Living Sacrificially: A Life of Dedicated Worship
Summary
### Summary
Good morning, church. Today, we delved into Romans 12, focusing on what it means to live a life of dedicated worship. I began by asking a poignant question: What are you holding onto that you are unwilling to release to God? This question is crucial because God's ways are higher than ours, and His commands are for our good. We explored the heart of the Father through Deuteronomy 5, where God expresses His desire for His people to have a heart that keeps His commandments for their well-being.
We then transitioned to Romans 12:1-2, emphasizing that our salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. This sermon is a call to maturity in Christ, urging us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is our spiritual worship. This act of worship is not about earning God's favor but responding to His immense love and mercy.
Paul's appeal in Romans 12 is not a soft request but an urgent exhortation. He calls us to ongoing surrender, recognizing that our flesh is prone to wander. This ongoing surrender is necessary for our progressive sanctification. We must continually place our lives on the altar, surrendering our will, mind, and body to God.
We discussed the mercies of God as the fuel for our perseverance and conformity to Christ. These mercies include our justification, adoption, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, among others. Understanding these mercies helps us realize that our response should be a life of dedicated worship.
A life dedicated to worship is sacrificial, involving the whole being—soul, will, mind, and body. This is not about what we can get from God but what we can give to Him. Our logical response to His mercies is to present our bodies as a living sacrifice. This act of worship is both positional and progressive, as we are made holy and acceptable through Christ's completed work.
In conclusion, our worship is an overflow of our daily lives, a response to God's immense love and mercy. If you don't know Christ, today is the day of salvation. Surrender your life to Him and experience the transformative power of His grace and mercy.
### Key Takeaways
1. Ongoing Surrender: A life dedicated to worship involves ongoing surrender. Our flesh is prone to wander, and we must continually place our lives on the altar, surrendering our will, mind, and body to God. This ongoing surrender is necessary for our progressive sanctification, making room for God's Word and His work in our lives. [25:49]
2. Mercies of God: The mercies of God are the fuel for our perseverance and conformity to Christ. These mercies include our justification, adoption, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Understanding these mercies helps us realize that our response should be a life of dedicated worship, motivated by gratitude for what God has done for us. [33:15]
3. Sacrificial Living: A life dedicated to worship is sacrificial, involving the whole being—soul, will, mind, and body. This is not about what we can get from God but what we can give to Him. Our logical response to His mercies is to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. [41:56]
4. Positional and Progressive Righteousness: Our worship is both positional and progressive. We are made holy and acceptable through Christ's completed work, and we are being progressively conformed to His image. This means we have both the power and the motivation to obey, living a life that reflects our positional righteousness in Christ. [55:32]
5. Overflow of Daily Worship: Our worship on Sundays should be an overflow of our daily lives. A Monday through Saturday kind of faith, where we present our bodies as a living sacrifice, leads to a genuine and heartfelt worship experience when we gather together. This daily worship is a response to God's immense love and mercy. [01:00:00]
### YouTube Chapters
[0:00] - Welcome
[13:13] - The Heart of the Father
[15:06] - Salvation by Grace Alone
[16:55] - Romans 12:1-2
[18:40] - Prayer for Guidance
[19:32] - Dedicated Worship
[20:24] - A Life Surrendered
[21:07] - Context of Romans 12
[22:01] - Worship and Theology
[24:15] - Duty Flows from Doctrine
[25:49] - Ongoing Surrender
[27:17] - Urgent Exhortation
[28:39] - Progressive Sanctification
[30:25] - Mercies of God
[33:15] - Fuel for Worship
[34:45] - Understanding Our Depravity
[36:26] - Disconnect from Reality
[37:15] - Responding to God's Love
[38:55] - Forgiven Much, Love Much
[40:56] - Sacrificial Living
[41:56] - Presenting Our Bodies
[45:08] - Renewal of the Mind
[46:47] - Surrendering the Soul
[48:50] - Yielding Our Will
[50:40] - Setting the Mind on the Spirit
[52:39] - Importance of God's Word
[54:02] - Surrendering Our Bodies
[55:32] - Bought with a Price
[57:44] - Guarding Our Hearts and Minds
[01:00:00] - Living Sacrifice
[01:01:48] - Heart of Worship
