[0:00] I'm going to bring the word this morning, and let me just say something about the news, because I'm going to talk a little bit in front of my head. I had met Lucas several years ago, and I thought, man, Lord, help me with this guy.
[0:18] Rough edges, you know, and in some ways, I could appreciate that because I've had my own rough edges. But what I've seen over the last several years is I've seen God mature Lucas in ways that make me incredibly proud to be his friend and brother in Christ.
[0:39] And as I've seen him grow, I've seen him grow in his humility, in his love for God's word, his love to proclaim Christ. And so when he comes preaching this morning, he is coming as somebody who's been changed by Jesus.
[0:59] And I've watched it, and I am so proud of him for who he is as a young man in Christ and trying to follow the Lord, trying to raise his family to hear the Lord.
[1:11] And so I'm going to ask him to come on up now. I just want to say a word of prayer for him as he shares God's word with us this morning, and we're going to lift him up together. Father, we thank you, God, as we come here today.
[1:28] We're so thankful. Lord, the transformation that you bring in our lives. All we can do is stand back and awe. You have changed us.
[1:40] You've given us a heart. You've taken out a heart of stone. You've put it in a heart of flesh. A sensitive heart. To replace our heart of heart. And you change us into the likeness.
[1:53] Father, you change us into the likeness of your son day by day. In the washing of the new Holy Spirit. We're so grateful that we will not stay the same. Father, I'm so grateful for what you've done in Lucas' life.
[2:05] Lord, to hear his testimony, where he comes from. Know what you've done in him. And how you continue to work. I'm just praying, God, that you would just fill him with your Holy Spirit.
[2:17] And now as he shares the word with us. And the things that you've burned his heart with. I pray it would resonate with us. As we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. Who is the author and finisher of our day.
[2:30] May you bless our time together. As we worship you in the Lord. And we pray this in Jesus' name. Thank you. Can you hear me?
[2:48] Yes. So since I have the microphone and I'm a dad, I'm going to say that I haven't seen any of you since last year.
[3:01] I was hoping that James would just steal that and start to run that. No, Brent. Brent would still have to talk about the first service.
[3:14] I was like, oh, he's going to steal the judge. He's closed. Yeah. And we're going to be in Romans chapter 12. So I'm getting started.
[3:25] We're going to turn there. Thank you.
[3:56] We're going to church every Sunday, every Wednesday. When the doors were open, we were there. I was fortunate to have a mother and a father, both who were professing believers.
[4:11] And so they made sure we were there on Sundays and on Wednesdays. And when the doors were open. We traveled and moved a few times when I was young.
[4:25] My dad worked for a major oil company and was in the head of Salem's region. And so he moved a couple times. I was born in just outside of Chicago, Illinois.
[4:35] A year later, my oldest sister was born in Wisconsin. And then my sister was born in Pennsylvania about two, three years after that.
[4:47] From there, we moved to Pryor, Oklahoma. Pryor is a great place. We moved to First Baptist Church in Pryor. And it was there that God moved in my heart and opened my eyes to the sin that was in my life.
[5:06] I was young, about six or seven, and now being the father of children who are young, I understand when a child says, oh, I want to be a Christian.
[5:18] I want to believe. The immediate response is like, okay, that's great. Let's talk about this. So I had a late night conversation with my parents after an evening service.
[5:30] And they said, well, we need to call the pastor. Let's call the pastor. You can talk to him. So I spent some time on the phone with him and explained how God had revealed my sin to me, that I knew that I needed a Savior, that I wanted to place my faith and trust in Christ, and was baptized shortly after that.
[5:54] We moved again from Pryor to California. And then after a few years there, we went back to Bartlesville. And I spent most of the rest of my life in Bartlesville, growing up here.
[6:07] I graduated high school here. I went to Rogers State. Went to Oklahoma State and then finished at Rogers State. It was a series of poor choices. Ended up having to move back with my dad.
[6:19] God has a way of humbling us when we think that we can just do it on our own. I never doubted Christ.
[6:30] I never lost faith in who God was. But, you know, as a young 20-something, I thought, you know what? I can do this myself. I had a series of events happen in my life that kind of brought me to my convenience.
