Present Your Body a Living Sacrifice — Leonard Ravenhill

Well, I think of the poet who said that something lives in every hue, that Christ's eyes are never seen. There's something very beautiful in these hymns that we have sung. Many of them were born of grief and critical experiences.

They're born out of the depths of the spirits of men and women. This beautiful phrase captures my heart at this moment, since he bids me seek his face. Believe his word and trust his grace. The kings of the earth hide themselves from us.

Presidents and the famous people are not accessible. And yet we thank you that we have the consolation that we can come any time into your presence again by this new and this living way. We thank you for the light that we have received, not just a light you give us, but Christ himself is our light.

We thank you for the strength, not something you pass on. But the psalmist said the joy of the Lord is my strength. And again, he says the Lord is my strength. And again, he says the Lord is my shield.

And again, one has said if God is for us, who can be against us? We thank you for this victory during the past week against this Sodom-like thing that is sweeping the nation. Maybe your desire is to purify as much as anything, the woman that fought it, to show her the vanity of many things.

She has been blessed, as our brother has said, and lives in a mansion. And yet she declares she's willing to let it all go, to fight the good fight of faith. And we thank you for this courage. With and hope some men will take this up too, and that there'll be a warfare wage that will let people know again that there are people who desire wholly to follow God.

Holiness Amid a Crooked and Perverse Generation

In the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. There's no question about it, that as the old hymn writer said, abide with me, the darkness deepens, Lord with me abide. We shall need your light, more than ever we've needed it before.

Because if there's no light, we'll fall in the holes in the road. But Lord if we walk in the light, we shall see those pitfalls. If we step out of light, we fall into them. Our obedience depends so much on our progress, and our maturity.

We're not trying to cast on me the responsibility that is ours, nor are we trying to abrogate to ourselves, what must be of grace, and of mercy, and the peace and joy of God. We thank you Lord, I thank you for last weekend, with its encouragement to see the beggars lifted from the dunghill, and made princes unto God.

Thank you those who were once feared by men, feared by their own relatives, feared even by the police, and now loved, and esteemed, and people have to stand in awe. And wonder how the knots in them are untied, wonder how the impurity was purified.

Wonder how their filth was somehow cleansed from their hearts. Wonder how their wills, which were so weak and water-like, have become so strong. Wonder why those who were once hell-bound, and sin-bound, and doing everything they could, they dedicated everything they had, it seems, to the devil.

They didn't tie their time and money, they gave all their time, all their money, all their interests. And they served him willingly, and they served him successfully from some angles. But we are glad Lord, that somebody loved them enough, and sought them.

That somebody rescued the perishing, and cared for the dying, and snatched them in pity from sin and the grave. And we pray now, as they've gone back to other cities to rescue others, that they'll be strong in the grace of God.

They face many temptations, many trials. But again we thank you who said, that greater is he that is in us, than he that is in the world. We thank you for those who have been patient with them, they've stumbled and staggered sometimes.

They've almost given up, but somebody picked them up, and lifted them up, and encouraged them. And we thank you for that. Thank you for the testimony of David Wilkerson, that his voice is heard around the world.

And his staff that labour so faithfully. Thank you for the Agape force, the way that you've blessed them. And the wonderful signs we saw of your presence there, and the manifest power of God. We thank you for other stations like this around the nation.

The Spirit Poured Out and the Call to Evangelistic Labor

We are glad again Lord, you said in the last days, you'll pour out your Spirit on all flesh. And that young men will see visions, some of us are too old to see them maybe. Old men will just dream dreams, but you said on my servants and handmaids, you said your sons and your daughters shall prophesy.

And Lord when it looks as though the house, the walls are going to go out, and the roof come in. You said at that terrible moment, when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of God shall lift up a standard against him.

We pray again out of that school, the Agape school, and out of that training school there of Wilkerson's, that you send forth prophets and teachers and evangelists. That men will do things we've dreamed about doing, and prayed about doing, and long to see done.

It won't move us to jealousy, it will move us to joy and admiration and praise. To see these individuals go down and pull down the strongholds of Satan. Scatter all the myriad forces of hell itself. We think again of lonely missionaries, toiling maybe through steaming jungles and not having enough to satisfy the cravings of their thirst.

