Living, Holy, Acceptable to God

Transcript

GRM 600
11/15/1998
Living, Holy, Acceptable to God
Romans 12:1-2
Gil Rugh

I want to direct your attention this evening to the book of Romans and the 12th chapter. Certain passages of Scripture become very familiar to us. It seems they're passages that we refer to often, quote often and have a general regular impact in our lives in a variety of ways. And I think Romans chapter 12 verses 1 and 2 are such verses and I thought it might be good for us just to review something of the details. These are verses that I often refer to and just a week ago was referring to these verses particularly the second one in connection with our study in the book of Galatians and sometimes it's good to back and just look at those verses so that we see them in their context and what the emphasis is.

Romans chapter 12 begins a new section of the book of Romans. What we sometimes refer to as the practical section of the book which is something of a misnomer because of the book is practical but what Paul will do beginning with chapter 12 is to show how we can put into practice in our walk as God's people the truth that He has been teaching through the first 11 chapters. And in those first 11 chapters Paul has unfolded the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Beginning with the reality of our sin. We are a people under condemnation before God because we are sinners and God is a holy and just God who deals with sin. That having established the reality of our sin which really covers chapter 1 verse 18 through chapter 3 verse 21 verse 20 in Romans. It begins with chapter 3 verse 21 and goes through chapter 5 verse 21 and talks about the righteousness of Christ that has been provided by God. That righteousness was provided through Christ's death as our substitute and His subsequent resurrection from the dead. Then in chapters 6, 7 and 8 he talked about our sanctification, how the salvation that God has provided for sinners that brings them righteousness also transforms their lives and enables them to live as God's children. And then in chapters 9 to 11 he showed the sovereignty of God in salvation. The particular focus in chapters 9 to 11 was on the nation Israel and how God's eternal purposes for the nation Israel will be accomplished with their salvation. And even these days of Gentile prominence serve a purpose in the God's plan for the salvation of Israel in preparing them for the time when the Jewish people will bow in faith believing in Jesus as their Christ and Messiah.

Now with chapter 12 he wants to begin talking about how we walk, different areas of our life, how we are to behave and conduct ourselves, how does this truth of the Gospel impact us in various circumstances and situations of life. And verses 1 and 2 of chapter 12 really form the foundation that will be elaborated then through chapter 15 and verse 13. Now keep in mind when chapter 12 verse 1 begins "therefore," he is building on what has gone before. And what he has to say beginning in chapter 12 verse 1 regarding how we live our lives, our behavior, our conduct, is based upon what God has done for us in Christ. It is premised upon the fact that you have recognized your sin and turned from your sin and placed your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior.


The danger is we begin with chapter 12 and think by good behavior we become pleasing to God. But if we read the first three chapters of Romans, God made clear nobody pleases Him by their good behavior. First you must be born into His family, be declared righteous by Him, be given new life in Christ and now indeed your life must be pleasing to Him because now you are His child and you must live accordingly.

So the "therefore" indicates he is building on what he has said up to this point. "I urge you brethren by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to God which is your reasonable [or spiritual] service of worship." I am urging you by the mercies of God. And the mercy of God is what has been unfolded in the opening chapters, that God in mercy has provided salvation for us as sinful people. That we do not, we cannot, we must not try to be pleasing and acceptable to God by our good deeds or our good works, trying to keep the Law, trying to obey the ten commandments, will not make me acceptable before God. That is all dealt with in detail in the first part of the book of Romans. By the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight. It's an impossibility. And the ten commandments are part of the Law by which no one will be justified before God. So it's on the basis of His mercy and intervening on our behalf and providing a Savior for us in our hopeless and helpless condition. That's the foundation for Paul's exhortation here, that God has been merciful.

In light of His mercy in providing salvation for us, I urge you to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to God. I must emphasis now what we do with our bodies, how we use our physical bodies now that we are the children of God. The language he uses is similar to what he used back in chapter 6. Turn back there is you would. Romans chapter 6. Many of you have been part of studies we've done in Romans and in Romans chapter 6 in particular. In Romans chapter 6 he talks about what was illustrated and demonstrated in water baptism. Where it was portrayed the spiritual truth that we died with Christ, we were buried with Christ, we were raised up with Christ to newness of life. And so he says in verse 5, "If we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be in the likeness of His resurrection." If we have trusted Christ, we are identified with Him and God views us as having died when Christ died. We are buried when Christ was buried. Now we've been raised up to a new life.