[6:47] My sister, who was a year younger than me, passed away from leukemia just before her sister's birthday. And any of you who lost someone close to you, whether it's a family member or a friend, understands how trying and challenging and world-shaking something like that can be.
[7:12] And my immediate reaction was fleshly. I tried to find a solution that would soothe the pain that I was going through. I turned to substances.
[7:24] I turned to people that I shouldn't have turned to. And all the while, God was long-suffering with me, begging me, urging me to come back through believers and friends that I knew who were faithful to him.
[7:39] But at the time, I said, no. I know God exists, but I don't like him. Because he hurt me. What a picture of idolatry when the sovereign God does something, and because it's painful, I think that that thing is not good.
[8:02] It hurts me, so it must not be good. That must mean God is bad. Since then, after being forced to come with my dad, get a part-time job at Starbucks, I had a lot of people in Barstool.
[8:20] One was a pastor at a church here who urged me over and over and over again, come to church. Come to church. Finally, I gave in and said, okay, we're going to this guy that didn't leave me alone.
[8:31] I'll go to a church service. Went to an evening service, and God immediately reminded me that he has gone nowhere. That he's been with me, that he's protected me, that he's kept me safe in spite of my best efforts to ruin my own life.
[8:49] He had already forgiven me for my sin, and this was no different. He reminded me that the only thing holding me back was myself.
[9:01] So at that moment, I fell to my knees and re-dedicated my life. It wasn't nothing. What it was was a change that the Holy Spirit brought in me to a greater, faster sanctification and maturity in my life that sparked a fire inside me.
[9:21] I began reading his word. I began growing quickly because I was studying and searching. My wife and I, I met at Starbucks, working together at Starbucks.
[9:35] We both worked there for four or five years. My wife and I left the church that we were at because of the conviction of the Holy Spirit on the significance of preaching the word and preaching what it truly says.
[9:48] And we became the first Baptist. The requirement that I had for the church that we were going to join was that I needed and required a relationship with the pastor. Something more than just a passing hello on a Sunday morning.
[10:01] And so I approached James and told him where we were coming from and why we left and said, I desire a discipleship relationship with a mature man, the poor enemy.
[10:15] And James at the time, I'm sure, had a hundred things on his plate. I mean, when you're the head pastor of a significant church, you know, one of my churches.
[10:26] God used him in that moment, whether it was by the Holy Spirit convinced him that this guy was worth pouring into. I don't know. But sovereignly, God brought me to James. And James poured into my life.
[10:37] And since then, I've just been trying to lead my family, trying to grow spiritually, trying to walk, even when it's uncomfortable, in the direction that he's calling me to go.
[10:51] Which is what brings me here this morning. I never thought in my life that I would stand before a small crowd. I guess this is a small crowd. A hundred people, I mean.
[11:02] I didn't be comfortable speaking. But here I am. And so I say all that to remind you that if you place your faith and trust in Christ, maybe you've forgotten the significance of that change in your life.
[11:18] Maybe it's been years. But be reminded that often the fruit we get from our moment of salvation, the less significant it may seem.
[11:28] But prior to placing your faith and trust in Christ, you were dead. And now you're alive. So maybe you don't know Christ yet.
[11:39] Maybe God's working on your heart. And I pray that this teaching of scripture will draw you closer to him. Will convict you and just convince you of your need for your Savior.
[11:53] So if you found your place in Romans 12, we're going to read one verse. So please stand and honor to read God's word. Hear now the word of the living and true God.
[12:06] Verse 1 says, Therefore I exhort you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice, living, holy, and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
[12:25] Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we are so grateful and thankful for the endless mercies that you pour out on us. God, the fact that all of us are gathered here together today, this morning, to worship you is only a result of your mercy and grace in our lives.
[12:46] God, we thank you for your word. God, that your word never returns void. That it always does the work that you've sent it to do.
[12:58] This morning, as we read and study what you've said, give us ears to hear and eyes to see the truth. Let us not shy away from the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
[13:09] Let us not shy away from the Holy Spirit.
[13:39] We have the gospel accounts, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, which teach us the story of Christ, what he has done, the narrative of what he accomplished here on earth.
[13:50] The Romans, written by Paul, explains it extensively. He starts in chapter 1, describing the depravity of mankind and his rejection of God, and that the whole world is guilty, both Jew and Gentile.
