required¡¦, it comes with a full color diagram and very little words. My computer came with no words, just a poster with color coded cords to stick into the slots.
The point is this, ¡¥It is much easier to apply something we can see than something we just read¡¦
Jesus knew this, which is why He spoke in word pictures rather than just teaching doctrine all the time
Paul understood this too and that is why we he now takes the time to explain the application in the form of a word picture
He begins by bringing the word picture of the sacrifices given in the Temple
People would bring animals and sacrifice them to the Lord
This act of worship was no longer needed because Jesus, the Lamb of God, had been slain to take away the sin of the world
So now a totally new act of sacrifice is required
No longer were we being required to bring an offering for death
But now we are called to bring our lives as a living offering
Romans 12 gives us application about what it means to be a ¡§living sacrifice¡¨
I. A living sacrifice does not conform this world
a. Romans 12:2 ¡§And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,¡¨
b. Did you know that Christians are supposed to be peculiar?
i. Some of us don¡¦t have to try too hard (Ha Ha)
ii. We are called to be different from the world
c. Why would God call us to pattern our lives different than the world?
i. Look around us, are the world¡¦s values God¡¦s values?
ii. Not at all; the world values:
1. Outer beauty, while God values inner beauty
2. Monetary wealth, while God values spiritual wealth
3. Power, while God says blessed are the meek
d. A Christian should not even feel ¡¥at home¡¦ in the world
i. 1 Peter 2:11 ¡§Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,¡¨
ii. The word ¡¥sojourner¡¦ actually means ¡¥stranger¡¦
iii. We are to be strangers in this world
iv. Pilgrims, who are only passing through
v. We are not at home yet, as such we are always a little uncomfortable, because we are not conformed to this world
e. Some people who call themselves Christians have no problem with the ways of the world
i. Illustration ¡§The prodigal son¡¨ They are like the prodigal son, who was eating the pig¡¦s food. They think, Um, um, good!
ii. But, just like the prodigal son, we need to ¡¥come to our senses¡¦ and realize that what we are feasting on is pig slop when we allow ourselves to conform to this world
f. Not everything in this world is evil, but most Christians allow too much evil into their lives and then wonder why they become desensitized to it
i. There is a lot of wonderful television programs, movies and music out there
ii. We need to be careful about what we let come into our minds, however
iii. It is amazing how quickly we can be ¡¥conformed to this world¡¦ through what we see and hear on a daily basis
g. This is why so many televisions shows glamorize homosexuality
i. It causes people to see it on a daily, personal basis
ii. People (as well as many Christians) begin to see it as normal
iii. Before we know it, we have allowed our minds to be conformed to the world¡¦s values rather than conforming our minds to God¡¦s values
iv. We¡¦re eating the pig slop of the world and it is suiting us fine
h. We need to remember that a living sacrifice is not conformed to this world, but is transformed by the renewing of our mind
i. This is that ¡¥sanctifying¡¦ work of the Holy Spirit I talked about a few weeks ago
ii. The Spirit:
1. Renews our minds
2. Reeducates our minds
3. Redirects our minds
iii. This happens daily, when we offer ourselves to God as a living sacrifice
iv. Remember what we say:
1. God, I am not my own, you own me
2. I have been bought with a price
II. A living sacrifice understands his place
a. Romans 12:3-8 (Read from text)
b. It is very easy to start thinking we are more important than we really are
i. I am encouraged by people who say they enjoy my sermons
ii. I received a call this week from a lady who told me ¡¥keep up the good work¡¦
iii. But something I have to remember is that I am just God¡¦s mouthpiece
c. Everyone of us is something in God¡¦s kingdom
i. And what right would I have to say that because I preach my gifts are any more important than yours
ii. Likewise, what right would any of us have to compare our gifts at all
d. Paul is saying, ¡§Don¡¦t put yourself on a pedestal and no one will try to knock you off¡¨
i. Here is a good illustration I learned some time back
ii. Illustration ¡§Finger in water¡¨ If you place your finger in a glass of water and pull it out, you won¡¦t leave a hole
iii. What that reminds me is ¡¥I am not that important¡¦
iv. If I were to get mad and leave, God would put somebody in my place to fill the void I left
e. We often get too big for our britches
i. And I think this was a way for Paul to say to those at the church in Rome:
ii. Be careful not to get a swelled head, because everyone used by God is equal in the kingdom
f. Whatever your gifts are, use them, and don¡¦t let pride become a factor
III. A living sacrifice behaves accordingly
a. Romans 12:9-21 (Read from text)
b. Proper behavior begins with love (v.9)
c. Love is always impeded by our inability to forgive each other
i. These verses summarize the core of Christian living
ii. If we love someone, we are willing to forgive them
iii. If we have experienced God¡¦s grace, we will want to pass it on
d. Remember from this morning, what is grace?
i. Underserved favor
ii. We receive it when we come to Christ
iii. We pass it on when we forgive others
CONCLUSION: Notice Romans 12:2 says that being a living sacrifice is our ¡¥reasonable service¡¦ ¡V that word ¡¥reasonable¡¦ actually means ¡¥logical¡¦
God is not asking us to do something strange, but logical for a servant to do for His Lord
The problem is that many of us call Jesus our Savior, but have a problem with Him being our Lord
If He is our Lord, then offering our lives to Him is a logical step in our growth process
But some of us refuse to take that step
Some are so entwined with the love of this world that it seems impossible to allow the Holy Spirit to transform their minds
Others are so elevated in a state of pride that sacrificing their ego would be too much
And there are also many, many Christians who carry the burden of unforgiveness in their hearts
A good paraphrase of this message may be this:
¡¥I urge you, brothers and sisters, to offer your daily lives to God so that His
Holy Spirit can renew your mind, because this is the logical thing to do¡¦
Amen
(Let us pray)