So in verse 13 . . . Verse 12 for the sentence, "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body [this physical body] so that you obey its lusts and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. Verse 16, "Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience you are slaves of the one whom you obey either of sin resulting in death or of obedience resulting in righteousness. So the end of verse 19, "So now present your members as slaves to righteousness resulting in sanctification." You see there is a dramatic change in our life. You heard some of that in the testimonies tonight. My life is different. That's why when people are sharing their testimony in preparation for baptism one of the questions is how as your life changed. Because you've experienced a transformation. You have died with Christ. Now you have been made a new person and life is different. The change is brought about from the inside out, not from the outside in. God makes us new within, in our inner person, in our heart, in our mind and out of that flows a transformation that changes our behavior and the conduct of our lives.

So we can exhort them in chapter 12 verse 1, "Present your bodies," turn them over to God to be used by Him and for Him. So that everything I do now with my body is to be under the context of desiring to be pleasing to Him. So I am to present my body in Romans 12:1 a living and holy sacrifice. I'm to present my body a sacrifice. The picture comes out of the Old Testament. Under the Mosaic system there were many sacrifices given and that sacrifice was presented as an offering to God, devoted to Him. Now for me as God's child I can offer this body to Him and that is a sacrifice. It is something devoted to Him, turned over to Him. And thus is to honor Him and to be used for Him.

This sacrifice is modified by three words here, three statements. The words living, holy, and acceptable. This presentation of my body and the use of my body to God is living, holy and acceptable. Living of course means that we are not dead. We've been given new life in Christ. If any man be in Christ He is a new creature, a new creation. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, "Old things have passed away. Behold new things have come." We saw in Romans chapter 6 that we have died with Christ, we've been buried with Christ and we've been raised with Christ to newness of life. What he's talking about here? Now we present these bodies as a living sacrifice, as those alive from the dead. Now the life we have and the use of this body is to be devoted to the Lord.

It is to be a living sacrifice. It is to be a holy sacrifice. And the root idea of holy is to be separated. It's the same basic Greek word for holy, saint and sanctified. And the key idea in this family of words is to be separated. God is perfectly holy because He is perfectly separated and set apart from sin. So we as His people are to be holy, separated and set apart from sin. So we are to offer to Him our bodies as holy, to be used as instruments of righteousness as is expressed in Romans chapter 6 verses 12 and 13. So as before I would use my body and the parts of my body for sinful things. Now I use them for things that are pleasing to God, that are holy, that are not defiled by sin and sinful activity.

And thirdly this presentation of my body is to be acceptable to God. This is the sacrifice that is pleasing to God. This is the one He desires. And you realize what is being said here. The sacrifice that God wants is me. Well, I'm going to give the Lord this. And I'll look with you in a moment. There are certain specific things that are mentioned, but they flow out of this fact that now all that I am, all that I do is to be seen in the context of belonging to Him.


Turn over just after the book of Romans to 1 Corinthians chapter 6. First Corinthians chapter 6. Note verse 20, the last verse of the chapter, "For you have been brought with a price." And that refers to the redemption that we have in Christ where Christ redeemed us from the slave market of sin, if you will, by paying the penalty, the price for our deliverance, which was death. So now we belong to Him. "You have been bought with a price." That flows out of the end of verse 19, "You are not your own." You are not your own. You don't belong to yourself anymore. You've been bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body. Since this is not my body to do with as I please but it's His body to do with as He pleases, then all I do with this body must be in the context of being pleasing to Him. Now again, it's so important that we put this in it's context. This is the followthrough of having died with Christ, having been buried with Christ and having been raised up with Christ to newness of life. The flaw, the fatal flaw, in all religious systems is they are attempts to be pleasing to God and to honor God and to use our bodies for God, but they don't deal with the basic issue of sin in the hearts and mind, of my vary character being corrupt and defiled and so displeasing to God. What God desires is that service that flows from a transformed heart and a changed heart and mind as we'll see as we move along in Romans.

So we are talking about glorifying God with our body and back in Romans chapter 12 this is acceptable to God. So I like to say, what can I give to God? Everything. I devote my body to Him as a living and holy sacrifice. And that is acceptable to Him. "This is my spiritual service of worship." My spiritual service of worship. I believe the King James may have the word "rational" here. My rational service of worship. And the word can carry both ideas. The context here is even though I'm doing this in the physical realm with my body, this is a spiritual sacrifice. It is a sacrifice that has its roots in the nonphysical. But in the spiritual realm and the rational, the realm of my mind as well. We see this more in verse 2, the devotion of my life to Him flowing from a heart and mind committed to Him. So, I use my body to honor Him. That is my spiritual service of worship.

