Nov. 19, 2017 Living Sacrifices by Pastor Josh Sheldon

To Romans chapter 12

our text this morning will actually be the first verse of chapter 12.

But I will read from the previous chapter from chapter 11 verse 33 down to

verse 2.

And then with God's help we will speak about verse 1 from chapter 12.

So Romans 11 beginning at 33.

Oh.

The depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God how unsearchable are his judgments and

how inscrutable his ways.

For who has known the mind of the lord or who has been his counselor?

Or who has given a gift to him that it might be repaid.

For from him and through him and to him are all things to him be glory forever.

Amen.

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?

Well, we've been in this book of romans for quite some time now.

And I think many of you have been waiting For this particular chapter for this whole

line of reasoning that we jump into now in chapter 12.

You've been kind of waiting for it on pins and needles just dying to get past all the theology.

And get to this what do I do?

We've heard 11 chapters of god's part what has god done for sinners in jesus christ, what is this gospel?

And now finally for all you type a's out here.

What do you get to do?

You've been waiting for it on pins and needles.

You've been like children slogging through the spinach and the brussels sprouts and eating every crumb of the food mom and dad says is good.

For you just so you can get to what you think is the ice cream.

And for some of you it's been like going to the movies.

Where you can't get to the feature presentation because they got this endless trailers and all those Advertisements for

the popcorn to turn your cell phone off and you just can't let's get to the good stuff.

Let's get to chapter 12.

I want to be told what to do.

So now beginning this day with god's help.

What to do?

And you get to hear what to do and it's actually a two -way street because now I as your pastor and preacher get to tell You what to do.

So here we are 11 chapters of doctrine and theology.

And at the end of chapter 11 that amen.

That i'm in that seems to break the book into these two sections and it certainly does.

But as we go on as we begin this chapter this what do I do what is my part.

Don't think that the transition is that abrupt.

Because there's an amen there and paul does signal.

He's finished that part.

He's given you enough theology.

You've got the doctrine down.

He's explained the gospel to you.

You know what god has done by his grace because of his mercy in jesus christ.

But everything that follows Is based upon what preceded the break is not that

abrupt as sometimes we think.

The theology of those first 11 chapters you see they have an intended target.

Paul like any good theologian today, I would say he doesn't just tell you things for your intellectual

betterment.

He's not trying to just fill your head with facts.

And things to know about god.

The target that is intended is a transformation of our behavior.

There's a so what? to all this theology.

It's not just philosophical type of exercise.

There's something real that has happened in history.

God has done something in jesus christ for sinners god willing for you.

Giving you faith to believe this gospel.

And that being the case.

You do need to understand what this gospel is.

Therefore.

We have 11 chapters of theology about this gospel.

And therefore there is a necessary a requisite a consequent

response of the one so Receiving god's mercy.

By the atoning death of his son jesus christ, there's something that we need to do in our response.

His theology has a target transformation behavior by the renewal of our minds whichever

side of the cross we're on.

Looking forward to it or back upon it.

Of course.

Forward to it could only be the ancients before the cross before the first century.

Looking back upon it as we must the cross of jesus christ Has got to be the focus.

Even those who don't believe in jesus christ think of history in terms of bc and ad before before and after

the cross.

What paul has given us here in these 11 chapters Is an entire framework a lens

through which?

The christian must view everything.

For some of us this is going to be new.

As I give you duties to perform ways to think that you must think things that inherit upon

your responsibilities from This gospel and it's going to be new to you because you've been taught that all I have to

do is say I believe in jesus.

And isn't that enough?

For others This will be a reminder.

A reminder that god has shown mercy to sinners and that demands something from us that puts a

responsibility upon us the dedication Of our entire self to god's

service and for his glory.

I want us to notice in the first few words of romans 12 Verse 1 notice the

way paul broaches this whole subject.

He makes an appeal.

He makes an appeal and we notice that it's first of all that it's an appeal.

And I want us to look at who he appeals to.

And then we need to look at the basis of this appeal.

Because he's not just throwing out orders and commands.

He's not just saying do better.

There's more behind it than that.

Not just 11 chapters of theology.

Also the way he introduces this whole thing.

I think is very important to us.

Some translations use instead of appeal beseech or exhort or urge.

He doesn't use the command voice here.

That doesn't mean that what follows is optional.

He seems to be certain that his words from the preceding chapters have fallen on receptive ears.

You think of the galatians in there leaning back towards the works of the law as a way of salvation

or Sanctification.

Or you think of the disorder in corinth and think of the the the sterner rod that that brought from the apostle's pen.

But here There's a certain Trust that he has in

these 11 chapters having Had its work in the people's hearts.

It's this kind of confidence towards the end of the book that he shows in chapter 15 verse 4 where he says I myself am

Satisfied about you.