[14:10] And at the time, if you were a Jew hearing this, you might scoff and say, well, I have Abraham as my father. In fact, we read that in the accounts of the gospels. This is how many Jews responded.
[14:22] But it wasn't just Gentiles, but Jews. The whole world is guilty before a holy God. And in chapter 3, we see the justification, both in the Old Testament and in the New, comes by faith.
[14:38] And we learn of the benefits of justification. In chapters 6 through 11, we see Paul expound on the new position that the believer has and everything that comes with it.
[14:52] And then there's a turning point that happens in chapter 12. And goes on through the end of the epistle. It's the practical application of the gospel of grace.
[15:05] It answers the question, how then shall we live? This is what the gospel is. This is what God has done. Now what? How does it affect us?
[15:16] And the first thing that Paul writes about, he begins with his statement on worship. Saying, therefore I exhort you.
[15:29] And many of you may have heard this. Anytime you see the word therefore, we ought to ask ourselves the question, what's it there for? What's he referring to? That's why I included the beginning of all that Romans leading up to chapter 12.
[15:43] He's saying, therefore, because of what God has done in Christ for you, live this way. Do this. It's the grace of God that is the reason for why Paul is exhorting us.
[16:06] And everything that follows is a response to what this gospel of grace is. He's imploring. He's begging. This is an imperative statement.
[16:17] So far as it is what Paul desires for all who would call themselves followers of Christ to do. All who would say that they are adopted sons and daughters of God.
[16:28] And this is not uncommon language for Paul. If you're familiar with any of his other epistles, he uses this language often. In 1 Corinthians chapter 4 verse 16, he says, therefore I exhort you, be in a tater of me.
[16:42] In 2 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 1, he says, now I, Paul, myself plead with you by the gentleness and forbearance of Christ. And in Ephesians 4 verse 1, he says, therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, exhort you to walk worthy of the common with which you have been called.
[17:01] If you know anything about Paul, he cares a lot for the church.
[17:12] And it's interesting because Paul is an enemy of the church. That's how he started, right? All of us have a testimony who have placed our faith in trust and trust. Most of us probably didn't pursue Christians to drag him to court and murder him.
[17:27] But Paul did it. God has had such an impact on Paul's life that now he's exhorting believers and pleading with them to respond to what grace has done in their lives.
[17:42] He's encouraging. He's admonishing. He's even instructing in this statement. He's begging the follower of Christ to do something. But it's not just a man who's telling another man, you ought to do this because of the gospel of grace.
[17:59] This is Paul the apostle. This statement comes with authority. When Paul says, I exhort you, it's significant. But it's not just the apostle Paul.
[18:11] But it's the Holy Spirit speaking through Paul. As he writes Romans. So when we read this and he says, therefore I exhort you, we should seriously consider the followers.
[18:25] This is a significant thing. So he says, therefore I exhort you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice.
[18:40] So you have to ask yourself the question, what does it mean to present your bodies?
[18:56] How does one present one's body as a sacrifice? That seems odd, especially in this time. In the Western civilization. How do you present your bodies as a sacrifice?
[19:07] Earlier on in Romans, as Paul is expounding the glory of the gospel of grace, he explains this concept. He says in Romans 6, verse 13, And do not belong to presenting your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead.
[19:31] And your members as instruments of righteousness to God. Word instruments here could be rendered weapons of righteousness. And again in the same chapter in verse 19, he says, I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh, for just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, leading to further lawlessness, Paul here is describing the idea of our bodies or our deeds.
[20:11] They should prove our faith. I have no military experience, but I've seen a lot of movies. And I know some people in the military. And I immediately think of, you know, present yourself for inspection.
[20:27] I see a line of people, a line of men in the military, and each one is standing there with their boots polished, with their shirt tucked in, with everything in order.
[20:39] And you see the general walking down the line examining this presentation of their bodies. They presented themselves fit to be used, and in that case for the military, for war, for combat.
[20:58] But in this case, Paul is talking about as a sacrifice. He's describing how our bodies, our actions, our deeds should prove our faith, and it should be consistent with the faith that we have.
[21:17] These actions that we do on a daily basis, they should be evidence of saving faith. 1 Corinthians 6.20 says, For you were bought for the price.
