Does it matter how someone lives in the world today?
Think about it.
Does it really matter how you live?
Generally speaking, you know, there are people who think in today's world,
we're not like we used to be.
Everybody just sort of does what they want to do.
So just do what you want to do.
Don't worry about it.
There shouldn't be a problem doing that.
Well, if you think that way, I don't know where you've been.
You certainly have not read or listened to any news.
It seems that almost every week, a politician, a business executive,
a TV personality, or an athlete is caught saying or doing something that just ruins their life.
Some of you most probably in here know some of this.
A state senator in Florida forced to resign this past week for his outburst.
Some of his colleagues, racial slurs, just hard, tough things he said.
And the outcry was such.
It mattered.
He's no longer a state senator.
Bill O'Reilly, number one show on Fox.
Forced out.
No more the O'Reilly factor.
Accusations of sexual immorality.
The list can go on and on.
Politicians.
Business leaders.
Church leaders.
And on lower levels, not so much in the big headlines,
but situations that we're familiar with.
People say things, they do things, and it misrepresents,
or it causes the wrong kind of attention to their company,
or their colleagues, or their school, or their team.
And they pay for it.
They suffer for it.
Now, many people who this happens to,
they'll come out and they'll apologize.
They'll apologize for the way they have reflected so poorly
on certain people or organizations that they represent.
University of Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield
has been a very public example of this.
He was arrested back in February
for public drunkenness, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest,
and a few other infractions, the story goes.
Three days later, he issued a very lengthy apology
that demonstrates his awareness
that it matters how you live.
It matters a lot
how you represent certain people, organizations.
I want you to look at part of his statement.
He said,
I sincerely apologize for my actions early Saturday morning.
I apologize to President Boren, Coach Stoops, and Coach Riley
for conducting myself in a manner that does not correctly represent
the way the University of Oklahoma should be represented.
I know better than to bring bad attention and scrutiny
to the school and people that I love.
Next, I apologize to my family and close friends.
To my parents and brother,
I am extremely sorry for bringing this embarrassment
to the Mayfield name.
I was raised better.
I want you to think.
If it matters how athletes and politicians
and business executives and go on and on,
if it matters how they live,
if it matters how they represent their company
or organization or whatever,
how much more should it matter
how we as Christians live
and reflect on our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Today and for the next four weeks,
I want us to turn to Romans chapter 12
and look at how God calls us to live in this world
as his children.
And I want us to understand he calls us to do this
because it matters.
It matters how we live.
It matters how we represent him,
how we represent the Lord Jesus.
What we're going to do
is we're going to do a study
of the entire chapter of Romans
or the 12th chapter of Romans.
The whole thing is going to be called
Living Like a Christian.
And we're going to break it down into five studies,
possibly six.
Here's the goal.
Today, Living Like a Christian
in Our Relationship with God, Part 1.
We're really just going to look at verse 1
and come back next week and look at verse 2.
Then Living Like a Christian
in Our Understanding of Ourselves,
beginning in verse 3 through verse 8.
And then we'll spend the last two weeks,
possibly three,
Living Like a Christian
in Our Relationships with Others.
Romans 12, verses 9 through 21.
Today, I want us to begin by reading Romans 1,
or Romans 12, verses 1 and 2.
And as we read this,
if you've been in church anywhere,
I'm going to guess,
for any length of time,
these two verses are very familiar.
Romans 12, 1 and 2
is one of the most important passages
in the entire Bible.
Certainly one of the most well-known
in the book of Romans.
If you've been a member of this church
for any length of time,
for a few years at least,
as we read this,
if they don't sound familiar,
don't tell me.
Please don't tell me
that you're not familiar
with Romans 12, 1 and 2.
Let's read it.
I appeal to you, therefore, brothers.
It could be translated
brothers and sisters.
It includes both.
I appeal to you, therefore, brothers,
by the mercies of God,
to present your bodies
as a living sacrifice,
holy and acceptable to God,
which is your spiritual worship.
