Cornerstone International Bible Church - 6th Oct 2019

Text:

Romans 12:1–2 (NIV): 12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform 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.

Meaning

1. The task

1.1. An appeal to give our bodies and minds to God as an act of worship and a means to know and approve God’s will

2. The incentive/ motivation

2.1. Facts that are meant to help us see the rationale of the appeal

Message

3. The incentive/ motivation (2 fold)

3.1. First incentive - Therefore of V1, refers to all the teachings in Rom 1- 11

3.1.1. Suppose you personalise the passages in Rom 5:1-10 and Rom 8:14-17, 26, 28, 31-39.

3.1.2. I stand amazed, in the presence Of Jesus the Nazarene,

3.1.3. And wonder how He could love me, A sinner condemned, unclean.

For me it was in the garden, He prayed: “Not my will, but Thine.”

He had no tears for His own griefs, But sweat-drops of blood for mine.

He took my sins and my sorrows, He made them His very own;

If we know how much God loves us, we will never hold back ourselves from Him.

3.2. Second motivation – The mercy of God

Justice is when you get what you deserve.

Grace is when you get what you don’t deserve.

Mercy is when you don’t get what you deserve.

In the English language “(be) at the mercy of somebody/something” has a negative connotation. It means not being able to stop somebody or something from harming you because they have power or control over you.

Do you see your whole life as at the mercy of God? God’s mercy (pity, tender compassion) does not harm.

Psa 103:1-3, calls it a ‘benefit’ which he will not forget. My soul, bless the Lord who redeems your life from destruction and crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercies.

Matt 18:23-27 The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (to v27). We ought to see ourselves as the servant in that parable who owed so much and could not pay.

If we see ourselves as beneficiaries of God’s mercies, we will never hold back ourselves from Him.

4. The task

An appeal to give our bodies and minds to God as an act of worship and a means to know and approve God’s will

Romans 12:1 (NIV): Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship

4.1. Offer your bodies

4.1.1. Offer is volitional, i.e. with deliberate intention. This is not going to happen automatically

4.1.2. Your bodies. Do you find this surprising? God is interested in your body! It may young or old, weak or strong, sick or healthy, short or tall, skinny or chubby, male or female, but God is interested in it.

Do you suffer from body image issues? This may help. God is interested in your body. He asks you to present it to Him.

He is not interested in how it looks, but in what you do with it.

Why? Because it the body is the vehicle/means by which we do God’s will in this physical world. It is the temple of the Holy Spirit.

4.2. As a living sacrifice
4.2.1. Sacrifice. Parallel to the sacrifices offered in the OT, which were for sin. We do not offer our bodies as a means to pay for our sins. That will be unaccepted by God, for such sacrifices ought to be perfect (cf. Mal 1:13). Jesus alone was the perfect Lamb of God.

4.2.2. Living sacrifice. Meaning, God does not necessarily call all of us to be martyrs. He wants us to offer our bodies as living sacrifice, i.e. offer our day-to-day activities as an offering to Him.

Rom 12:1 MSG “Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering”.

Heb 13:15-16 “Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name. And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God”.

1 Cor 10:31 “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

4.3. Holy and pleasing to God

4.3.1. The sacrifices must be holy and pleasing to God.

Rom 6:13 Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.

Two warning from the Scriptures.

1) Nadab and Abihu – Lev 10:1-10.

Nadab and Abihu neglected to follow God's instructions for the sacrifice, perhaps out of presumption, or out of thoughtlessness and inattention. They were consumed by God’s fire.

4.4. This is your true and proper worship

4.4.1. True and proper worship consist of using your body to do things that that are pleasing to God as a way to show to the world how much He is worth to you.

Joh 4:24 …The Father is looking for worshippers…

Romans 12:2 (NIV): 2 Do not conform 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.

4.5. Do not conform to the pattern of this world

4.5.1. What is the "world"?

Not the physical world, for that is good (Gen 1-2; 1 Tim 4:4). But the system or culture. God created people, people made cultures.