[21:34] Therefore, in the word, therefore, glorify God in your body. So the statement is, glorify God in your body, because you've been bought.
[21:47] Christ suffered and died, so that you can be made righteous before God. It cost him his life. What is more valuable to someone in their own life?
[22:00] For those who are young, life seems like it lasts forever. But for those who are older, life is significant. You're counting, in fact, you know, we recall in Scripture, let us number our days.
[22:11] Our lives are significant, to us at least. Even the unbeliever values their own life. Okay? Nothing is more valuable to us than our life.
[22:26] And Jesus paid this highest price. And so Paul says, therefore, glorify God in your body. In Hebrews 13.15, it says, Through him then, let us continually offer up the sacrifice of praise to God.
[22:41] That is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. Our daily decisions, our thoughts, our words, our deeds, each one is an opportunity to live to the glory of God.
[22:54] I'm sure you're familiar with the verse. 1 Corinthians 10.31, it says, Whether then you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all for the glory of God.
[23:07] And in Colossians, again, Whatever you do in word or be, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus. Again, thanks to God, the Father, through him. Amen. Did you know that your life is a testimony?
[23:20] How you live is a testimony. It matters. It matters to the unbeliever who's watching, the world that's watching and encounter trial and challenge.
[23:36] It matters to the believer, the one struggling with faith, as they see their brother or sister in Christ encounter a trial and still praise God.
[23:50] How you live matters. How you live matters so much that Paul, early in Romans 2, verse 6 says, God will repay to each according to his works, to those who by perseverance and doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality and eternal life.
[24:18] this concept of doing good and being repaid according to our works is throughout Scripture.
[24:30] 1 Corinthians 6, 9 through 11, Galatians 5, 6, 21, Ephesians 5, 5, James 2, 14, Hebrews 12, 14, Matthew 7, 24, Luke 10, 25, and many other places that teach the necessity of obedience in the life of faith and in the inheritance of eternal life.
[24:52] But wait a minute. What are we saying here? Because that can sound strange, right? If I obey, does that mean the more I obey, the better?
[25:04] Like, that's how I'm earning my salvation. I'm working it out. I'm convincing God that if I give enough good things, He will save me. If we're not careful, we'll take those verses out of the context of the entirety of Scripture and come to that conclusion.
[25:21] But that's not what according to works means. According to works means God will take the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, and the good deeds that we do by which we let the light of our faith shine, and He will accept them as corroborating evidence of our faith.
[25:50] Christ's sentence of acquittal will not be because we are not guilty. Paul has already established this at the beginning of Romans. His sentence of acquittal will not be because we're not guilty.
[26:01] It will be because Christ bore our guilt the place of our works in the judgment scheme is to serve as evidence that we indeed did place our faith in Christ.
[26:14] And when we are acquitted and welcomed into the kingdom, it will not be earned by works, but it will be according to works. There will be an accord or an agreement between our salvation and our works.
[26:30] My wife and I, we do family worship and we do catechism questions. One of the questions in the Baptist catechism, question two, of course, I don't think we've done this one with our kids, but it says, what is the chief end of man?
[26:44] And the answer, is man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. And then the subsequent question in the Baptist catechism for boys and girls asks, how can we glorify God?
[27:02] I think my daughter loved it and she's perfect. The answer is by loving him and doing what he commands. So how we live matters.
[27:17] Presenting our bodies as a sacrifice. So then what is a living sacrifice? That's what Paul says, presenting your bodies as a sacrifice.
[27:29] What's a living sacrifice? Living obviously means you're no longer dead. But particularly as it applies to the believer, you're no longer dead in sin, but you've been made alive to Christ.
[27:45] And the word that Paul uses here is more than just living, going about your daily activities. He's talking about true life, blessed life, endless life in the kingdom of God, real life.
[28:02] This is the same word that Jesus uses when he speaks with the Samaritan woman at the well. He says in John 4 verse 10, if you knew the gift of God and who it is who says to you, give me a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.
[28:20] God. It's also the word that Peter uses when he writes in 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 3, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who according to his great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
[28:40] This is the living sacrifice that Paul is talking about. It's active. You see, the sacrifices in the Old Covenant resulted in the death of that which was being sacrificed.
