tonight we turn in our bibles to romans chapter 12 romans chapter 12 and if you're visiting with us that is found on page 1205 we are considering tonight the first two verses only since this is a very important transitional section here these first two verses and i want to focus tonight just on those two there's a lot here to consider let's give our attention tonight to the word of the lord the first two verses of romans chapter 12 i appeal to you therefore brothers by the mercies of god to present your bodies as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to god which is your spiritual worship do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind that by testing you may discern what is the will of God what is good and acceptable and perfect may the Lord bless the hearing tonight of his word well I'd like for you tonight to think just for a moment about the depths of the grace of God that we have been studying in the book of Genesis And I hope you've given a lot of thought to how far-reaching and how shocking these messages really are. Did you see how far, if you were here this morning, God reached down into that mess and helped His people? I saw in that no faith, I saw in that passage people retreating from the promise. I saw somebody's life severely hurt as a consequence. I saw the whole fall repeated of Genesis chapter 3. And you stand back from that and you see God pursuing and cleaning up the mess that Abram and Sarai's wife had created and hurt this woman named Hagar. It's fascinating just to whet your appetite for the very next section. you know the Lord comes down in Genesis 17 and begins with by saying I am God Almighty walk before me and be blameless and then he changes Abram's name right then and there I've been trying to consistently hold on to Abram so that I really emphasize now the name change then all of a sudden in that chapter he changes Abram and Sarai's name and it becomes Abraham from Abram to Abraham am. And to put it in very simple language, and I won't start on my sermon or Genesis, I've done all this for you, Abram. Stop the path and behavior of living a certain kind of way and be what I've called you to be. Your name change now signifies and helps you to understand that. Be now what I have set you apart and done for you by grace. Be what I've called you to be. walk before me and be blameless the whole book of romans tonight as we transition to this if we were to look at these things genesis has been showing us what stuff what what the doctrines look like in real life if you will that's what narratives are for they show the doctrine of the christian faith lived out and shows what it looks like in the lives of real people that have come before you so romans has been stating the doctrine we've seen it lived out in genesis and it's been amazing to see the whole Bible put together this way. But tonight, now we have the very clear statement in the book of Romans about the responsibility of the Christian and how he is to live. And I suppose it's important to say as we begin this section and look into this section that a distinctively Christian ethic, in other words, how we live as Christians is born out of a distinctively Christian message. The more you know and the more you've been taken by the message of grace, the more you grasp the wonders of grace, the more you will be moved to response. Response of thanksgiving. Because Christianity is not primarily about a mode of behavior or living. We'll look at that. Christianity is about a message to be believed, which then informs and affects how you now go forward and live. And when we see that, when we learn to think of ourselves in a certain way, it's at that place that then when we've studied and understood the wonderful grace of the Lord, that then we begin to take seriously what it means that we are being conformed into the image of His Son. The harmony that then results in the life of the Christian comes when our wills and desires are brought in conformity to what he has said in his word. Paul is showing us that tonight. The apostle is now finally, and think of how long we've been in Romans here, he's now finally applying everything he's been saying. He is now seriously exhorting the Christian to a way of life, a way of thinking driven by everything that he has already said. And it's important to consider that tonight. It's important to think about this in these first two verses. Look at verse 1 of chapter 12. I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. what a beautiful beautiful verse isn't it he's finally come to the application of christianity and you know this is important because this is the first thing everyone seems to be concerned about today how to live the christian life what to do with the christian life you'll notice the appeal here notice how paul discusses this notice how paul rehearses this i appeal to you so the word is functioning as a calling. The older translations use the word exhort. I like to emphasize here that we haven't seen this yet in Romans. Eleven long, meaty chapters. And now Paul says, I've come to now the real basis to lay before you the joys of now exhorting you as to what your attitude should be and how you should be living as Christians. And there's one word here that really motivates this. And did you catch it? Therefore. Therefore. I exhort you. Therefore. I appeal to you. Therefore. You've correctly heard in the past when you have the therefore, you should ask why it's therefore. This is one of the most important questions in times to ask that it's interesting that paul didn't begin with this have you thought about the importance of that tonight paul didn't begin