Turn over to Hebrews. That's getting toward the back of your New Testament. The book of Hebrews chapter 13. We come together as believers to worship God. But this is our corporate worship. This is the time that we set aside to join together as the Body of Christ in offering Him as His people the worship and praise and adoration that is due Him. But my life is to be a continual activity of worship. All that I do with my body and the parts of my body is in the context. This is an activity offered to my God to be a pleasing expression of my worship to Him.

In Hebrews chapter 13 we have some examples more specific. Look at verse 15 of Hebrews 13, "Through Him," through Christ because Hebrews has developed the high priestly ministry of Christ and the only access to God is through the finished work of Christ because Christ now is the great high priest who has provided access through His death and resurrection into the presence of God. "Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name." An interesting expression, "the fruit of lips." That word translated "fruit" is literally the "calves." Just like the calves in the Old Testament were animals that were sacrificed. So let us offer up the "calves" of our lips. So the picture here, the words coming out of my mouth expressing my gratitude and thanks to God is an act of worship. Not too long ago we noted in our study of the Scripture that one of the characteristics of one who is truly been born again is his life is characterized by thankfulness. Because in all we do we see the hand of God at work. We see our gracious, loving Heavenly Father working His purposes and plans in our lives and we are expressing our gratitude and our thanks. So that is a part of my body. Now my lips being offered to God is a sacrifice because coming out of my lips is an expression of praise, gratitude and thanksgiving to Him, my God. This is a very challenging area, is it not? For James tells us that the tongue is the most difficult to tame, to control. The more damage is by the tongue than anything else. And yet it is at this very center where the expression that could be so defiling and corrupt comes, I have an act of worship because my lips are used to give thanks and praise to God.

And verse 16 of Hebrews 13, "And do not neglect doing good and sharing." Though here doing good, sharing. In the context of Hebrews, we are talking primarily about the body of Christ here and our desire is to do good to others and to share what we have with others in the body and so on. What does he say? With such sacrifices God is pleased. So even as we gave them the offering, you know, God does not need our money. You know, in the Old Testament He reminded Israel if I had a need, I wouldn't have to ask you. But what are we doing? We are expressing to Him our adoration, acknowledging that He is the God who is the source of all that we have. He has bestowed upon us everything and so in the recognition of that and the desire of using in a way that is pleasing to Him, we do good and share with others. He says that's an act of worship. Those kinds of things. You see, examples of when I give my body to Him. There are a variety of ways that my worship is taking place. It's not just when we come together here and the same care and sensitivity to sin that we would have when we come together like this, ought to characterize us in all that we do and to realize our privileged we are. On Monday, it's not like, oh boy, I have a whole week before we can worship again. No. But your life and all that you do through the day with your life and your body is expressing worship to God because you are doing it out of a heart that wants to be pleasing to Him, to serve Him and be acceptable to Him.

Back up to Philippians chapter 4. The Philippians had sent some material things to help Paul and note what Paul says about this in Philippians 4:18. You know he says in verse 17, "Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account." Paul says I am more concerned about your spiritual benefit than I am my material needs. The most important thing in what you've given me is not that you met a physical need that I have. The most important thing is that you have benefited. It has been good for you spiritually to have given. "But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having r received from Epaphroditus what you have sent." Now note what he says about what they have sent, "A fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, wellpleasing to God." They thought they were taking up a collection to send to help Paul's needs while he is in prison. Isn't it great we'll be able to help him and I'm sure he'll be really glad to get this. And he was but you know what was most importance that was taking place? They had offered a sacrifice, a fragrant aroma that was well pleasing to God. All of a sudden we've transcended just helping Paul with a physical need to having offered a sacrifice that has ascended to the very throne of God, and he has found it well pleasing. Can there be anything more significant done with a life than this kind of action which would find its way to the very throne room of heaven? And to have the statement that it was well pleasing to God.

Turn back to John chapter 4. Put this in its framework of worship. John chapter 4 verse 23. Jesus is speaking and he says, "An hour is coming and now is when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. god is spirit; and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." True worship takes place in the heart, in the spirit, in the inner person. And what made these physical activities and what makes the physical activities of our bodies acceptable worship to God is it comes from the inner person, the spirit in accord with the truth of God centered in His Son Jesus Christ. So we want to see in the context these physical activities are acts of worship but they flow from the Spirit and without that they are just philanthropic activities.

