A Living Sacrifice

Romans 12:1-2

Introduction

1.      Acts 20:7 – They came together to break bread, they came together to remember Jesus

2.      From considering the sacrifice of Jesus we move to a consideration of our response to that sacrifice

3.      Baptism is a response

4.      Rom 12:1-2 speaks of what we do after baptism  

Discussion

1.      Our response to God is in view of His mercy

a.       God created man – not:  “An unknown life form arose by some unknown process in an unknown ocean of unknown chemicals, in contact with unknown particles bombarded from an unknown source.”

b.      We have learned that the earth is not the center of the universe – yet many have not learned that they are not the center of the universe – it is God who is at the center of the universe

c.       A simple philosophy:  There is one God; He has but one son who died for the sins of the whole world; He wrote only one Book; He calls people out of darkness into one fellowship, His church; He will end everything in one final judgment; He will gather His people together in one heaven.

d.      In Acts 2:14-40, Peter’s sermon makes the offer of God’s mercy

e.       In Acts 2:41-47 the response to God’s mercy is described  

2.      A living sacrifice is our reasonable service

a.       Fact:  not everyone is going to be in heaven – my job is not to figure out if others will make it or not – my job is to figure out if I am going to make it or not – a living sacrifice is my reasonable service – a living sacrifice is your reasonable service

b.      Review of Romans 1-11 – God’s mercy is described

                                                            i.      Those who have the law of God have sinned and those who do not have the law have sinned

                                                          ii.      Righteousness comes through faith – it is by the mercy of God

                                                        iii.      Faith leads a person to baptism in which one is buried after death to sin

                                                        iv.      There are struggles, temptations and difficulties to overcome

                                                          v.      The Jews are saved in the same way as the Gentiles; their descent from Abraham does not excuse their unbelief

c.       What is the living sacrifice which is our reasonable service?

                                                            i.      “Therefore” is the conclusion to what God has done for them

                                                          ii.      First of all, it is reasonable – it is the logical outcome of what God has done and our faith in God

                                                        iii.      It is the will of God that the sacrifice be offered

                                                        iv.      A sacrifice is that which costs something

                                                          v.      The living sacrifice includes regular, spiritual worship – you cannot live for the devil all week and offer spiritual worship on Sunday

                                                        vi.      The sacrifice includes what you give up for others without expecting payment in return

                                                      vii.      It is a sacrifice because no personal benefit is derived from the offering  

Conclusion

1.       Offering one’s self as a living sacrifice does not make one a Christian, it is what you do because of what God has already done for you

2.      What makes one a Christian?  A person has turned from trusting the world to trusting God; one has turned from sin to righteousness; one has turned from self to Jesus in baptism

3.      If you have neglected the living sacrifice that you ought to have offered, you need to repent and begin offering today

4.      If you have never been accepted by God, you need to begin today by being baptized into Christ for the forgiveness of your sins