Thank you for those who brave the dangers, political dangers and economic dangers and dangers of climate, dangers of wild beasts, dangers of disease. Think of those who labor in leper colonies, I remember the ones going in one and they're certainly terrible and repulsive.

Yet there are those who do not fear the contamination. Some who would even embrace it in order to get into those areas. Lord we thank you that you see every precious child, you grade us. If we were left to grade each other it would be a pitiable thing.

We'd grade people by our emotions or our affections or some other things. We wouldn't even have the sense enough to grade them correctly. We're glad with thee there is nothing of that at all. We thank you that your judgments are perfect and the race will soon be run for all of us.

And the prizes will be given or the prizes will not be given according to our faithfulness to obey thee. Bless your word to our hearts again today, we thank you for it. Thank you for its eternal freshness like the manna that came from heaven every morning.

We thank you again for those who brave death in order to preserve it and smuggle it to us. Thank you for those who had vision that they said one day they'd lift it from the hand of the scholar and out of the seclusion of the monastery and give it to the plough boy in the field.

We thank you that day has come. We think of the Wycliffe translators, there are 1200 or more of them around the world doing this very same job and we give you praise for all that's done in that way. It's unheroic, they don't get photographed, they don't get shouted from the housetop, they don't get to be prominent characters in big crusades.

But again we thank you that you see them. And the God who sees in secret will reward openly. Click in our hearts today and enrich us we pray. We remember all the friends who are absent, we thank you for preserving them, bringing them safely back on the busy roads.

We remember brother John and ask you to bless him. We remember the TLC students wherever they're scattered, we thank you for them and pray you bless them. Bless those who are seeking guidance from thee that they may know it and have the courage and grace and strength to do that thing that you reveal to them.

And we give you praise in Jesus name. Let's look at the epistle of Paul to the Romans chapter 12. Romans the 12th chapter. We'll take the first two verses of this. Marvelous chapter right here. I beseech you therefore brethren.

Presenting the Body as a Living Sacrifice

By the mercies of God that you 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 you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

I'm always amazed when I reflect on the versatility of the apostle. He writes to a young man about being a good soldier of Jesus Christ. He writes to the Thessalonians and he says that he's attended with them as a nurse.

Now if he wrote to a young man and told him he needed a nurse he might be offended. But he writes to the young man and says you become a good soldier and you put on the whole armor of God. He writes to the Thessalonians and he says that he's attended with them as a nurse with her children.

He writes again to the Thessalonians and he says he's praying night and day. I'm always arrested by that statement that he prays night and day. And he's not praying for a lost world. He's praying for the church.

He's praying for those who have been partly established in the things of God. And he says I'm praying night and day that I may see your face and I may perfect that which is lacking in your faith. He doesn't say they have no faith he says they have a faith that needs strengthening.

And he wants to get there and he wants to strengthen and quicken their faith. When he writes to the Romans he says in the first chapter. For I long to see you that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift to the end that ye may be established.

Now I know that scholars Bible scholars disagree as to the depth of the epistles Paul wrote. Some disagree that he wrote Hebrews I think he did write it. And it's a very profound book but I'm sure that he did write the epistle to the Romans.

And in it we get some almost terrifying revelations. The only reason why he's he uses his therefore. He uses that therefore so many times. Somebody says why does Paul use so many therefores. And somebody said well they're there for a certain reason you see.

He has a therefore in the in the second chapter. And he has a he says therefore thou art inexcusable old man. He has a that's a therefore I think of condemnation. He has a therefore in chapter 5 therefore being justified by faith.

We have peace with God there's the therefore of justification. In the eighth chapter he says there is therefore now no condemnation. That's the therefore of liberation. And in this twelfth chapter again in the first verse I beseech you therefore.

He's talking here about sanctification. Now the only reason he gives the therefore in the twelfth chapter. Is that he has established a tremendous foundation for this in the first. I forget how many verses there are what is it 250 or something.

But anyhow there are 11 chapters. And then the twelfth chapter. It seems to me he's putting the roof on. But you can't put a roof on it will float away. If you have no foundation and you have no walls.

