Challenge

Romans 12:1 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

The entailments of Christ’s sacrificeChallenge we cannot avoid

ChallengeRomans 12:1 .....to present your bodies as a living sacrifice,

ChallengeRomans 12:1 ..... to present your bodies a..

Your whole selves

•living and •holy sacrifice, •acceptable to God,

which is your spiritual worship

Which is how you Respond to God

Challenge to a total dedication toward living for Him

Natural reciprocation• Mark 8:34-36 34 And he called to him the crowd

with his disciples and said to them, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?

Mark 8:37 37 For what can a man give in return for his life?

........your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship

The first way to live for Him

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed......

Suschmatizo

= to form according to a pattern or mold,

TRANSFORMATION

metamorfooto change inwardly in fundamental character or condition, be changed, be transformed

• Desire to serve• Desire to love

Authentic-The Real Deal

renewal of your mind, that by testing you may

discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect

Right thinking determines right

behaviour

Romans 1:21• For although they

knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Romans 8:7-8• 7 For the mind that is set on the

flesh • is hostile to God, – for it does not submit to God's

law; indeed, it cannot. • 8 Those who are in the flesh

cannot please God. 9

Darkened mindFlesh focussed mind

Distorted Values

Lives that Do not Please God

We are not to conform to this

Conformity

“I’m a reproduced illusion.”

our perception of ourselves is based on others perception of us. To a large extent, we become who other people think we are.. Psychologists call it “the looking-glass self.”

To be is to be perceived.”George Berkely

if you base your identity on the opinions of other people you’re worshiping their opinions. Their opinions may not be accurateWildly gyrating…live up to their expectations

Values determined by perception

Distorted Values

Subprime Loans

October 24 1929,

In three days Lost over 5 billion dollars worth of share values16 billion by end of year

Fashion

Commodities, Real estate, Feng Shui

Devaluation of things with real value

• Integrity• Purpose

• Care for others• Loyalty

• Honour

Mega churchesFacilitiesWealth ConvenienceChild support

•living and •holy sacrifice, •acceptable to God,

Renewal of our minds

Who we really are in God’s eyesTrue reflection of image of God

Psalm 1:1-3 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. .

•living and •holy sacrifice, •acceptable to God

Distorted Values

Wildly Gyrating Society

3 And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season, And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers

Romans 12:2a

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed

Imperative – command, Passive, God does it for you

Let God transform you by renewal of your mind

Start living and making choices that reflect what your were created to be

The Second Way to Live for Him

Transformation enables service

2.Using your gifts to serve His Body

Romans 12 :3-8

Right assessment of Gifts

• Romans 12:3 3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

Society- brash self promotion, attitude, ego builing striving to fulfill every personal lust and ambition withLittle regard of whom will be harmed

• ESV 3 John 1:9 I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority.

Augustine of Hippo

City of God

Two cities formed By two lovesThe earthly with loveOf self to the contemptOf GodThe heavenly the loveOf God to contempt of self

Extreme forms of mental illnessAre extreme self absorptionWilliam K Kilpatrick

Extreme forms of mental illnessAre extreme cases of self absorptionWilliam K Kilpatrick

• each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

• Romans 12:6 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith;

Serving according to your gifts not status

• 7 if service, in our serving; • the one who teaches, in his teaching; • 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; • the one who contributes, in generosity; • the one who leads, with zeal; • the one who does acts of mercy, with

cheerfulness.

Romans 12:7-8

• 1 Corinthians 12:22-24 22 On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; 23 and those members of the body, which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, ..

and our unseemly members come to have more abundant seemliness, 24 whereas our seemly members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked,

The Third Way to Live for Him

Romans 8:7 For the mind that is

set on the flesh is hostile to God,

for it does not submit to God's law; indeed,

it cannot. 8 Those who are in

the flesh cannot please God.

3. Loving and Living for OthersRomans 12: 9-21

The nature of Love

woman who wanted nothing to do with me

an attractive woman who didn’t understand me

was smart, funny, and a great conversationalist. And everywhere I followed her on that boat, I would get this strange sensation in the pit of my stomach

Loving others• Romans 12:9-11 9 Let

love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.

Zeoo =Boiling hot

Living for others• Romans 12:12-21 12 rejoicing in hope, persevering

in tribulation, devoted to prayer, 13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and curse not. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.

The outer boundaries of love• 17 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect

what is right in the sight of all men. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. 19 Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. 20 "But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head." 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Sacrifice-revenge

Current Circle of Care

CMe

Family

Church Saints

Widening the Circle of Care

CSaints

Community

Enemies

ME and Family

Proverbs 19:17 17 He who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, And He will repay him for his good deed.

Zorro

This is what I am

This is what we are

Challenge

Romans 12:1 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

Three Things YouCan Do Today

•Let God transform you by Renewal of your mind•Serve the body with your gifts•Love others

• Chuck Swindoll once said that the only reason he was able to pay the tuition for his seminary education was that there was a guy in Dallas who financially supported ten students. And Swindoll was one of them.

And during their final year when they were getting ready to begin their ministries, this generous man from Dallas took all ten students to a local department store. And he bought each one of them a new suit. So that when walked into the pulpit of their first church, they would be dressed and ready for ministry.