Do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed
by the renewal of your mind,
that by testing
you may discern
what is the will of God,
what is good
and acceptable
and perfect.
Paul wrote this letter
to the church at Rome.
He wrote this letter
to Christians.
And the first 11 chapters,
he is explaining to them
how all people are sinners
in need of a Savior
and that God graciously provided
the Savior we need
in the person of His Son,
Jesus.
Paul explained in great detail
how salvation is by the grace of God
through faith in Jesus,
through faith alone
in Jesus.
Now,
in chapter 12,
he starts applying
what he's taught.
You could put it this way.
In chapters 1 through 11,
Paul explains a lot
in great detail,
answers questions,
objections even,
to what God has done
for us in Christ
and how we should respond
by repentance and faith.
And it could be
that you get to the end
of chapter 11
and you think about
all he's said
and you ask the question,
so what?
Well,
in chapter 12,
verse 1,
Paul starts answering,
so what?
He explains,
he applies
what he's been teaching.
What he's going to do
is tell us
how we need to respond
to what God
has graciously
and mercifully
done
in our lives.
And he's going to say
that we need to respond
by making a commitment
of our whole lives
to God.
That's how we demonstrate
we're God's children.
That's how we express
our love and appreciation
to God
for what he's done
for us
by making a great
commitment,
a real,
wholehearted commitment.
But I want you
to understand,
that word commitment
is falling on hard times.
We live in a day
where we don't like
to make commitments.
A lot of people
won't make a commitment
to somebody
or something
next week.
commitment.
But commitment
is not
a bad word.
Now sometimes
it's just not
everything
that is cracked up
to be.
For example,
there's a such thing
as a try your hardest
because you've got
to do it
kind of commitment.
That's the kind
of commitment
where
you go to the doctor
and he tells you
you've got
high blood pressure.
Your blood sugar
levels are too high.
And what you've got
to do
in order to avoid
going on medication,
what you've got
to do
maybe to avoid
becoming a diabetic
or having a stroke,
you've got
to lose
30 pounds.
And so you think
to yourself,
well I don't want
to have a stroke,
I don't want
to be a diabetic,
I don't want
to have to take
medication,
so I'm going
to lose the weight
and I'm going
to make a commitment
but I absolutely
hate the thought
of dieting,
of exercising,
of doing all
I've got to do
to lose that weight.
Yes,
I want to do it,
yes,
I want to make
a commitment
but I'm going
to hate
every single day
that I don't get
to eat what I want
to eat
and every single day
that I have to run
where I don't want
to run,
do what I've got
to do that way.
That is not
the kind of commitment
that God is calling
us to make
in verse 1.
I want you to get
out of your mind
any kind of
coerced,
do your best
even though you
don't want to
kind of commitment.
I want you to look
at what kind
it is.
Number 1,
our commitment
to God
is based on
a loving
relationship
with Him.
The first place
that we begin
as we think
about the commitment
He's calling us
to make,
it is based
on a loving
relationship
with Him.
Look at verse 1,
the first phrase.
I appeal
to you
therefore
brothers
by the mercies
of God.
This is not
really a
command
command.
Paul is
urging,
strongly
encouraging
these people
that he calls
brothers and
sisters.
It's like he's
saying to them,
I'm urging you,
I'm encouraging you.
It's strong.
He's an apostle.
He has the authority
to do that.
It's the Word
of God.
We ought to do it,
but Paul is
making the appeal
because it's
something based
on the mercy
of God,
the mercies
of God.
Look at the word
therefore for a
moment.
That recalls
what Paul has
been describing
verses 1 through
11,
which can be
summarized
the mercies
of God
or the
merciful acts
of God
in providing
for our
salvation.
Paul is
trying to
motivate us,
trying to
motivate those
people originally
and us today
to commit
ourselves
wholeheartedly
to God
by pointing
out to us
what God
has so
mercifully
and graciously
and lovingly
done for us.
This is
positive
motivation.
