"Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.
3 For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one. 4 Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, 5 in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. 6 According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts:
If prophecy, use it according to the standard of one’s faith; 7 if service, in service; if teaching, in teaching; 8 if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness.
9 Love must be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good. 10 Show family affection to one another with brotherly love. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not lack diligence; be fervent in spirit; serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer. 13 Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. 16 Be in agreement with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Try to do what is honorable in everyone’s eyes. 18 If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone. 19 Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for His wrath. For it is written: Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay, says the Lord."
Romans 12:1-19
Good Morning Beloved,
Welcome to worship!
We're so thankful you're here.
Today, as ridiculous as it may sound, I'd like to address making the distinction between the things in this life that are truly changed, and those which are merely rearranged.
If you have cable, you've likely watched, or at least heard of the television shows, that renovate our existing homes. Some, within a specific, set budget, seek to make an existing space new, more functional, by reorganizing, rearranging furniture, re-purposing. While others, completely renovate the existing structures, removing and rearranging walls, to make an old space new.
What I'd like to address today, specifically, is our spiritual lives, and consider whether God has called us to be radically different people in this world, or if rearranged is "good enough."
I would like to ask a few questions, that I would invite you to keep in mind, as we begin our study today in the book of Romans chapter 12.
"If Jesus died for sinful people, how then shall we live our lives?"
"If Jesus died for me, how then should I live?"
Let's bow our heads in prayer.
Heavenly Father,
Father, thank You for those whom You have gathered together today, we are grateful.
Lord, burden our hearts, with a responsibility, a duty to share the good news of the gospel, with the lost in this world. Help us to see, even in the face of trials, we must remain committed to that which You have laid upon us. Remind us, this is a pathway, to blessing, peace, joy, rejoicing, and everlasting life in Your kingdom.
In Jesus name we pray
Amen
This message actually finds its roots, its beginning, some 2000 years ago. The Apostle Paul was writing a letter to the Church at Rome. At the time, Christianity was only a few years old and Paul was crafting a doctrine by which the church would operate. A standard for those who are in Christ.
For the better part of chapter 11, Paul created a theology, or "operating strategy" on which to run.
Then, in chapter 12, chapter, Paul switches gears rather abruptly. He seems to be answering the question "So, how does all this theology stuff affect our lives?"
Open with me your Bibles, to Romans chapter 12. In today’s epistle we hear the following words Paul gives to the Romans:"Love must be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good. Show family affection to one another with brotherly love. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lack diligence; be fervent in spirit; serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer."
Paul first says, "Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship." That’s likely a strange phrase for us who live in the 21st century, however, for people of the 1st century, it was astounding!
Following along with me in your Bibles as I read today's text, Romans 12:1-19.
"Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.
For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one. Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts:
If prophecy, use it according to the standard of one’s faith; if service, in service; if teaching, in teaching; if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness.
Love must be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good. Show family affection to one another with brotherly love. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lack diligence; be fervent in spirit; serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer. Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. Be in agreement with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Try to do what is honorable in everyone’s eyes. If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone. Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for His wrath. For it is written: Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay, says the Lord."
For centuries, the "faithful" Jews had pleased God through the sacrificing of animals. If God was angry, kill a cow! If you wanted to atone for some sins in your life, present a dead lamb upon the altar. Paul is now saying Enough! Enough of the killing! God doesn’t want dead animals; God wants alive people! God desires vibrant, joyful people, living out their faith, people in every corner of the world.
The sacrificial system has gone away, the sacrificial system of dead animals. Jesus ended that system when He died on the cross, paying the penalty for our sins. There's a new kind of sacrifice in the new covenant, in the New Testament economy, and that is a living sacrifice. It’s not an animal. It’s you, and it’s me. We are to place ourselves on the altar before God as an offering to Him.
Even today, Christians are still pretty good at sacrificing. We no longer slaughter a lamb when we feel remorse over our sin; however, we often punish ourselves with guilt and shame. This is true, even when we believe that God has forgiven us, because we often refuse to forgive ourselves.
And we frequently punish others for their sins, as well. We judge them, we criticize them, and we condemn them. I have heard it said that "The Christian Church is the only army in the world that shoots its own wounded."
Paul, in his very next breath, says that God doesn’t want the process to end there; forgiveness is just the beginning. The Christian life is a journey, a journey in which we take thousands upon thousands of baby steps to become more and more like Jesus. In other words, it doesn’t just happen all at once; it happens over a lifetime.
"Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God."
Paul is saying to us, "Do you know how easy it is to be conformed to the standards of this world?"