[01:03:29] - Positional and Progressive Righteousness
[01:05:26] - Conformed to Christ's Image
[01:06:58] - Power and Motivation to Obey
[01:08:46] - Lifelong Surrender
[01:10:15] - Flee to Christ
[01:12:00] - Living Proof of God's Mercy
[01:13:49] - Call to Salvation
[01:15:45] - Closing Prayer
Study Guide
### Bible Study Discussion Guide
#### Bible Reading
- Romans 12:1-2
- Deuteronomy 5:29
#### Observation Questions
1. What does Paul urge believers to do in Romans 12:1-2, and how does he describe this act of worship? [16:55]
2. According to Deuteronomy 5:29, what is God's desire for His people, and why? [13:13]
3. What are some of the mercies of God listed in the sermon that fuel our perseverance and conformity to Christ? [30:25]
#### Interpretation Questions
1. Why does Paul describe the act of presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice as our "logical" or "spiritual" worship? [16:55]
2. How does understanding the mercies of God, such as justification and adoption, motivate believers to live a life of dedicated worship? [33:15]
3. What does it mean for our worship to be both positional and progressive, and how does this impact our daily lives? [55:32]
#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on the question posed at the beginning of the sermon: "What are you holding onto that you are unwilling to release to God?" How can you identify and surrender these areas in your life? [0:00]
2. The sermon emphasizes ongoing surrender as necessary for progressive sanctification. What practical steps can you take to ensure you are continually placing your life on the altar? [25:49]
3. How can you remind yourself daily of the mercies of God to fuel your perseverance and conformity to Christ? Consider specific practices or habits you can adopt. [33:15]
4. In what ways can you live a sacrificial life involving your whole being—soul, will, mind, and body? Identify one specific area where you can start making changes. [41:56]
5. The sermon mentions that our worship on Sundays should be an overflow of our daily lives. How can you cultivate a "Monday through Saturday" kind of faith that leads to genuine worship when you gather with others? [01:00:00]
6. How can you practically guard your heart and mind against the influences of the world, ensuring that your mind is set on the Spirit? [50:40]
7. If you don't know Christ, the sermon calls today the day of salvation. What steps can you take to explore faith in Christ and experience the transformative power of His grace and mercy? [01:13:49]
Devotional
Day 1: Ongoing Surrender
A life dedicated to worship involves ongoing surrender. Our flesh is prone to wander, and we must continually place our lives on the altar, surrendering our will, mind, and body to God. This ongoing surrender is necessary for our progressive sanctification, making room for God's Word and His work in our lives. [25:49]
Romans 12:1-2 (ESV): "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."
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you find yourself holding back from surrendering to Jesus? What would surrendering this area to Him actually look like in terms of daily habits?
Day 2: Mercies of God
The mercies of God are the fuel for our perseverance and conformity to Christ. These mercies include our justification, adoption, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Understanding these mercies helps us realize that our response should be a life of dedicated worship, motivated by gratitude for what God has done for us. [33:15]
Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV): "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."
Reflection: Reflect on a specific mercy of God in your life today. How can this awareness fuel your worship and dedication to Him?
Day 3: Sacrificial Living
A life dedicated to worship is sacrificial, involving the whole being—soul, will, mind, and body. This is not about what we can get from God but what we can give to Him. Our logical response to His mercies is to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. [41:56]
Hebrews 13:15-16 (ESV): "Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God."
Reflection: What is one practical way you can offer a sacrifice of praise to God today, involving your whole being?
Day 4: Positional and Progressive Righteousness
Our worship is both positional and progressive. We are made holy and acceptable through Christ's completed work, and we are being progressively conformed to His image. This means we have both the power and the motivation to obey, living a life that reflects our positional righteousness in Christ. [55:32]
2 Corinthians 3:18 (ESV): "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit."
Reflection: In what ways do you see God progressively transforming you into the image of Christ? How can you cooperate with this transformation process today?