Paul's already
pointed out
in this letter,
first 11
chapters,
how God
has,
from His
own initiative,
from His
own love,
from His
own grace,
chose us
to be His
children
through faith
in Jesus.
Paul has
explained how
God has
called us
by His
grace
to enjoy
the privileges
of being
His children,
being able to
call Him
Heavenly Father.
God has
shown us,
or Paul
has written
here about
what God
has done
in offering
us,
giving us
salvation
as a
gift
that we
receive
through
faith in
Jesus.
Paul has
explained
while that
gift is
free to us,
it was very
costly to
Him.
He sent
His Son
into this
world to
actually die
a horrible
death.
on a cross,
but to die
as our
substitute,
suffering the
punishment that
our sins
deserve,
that we
deserve.
God offers
forgiveness,
wiping the
slate clean,
a new start,
a new life.
God offers
eternal life
as a gift
through faith
in His Son,
Jesus.
forgiveness.
Now,
if you
have
received
that gift,
if you
truly know
Christ as
your Lord
and Savior,
I want you
to think
about what
God has
done for
you,
and He
didn't have
to.
He was
under no
obligation.
But I want
you to know
that God
has forgiven
you.
God has,
in His sight,
made you
new.
God has
put His
Spirit in
you.
God now
thinks of
you as
His son
or His
daughter.
You are
His child.
And God
promises to
be with you
and take care
of you every
step of the
way in this
world.
That doesn't
mean life's
going to be
easy by no
means.
But God
promises to
be with us,
to never leave
us nor forsake
us.
sometimes He'll
just have to
carry us
through a
situation.
God promises
not only to be
with us in
this life,
but to bring
us into His
real presence
after death
where we
will enjoy
eternity
in heaven
with Him
and with
all of His
people.
So the idea
is, when Paul
says, I appeal
to you,
therefore,
brothers,
by the
mercies of
God, the
idea is, in
light of God's
great mercy
and grace
and love,
all this,
He is calling
us to
willingly
commit
ourselves to
Him and
live the
kind of life
that will
honor Him,
that will
please Him.
And there's
other things
in Romans that
tell us it'll
be the most
satisfying life
that we could
live as well.
It matters how
we live in this
world.
God really
wants us to
live like
His children,
to have a
right kind of
relationship with
Him.
And to have a
right kind of
relationship with
Him day by
day, it requires
that we commit
ourselves to
Him.
But understand,
He's calling us
to commit
ourselves to
Him because
He's the one
who loves us
more than anyone
could.
He's the one
who's already
done for us
what no one
else could do
and will for
all eternity
do for us.
there is no
greater one
than Almighty
God and His
Son Jesus
Christ who is
for us, who
is with us.
There's no
greater one,
greater thing that
should motivate us
to want to say,
Lord, I am
yours.
I am committed
to you, to
your way, to
your will.
The motivation
should come from
the relationship
we have with
God based on
His mercy.
Number two, our
commitment to God
is to be a
total life
commitment.
God's not
playing around.
It is a
great, a
great urging.
He wants us to
be motivated from
within.
Spirit of God
Himself motivates
us from love
and gratitude.
But God is
calling us to
make, make no
mistake, a
total, 100%
commitment to
Him.
He says, look
at it.
I appeal to you
therefore, brothers,
by the mercies of
God, to present
your bodies as a
living sacrifice,
holy and
acceptable to
God.
Look at the
first phrase,
present your
bodies.
On one hand,
that refers to
everything that
you are.
you, your
life.
But He uses
that word
body for a
purpose.
That literally
means use
your body
in sacrificial
service to the
Lord.
Use your eyes,
use your mouth,
hands, use your
feet, use your
mind to
please God
instead of
pleasing yourself
or fulfilling
your sinful
desires.
Paul talks about
that earlier in
Romans in chapter
6.
I want you to
look at one
verse where he
sort of explains
this.
He says,
do not offer
any part of
yourself to
sin as an
instrument of
wickedness, but
rather offer
yourselves, some
translations say
your members,
members of your
body, but rather
offer yourselves to
God as those who
have been brought
from death to
life and offer
every part of
yourself to Him as
an instrument of
righteousness.