[28:55] So, if you're familiar, the sacrificial system in Old Testament Israel included over and over again bringing animals to be sacrificed and they were sacrificed on the altar.
[29:06] They didn't leave. They stayed there. They were killed. But we have been made alive by the power of God, the Holy Spirit. we've been regenerated and have been given this living water that Christ talks about.
[29:21] And now, the living water wells up and overflows in living worship of God. Luke 20 verse 38 says, Now he is not the God of the dead, but the living.
[29:36] For all live to him. Ephesians 2 verse 4 through 7 says, With God being rich and mercy because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, has made us alive together with Christ.
[29:53] By grace he would have been saved and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus so that in the ages to come he might show the surpassing riches of his grace and kindness towards us in Christ Jesus.
[30:08] Paul is saying that our response to the gospel should be a life devoted to worshipping our Lord and King.
[30:22] Not in a good way and only through devotions, but in a living, alive, active way. It should be noticeable.
[30:37] I mean, the good news is the good news because it's good. But sometimes I see myself included us walking around as if we haven't heard anything good lately. Maybe on Sunday you walk in here and you put a smile on your face and you have a great morning but then what happens tomorrow?
[30:57] Are you alive in church but dead when you walk through your Monday to Friday job? Is there a difference between you and the person you sit next to? Paul says there should be.
[31:17] Our worship of God should be living because we are alive in Christ. our sacrifice of devoting our bodies as a living sacrifice should be alive filled with obedience to the commands of Christ to all that he's commanded us to do.
[31:41] We seek to honor and glorify God by obeying his word and we create a sacrifice of worship that is a sweet smell to him who saved us. we show our love for him and we prove our faith is genuine when we live according to what the grace of God has done in our lives.
[32:01] so Paul says present your bodies as a sacrifice living we talked about living it's not a dead sacrifice like the Old Testament it's a life change but also holy living holy and pleasing to God Paul's use of the word holy here means the most holy thing and often holy is misunderstood if somebody asks you what does holy mean most of us might respond pure righteous which isn't wrong but I like the way that R.C.
[32:44] spoke the same the primary meaning of holy is separate it comes from an ancient word that meant to cut or to separate perhaps even more accurate would be the phrase a cut above something when we find a garment or another piece of merchandise that is outstanding that has a superior excellence we use the expression that it is a cut above the rest this is holy when we serve a God that is holy in fact our God is not described as just holy but holy holy holy the prophet Isaiah writes in chapter 6 verses 1-4 in the year of king Uzziah's death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne high and lifted up with the train of his road filling the temple seraphim stood above him each having six wings with two they covered his face and with two he covered his feet and with two he flew and one called out to another and said holy holy holy is Yahweh of hosts the whole earth was full of his glory and the foundations of the threshold shook that the voice of him were called out while the house of God was filling in the smoke the bible says that God is holy holy holy not that he is merely holy or even holy holy he is holy holy holy the bible never says that God is love love love though he is the bible never says that he is mercy mercy mercy but he is full of mercy or wrath wrath wrath or justice justice justice but it does say that our
[34:35] God is holy holy holy holy the whole earth is full of his glory and we should note how Isaiah responds he's witnessed this vision that most of us can't even imagine and he says verse 5 chapter 6 verse 5 woe is me I am ruined other translations say I'm done I cease to exist I am silenced this is the God that we serve he's not like you or me that's hard to imagine often often when I pray I think okay what would I want to hear from someone that loves me I'll pray that often when I picture God I think of someone who's like me but he's not that's a great form of idolatry to fashion for ourselves what we think God is when he's told us in his word he's not like you he's not like me he's unlike any creative thing he's a cut above not just one free right free cuts above love
[35:54] Moses says in Exodus 15 11 who is like you among the gods of Yahweh who is like you majestic in holiness fearsome in praises working wonders the prophet Samuel echoes the same sentiment he says in verse 2 verse 2 there is no one holy like Yahweh indeed there is no one who decides you nor is there any rock like our God let us think for a moment not only is our God holy but he calls you and we who plays our faith and trust in Christ to be holy as he is holy and God does not ask us something that God does not ask us something that he does not enable us to be that
[36:57] God recognizes that you and I are still sinners we still battle in the flesh and we fight against the spirit our flesh does but he asks us to be holy like he is holy not that we can ever have perfect holiness like our God but we should reflect it first Peter chapter one verse 14 through 16 as obedient children do not be conformed to the form of us which were yours in your ignorance but like the holy one who called you be holy yourselves also in all your behavior because it is written you shall be holy for I am holy and Paul says in his epistle to the Corinthian church the first one chapter 3 verse 16 and 17 do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the spirit of God dwells in you if any man destroys the temple of God