Some translations say confident about you My brothers that you are full of goodness filled with

all knowledge and able to instruct one another.

So he's using a language of appeal or exhortation or urging or beseeching.

It's really the language of diplomacy between friendly nations an appeal.

Rather than a command a trust.

That the grace and mercy of god to sinners in his son jesus

Is something that has infected your entire being.

He writes to brothers says I appeal to you brothers.

As in chapter 15 verse 4 he calls them my brothers.

He speaks to all.

He doesn't just mean the men of the church.

He's singing brothers and sisters the word there is generic in that sense.

He's writing to brothers.

He's writing to family members.

At the end of romans, there's a list of some people in rome who he knew personally.

But he wasn't personally known by very many of the people in the roman church.

There's just a few of them in that whole congregation yet.

He calls them Brothers.

He speaks to them as brothers and sisters and cousins and mothers and fathers the family of god.

Those who like himself are under this umbrella of christ's blood.

And his atoning death and the faith that god gave him to believe that brothers and sisters in the lord the church.

Those are the ones to whom he appeals.

He calls them brothers this family -like closeness a term of affection.

And then there's a basis of his appeal.

If it's an appeal and not a Hard command though not optional and what

follows is no way optional to us as we will see.

And he makes this appeal.

He has a basis for it.

And the basis is the mercies of god mercy occupies.

A good portion of those three chapters that we just came through chapters 9 through 11.

And I don't want to summarize them all for you, but I will recite some of those Main verses within that section.

So you remember them.

Chapter 9 verses 15 to 16.

For he that's god for he says to moses I will have mercy on whom I have mercy and I will have compassion on

whom I have compassion.

And then paul's comment to this verse 16 so then it depends not on human will or exertion.

But on god who has mercy.

Verse 18 in that same chapter.

So then he has mercy on whomever he wills and he hardens whomever he wills.

Verse 23 in chapter 9.

He made known the riches of his glory for the vessels of mercy, which he had prepared beforehand for glory.

Chapter 11 verses 30 to 32.

You now have received mercy because of their disobedience.

So they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you.

They also may receive Mercy for god has consigned all to disobedience that he may show mercy

to all.

And several psalms repeat this truth over and over that his mercy endures forever.

Mercy Is the reason for your salvation?

Mercy is god's intervention and provision to man what he cannot do for himself.

Mercy Sees our pitiful state and our even worse fate to come and intervenes and

applies to us.

The benefits of jesus christ's atoning death on the cross mercy Gives you faith

to believe and all this implies

something.

Chapters 1 through 11 and all that theology and what god has done in history in time and space in jesus

christ.

All this mercy that god showers upon undeserving sinners.

It's got to change the way we look at everything.

We like to say the gospel changes everything.

Not some things not most things it has to change everything.

It changes the whole way.

We look at life existence this world around us.

We have a world view.

Don't we?

Everyone has a world view everyone has some sort of filter some sort of sieve.

Through which everything passes and comes out with an answer consistent hopefully consistent with

that view.

Now some people haven't thought it all through and so they can bounce around in their answers and not always line up exactly with

All the points of their world view, but in general people have a way of seeing things.

That brings forth their responses in life.

Whether it be in a casual conversation an argument the big decisions.

What college to go to who to marry those sorts of things?

We have a world view That brings forth the answer at least makes us feel like we had a basis for it.

If you're a christian.

If you are one of these brothers or sisters mothers fathers cousins aunts uncles that paul writes

to I appeal to you then brothers family of god.

If you are amongst that That body.

You have a world view.

And it can't be the world view you had before you met the lord.

Jesus christ by faith in his cross.

We have a world view that is premised upon what?

The gospel.

The gospel has to change everything.

It changes all we see it changes how we view everything that happened.

It has to brethren.

It has to change everything all of life all of life.

Thought word action everything needs to pass the filter of this one paradigm.

Now that's saying a lot.

That's sort of a mouthful that's going to produce some desperation in some of us.

We think something like well i'm never going to live up to that.

So why try.

I cannot have every thought every action every word everything I do.

Is not going to be consistent with this gospel that paul's explained for those 11 chapters.

So why even try?

You ever feel like that.

Well, I want to assure you of something the basis of this appeal That paul

is making is going to flow all the way through halfway through chapter 15 as we're told.

What then shall we do?

How then shall we leave us live as friends to see if we're asked it?

The basis of it is mercy appealing to brothers and sisters in the lord.

On the basis of god's mercy.

His mercy endures forever.

What god has from his unchangeable nature?

Showered upon his people because of his son jesus who died for them for us god willing for you.

Is not going to suddenly change to malevolence as though he would say gotcha.

That thought that word that action was not because of my mercies not because of my gospel.

Didn't take into account my son jesus.

So now you're in deep deep trouble understand that god.

Whose mercy endures forever who is the same yesterday today and forever doesn't suddenly change all

that.