with christian living at all for 11 long meaty chapters he gave us doctrine deep doctrine he took us through hell in the opening chapters we looked at sin we looked at the consequences of sin we looked at the misery that people are in the hurt that it was like lifting hell's lid in romans 1 and looking at the human heart and to what people are falling into and then he showed us he hit it home showing us how serious it all is that all of our righteousness is as a filthy garment no one does good no not one all have turned aside and because of that the wrath of god is revealed he leveled us with the scary reality of hell that so many are treasuring up for themselves wrath for the day of wrath and in the midst of all of that which we had a difficult time hearing anyone who goes to the first chapters of romans if you've heard it properly properly that's not easy he then gave us the most glorious news in the book in chapter 3 verse 21 he said but now and he went through all these verses to explain justification by faith alone that God takes the sinner and he freely imputes and acquits him imputes the righteousness of his son to his account so that when he looks at him he sees him covered in the rich garments of Christ's righteousness, that there is therefore now no condemnation. Having been justified, we have peace with God. It's done. It's over. You're set free. He went into explaining now heavily the Christian's relationship to sin, ongoing problems of sin, and how he had the whole perspective for us that he shattered its dominion he set you free you're not enslaved to its passions anymore you become a slave to christ old things are gone you're a new creature why did god do this out of his he went into in chapter 8 his electing love he's giving you the spirit you're sealed for the day. The Spirit is helping you all the way through to the end. And He labored then to show you how you are to think as you go forward in the Christian life. Because if we have the Spirit, if we have peace, if we have been justified working backward, then what does that mean for anything that comes down our path? It means that none of it is a declaration to us. Hardship, trial, affliction. Any of it, none of that should be viewed as some kind of angry, wrathful response of the Lord upon us. In fact, He said that He's loved us before time began. He's given us grace and that now He assured us nothing. There is absolutely nothing that can separate us from His love. told us in romans chapter 10 that when you believe in your heart confess with your mouth jesus christ is lord that he's risen from the dead you will be saved assured you of that and in the last chapter chapter 9 through 11 after all of that electing love and looking at the the gospel preaching that he set everything up for you to make it known to bring it to you to bring grace to you to make sure that you lack nothing do you understand that you lack nothing that you have everything you have christ you have righteousness you have the message you have peace then he said this gospel is so wonderful it's broken out to the ends of the earth and the master plan of god is is that he is bringing in to this day through you jews jews are coming in the gospel's going to the ends of the earth the master plan is he's bringing in from all tribes tongues peoples and nations and we ended with one of the most glorious doxologies in the bible the end of romans 11 is just beautiful now you hear all of that a little over a year we've been in it now paul says i exhort you finally and i exhort you in view of all of that in view of all of the mercies of god and i have to pause and say this is where it's so crucial to understand what he's doing here and how he's motivating it because this is where christianity has really failed today the message itself is transforming if you will the message itself is what brings about the status change the message itself is what conveys us out of darkness into light the deeds don't do that your deeds your actions in the faith do not do that in other words putting it in Abram's life. The definitive change for Abram happened when? Well, it happened in Genesis 15 when he was justified by faith. That was before chapter 16. And praise God for that. So notice what he's doing here tonight. You can't have a Christian ethic. You can't even talk about ethics without a christian message i remember watching a buddhist and he was describing his experience his transformation and the eastern religions are obviously very much growing in our time in the west but it was fascinating he he wanted to provide for people the room was packed full of people and he wanted to provide for people the key to a tranquil peaceful and happy life And he says, here's how you obtain it. I had a house full of trophies. This is a Buddhist, keep in mind. On every wall, all of my trophies, everything that I'd stored up, all of my life, all of my goods, I had achieved so much. The man was filthy rich. All of my earthly treasures were in this high-rise apartment. I think it was in New York. And he said, one day it dawned on me, I'm not happy. so he says i locked the door of the apartment i took the key i gave it to the manager and i said do with it whatever you want and i moved to an island and i lived on that island for six months and i found happiness that was his message of transformation the dalai lama was a few years back in seattle thousands flocked to hear his principles for living let me give you his principles for living. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk. When you lose, don't lose the lesson. Follow the three R's, respect for self, respect for others, responsibility for all your actions. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it. Spend some time alone every day see live a good honorable life don't bring up the past good principles for living it's not so far off from the number one seller years back in christianity joel osteen's have your best life now let me give you his seven principles for living keep pressing forward be positive toward yourself develop better relationships form better habits embrace the place where you are i've never quite figured out that one develop your inner life stay passionate about life i could go on and on tonight what was different between the pastor's principles and the dalai lama's principles nothing you could develop as good of an ethic as a non-Christian and you could lead a very successful and happy earthly life I suppose but it will never be born again of the powerful Holy Spirit who gives genuine life. The core of the Christian message today is very similar to the ethical principles we hear from the Dalai Lama. This is the stuff the Bible warns about that has a form of godliness but denies its power. And it's really important to say the Apostle Paul impressed that home to believers. There is stuff that has a form of godliness. It sounds good, but there's no power in it. There's no real power. And what is Paul now doing? That's why it's so important to say, you don't get to living without the message. You don't start there with people. Or else we're no better than any other religion of this world. And the Heidelberg understood this. The Heidelberg in question and answer two asked the important question, what three things must you know to live and die in the joy of this comfort? And there's three things you've got to know. you've got to understand that you've got to give your mind to we are people of the book the first is how great your sin and misery are and the second is how you're set free from all of your sin and misery well that's romans first two chapters in chapter three was the first one the second one was all this grace that we've studied but we never neglect and we shouldn't neglect the third thing we need to know how we are to live thankful to god how we are to live thankful for being set free from all of this misery and this is important tonight because there is a necessity for us to know how to live and we should never refrain or fear talking about that but we first have to be taken by the grace gospel of jesus or it won't mean a thing and that's why we have perpetually studied the life of abram and you'll notice this that as as we go through the law how to live didn't come till 430 years later till after the covenant of grace given with abram to illustrate this very point to teach us the grace this is what christianity operates upon and then the law was given and so the message first has to bring us to tears and it has to split us i mean it has to affect us that god split open his son and that he gave his son for us and that god's wrath is propitiated and that he is satisfied and that his sinners will never have to face the torments of hell and then we talk about living and that's important because there's the danger in preaching to say and to get up and to say, well, you know, God did His part. And you guys need to straighten up now. I've heard so much preaching this way. You need to straighten up now. You need to get with the program now. And it's not motivated correctly. They're using condemnation to motivate it. God doesn't motivate new obedience that way. new obedience is not motivated by making you feel like you're all going to hell that doesn't motivate change that motivates getting mad and that motivates a hardening of the heart unless the spirit of god is working and so notice what's motivating this tonight i beseech you therefore i appeal to you i exhort you therefore in view of the mercies of god that you've received all of this mercy. Now let's talk about how to live. So it's very similar to like being a slave, I suppose. A slave who was beaten all of his life by a cruel master, lived in the pig pen, was scrawny, was hated, was abused, was ready to die, and a new master comes and frees him. Frees him from that old way and he cleans him up and he feeds him and he loves him and he protects him and he gives him a seat right at his own table this slave now is no longer a slave he's a free man he set him free what is the slave going to say the slave is going to say how can i thank you and what is the new owner and master going to say you can thank me by not going back to the pig pin don't go back to the pig pen don't do it anymore now we're ready for application and it's an important thing to say today isn't it i exhort you brethren therefore by the mercies of god since he's done this for you and it's not in question i want you now to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. What does that look like? I think it's helpful to first say what it's not. When you talk about sacrifice, there was a long history to that. And here are Jews and Gentiles in a church, and everyone is thinking blood. Everyone is thinking bringing of offerings. You had thousands of years of bringing the blood of bulls and goats. And remember how that all ended up in Isaiah, where the Lord says, I was weary of it all, because nobody was coming with a genuine heart and worship i don't want that says the lord it's as if the lord is saying to us today you tonight you don't accomplish this blood's done blood has already been shed your response is to be so believing and so trusting that you now present your whole body as a living sacrifice of thanksgiving to your god all of your affections your desires your heart