And I want you to
think about what he's
saying here.
He's calling us to
make a total
commitment of
ourselves, of
our bodies.
God wants us to
commit to using
our mouth to
speak truth, not
lies.
God wants us to
use our mouth to
speak encouraging
words to people,
not put-downs.
God wants us to
use our mouth to
speak words of
the gospel, of
life, of hope to
people, not just
talk about just the
things of this
world.
God wants us to
use our hands in
serving people,
meeting needs,
actually touching
people's lives, not
just taking care of
ourselves, meeting
our own needs.
sacrifice.
This verse
specifically says to
present your bodies
as a living sacrifice.
And when Paul wrote
that, everybody
understood the idea
of animal sacrifice.
Not just Jews, it was
just the way of the
times.
Pagans, everybody
worships, always have,
always will.
And there was animal
sacrifices in the pagan
temples.
In the most extreme
abuses of the system,
there were human
sacrifices offered.
But as Paul wrote
this, there was a
Jewish element in the
church, and for sure
it brought to mind the
animal sacrifices that
were killed, blood
spilt, as an atonement
for their sins.
Problem was, in the
Old Testament, it had to
be done over and over
and over again.
It really was not, it
was God's plan, it was
part of the law, but it
wasn't God's final word.
It wasn't the fulfilled
plan.
If you read in Hebrews
chapter 8, 9, and 10,
for example, those animal
sacrifices are no longer,
they're obsolete.
Jesus Christ, all those
sacrifices, they actually
pointed to Him.
He is the Lamb of God, who
by His death, by the
shedding of His blood, that
really removed sin, that
really atoned for our
sins, the sins of those
who trust in Him, the
sins of His people.
Well, now, God calls us,
forget the animal
sacrifices, present
yourself, present your
life, present your body as
a living sacrifice.
sacrifice.
And look what He says, how
to do it.
As holy and acceptable to
God.
We're to present ourselves
to God.
The word holy here is
talking about being set
apart.
We're to present ourselves
to God as a living
sacrifice.
We're holy.
We're set apart.
We're not like the world.
We'll get into that next
week.
We're to be God's unique
people.
And as we present
ourselves to God as a
living sacrifice, holy, set
apart, not like everybody
else, it will be
acceptable to Him.
Or some translations say
it'll be pleasing to Him.
That's another positive
motivation.
I want you to think
about this.
There's some people you
know that no matter what
you do, you cannot please
them.
Some of you, you may be
thinking, that's my mama,
that's my daddy.
Some of you may be
thinking, that's my husband,
that's my wife.
Or my boss.
Or someone in my life.
They just cannot be
pleased.
And some people would
have the idea, you can
never please God, but
that's not true.
We can be pleasing to
God.
We can be acceptable to
Him.
In fact, if you want to
do some more reading on
that, 1 Thessalonians
chapter 4, beginning in
verse 1, talks about
living a life that
pleases God.
In fact, a few years
ago, a couple of years
ago, we did a little
short series on pleasing
God.
I want you to
understand what Paul is
saying here about
committing ourselves to
Him because we love
Him, because we're
appreciative of what
He's done for us,
committing ourselves to
Him wholeheartedly as a
living sacrifice, that
pleases God.
You can leave here this
morning as one in whom
God is pleased.
A smile comes across
His face because you are
trusting in His Son for
your salvation.
That means the penalty
for your sins paid.
That means God credits the
righteousness of Jesus to
you.
And if you're trusting in
Jesus this way, and you
want to express your love
and thanks to God by
committing yourself to
Him 100% as a living
sacrifice, separated from
this world, you will leave
here pleasing God.
Now, this kind of commitment
to God requires that we
have to be intentional in
how we live in this world.
We have to be intentional
about what we do as we do
what we do at home and work
and school and on the ball
field and everywhere else.
We've got to be intentional
about, I am seeking to please
God in the way that I am
committed to Him in just
doing what I've got to do
wherever I am and go in
life.