[37:59] God will destroy them for the temple of God is holy and that is what you are see it's not that you can be holy on your own it's that God makes us holy by the blood of Christ we are holy and righteous through the blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus the fruit that flows out of a heart that is changed a heart that loves God is a desire to please him our gratitude motivates us to be obedient to live holy lives not only should our lives be holy but as we're devoting our lives to God in worship our worship should be holy as well you see humans remain to worship everyone worships the question is who do you worship and how if you look at the ten commandments it's divided into two tables we see the first four commandments the first table is our responsibility to God and the rest five through ten is our responsibility to man isn't it interesting that the first two commandments focus on who we should worship and how we should worship even the third and fourth commandment have an impact on worship do not take the
[39:37] Lord's name and fame it is in our nature to worship something and time after time in the Old Testament we see worship gone wrong if you remember the golden calf not one time but twice and it's not that the golden calf represented another God in fact they call the golden calf Yahweh this is Yahweh they sought to worship the God that pulled them out of Egypt and saved them from Egypt they did it in a way that God had deemed not proper also as the Israelites entered into Canaan one of the warnings is regarding idols and worship it's easy for us to surround ourselves with people who worship other things but we should be careful the warning to the Israelites applies to us in that regard if we're not careful we don't find ourselves worshiping the same things as those who don't know
[40:44] God worship so it's not a matter of if we will worship but a matter of who and how we will worship and our worship comes from a specific place it should be set apart a cut above it shouldn't look like the things that the world worships sports appearances experiences possession or the first title self often worship in the world looks like certain emotions it begins with an intense desire and it's not subject to any rules in fact we tend to make up the rules as we go along we devote our lives to ourselves and before we know them we have sacrificed and lunch on the altar of ideology we give up Sunday morning gatherings for sports we give up cursing ourselves in modesty and righteousness to get attention and praise from others we give it all for that car or that house that we probably can't afford we even worship pleasure and self over the
[41:57] God who we are called to serve but biblical worship looks different it is set apart from the worship of the world Jesus said in John 4 23 24 but an hour is coming and now is when the true worshipers will worship the father in spirit and truth for such people the father seems to be his worshippers God is spirit and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth we are to worship in spirit and truth worship in spirit can be confusing what does that mean what does it refer to is it the holy spirit is it what the charismatics would call spirit filled worship is it spirited worship or is it something else I think the word spirit here is describing where worship begins on the inside true worship begins in the heart or spirit of the worshipper
[43:04] David writes in Psalm 103 1 and 2 bless Yahweh oh my soul and all that is within me bless his holy name bless Yahweh oh my soul and forget none of his benefits worship worship pleasing to God must be genuine transparent offered with a humble and pure heart it begins in the heart but it's not just worship in spirit it's spirit and truth we worship in truth and that connects the heart to the truth about who God is and what he's done in his work of redemption as revealed by the person Jesus Christ in the scriptures and David understood this this connection between the heart and truth and worship when he wrote Psalm 86 verse 11 says teach me your way oh Yahweh I will walk in your truth unite my heart to fear your name to worship your name so we worship differently our worship our active worship by presenting our bodies should be done in the way that we live it should be separate to be different to be holy it should be in spirit and truth the way that we walk should be in spirit and truth because every act that we do that we talked about is an act of worship you're either worshiping
[44:40] God or you're worshiping something else every choice you make every act of obedience is worship every act of disobedience is worship which is where is it pointing and our devotion of our bodies is a living sacrifice our worship should be pleasing to God Paul says therefore I exhort you brothers by the mercy of God who present your bodies as a sacrifice living holy and pleasing to God our living sacrifice of worship should be pleasing to our God this is what our aim is right to please God if you've been saved you love your Savior you long to please him not that anything you do can earn your salvation but naturally when someone has done such a great thing for you you long to show your gratitude you long to please him but by default our worship of God is not pleasing we talked about