And therefore he's built up his argument. Therefore which means because of these things. Because of everything that's gone in the eleventh chapter. Now I come to the twelfth. And he begins to establish another tremendous truth.

Paul's Teaching on Salvation, Holiness, and the Human Heart

Paul has some very very very challenging words in all his writings. For instance if you agree or disagree. It's still the Word of God in Hebrew 725. He is able to save to the uttermost all who come unto God by him.

Now one of the signs amongst others of the last days. Is that we're going to finish where we started. Because when the earth was eventually when man failed. You remember there was a progressive deterioration.

Until we get to that place where it says in the days of Noah. That violence filled the earth and the nations were corrupt before God. And we made a full circle despite all our intelligence. And all the ramifications of our scientific knowledge.

We're as rotten and corrupt and more rotten and corrupt. Because we have light and want to be it. If I remember right it was that great scientist Einstein. Who said that we have, what did he say? We have denatured the atom but we cannot denature man.

Over a hundred years ago Sigmund Freud came along. With his psychology and the psychiatry and all the stuff. He could make diagnoses but he could not give us a right cure. And we've no need to tuck our heads under our wings.

Or go with our heads down in a world that's so arrogant and so proud. Because we're ripe in corruption right now. I was staggered to hear twice in the last two days. That the government has said that no children can be refused contraceptives.

Children, it's legal. If they go in any place and want them, serve them and ask no questions. Does it matter if they're ten or a hundred and ten, mind your business. This is the land of the free, you're free to go to hell as quick as you like.

Not only here but other countries, this is tragic. Now Paul takes us to the abyss of the human heart. Nobody searched it like the Apostle Paul. He wasn't anticipating Freud, he had revelation from above.

It's as though God opened the heart and said there's the cesspool. There's the abyss, there's the cage of unclean birds. You better sit down and count the cost. I'm humiliated when I think of him, every time I think of Paul.

Again I remind you he started his life in the ancient capital of the world, Tartus. He ended up in the military capital of the world, Rome. In between he challenged the religious capital of the world, Jerusalem.

He went to the intellectual capital in Acts 16 which was Athens. And he reasoned about their philosophy with the Stoics and Epicureans and the Poets. This man can fight them with one hand tied behind his back and lick the whole bunch of them.

They were spellbound when they heard him. Because finally he says, the man that I represent, listen to this he says. The Jews took him and they crucified him. He emphasizes that again and again, even in Acts 2.

Ye crucified the Lord of glory. But I want to tell you something. He did something nobody ever did in history. And nobody under his own power can do it again. He not only died, he not only carried away the sin of the world.

He rose again from the dead. And he led captivity captive and he's given gifts unto men. And so knowing that he bravely goes. You talk about Daniel in the lion's den. That was the Sunday school class to what the Apostle Paul faced.

When he went to Corinth for instance. You didn't say about a man in those days, he was a homosexual and a liar and a thief and a pervert. And run 50 adjectives behind his name. Say he's a Corinthian. And you said he's a child of hell.

He's as depraved as anything that walks on the earth. But you see this man had a full revelation of the majesty of the Son of God. I got a letter the other day from a man I consider quite an intellectual.

He's not a preacher as such. He's a brilliant man. He met God in a crusade we had in a certain city about 19, I don't know 20 years ago. Do you know from that day that man gave up his business except to do little things on the side.

And has given himself to the Word of God. He could live in a mansion. He could live stylishly. He runs a little car. He lives in a little home. They work a little patch in the garden. He's one of the most knowledgeable men in the things of God.

You get what you're going for. If you're going for money you can be a millionaire. I don't doubt that at all. That's a common philosophy. If that's all you want, get it. If you want scientific wisdom, give your genius to that.

I noticed this week that science is going to make another survey of the human mind. It baffles men how the mind works. And do you know what? If Jesus tells us it will baffle them a hundred years and a thousand years from now.

There are mysteries that God is never going to reveal to covetous men and ambitious men. You see that man has given himself, Paul did the, I'm sure of this. But one of the great secrets in the life of the Apostle Paul.