I certainly do, and I'm fairly certain, you do as well. Through television, movies and magazines, the world tells us we need to dress a certain way, and we buy those outfits. The world tells us to buy this brand of coffee, and we flock to it, paying often $4 dollars and upward for a single cup of coffee.
Live here, drive this, and we all seem to do it, and worse yet, we feel good about it! It is easier than we think to conformed to the world. The problem is, the world’s standards are constantly changing. Fueled by slick and strategic marketing techniques through amazing technology, we are constantly told that we need the next new thing in order to "fit in," to be up to date.
Meanwhile, we have a closet full of clothes, for some of us, that includes everything from bell-bottom pants, polyester leisure suits, various shirts, a variety of ties of different widths and for you ladies, dresses, skirts, pant suits and shoes, etc and we're all hoping that we live long enough for them to come back into style. And we do all of this because we want to conform…We have a want, a desire to fit in to the culture in which we live.
I find Paul's choice of words, particularly interesting here. The word "conform" means to rearrange the shape, or color, or form of something. It’s outward, cosmetic; it’s temporary. Paul tells us, "don’t be conformed by this world. Rather,” Paul writes, "be transformed by God." The word "transform" means to change from the inside out. "...be transformed by the renewing of your mind..., referring to the metamorphosis of your mind, the transformation of your mind. By the way, that verb "metamorphosis" or "transformation" is used at the transfiguration, where Christ who was Man – visibly Man – was literally transfigured into glorious form.
We are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind.. So how do we renew our mind? Through the Word of God, the source of our renewal.
I Corinthians 2:16 teaches us, "For who has known the Lord’s mind, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.
And, in Colossians 1:9-12, it says, "For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light."
The renewing-transforming of your mind comes with saturating your thoughts with divine truth, the Word. Reprogramming how you think, that's how we get the mind of Christ. Beloved, there's no shortcut! Our mind is the battleground where the spirit of the age fights against our new nature.
Paul’s assessment was correct; that we spend much of our time and much of our energy rearranging our lives in order to fit into this world, and we spend precious little of our time and energy allowing God to change us.
Paul also said that the Church is a body, and that every person in the body has a vital part to play. In the world, we say that doctors are more valuable than nurses, and that principals are more important than teachers, and that those who work for pay are more esteemed than those who volunteer. In the church, we say that is all nonsense! There's no pecking order in the Kingdom of God; all are equal, all are valuable, and all are necessary.
However, Paul’s concept of the Church being a body has within it another feature, and it is, we all have a function in the body, and if someone isn't performing their function, to the best of their ability – or if the person doesn’t perform their function at all – then the entire body becomes less than what it could have been. If the choir has no tenors, it’s not a full choir. If organist decides to only play with their left hand, something is noticeably amiss. If a number of people decide that they’re not going to share their offering any longer, the body becomes severely handicapped.
In Closing...
Many people, particularly the older generation, believe that if a church grows, it will change. And, to some degree, I would agree. However, a church that doesn't grow, withers and dies.
But if we truly see the church as a body, and even when the body grows, every body part is needed, and necessary, then church will change very little. It will be rearranged; cosmetically, it will look a bit different, it may feel a bit different. But it will be the same church, because it will be comprised of a people whose lives have been transformed by Jesus Christ.
Allow me to put it another way, when we become parents, we expect that our child will grow. The problem then becomes, if our child doesn't grow, then we know something is amiss. Our child goes from being fed, changed, totally dependent upon us as parents to care for their every need. Then, as they begin to grow, they become more independent, able to do some things for themselves. Eventually. they can do pretty much everything on their own, only seeking our advise, from time to time. And before you know, they're wondering how we ever managed to live this long without their help and advise. (grins)
Nevertheless, they've changed but that doesn't mean their not still the same person. They're still our child, they're just different, in certain aspects. The same is true with the body, the church. As they grow, they become a bit different, but still the same church. And as long as its growing according to God's plan, He'll anoint the changes. And should it be growing opposite His plans, He'll bring it to a halt.
It is His church, not yours, or mine. If God is the source of the growth and change. God is the purpose of our life together here. And, if our joy come only in that which God has done. Then may God’s joy come in our faithful response.
Did you feed the hungry?
Give drink to the thirsty?
Did you care for the poor and the homeless?
Did you love them the way I love you?
May our good God give us the strength and courage to do His work and continue to serve Him.
And may God give us all the strength and courage to love one another as He loves us.
All for His glory!
Thanks be to God.
Amen.
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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