[45:59] Romans 3 verse 10 through 12 says as it is written there is none righteous not even one there is none who understands there is none who seeks for God all have turned aside together they have become worthless there is none who does good there is not even one you see left alone in our sin what we worship and how we worship even if we say the name of God is unacceptable because we are not covered by the blood of Christ now to be honest the person who doesn't know Christ is not going to worship him we'll be worshiping something else but it is only by the blood of Christ that how we worship is even acceptable so when we think about pleasing God and how we should live and how we should worship we ought to ask God often times when we worship even in a corporate gathering we think that we're the consumers and we do that benefit there's edification among the saints we sing songs and hymns and spiritual songs to one another and to God so there's a vertical element and a horizontal element but the consumer of worship is God that's why when you see in the Old Testament when angels appeared and men cowered down and attempted to worship it was a no than worship
[47:31] I'm not God only God is worthy of worship that's where our worship goes or should go and that is the one we should ask so how should we worship well we should worship according to how God has said he desires to be worshipped in spirit if you touch that spirit from a changed heart motivated on the inside truth according to the truth fulfilled or sorry filled in scripture filled with scripture our worship our lives our corporate gatherings should be filled with God's word in order to be filled with truth because that's where truth is we worship in spirit and truth our worship should be covered by the blood of Christ our worship is pleasing because it is covered by the blood of Christ as believers verse Timothy 2 5 and 6 for there is one God and one mediator also between God and men that the man
[48:36] Christ Jesus who gave himself is our ransom for all the witness for this proper time he went before us into heaven he's seated at the right hand of God and it's through him that we can boldly approach the throne of grace and receive help in our time of need and it is only through the blood of Christ our mediator that we can worship God rightly we should also worship in charity and grace toward our brothers and sisters often times like I said we think we're the ones who are consuming worship and so what feels good and sounds good to me is the thing that I want Romans 14 verse 13 says therefore let us not judge one another any more but rather judge this not put a stunning block or an offense before a brother I know and am convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is defiled in himself but to him who considers anything to be defiled to him it is defiled for if because of food your brother is grieved you are no longer walking before him to love do not destroy with your food him whom Christ died therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be slandered for the kingdom of God is not eating or drinking but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit for he who in this way serves Christ is pleasing to God and approved by him men so when we think of our brother when we think of someone other than ourselves when we humble ourselves and seek to show grace and charity to them we serve Christ we're pleasing to God and we're approved by men we are able to present our sacrifice of our body only by the mercy of God
[50:34] I like to think of this in the times of kings if you were not invited to enter the throne room it would have been a death sentence you don't just show up at the king's door walk into his throne room and say hey I want to check you had to receive an invitation but anybody who's a parent understands that if your son comes he needs no invitation if your daughter comes he needs no invitation he can walk into the king's throne room without concern with death right he's the heir and when we are made and adopted as sons and daughters of God now we are co-heirs with Christ we can enter into the throne room without fear of death we are seen as pleasing to God because we are seen as Christ so our bodies should be devoted as a sacrifice living and how we live should be set apart and we live a reflection of what we worship and it's pleasing to God but why does all this matter why can't I just do whatever feels good
[52:12] I mean that's what the world would tell you right if it feels good it must be good why are we even talking about this why is Paul in the middle why is this the first thing he addresses because our God is worthy of worship our God is worthy of our lives Paul says therefore I exhort you for others by the mercies of God who is a sacred body as a sacrifice living holy and pleasing to God and he finishes and says which is your spiritual service of worship our God is worthy of our worship because of who he is nature testifies to the glory of God this is the reason Paul gives earlier in his epistle for the revealing and wrath of God against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men God is seen clearly in his creation
[53:13] Romans 1 verse 20 says for since the creation of the world is invisible attributes both his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen being understood through what has been made so that they are without excuse David says in Psalm 19 1 the heavens are telling of the glory of God and the expanse is declaring the work of his hands and again in Psalm 22 23 you who fear the Lord praise him all you who see of Jacob glorify him and stand in awe of him all you see of his brother and then in Revelation 4 verse 11 and when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne to him who lives forever and ever the 24 elders will fall down before him who sits on the throne and will worship him who lives forever and ever and will cast their crowns before the throne saying worthy are you our Lord and our God to receive glory and honor and power for you created all things and because of your will they existed and were created we are creatures he is created that reason alone makes him worthy of worship but he's more than he's done more than just create