your mind all of this now since you've been bought with a price should be viewed as being given now to present and i'll get to the purpose here present yourself as a sacrifice of thanksgiving holy to the lord alive from the dead what's he talking about remember when jesus in john 13 they all walked in the room and there was the water the jug and the towel and they all come and they sit down and no one wants to get up and do what should be done because usually there was a slave standing there and jesus gets up and he girds himself that was a whole visual for them of the incarnation that jesus would get up from the father's throne and from the throne in heaven and that he would come to this earth taking on our rags and that he would stoop to save sinners giving his life to save sinners that so moved the apostle paul that i believe philippians 2 is directly motivated by what he saw in john 13 in the whole gospel story but especially in john 13 when he said let that mind now be in you which was in christ jesus who though he was in the form of god did not count equality with god a thing to be grasped but made himself nothing taking the form of a servant being born in the likeness of men and being found in human form he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death even death on a cross now jesus right after that event And then John 13 says, looks at them after he had washed their feet and says, do you understand what I've done for you? And then he says, you go do that. Likewise to your brethren. What always seems to get missed in this discussion is what Paul in Ephesians 2 then applies to himself after he talked about what Christ did. In other words, we obviously couldn't lay down our life to bear other people's sins. No one can do that. So then what does that look like for us? How do you go forward? Well, he applies it. And listen to what he says in Philippians 2, verse 17. And think of living sacrifice of thanksgiving. Yes. And if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all For the same reason, you also be glad and rejoice with me. The Levitical priest would take an animal and sacrifice it on the altar. But on top of that sacrifice would be poured a drink offering of wine. And when it hit the sacrifice, it would, just in a giant puff, it would disintegrate. And the altar was so hot that it would disappear in a giant puff of steam. you ever been to a Chinese restaurant and seen something like that kind of neat picture this the essential and valuable offering was this animal sacrifice and the drink offering would disappear did you hear what Paul just said about his life he applied it that way a living sacrifice and he said this, my life doesn't matter. I'm being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice in service of your faith. And so therefore, let's rejoice together in that. You know, when Paul wrote that, he was in prison. His whole life was given. And you know what he says? He says, the thing that matters, the reason I exist, The reason, it's far better to go to be with the Lord, but it's more beneficial for you that I stay. His whole thought process, his whole thinking had changed now. And his thinking was now that he would become that kind of living sacrifice for the benefit of those whom he served. that's the living sacrifice that the mindset of the living sacrifice that he's talking about it drives us to that kind of response and so what paul is doing is saying i've received so wonderful a justifying gospel and now therefore because i've grasped this because i've tasted this because i believe this because this is true all the promises are yes and amen because there is no condemnation and I am free. Soon I'm going to go to be with the Lord. That's really where I want to be right now. That's really where the best place to be is with Him. But there's something greater that the reason you all exist for right now, and He has not taken you to heaven. It's the people sitting next to you. This is why Martin Luther said, God doesn't need your good works. God does not need a thing from you, but your neighbor does. And that's how you show the love of God. He shows His love, demonstrates it through you when you give yourself to your neighbor this way. The goal of your life then being that you present your bodies a living sacrifice to the end, that you would become like that drink offering that is disintegrated, meaning that it's not about you. And doesn't that just affect the Sixth Commandment tonight? It's not about when somebody offends me or holding a grudge or refusing to free. It's not about any of that anymore because your interest is them, not you. That's how we demonstrate the love of God. Can you imagine if we all thought this way? Imagine if we all had this mindset of the Christian life that we would present ourselves this way. I don't think you'd have a shortage of service. You'll notice, and he'll get into that, is it surprising that the very next section is on gifts? That's next time. You'll notice that he says here, this is your reasonable service, better translated, spiritual worship. I won't go into all the discussion on that. This is the kind of worshipful response of a grateful heart, believing in the gospel, trusting in Christ that the Lord loves. It's from the good root of faith. It's dedication, wholehearted commitment, self-surrender, if you will. And the apostle doesn't just lay before us tonight the principle. What I love about this first two verses is tonight in verse two, he's telling you where to start. He's telling you we're going to have a long section here of how to do this, but now he's telling you where to start, and it starts with the mind, doesn't it? Look at verse 2. Here's how you begin. Here's how you start down the path. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing, you may discern what is the will of God, What is good and acceptable and perfect. How do you start down the path of becoming a servant in this kind of way where you're going to present your bodies as living sacrifices to God? How do you do that? It's really plain. Don't love the world. What a powerful thing to say in this context, isn't it? Don't be fashioned by it. Don't be conformed to it. Did you see it this morning with Sarah? What was the wisdom of the world with Sarah? Well, that was Mariah Carey's song, wasn't it? Hero. The whole system of the world, what it offers, and sometimes we fall into this. We look back at America, the good old days, the good old days, the good old country days when the barbershop guys were out and everyone was singing and everyone was happy and everyone was making money, and these were just the good old days. We look back upon that and we have these moments of conformity to what we think is good and we look upon all these things, the Lord is saying that this whole system, the world and its system is passing away. That's why nothing ever stays the same. How many songs are written about the glory days? How often do we talk about the glory days? The world and its system is in rebellion against the principles of God's kingdom. This is what John says and romans will even say coming up here the kingdom of god is not a matter of eating and drinking the kingdom of god is of righteousness and peace and joy in the holy spirit and antithetical to that is the system and the principles of the world and paul is saying the chief end of the christian then is no longer to pursue that of himself to pursue all of the the worldly things but that what he requires is what he's telling you to now is as one set free is that the things that once controlled you the things that once held you the patterns of the present evil age that dominate the thinking that goes on don't love it john says don't love the world or the things in the world if anyone loves the world the love of the father is not in him for all that's in the world the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life it is not of the father but is of the world when you're worldly it's never about anyone else but you so notice how he's saying how he's motivating this here the love of god should now drive us a love for the father that aims in all that we do to glorify him present ourselves this way to him and so he gives us a positive way forward that we will unpack in the weeks to come but he says be transformed by the renewing of your mind there it is by testing you may discern what is the good the will of god what is good and acceptable and perfect instead of loving the world here's what you presently should do here's what you presently should form your thinking let yourselves continuously be renewed in your minds very important isn't it your whole minds have to be continuously renewed what he's saying is when You are renewed. What is happening? You're relishing. You're reflecting. You're being exposed to heavenly things and the power of the Spirit. You're being refreshed. You're growing in grace. You're coming under the, in this kind of situation, the gospel preached. You're hearing of the love of God lavished upon another country, upon you. You're being renewed. In what way? By the word of truth. It's the word that renews us. It's the word that refreshes the mind. It's the word of God that purges us and helps us to fight off the worldliness that we experience and are infected with each and every week. Let the word of God fill your mind being renewed in its wisdom and you should in all that you do learn to discern discernment is so important discern and practice what is good and acceptable and perfect that he's revealed to you in his word that will now we'll begin to look at the specifics next week but that's a good place to stop tonight you see the motivation only those who've been crucified truly been crucified to the world in christ who died to themselves will want this will desire this and when you see how wonderful the grace of god has been to you steady faithful unswerving relentless pursuing never giving up always with you doing everything necessary for you to be saved when you understand that and you grasp that it's then that you're ready to put into practice all that you believe. Anything before that only leads to hypocrisy. Let's pray. Oh Lord, our God, help us tonight. Clear our minds as we go out into another week. Thank you for renewing us in the wisdom that comes from you that descends from above. And since you have been so wonderful to us, O Lord, and you've done everything necessary, freeing us, justifying us, setting us apart, giving us everything in Christ. Now, O Lord, having been set free, therefore, may this drive of holiness as we demonstrate our thanksgiving to you be the pursuit of our life. It pleases you. And you have told us you don't want us going back to the pig pen. And so convict our hearts, work powerfully by your Spirit in our consciences as we are renewed to be discerning. Discerning in the truth, discerning in what is good and right, discerning in a world that pushes all of its very earthly and evil ways upon us. And as we go through this in the weeks to come, how we ought to live before you may it deeply impact us and may we be set apart to you walking blameless as you call us to do only by the grace that we've received and strength from you by your spirit thank you for instructing us this day in jesus name we pray these things amen