We've got to be intentional.
Our goal has to be more
than just trying to be good.
Just trying to be good
citizens, good Americans,
morally upright, or even good
church members.
Jerry Bridges, the Christian
author, written a lot of
books on living Christian
life.
Great, great guy.
Lots of help.
He talks about, in one of his
books, there's a lot of people
who are committed to doing
good.
They're, what you might call,
they're committed to moral
values.
They're committed to morality.
Or they're committed to the
church.
I want you to know that you
can be an atheist.
And you can be committed to
doing good.
There's a lot of people who
don't believe in God, who
don't care about God, and
they're basically good,
morally upright people.
What the Scripture is calling
us to do is not be committed
to some vague sense of
goodness and moral values, or
even being committed to the
church, standing alone.
We're supposed to be committed
to God, to Him, in a
relationship.
And if we are, we'll be
committed to His Word.
We'll be committed to the
moral teachings and truth
that He reveals in His Word.
We'll be committed to His
church.
But the commitment is really
to Him.
It's really to the Lord Jesus.
And we just live it out by
obeying the moral principles.
By participating in worship
and study and fellowship that
we do in church.
Now this commitment to honor
God and please Him.
You know this kind of
devotion cannot be forced.
You can't just decide,
I'm just going to do the best
I can and be committed to God
this way.
You can't make yourself
have this inner love and
gratitude, appreciation to God
for what He has done for you
and saving you.
You can't do it.
This will only come from a
heart that has been changed,
from a person who's been
changed by the Spirit of God.
This can only happen in the
life of a real Christian.
This is one way to tell if you
have a real relationship with
God.
If you think to yourself,
I don't really have a clue
what you're talking about
this morning.
This idea of having a
relationship with God,
having this inward motivation
to love Him and show thanks
to Him because of what He's
done for me.
If you say,
I don't understand that,
I want you to understand,
I just don't see that you
could be a Christian
possibly.
Because if you're a Christian,
the Spirit of God lives
within you.
If you're a Christian,
you understand what God has
done for you in sending
Jesus.
You understand the
forgiveness.
You understand the freedom.
You understand His love.
You've experienced it.
And there's something within
you that causes you to want
to express your love back
and show Him your gratitude
by the way that you live.
Now, you don't always do
that and no one does.
We still have this sinful
nature that we have to
battle.
Some days I just want to
please me more than God.
You know that.
But you also know if the
Spirit of God lives within
you, that it's He who gives
us the desire, the ability
to want to be committed to
our Heavenly Father for these
right reasons.
Let's look at one more
thing.
Our commitment to God makes
sense.
If we are His children.
This whole, this call to
wholehearted commitment to
God is not something
fanatical, unrealistic that
Paul just made up because
he was a fanatical, unreal
kind of guy.
No.
It makes sense.
Look at the last phrase
here.
He says, which is your
spiritual worship.
worship.
Or, in the footnote of the
ESV, which I'm reading from,
it says, it is your rational
service.
New American Standard says,
which is your spiritual service
of worship.
The Net Bible, the New English
translation, says, which is your
reasonable service.
service.
What Paul is saying here that
this call to commit yourself to
God as a living sacrifice
wholeheartedly, because God's
shown His mercy to you and you
love Him and you just want to do
this because you know it will
please Him.
Paul is saying that this is
reasonable service.
This is rational worship.
It just makes sense if you know
who God is and what He's done.
It's not fanatical.
It's not over the top.
It's not crazy at all.
Now, I want you to think with me.
This call to commitment.
It's a call to, it says here,
to worship God, which is your
spiritual worship, which is your
reasonable service, service of
worship, whatever you want to say.
I want you to look with me at what
Doug Moo, New Testament
commentator, how he explains this
idea of our commitment to God
being an act of worship or
worshipful service.
Look at it.
He says, worship is the way we
live, not what we do on Sunday
morning.
Now, he goes on.
I'm not going to do it because we
don't have time.
He talks about what we do on Sunday
morning is corporate worship and it
matters how we worship.