[54:38] God is worthy of our worship because of who he is but he's also worthy of our worship because of what he has done again in Revelation chapter 5 verse 12 Jesus took the penalty for sinners he was obedient to the point of death even death on the cross he lived the perfect life and he alone was innocent and is innocent but he came to redeem the people for himself he came on a mission and Jesus is worthy because Jesus is God
[55:41] Jesus is worthy because he's taken our place because he proved himself to be God when he rose from the dead and I have good news for you because he will come again to judge the living and the dead Paul writes in Philippians chapter 2 verse 5 have this way of thinking of yourself which was also impressed Jesus who although existing in the form of God did not regard equality with God's name in the draft but emptied himself by taking a form of slave by being made in the likeness of men being found in appearance as a man he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death even death on the cross therefore God has also highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow of those who are in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and that every tongue will confess that Jesus is Christ his Lord to the glory of God and the Father our Lord
[56:46] Jesus is worthy of worship it's required I know that seems harsh but it's required it's his due he's owed it for what he's done he's owed it all not just my worship not just your worship not just cornerstone worship not just worship from believers but even worship from those who don't know him he deserves it with rights in his gospel chapter 19 verse 37 now as soon as he was approaching here to the sand of the night of all the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God rejoicing with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen saying blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord peace in heaven and glory in the highest and some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him teacher repeat of your disciples but Jesus answered and said I tell you if these were silent the stones will cry out if men are silent the rocks will cry out that's how worthy of worship
[57:55] Jesus is that's how worthy of worship God is creation worships him all mankind should worship him he is worthy of worship from all his creatures even those who hate him and one day that will be a reality I've heard it said that you can vow the need to Christ now or be made to vow the name later when he determines because every need will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord so Paul here is saying that our lives are to be a sacrifice of worship we are to live and bow each day as a sacrifice of praise and as a particular kind of worship it's living it's holy it's pleasing to God because our God is worthy of all worship he is worthy of our complete and total dedication of our lives so for the believer what should you take away from this truth that God is worthy that you should devote your life that it should be living holy and pleasing to him examine your worship examine your life do you just go through the motions or do you simply come on Sunday and then go about your week as if nothing has affected you repent sacrifice your life as worship to the
[59:36] God who saved you to the one who paid it all for the unbeliever God has made a way for sinners to be made right it's the man Jesus Christ who lived a perfect life who died on the cross in the place of sinners who paid the price that's due for all sinners who rose again on the third day who ascended in heaven and seated in the right hand of God he paid the price but without the blood of Christ applied to your life you cannot worship God not in a pleasing way so turn from your sin place your faith and trust in Christ believe on him and the good news is you will be saved you will turn none away believe in your heart and confess with your mouth he will give you a new heart he will give you one that desires to worship him and let me tell you you won't be able to help the one who paid it all for who he is and for what he's done for you brothers and fathers everything you do can be formed as worship to
[60:58] God even the mundane tasks at home even the daily ride in the office if you're an accountant if you're a mechanic if you're a financial advisor if you're whatever your job is it can be worship it is worship do your best to be the best at your job at what you're doing and glorify God in what you're doing God uses every job for his purposes so glorify him children glorify God in obedience God is giving your parents and guardians he has placed people in authority over you honor God by honoring them glorify God by obeying what he has commanded Ephesians 6 1 says children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right this isn't just what the children does it believers obey the authorities in your life the ones that
[62:08] God has placed in your life the helps men lead your families worship practice it sometimes it's hard for men to sing not all of us have high quality voices but your families look to you believe that's how God designed the family so don't be afraid I encourage you lead your family in worship pray sing a song read the word and when we bring them here on Sunday just tell them hey this is just like what we do at home we pray we sing we read the word we hear the word read let us all strive to live a life completely devoted to worshiping God in a living holy pleasing way let's pray pray