Video to come.
Morning Message Text: Romans 12: 1-8
A Living Sacrifice
1 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.
Humble Service in the Body of Christ
3 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 faith God has distributed to each of you.
4 For 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, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith;
7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach;
8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
Morning Message:
People took their seats and waited for the concert to begin. The musicians were world-class, and the music would be masterful. Suddenly each musician began playing their instrument with polished skill—violinists, flutists, percussionists. But the sound was a confusing set of grating noises. Then the conductor stepped onto the platform. With a single motion, the instruments began playing in a balanced and beautiful way. It is amazing that no matter how talented each individual musician is, in order to make beautiful music they all needed the conductor to bring them together and direct them to work together.
In Ephesians 4, Paul tells us the church is a group of people, each with their own gifts and role to play, and we must follow the direction of Jesus. Some are apostles, missionaries who are sent to plant churches. Some are prophets, taking the Word of God and exhorting. Some are evangelists with a gift of leading others to Christ. Others are pastors who shepherd the flock and teachers who feed the flock. The end result is that we will be built up with unity and maturity. We are called to take our place, and remember, when each of us follows Christ’s lead, our churches will not be a collection of noise but a symphony of grace sounding forth the truth. We all know this. I have preached on the gifts, taught classes on how to discover your God-given gifts, and many times encouraged and exhorted you to use your gifts. There is a reason why the church today is not functioning as it should: individualism and an unwillingness to use our gifts sacrificially.
In 1Corinthians 2:16 we are reminded that we are to have the mind of Christ. Since we can’t have two minds at the same time, that would preclude us from going our own way and bring all of us together with our spiritual gifts. There is an old movie called “Young at Heart.” There’s a scene in which Barney Sloan, played by Frank Sinatra, is so discouraged he turns off his windshield wipers while driving in a snowstorm. He can no longer clearly see the road, and everything is blurred. It’s a frightening moment that illustrates how we often look at life. We can turn off the wipers in our own lives by neglecting truth and withdrawing from God’s Word. Once again this happens because of individualism, only being concerned with ourselves.
Having the mind of Christ means having the Savior’s point of view. We learn to think as he does, not as the world thinks. Here is a verse to say aloud today and to turn into a prayer: “Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires” (Romans 8:5). Believers must regain the use of the mind for God’s glory.
Paul uses God’s mercies as the basis for his appeal to the believers in Rome. The core of Christian commitment to Christ—the believer’s motivation for giving him-or herself wholly to God—is the mercy He has demonstrated toward His people. What God has already done for the Christian is the basis of everything the Christian does for God. Paul says, “I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy.” In the Greek the word urge literally means “to call to”; “to exhort.” Paul is attempting to encourage this young church to be sacrificial in order to be holy and pleasing to God. Let’s make sense of this. We love to quote the most beautiful verse in the Bible, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God has shown us such grace and mercy. Salvation is free to anyone who accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior. That doesn’t mean that we should receive it and not be willing to be living sacrifices for him.
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” This verse, in my opinion, is one of the most important and life-changing verses in the Bible, if we will allow it to be. Remember, we are called to have the mind of Christ. Everything that it takes to walk upright with God starts and ends with this principle. Conform was sometimes used for a masquerade or an act. If people conform to the world’s standards of behavior, they mask who they are in Christ. The Christian’s life should be marked by transformation, seen through the renewing of the mind, ever seeking to grow in understanding to discern God’s will.
To be a living sacrifice seems an oxymoron because sacrifices are usually dead. So how are Christians supposed to be living sacrifices? With sacrificial worship that is true and proper, or reasonable, by someone who is genuinely grateful for what they have received from God. The goal of presenting oneself as a living sacrifice is service. How do we serve our Lord and Savior? Anyone know? God has made it so easy, and so often we completely miss it. God gave us gifts so that we could serve each other and in doing so serve Him. I hope that you are getting this today. In order to live a life that is pleasing to God we must appreciate and use the gifts that He has bestowed upon us. When He created us in our mothers’ wombs He placed wonderful gifts inside of us.
When you come to Jesus and accept Him as Lord of your life, your gift is activated and ready to use to build up the Body of Christ, the church. This is not a gift that can be used half-heartedly or for your own gain. The only way to properly use your gift so that it will glorify God is sacrificially. The goal of presenting oneself as a living sacrifice is service. In Luke 1: 74-75 Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, prayed that His people would serve the Lord without fear in holiness and righteousness before Him all their days. That is a beautiful model of what it means to live as a sacrifice to Christ. Dedicated people do not wear the label; they demonstrate their dedication by going places and doing things for the cause of Christ. They act constructively as people committed to fulfilling Christ’s plans and purpose in this world. If you are not willing to sacrifice for your Savior, are you truly living for him?
In Christ’s Love and Peace,
Pastor Bob
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