And become like a capricious god of the greek fables.

He's the true and living god.

He is the same yesterday today forever his mercy endures forever.

So with all that in mind.

That he's appealing.

Not commanding.

Though not optional.

I have to keep saying that Appealing to brothers on the basis of god's mercy with all that in

mind.

We can look at the second half of that verse.

Present your bodies as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to god, which is your

spiritual worship.

Now this is actually what we call cultic language.

And when I use that term don't think cults in the negative way that we usually think of them the negative way that we should think Of them

because by cultic we mean the process ordained by god in temple worship.

Paul is transferring the old ways of the temple.

To the new people of god and so he's using very cultic very temple kind of language there.

He says in first corinthians 3 16.

Do you not know that you are god's temple and that god's spirit dwells in you.

A little later in that same letter He says or do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy spirit within you whom you

have from god?

You are not your own.

So when he says present your bodies in a sense, he's saying.

Present the temple of god to god who made that temple.

Your body is by analogy the temple of god in those verses from first corinthians.

We as a body we as one body together this place this discreet church.

Is the temple of the lord?

And in another sense each of you if you have jesus christ in the indwelling spirit, you are individually

a temple of the lord.

So he says present your bodies.

Present your bodies in romans 12 1 paul means that plus the the idea of the temple plus he means

the whole of life being presented to god.

Present sometimes translated as to offer.

Now this word was used way back in chapter 6 in verse 13 about the use of our physical

selves in life.

Do you remember what he said?

He said do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness.

But present yourselves to god as those who have been brought from death to life and your members to god as instruments

of righteousness.

So in both places that what I just read in chapter 12 verse 1, there's no room for a

physical spiritual dichotomy.

It's all holistic.

It's all wrapped together.

What god has done by his mercy in your spirit must be the basis for all of life.

And this is your spiritual act of worship.

As you present your physical self your life your being to god

if you think about it rationally.

Anything less than that would be irrational.

Have you think if you need help thinking that that is the only right response to make then I would suggest going

back to chapter 1 of romans and reading through to chapter 11 and study that again and again and again

until this chapter 12 verse 1 Is the only thing that could make sense.

We are living sacrifices.

If you have the lord jesus christ a living Sacrifice and again, it's

temple language.

It's cultic language the endless stream of animals in the old testament temple entered in as

living things.

But of course they didn't leave that way.

They were brought in and the worshiper placed his hands on the beast's head and symbolically transferred the sins that he

confessed from himself.

And to the lamb or the bull or whatever it was and then that lamb or bull that creature that had the

sins transferred from The worshiper to the animal the creature then died.

There are many parallels here.

As paul uses this kind of cultic this temple language to get this point across to us.

It's so much like ourselves.

And we have died romans 6 6 our old self was crucified.

And of course, we know if you're crucified you're dead.

Crucified with him with christ in order that the body of sin might be put to death.

And just a couple verses later.

He says if we have died with christ, we also believe that we will also live with him.

Well, there are many analogies Of our life to this temple sacrificial system.

But they're not endless analogies.

When we come to christ we come as those who are dead in trespasses and sins.

And of course the animals came in they were living.

And the animals left the temple in the smoke of the altar's flames.

They were dead.

We leave how we come in dead and we leave alive.

We leave truly alive in christ.

We leave as living sacrifices.

There's more analogy here to this old testament temple.

I think paul means it here when he He brings to mind the idea that animals were entirely

burnt on the offer on the altar.

It was all meant for god.

And you and I.

In much the same way as living sacrifices are all given over to god consumed if you will

by him and for him.

And the parallels here Actually do continue.

And this will help us as we go into the ethical demands that we have upon us as christians as we go through these next

chapters.

Jesus' sacrifice was entirely for god.

All of it was for god's glory.

He came to do the will of him who sent him as he says over and over again in john's gospel.

So jesus' sacrifice was entirely for god, but the benefit of it was what?

On behalf of others on behalf of sinners.

As we'll see when we get to chapter 12 verse 3 and the rest of it.

We present ourselves to god as sacrifices.

Totally given over to god.

That's the point paul's making here in that mimicking jesus giving himself over totally to god.

But then we'll see.

We then give ourselves.

In our efforts on behalf of others.

Jesus' sacrifice was all for god, but he said in mark's gospel the son of man came not to be

served but to serve.

So what god what jesus did for god.

Is then given as a benefit to us?

Salvation.

And as we give ourselves over to god we benefit each other's.

We'll see as we work through the rest of chapter 12 in the coming weeks

we present Living sacrifices to the almighty.

And then we go to work on behalf of others just as jesus did.

Which is you.

And me and the person behind you and next to you.

In front of you in the pews brothers and sisters in the lord.

And that's the kind of dedication paul's speaking of here that is holy and acceptable to god.