He refused to be tempted by anything. The slogan of his life. And if you're going to serve God you better make up your mind. Particularly you young fellows. And I pray God you will. I pray for you every day anyhow.

This one thing I do. You can't ride two horses. Now if God's called you to be a millionaire. Be a millionaire and give your money to missions. I noticed a man last week in a plain old jacket going round.

And he was a blessing to people. He gave a, I don't know how many, fifty or a hundred dollars to a little. God told him to tell that Chinese girl here. God wants you to have this. She hung on his neck.

She hugged him and kissed him. And he said I was looking to see if my wife was watching. She'd wonder why this girl was. Well I have this need and God meant it through you. He was going all over that campus in Agape.

It didn't come to me but that's all right. And you know he left a trail of blessing. It's not what you have it's how you use it. Percentage wise it's easy to give if you've a lot. It's hard to give if you don't have much.

But I'll tell you what as Herb often reminds me. I keep saying this over and over. Remember this God keeps the score. He won't give you a penny for anything you haven't invested. He'll give you full benefits better than any bank.

If you make the investment for him. David Wilkinson says to his people here on this street. Those of you who invested money. Look at these 35 people. They're worth a million dollars each. There's no value on them worth a thousand million dollars each.

They're going to be saved not for the years of time alone. But for eternity. They're not only going to do that. They're going down to people and sit at the side of some lousy dirty prostitute. And say listen darling I want to tell you something.

I used to sit like this. I used to sell my body on the street for so much. What do you mean? You're fooling. Or you go out at night like our kids used to go. But they didn't have drug experience sure enough.

But I'm glad our kids had that training darling. And I told David the other day. I said Dave I'm glad that we ever went to Teen Challenge. And those three boys got a baptism. Of going down back alleys and meeting dirty people.

And coming home two or three o 'clock Sunday morning worn out. After being in town four or five hours. Or you could do that in Houston. You could do that in San Antonio. There's plenty of place to do it.

But you see you've got to be sure of your ground. You've got to know in whom you have believed. Just this past two weeks I heard of three men. One man I have admired to a certain degree. He suddenly felt a call to become a congressman.

He has a fine church. He has a radio station. But there's a fascination. I don't believe God called him to be a congressman. If God called him to the ministry. They call it gifts and callings of God without repentance.

Either he missed it twenty years ago or he's missing it now. Another man. Oh yes he's a personable, he's a wonderful man. I've talked with him, been in his church. That suddenly he's developed a minister on a lecture tour.

And it's very rewarding. You know you can pick up five hundred thousand dollars a night. But his church has gone down. It's bristling with problems. Two assistant pastors have left him. He's got a domestic situation.

Another man that I've known and worked with for a while. And he got friendly with the millionaire. Who says listen I can get you in the oil business. And he sold his ministry for a pot of oil. Isn't it tragic.

Counting the Cost of Full Surrender

Paul made up his mind. Look he says I didn't spend three and a half years. I've got some students right now in different parts of the country. That gave up some of vacation and some of jobs. Except a job that's convenient to get out on a farm.

And finish at five o 'clock at night. And spend every night in prayer till September. Prayer and reading the word of God. This one thing I do. And I believe that this is part of the great motivation in the life of the apostle.

You see there came a day when Paul went out. And Jesus came in, in all his fullness. He says not only am I in Christ. Not only is Christ in me. But I'm in him. Boy that's, that's a, that's double safety isn't it.

Huh. He's in me and I'm in him. And so what. There's an old hymn that says. Let the world despise and leave me. They have left my Saviour too. What do you expect of it. It's a lousy world anyhow. And so Paul is the veilor in this.

Pardon me. In this first chapter. We've come right back again. I remind you of the abyss of the human heart. Look at it. In verse 24 of chapter 1. He says wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness.

Through the lust of their own hearts. To dishonor their own bodies. Isn't that what we're doing again today. He gave them up to uncleanness. That's wrong living. Verse 26. For this cause God gave them up to vile affections.

That's wrong loving. Verse 28. Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge. God gave them over to a reprobate mind. To do those things which are not convenient. So that's wrong being. So you've got three deciding factors.