And that's fine but it's not worship and that is not in itself pleasing to God. So we must have worship in Spirit and truth. That transforms all of our activities. That carries back to chapter 13 of Hebrews where we talked about thankfulness. If everything I'm doing with my life if I am doing it out of a spirit that desires to be pleasing to my God and honoring to His truth it's an act of worship and that transforms the mundane and the trivial and the grind of life into an activity that as eternal importance and significance. And that's why it is totally out of character for a believer to be going around complaining, discontent and so on because we are privileged everything we do with our body to do it as unto the Lord and thus have it be a pleasing and acceptable sacrifice to Him.

Come back to Romans chapter 12. That's the positive side. Then he expresses the negative side that will be balanced again by the positive. In this context he says in verse 2, "And do not be conformed to this world." Do not be conformed to this world. The idea, I believe it's J.B. Philips translation that has become well known on this, don't allow the world to press you into its mold. This word primarily carries the idea of the outward form of something and we are not allowed to allow our conduct, our behavior, our lives to be shaped by the world. Now that is easier said than done because we live in the world. And the world is constantly working to press us into its mold, to shape us so that we will fit the world. But we are not to be conformed to this world. And the word "world" here is the word "age." We mentioned this in connection with our study of the opening verses of Galatians where Jesus Christ died to deliver us in Galatians chapter 1 verse 4. "Christ died to deliver us from this present age." So here we are not to be conformed to this age and the world system that would characterize this age. This age is transitory. We are looking forward to the age to come when Christ shall reign, when righteousness shall rule. So we must be careful that the world does not shape us into its mold.

"Do not be conformed this world [or this age] but be transformed." So the word "conformed" has primarily have to do with the outward shape. And here we are talking about the use of our bodies, our behavior, our conduct. That's not to be shaped by the world. But we are to be transformed. And this has to do with the manifestation of true inward character. It's the Greek word "metamorphosis." We brought her over into English and the caterpillar is used that goes to the butterfly is usually the example. It undergoes a metamorphosis. And it is a change that is inherent in the very character and being of that caterpillar. You don't make him the butterfly by going around and attaching wings to every caterpillar you see. You might make him look like a butterfly but that wouldn't make him a butterfly. What has to happen is what is in him as that caterpillar undergoes a metamorphosis and that which is really part of his very being or nature brings about that transformation that is so externally noticeable and attractive.

So believers are to be undergoing a metamorphosis, this transformation. Same word that's used of the transfiguration of Christ in Matthew chapter 17 verse 2 when He went up in a mountain and He was transfigured before them. He underwent a metamorphosis before them. And something of His innate glory was allowed to shine through and be displayed. That was not something that came and the sun shone on Him from the outside and He was light up. But He underwent a metamorphosis and the glory that is His, His very being was displayed. So here we are talking about that kind of transformation.

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. And this is the work of the Spirit in the area of our minds to make us new. When we came to place our faith in Christ the Spirit of God came and indwelled us. We were in 1 Corinthians chapter 6 and there we are told our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit. So we are not our own. We are to glorify God with our body. That's the context of what we were talking about. Now the indwelling Holy Spirit molds and shapes us within. Molds and shapes us in the area of our heart and mind and makes us new. So you see this transformation of life comes from within, from my heart and mind, my inner person. I must be made new within. And when that takes place that process then manifests itself in the use of my body. And so we see this person is different. It's not the person I used to know. Their behavior has changed, their interests have changed. Their likes and dislikes have changed. How do you explain it. They've been given a new heart and mind. They look the same but they've been made new on the inside and it's changing everything about their lives.