So he's not discounting God's people
gathering for worship.
He's not discounting us having a
devotional life where we worship God
and praise Him.
Look at it.
Worship in this context is the way we
live, not what we do on Sunday
morning.
We worship God, says Paul, by
giving ourselves in sacrificial
service to our Lord.
We are to serve Him every day, every
hour, every minute.
Paul deliberately uses the word
body to describe what we are to
offer to God.
He gives some examples.
Look at it.
As we eat our food, we worship God
by thanking Him for what He has
given us, honoring Him with our
conversation and providing for the
bodies He has given us.
As we sweat on the treadmill, we
worship God by seeking to be good
stewards of the body He has given
us.
This next one is for me, but I know
it's for some of you as well.
As we seek to avoid driving with the
same egotistical aggressiveness as
others, we worship God by displaying
the fruit of His Spirit.
We do our work to the best of our
ability, worshiping God by giving our
best to our employers.
All of our life is to be a
continuous worship of the God who
created and redeemed us.
The commitment that God calls us to
make in order to live like His
children in this world is a total
commitment.
Touches every aspect of our lives
every day.
And no one can force you or
manipulate you to make this kind of
wholehearted, willing commitment.
This kind of commitment calls on you
to look within.
Think about your relationship with
God, what He's done for you.
Think about how much He loves you and
has shown His mercy to you.
And when you do, that's when you'll
make that kind of commitment.
So I just want to ask you here as we
wind down, is this the kind of
relationship you have with God?
If it is, you just thank Him.
If you understand fully what I'm
talking about this morning and
there's just that within you that
understands God has been so
merciful and loving and kind and
gracious to you and you appreciate
it, you know that your salvation,
your trust in Jesus is because of
what God's done in you to enable
you to understand that and believe
that and because of what God's done
to forgive you and make you His
child and always be with you, you do
love Him and you want to be committed
to Him.
You want to serve Him.
You know you don't do it perfectly
by any means.
But if you understand this, this is
your heartfelt desire, you just thank
Him for what He's done, what He's
doing and keep on.
If you understand what I'm talking
about this morning and that
commitment used to be true about you
but you've let other things or
people or something get in the way,
your priorities aren't what they
used to be.
Your level of commitment has just
fallen off drastically to what it
used to be.
What you know right now, you really
want it to be because you know God
wants it to rise.
I want you to search your life.
If there's sin, confess it.
Repent of it.
If there's some wrong priorities, even
wrong relationships, abandon them.
Ask God to give you the wisdom to know how
you need to rearrange your life and make
the commitment that by His grace, you're
going to seek to show Him your love and
your gratitude.
By the way, you are committed to being a
living sacrifice in every aspect of your
life every day.
Now, if none of this is true about you but you
want it to be, humble yourself before God and
admit that it's not.
Even if you're a church member, admit that
it's not.
Admit your sin, your failure, your rebellion,
whatever it is.
Change your mind.
Turn from this way of life, this sinful way of
life.
Put your trust in Jesus.
Call upon Him to save you.
Surrender your life to Him as Lord.
If you do that, the Scripture says,
whoever calls on the name of the Lord will
be saved.
God will change you and He will so work in
you that you will want to be committed because
of the love you have for Him, His grace and
mercy.
It really does matter how we live as God's
children.
We represent our Heavenly Father.
We represent the Lord Jesus Christ.
If you want to live a life that pleases Him,
make sure you leave here today wholeheartedly
committed to Him now because you love Him and you
want to please Him.
make that kind of commitment.
Would you pray with me?
Dear God,
help us to see how we should respond to You,
to what You've said to us this morning about how we live
and the necessity of
a commitment from our heart
to You out of love
for Your great mercy and grace.
show us,
help us
to make the kind of commitment You want us to make.
And in an attitude of prayer,
do that.
If I could pray with you,
I'm happy to do that here at the front.
But let's just listen to the Lord
and obey Him as He speaks to us
from His Word and Spirit this morning.
Thank you.