Decisive factors there. Verse 24. Wrong living. Verse 26. Wrong loving. And verse 28. Wrong being. Now look what he says about this pit of the human heart. Verse 28. God as and even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge.

God gave them over to a reprobate mind. Or my margin says a mind void of judgment. You realize what that means. They can't tell the difference between right and wrong. Darkness and light. Their minds are perverted.

Sure they'll defend homosexuality. They'll defend anything. These are our rights. The most disturbing thing in the world is when. Well isn't there a saying. Yes there's a saying. It is a fearful thing.

The scripture says to fall into the hands of the living God. Robert Louis Stevenson said there's only one worse thing for a nation. And that's not when you fall into the hands of the living God. It's when you fall out.

And God says I'm through with you. He gave them over to a reprobate mind. They loved their darkness. They loved every unclean thing. And he tells you what it is in the next verse. Verse 29. Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity, whispers, back biters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, bolsters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents.

Skip over the page into the third chapter, verse 19. As it is written there is none righteous, no not one. There is none that understandeth. There is none that seeketh after God. They're all gone out of the way.

Out of God's way, into their own way. They're all together become unprofitable. There is none that doeth good, no not one. Their throat is an open sepulcher. With their tongues their views deceit. The poison of asps is under their lips.

Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery are in their ways. The way of peace they have not known. And there is no fear of God before their eyes.

Well if they don't fear God, do you think they're going to fear policemen? Or courts? They don't fear the holy eternal being. That they have to stand before one day in naked helplessness. This is a horrible condition of those who are without God, without hope in the world.

Justification by Grace and the Transformation of Sinful Hearts

Oh we could spend a lot of time there, but we won't spend. But I'll tell you what he gets triumphant in that third chapter. Because he says in verse 24 of chapter 3. Being justified freely by his grace.

Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. And then in the fifth chapter being justified by faith. And in verse 5 the love of God is shed abroad in their heart by the Holy Ghost. Do you know any alchemy that can do a thing like that?

For thousands of years men have dreamed that somewhere they're going to find something. That they can pour all the lead and it becomes pure gold. There's something infinitely greater than that. There's a slimy sinful warped wicked wild human heart.

That's full of the venom of hell. It's the poison of the serpent that's in them. There's no form, no godliness, no decency, no purity. I think of Nicky Cruz when he came to teen challenge. And after he had professed conversion they sent him to a psychiatrist.

And the psychiatrist took him to the zoo. He didn't know why, but he tried to fool Nicky. But Nicky got the best of him. Then they took him out on the boat on a lake and began to ask him some foolish questions.

The psychiatrist said to him you're a Puerto Rican. He said yes. Well he said they took a boat load of men out of the coast of Brazil. And asked them would they jump overboard for the love of their country.

And they said yes. They went to Venezuela and did the same thing. And those men said we'll jump overboard in love for our country. And then they said do you love Puerto Rico enough to jump overboard. No he said.

I don't. But he said I'd jump overboard for Jesus. If he wanted me to. Oh the psychiatrist said I can't get anywhere with you. And Nicky says you know I don't need help. He's sure that needs the help.

And boy he felt real bad about that. Sure it is. Is there anything more wonderful than the potter taking the clay. I saw potter's wheel this week. The man takes a slab of junk. And you wouldn't give him ten cents for it.

And he talks and he works and he bakes it and paints it. And you ask him how much and he says a thousand dollars. After fifty cents worth of clay. Much better than looking after sheep. May get you goat but it's better than sheep.

But you see what happens. God takes a shapeless character. Not only shapeless but it's got every disease and defect and damnation in it. And he takes it and he purifies it. The apostle Paul is the man himself.

You remember he was breeding out threatening. And God in infinite mercy. Redeemed him. All right he says because of that redemption. If I read the first eleven chapters what Paul is saying. I'm trying to tell you this.

It may be a bit involved. But he says I'm telling you this. That Jesus did something for you. You could never have done for yourself. He did something for you education could not do. He did something for you that science could not do.

He did something for you even that religion could not do. He did something for you that penances could not do. And fasting could not do. And living a life in a monastery could not do. There is no other way it could be done.