This process is carried on. Turn over to 2 Corinthians. You're in Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians chapter 3. 2 Corinthians chapter 3 verse 18, "But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord." Now let me give you the context. Paul said that people who read the Gospel, who are confronted with the truth of Christ and do not understand and believe it have a veil over their eyes, particularly the Jews. In chapter 3 verse 15, "To this day a veil lies over their heart." They do not understand and perceive the spiritual truth of what they are reading but whenever a person turns to the Lord the veil is taken away. So, a person who has been reading the Bible and can tell you it's interesting having lot of good stories, a lot of interesting history. But you know the reality of the message has not come alive for them. But when they bow in faith and trust in Christ the veil is taken away. "Now with unveiled face," verse 18, "beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord." As we read and study this book, we see in it the glory of God revealed and it's like looking in a mirror because I look into the glory of God. It's transforming me. So as we are beholding in a mirror, and the mirror is the Word of God, we see the glory of the Lord, and we are being transformed. There's our word. We are undergoing a metamorphosis into the same image. What am I seeing in the mirror? I'm seeing the glory of the Lord. As I am looking into the Word now as God's child and seeing the glory of the Lord, a supernatural process is happening in me. I am undergoing a metamorphosis to be transformed into the image that I am seeing in that mirror, the glory of the Lord. Just as from the Lord the Spirit so this is a supernatural work. It's the Spirit of the living God who is bringing about this miraculous and amazing change. So, we study the Word of God together because we want to be beholding in the mirror of the Word, the glory of the Lord, so that the Spirit of the Lord can be bringing about a miraculous and marvelous change and transformation in my life.

It almost seems like a fairy tale, doesn't it? I mean in one sense you say this sounds like a story. You look in a mirror and here is the beauty of the glory of the Lord. And as you look into this mirror, you are being transformed to be like the image that's in the mirror. But that's exactly what's happening. The change that's being brought about. That's what he's talking about when he said we are being changed from the same image, transformed into the same image, metamorphosis into the same image by the Spirit. That's what we are talking about in Romans 12:2, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Change that's going on in the inside by the work of the Spirit of God.

You know we can create imitations of this. Come back to Romans chapter 12. You note this takes place in the area of our mind. People tend to fall into a couple of camps on worship. They want a liturgical style of worship where the form that I go through makes me comfortable. I feel like I worshipped. What we did and the activities we went through and so on, I identify with worship. But that's just an external activity in and of itself. And there's a people who go to the other side and they want some kind of emotional experience when they go to worship. I want to feel moved. But in reality, the work that God does takes place in our mind through His truth, and we cannot accept substitutes in this area. I may become comfortable with the substitute but it's not real. Here is the way that God works. It's through His Word going through my mind by the power of the Spirit that continues to mold and shape the new life in Christ to make me what He wants me to be. And that's the reality that is pleasing to God.

Back in Romans 12:2. "We are to be transformed so that you may prove what the will of God is that which is good and acceptable and perfect." You may prove what the will of God is knowing the will of God. This process enables us to know God's will. People always say, how do I know God's will? Well, first you have to be God's child because God commands all men everywhere to repent. It's His will that you believe in His Son Jesus Christ. That's where you have to start. Then as His child I look into the mirror of His Word so that I'm transformed into His image. He makes my mind new so that I am able to know His will. You know it's a process like growing up. You know as your children are young you have to more specifically tell them. There's a process of shaping and growing. Sure but by the time they get very old, they can tell others what your will is in an area without having come ask you. You say well how do you know that? Well, I know my Dad. This would be what he would want in this situation. No, he would not want that. Well we grow like that as God's children. And we are able to discern through the revelation that He is given.

And His will is that which is good and acceptable and perfect. That's the description of His will. "That which is good and acceptable and perfect." So, the process comes here full circle, if you will, as we present our bodies a living and holy sacrifice. They are living, holy and acceptable sacrifices and we discern the will of God which is good and acceptable and perfect. We are a people who are honoring God with our lives, our behavior, our conduct, our thoughts. We are a people whose life is about our God, and we are not shaped by the thinking of the world. We are not molded by the activities of the world but rather than being conformed to this world. We are being transformed to be conformed to Jesus Christ and to be brought into conformity with the image of Him.

It's a marvelous salvation we have. It's a salvation that not only provides cleansing from sin, deliverance from hell, but it is a marvelous salvation that provides for every detail of every aspect of our lives. And in the gracious provision of God enables us to live lives beyond the mundane and to live everyday doing things of eternal importance and significance because it is pleasing to the God who rules over time and eternity. And by His grace we belong to Him. Let's pray together.

Thank you, Lord, for Your mercies that have been poured out upon us in Your Son Jesus Christ in the salvation so full, so free, and so complete. And Lord, we desire as those who have been redeemed by Your grace to devote our lives to You. And Lord, we are encouraged to know that all we do with our bodies is to be done with view to pleasing You. That we are a people privileged to live in the realm of worship. That the mundane daily tasks are transformed into those things that are beautiful and of eternal importance and significance because we are those who are worshippers of the living God. May this truth shape our thinking as we do your will in the days of the week before us. And we ask in Christ's name, amen.

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