4.5.2. Do not conform to this world. What it does not mean?

1) It does not mean avoid all earthly pleasures, as though there is something intrinsically wrong with experiencing pleasure in God’s creation.

Matt 9:14 One day the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and asked him, “Why don’t your disciples fast like we do and the Pharisees do?”

2) That Christians should refuse to benefit from advances in science, useful arts, improvements and discoveries of the world.

3) May not mean avoiding physical contact with the world, (as some Christian denominations do).

Psalm 1 should not be overstretched. Jesus was criticized for receiving sinners and eating with them. (Luke 15:1-2)

4.5.3. Do not conform to this world. What it does mean?

To have certain principles and motives, or engage in certain actions/inactions the purpose of which are to benefit self (and indirectly, Satan?).

a) Value or emphasize the temporary over the eternal

a. Maximise fleshly pleasures over the spirit [Rom 8:12-13; 1 Pet 2:11]

b. Time over eternity/ present world over world to come [Eph 5:15-16; Matt 16:26].

Lessons from Demas – a slow decline into the world

§ Demas my fellow labourer (Phile 24)

§ Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas salute you (Col 4:14)

§ Do your best to come to me quickly, for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me (2 Tim 4:9-10)

It happened to Demas, it could happen to you and me.

b) Outward over inward [Matt 23:25-28].

Hypocrisy is a mark of worldliness. We are thought to not seek the outward over the inward in our giving and praying (Matt 6:1-6).

1 Pet 3:3-4 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.

Are you more concerned about reputation (inc. in the Church), than you are about how God sees your heart?

Do I seek God’s glory or mine, e.g. when visitors are around and my children misbehave?

c) Self above God and others [Matt 22:37-40].

We live in a world of rights. The Bible does not say much about our rights, but rather about our responsibilities. Jesus says you cannot be His disciple if you do not deny yourself (rights), take up your cross daily and follow Him.

Your worst enemy as a Christian is not Satan, it is self.

4.5.4. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. How do I renew my mind?

a. From God’s Word

i. Heed the warnings (1 Joh 2:15-17; Jam 4:4)

The enemy of sanctification is conformity to this world.

Conformity to the world actually doesn't win the world to Christ.

ii. See the proneness of your heart to worldliness (Jer 17:9).

Worldliness is first a matter of the heart’s desires, then the mind’s meditations, then the hands’ actions

The day I left my phone at home.

iii. See the glory of Christ (Titus 2:11-14; Joh 5:39-40)

It is by seeing Christ as more worthy of your love that you can escape the temptation of worldliness. (The Expulsive Power of a New Affection, Thomas Chalmers).

b. Fellowship (Heb 10:24-25)

Make use of a home group.

c. Prayer

O to grace how great a debtor Daily I’m constrained to be!

Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, Bind my wandering heart to Thee.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love;

Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above.

Robert Robinson, 1757

d. Discipline your mind, until you have the mind of Christ.

Beware of passive allowance of the world into your life

§ Guarding the mind against ungodly entertainment, ungodly education, ungodly friendships (of formative influence)

§ Feed it with good information. God’s word, good books.

(e.g. Improvement of the mind, Isaac Watts)

§ Purpose to be godly

a) Daniel purposed in his heart not to defile himself (Dan 1:18)

b) Make every effort (2 Pet 1:3-5).

c) Exercise yourself towards godliness (1 Tim 4:7). Work hard at it. ‘gym’ yourself into godliness.

Questions

I am afraid God will take my surrender to Him seriously.

Are you really saved by grace? Are you really a bondservant of Christ?

I will do it later.

You are not guaranteed a later.

Is it worth living even one day of your life for yourself, and not for God?

I am too old. The moment is past

Psalm 71:18 Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come.

I want to surrender, but it is so hard.

Surrendering to God does not come easily, but it is the right thing to do, and God will help you.

Prayers

"Take my life and let it be" F R Harvegal