But Jesus did it. Now he says because he has saved you from sin. And because he has come to indwell you. I beseech you that's a very strong word. I think it's Phillips who says I plead with you. Another translator says I entreat you with earnestness.

To present your body a living sacrifice. I beseech you therefore by the mercies of God. Oh that's that's the reason. What's he done in the previous eleven chapters. He's shown you the mercy, the mercy, the mercy, the mercy of God.

I like that hymn that says mercy there was great and grace was free. Pardon there was multiplied to me. If God only forgave one sin. But if he gave a multitude of sins. I don't know that we've stumbled and staggered all of us on our pilgrim way.

And yet he's extended mercy. You see Paul himself is a debtor and he knows that. He was never a hireling. He says I don't care whether it's a Jew or a barbarian or the Greek. Whether it's intellectual or he's in a prison.

I'm a debtor I'm a debtor. And listen you and I better remember that. You're not doing God's service because you give ten thousand dollars to mission. I'm not doing God's service because I give my life every day to prayer and working.

No no no no wait a minute. It's all of his mercy that we're not consumed. And Paul has no catalogue of iniquity like some other people. But he writes to Tim and he says God who is rich in mercy. The only reason we're not roasting like Sodom and Gomorrah this afternoon in America and England.

Is that God is rich in mercy. He's still holding off but I wonder how much longer he'll hold off in our iniquity. Hold off and just watch us break every law. Dismantle the ten commandments and go on our way to destruction.

I beseech you by the mercies of God. Mercy there was great and grace was free. I remember a preacher who said don't you tell people to come and ask for mercy. That's no good. There's no there's no mercy anymore.

There was one act of mercy and that was on the cross. It's of grace we're saved. His mercy was manifested there. He could have taken the sword and slashed the nations into and destroyed the world. But he said look you've had thousands of years of opportunity.

I'm going to give the world my only begotten son. You know I don't think we often think much too much about the loneliness of God. Do you think we do? For 30 years God was lonely. That's a long life. Well is it today's Father's Day?

Father's Day every day but is it Father's Day today? I think it is. No it's not. Oh it's next Sunday, next Sunday all right. Well you know my boys won't call me. They're too far away. That doesn't trouble me at all, not a bit.

I'm glad they're where they are. You know sometimes I'd like to see them. Martha said this week it'd be nice to see the family. Sure it would. But you know those boys might be lying under six foot of earth or two feet of earth in Vietnam in some way.

They think on certain ways but there they are on the mission field not the battlefield. And I rejoice in it. But I still happen to be a father and I know there are times when it would be just nice to sit down and say hey Paul let's just have a nice talk.

I have a friend, a brother I've met and he's a very precious preacher. And he married a very beautiful girl and man they had babies as quickly as they would come. They had four babies in their house under four years of age.

That's pretty quick going. And he goes away preaching quite a bit and he came home one day and he said his wife met him at the door. And he put his arms round her and said well how are you darling. She said listen just drop your bags, sit in a chair and will you talk some adult language to me.

All I've heard is ya ya ya, bu bu bu, ch ch ch, ch ch ch, yap yap yap. I've never had an intelligent conversation since you left. Sit down, I don't care about a meal. I don't care whether you change your suit.

I don't care if you haven't had a bath for a week. Sit down and talk intelligently to me. You know I heard that just this week. And I sometimes, I wonder, I wonder if God Almighty sometimes says that about us as his children.

When do you sit down last and have an intelligent conversation with God. You know what kids are. Mammy give me this. Can they, can I do that. Well they're gonna. One hour and you're all in bed. Every one of you.

I don't care. Let's clean the house up. And Kay says Amen. Well that's all right. Don't you think that God himself often longs for a spiritual conversation with us. No we snatch. No no no no. If you were living in Washington and you could get one hour with a president.

Somebody asked H .H. Humphrey once. Since he's missed the presidency and missed so many other things. Well what about the job you have now. He said well there's one thing you know. I can always slip into the Oval Office and talk with the president.

Almost any day just. And I would rather spend he said about 20 minutes with the president than talk to Congress for months. Well you elevate that and think of the King Eternal. The only wise God who said you've been rushing here and going there and so on.