September 2, 2012
Morning Service

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren,

·         Therefore points us back to what we have learned in the first 11 chapters.

 

Top Ten

Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

 

Rom 5:8 But God demonstrates his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

 

Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

 

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Rom 8:1-2 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.  (2)  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

 

Rom 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

 

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

 

Rom 8:32  Truly He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

 

Rom 10:9-11 Because if you confess the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.  (10)  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses unto salvation.  (11)  For the Scripture says, "Everyone believing on Him shall not be put to shame."

 

Rom 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen.

 

Because of all of this (and more)…

 

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service.

·         The only conclusion we can come up with in response to these “mercies of God” is to present our “bodies as a living sacrifice” to God (yield, surrender, go all in).

·         Our total commitment is our “reasonable service” or as some translations put it our “spiritual worship.”  This is the least we can do for a God who loves us so much.

 

What does it mean to live a life surrendered to God?

·         Rom 6:13 Do not yield your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but yield yourselves to God, as one alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

·         1Co 6:20 for you are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

·         Gal 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ, and I live; yet no longer I, but Christ lives in me. And that life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith toward the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself on my behalf.

 

Surrendering means being fully aware of God’s presence in our lives and being willing to follow the Spirit’s leading at all times.

 

How do we get to that point?

 

Rom 12:2  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, in order to prove by you what is that good and pleasing and perfect will of God.

·         Conform-made to resemble; assuming the same form.  Example of water.

·         Do not conform to what this world (the society of system man is creating to please himself without God being ruled by Satan) dictates is good or evil.  Do not accept the way everyone else is doing life as the standard for yours.  We must filter everything through His Word; it is our standard to live by.

1Jo 2:15-17  Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him,  (16)  because all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.  (17)  And the world passes away, and the lust of it, but he who does the will of God abides forever.

·         Transform-to change the form of; to change shape or appearance.

·         We are to be transformed (changed) into “new creations.”

2Co 5:17 So that if anyone is in Christ, that one is a new creature; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

·           We don’t think the same, we don’t act the same, and we don’t talk the same.  Our priorities are all shifted from a “me” centered world to a “God” centered one.  We willingly separate ourselves from this world’s influence and look to God to guide us.  This change occurs because of our love for our Savior.  We want to please Him; it is the desire of our heart.

·         Renew-to renovate; restore to a good state; repair.

·         We achieve this transformed state by “renewing of your mind.”  As we begin to pray and read His Word, cultivating our relationship, the Holy Spirit begins a work within us.  The words of your Bible will come to life and give you a whole new perspective on how you view life and everything that goes with it.

John 14:26  But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatever I have said to you.

 

Phi 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.