Living Sacrifices: True Worship Through Our Bodies

I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice holy acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service and be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that he may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. [00:00:13]

The Apostle goes on to say this father thing he says which is you our reasonable service now here's the most interesting statement and we must be clear about this we've got to look at both of us service and reasonable service now what does he mean by service well again again is one of these technical terms that are used in the scripture. [00:03:25]

The whole of our life is to be a worship of God and that's the point that he's making here but now that he goes on to describe it as a reasonable service what does this mean well it's again as I say a very interesting term if you just take it as it is here in the authorized version you might come to the conclusion that we that what he's saying is this now what I'm asking you to do is something which is very reasonable. [00:07:16]

He says it is your spiritual it to be a spiritual or a mental service or worship of God now you see the significance of this again he uses these words in order to present us with the contrast he did that we saw in connection with the word living not a dead animal not a dead body it's got to be lived and it goes on not once and then that's the end with no no it's perpetual. [00:11:19]

There is undoubtedly a tendency for people to multiply the external forms in connection with religion people always like the natural men always like something spectacular something visible something external this has been the great fight that the Christian faith is had to fight from it's very beginning the perpetual tendency to externalize worship as over and against this inner spiritual worship. [00:12:37]

The Apostle is fighting against the legalistic attitude towards the worship of God and this is still I think it's one of the major fights today and will certainly be in these coming years you are aware of all these trends the new interest in Rome isn't Rome changing and so on and she is of course she's trying to bring these ceremonies of hers to us in a manner that will be more appealing. [00:17:43]

The same applies to drink any sort of drink if you like but drink in particular can be a terrible abuse of the body not in surfeiting and drunkenness that's the opposite of what the Apostle is telling us here if you drink too much alcohol you violate your body you knock out the highest part of it that God has given you your higher centers and control and you're abusing your body. [00:36:14]

The body is not to be worshipped the body is to be presented to God and used entirely to his glory and to his praise in other words let me put it bluntly and plainly sex I say is given to you by God but if you use your body and your sex to indulge yourself in your own appetites you are not only violating this you're violating the constitution of men. [00:37:17]

We keep our bodies in as healthy and the spitter condition as weekend it is not to be ultra spiritual to neglect the body many Saints have done their and their work of their ministry have suffered and the result of it the body is Robert Louis Stevenson put it is regarded as brother ass and he's been treated as such that's wrong you mustn't regard your body with contempt. [00:39:05]

Let the eye look on no even and it is a sacrifice it is isn't it our eyes have become accustomed to look at evening as we walk about the streets and see people and see Harding as you pick up your newspapers the eye has become accustomed to look of evil and by nature men enjoys them so when you see the eye looks on no evil it is a sacrifice. [00:43:27]

The mouth blessing limbs of curses and the air ever a pleasure for listening to God that's presenting your bodies a living sacrifice holy acceptable to God which is your service with reason your mental service your spiritual work a truly spiritual offering to God and Francis Ripley have a girl in the hymn we sang just now it's got to say my dear take my hand don't let them move at the impulse of dialogue. [00:46:40]

The Apostle puts all that you see in one word reasonable reason may God give us grace to work it out you know not understandings and then put it into practice in detail in our daily lives oh no how do we do indeed desire to do this very thing we see how small we are and how slow we are and how dull and foolish we are and though we are ever in danger of running to foolish irrational extremes. [00:48:02]