Day 5: Overflow of Daily Worship
Our worship on Sundays should be an overflow of our daily lives. A Monday through Saturday kind of faith, where we present our bodies as a living sacrifice, leads to a genuine and heartfelt worship experience when we gather together. This daily worship is a response to God's immense love and mercy. [01:00:00]
Colossians 3:16-17 (ESV): "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
Reflection: How can you make your daily activities an act of worship to God? What specific steps can you take to ensure your worship on Sundays is an overflow of your daily life?
Quotes
### Quotes for Outreach
1. "Do you know that God loves you today? Do you know that he wants what's best for you today? He deeply cares for you." [13:13] (10 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, period. No exceptions. Amen. And so when we're talking about laying our lives on the altar as a living sacrifice to his lordship this morning, I want to be clear that you and I are not earning a thing. We're responding. It's a response to the love. That God has had for his people through his son, Christ Jesus." [15:06] (35 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "A life surrendered is a life of dedicated worship and as we come to Romans 12 this morning, just to give you a little context, the apostle has been expecting, abounding upon the doctrines of salvation and justification for the past 11 chapters. I mean, he's laying it down, okay? He's fully laying it down." [20:24] (23 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "God's mercies are the only sustainable source for a life of perseverance and conformity to the image of Christ. And remember, at the beginning, I said, we're not earning anything. He loved us first, and we're loving him in return. He says, if you keep my commandments, you love me, right?" [33:15] (24 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "We deserve death, hell, and the grave. And just think about it. We are so, we oftentimes, me included, we get so wrapped up in our day-to-day lives and we get so disconnected from the reality of what we deserved and our depravity that we forget what we've been saved from." [34:45] (22 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
### Quotes for Members
1. "A theologian once said, those who have the deepest appreciation of grace do not go on sinning. Do a lifestyle of sin. Moreover, fear produces the obedience of slaves while love engenders the obedience of sons. You understand what that means, right? Love is driving our obedience through faith and we're going to be talking about that this morning and what God has done through his son, Jesus Christ, should produce gratitude in our hearts and if true gratitude is true, if true gratitude is present in a believer, a life of surrender to his lordship is our proper, our logical response, our proper worship." [19:32] (55 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "Worship without theology is bound to degenerate into idolatry. Do you know what I mean when I say that? Worship without theology, worship without boundaries is a free-for-all, and it's idolatry because we're worshiping a false god. We must know who God is, what he said, and understand the doctrines of salvation and the doctrines that are in God's word so that we don't degenerate into idolatry." [22:01] (32 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "A life dedicated to worship is a life of ongoing surrender ongoing and why is that right why is it ongoing because we have a really bad habit of placing our life on the altar and then taking it right back off again don't we and so as we continue to cling to Christ we have our hearts are prone to wander and we're to always be repenting and turning back and turning back and turning back and turning back and turning back and turning back to the Lord resurrendering those areas of our life that we've taken hold of again and place them back on the altar again it would be preferred that we leave it there right but unfortunately we have to be aware of these things and cognizant of well I can't even speak this more be cognizant of turning back and placing whatever that might be back on the altar" [25:49] (69 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "A life dedicated to worship is sacrificial. He says, present our bodies as a living sacrifice. When we talk about presenting our bodies, I want to make note that he's not just talking about the physical members of our body, but everything that that entails, the soul, the will, the mind, and the body. Some of us might be trying to get all that we can get from God, versus giving all that we can give to him." [41:56] (41 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "A life dedicated to worship is both positional and progressive. And yes, church, this is my last point. Don't go to sleep on me, okay? There is light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you, Lord, for getting me through. But Paul says, present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God. Holy and acceptable. And as Aaron said earlier in his prayer, as one of our songs said in the lyrics, when we talk about the terms holy and acceptable, we are made this way through Christ. And Christ's completed work makes His children both positionally and progressively righteous. Positionally holy and progressively being conformed more and more to the image of Christ Jesus." [01:05:26] (59 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
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