A Sensible Sacrifice

Bible Text: Romans 12:1 | Preacher: Alan Conner | Series: 2005, Romans

INTRO
The theme of this section, 12:1-15:13 is the outworking of God’s righteousness in the everyday life of the believer and church. This section is based on Rom. 1-11. Christian duty is based on Christian doctrine. Or we could put it this way: in light of the doxology (11:33-36), this is how we are to live to the glory of God. This is how we live SOLI DEO GLORIA?

The essence of what Paul is going to challenge us with is this: All Christians should glorify God by giving themselves entirely to God. Then following this, 12:3-15:13 flesh this out in detail.

I. THE EXHORTATION

I urge you – The word means to “appeal, plead, or exhort”. It carries apostolic authority.

By the mercies of God – provides both the motivation for the sacrifice (gratitude for the mercy God has given to us), and the enabling power behind the sacrifice (by God’s mercy alone can we do this).

God’s mercy in Romans:

1) For God’s sovereign mercy and grace behind our election. Rom. 9:15, 16, 18, 23.

2) God’s saving mercy in light of our great sin and disobedience. Rom. 11:32.

Present your bodies –

1) present – cf. Rom. 6:13. It means to offer ourselves to God. It is a sacrificial term.

2) body – probably here it refers to the whole person, 1 Cor. 6:19-20.

A sacrifice – Paul probably has the whole burnt offering in mind (Lev. 1) in which the whole animal was sacrificed and burned on the altar as an expression of the devotion of the worshipper who kept back nothing for himself. This is not a pay back to God. Only Christ’s sacrifice saves, our sacrifice is out of gratitude for His.

1) involves a total dedication of self.

2) implies a willingness to die. Rev. 12:11

We all struggle in making this sacrifice.
Living – Living as opposed to dead. An on-going sacrifice that is spiritually alive.

Holy – holy in character but also holy in the sense of set apart for God.

Acceptable to God – like the sacrifices when offered up in fire produced a smoke that was a soothing aroma to God which was well-pleasing to Him.

II. THE EXPLANATION

reasonable – Reasonable (KJV) or spiritual?

worship – Not public assembly of the saints but every day life.

This is how we live SOLI DEO GLORIA, we present ourselves to God as a living, holy and pleasing sacrifice, and this is the only reasonable and appropriate response to God’s mercies toward us.

III. THE EXAMPLE

Dan. 3:1-30

We live as a sacrifice to God when we commit ourselves to God afresh each day.

IV. THE END RESULT:

    1) Be on guard, the problem with a living sacrifice is that too often it crawls off the altar.

2) Blessings from living as a sacrifice to God.

CONCLUSION