Again in terms of the temple is how paul's writing.

Back then after the animal died for the discreet sin that was then confessed.

The smoke from the altar was a pleasing aroma to god.

And here it's the same idea.

Paul's not speaking in platitudes.

These are not little aphorisms or pithy little truths to encourage us on the way.

When we present our whole self to god as an entirely devoted and living sacrifice.

We're entering to a life that in god's eyes.

Is what paul just said?

Holy.

What does holy mean.

It means set aside it means sanctified to god's use it means morally correct

and different.

It's for god's use acceptable to god.

What does it mean to be acceptable to god?

It's back to ephesians 1 4 maybe god chose us in christ.

Before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him.

Now if you think about a little bit that ephesians 1 4 that's speaking of what is speaking of god's eternal decree before the

foundation of the world.

And we do no damage to that text when we say in eternity past.

In eternity past god chose the individual who would be in christ.

Who would benefit from his atoning death on the cross?

And the purpose of that that we should be holy and blameless before him in love.

That's god's eternal decree.

Romans 12 1.

And all the way through chapter 15 about halfway through that chapter is how it's effected.

The great what then do we do?

The psalmist mused what shall I render to the lord for all his benefits to me.

The gospel answers back yourself.

Give yourself to the lord daily and constantly.

Your life is hid in christ whether we live or die.

We are the lords do all things heartily as unto the lord whether you eat or drink or live or die do

all to the glory of god.

And then the last part of chapter 12 verse 1 of romans.

We have another reason for this if the mercies of god isn't enough to prick our ears.

He adds this.

It is your spiritual worship.

Now spiritual comes from the word in greek logikas.

I'm not going to go into a long lesson here, but it's logikas where you get what we'd expect you

get the word logic.

Some translations give a more literal reading or rendering.

So it's your reasonable or your rational service.

The idea is this if you think carefully on what god has done for you in christ.

The subject of those first 11 chapters.

And if by repentance for your sins and faith in christ, you believe that all this applies to you.

Thinking rationally about all this will lead you to just one conclusion.

That offering yourself to god as a living sacrifice the dedication of all you are

all you shall ever be.

Is the only rational Intelligent well -thought thing well -thought thing to do.

So I have a lot of sympathy for translating the word is reasonable.

So it lets me tell you as your preacher as your pastor something like this think it through God is

right.

Use your mind work it out.

And you'll come to the same conclusion because it's right.

It's correct.

It's rational but that said.

Our esv's use of the word spiritual for that word logikas.

Has a lot to be said for it.

The whole verse as i've been telling you hearkens back to temple worship recast now in gospel terms.

And in gospel terms is distinctly a spiritual life that we live.

We walk by faith not by sight.

Now this word is used only here and again in first peter 2 2 where he writes like newborn

infants long for the pure Spiritual milk, that's our word that by it you may grow up

to salvation.

Now paul seems to have picked up his word and probably peter 2 from the greek philosophers of the day.

It has the idea of something that's carefully thought through.

The two ideas reasonable and spiritual they come together like this spiritual worship by way of total dedication.

Dedication to god is thoughtful service.

If You're thoughtful about the content of chapters 1 through 11.

Then you will in a spiritual sense give yourself over completely to god.

You see you're not out of your mind if you believe in jesus.

You didn't check your brain with its god -given rational abilities at the door when you came in here.

Festus was wrong in acts chapter 26 and verse 24.

He said with a loud voice paul.

You're out of your mind.

Your great learning is driving you out of your mind.

What did paul answer?

Paul said i'm not out of my mind most excellent festus, but i'm speaking true and

rational words.

There's a philosopher back in paul's day Epictetus.

And he's often quoted here.

And again this one word this logic cost this word's only used twice in our bibles and very little outside of the

bibles.

But he's he's often quoted and he said this if indeed I were a nightingale I should be

singing as a nightingale if a swan as a swan, but as it is I am a logical there's a

word Excuse me.

I'm a rational being.

Therefore I must be singing hymns of praise to god and I exhort you to join me in the same song.

As a rational thinking being.

The only thing to do is to worship god.

And paul picks up on this word and he applies it to the gospel and says therefore your bodies as a living

sacrifice all your self.

All of who and what we are constantly Consistently

given over to god.

You see spiritual worship is thoughtful worship.

It flows smoothly from a rational assessment of god and his mercy to sinners in the gospel of his son.

A famous commentator named cranfield.

He put it this way.

Intelligent understanding worship that is worship that is consonant or consistent with the truth of the gospel.

Indeed nothing less than the offering of one's whole self in the course of one's concrete living.

Inwards one's inward thoughts feelings and aspirations, but also in one's words

and deeds.

It's everything.

Now as we go on through the rest of this book of romans with god's help.

As we work through chapter 12 We get the therefores you need to do this and therefore behave this way and think this

way.

And how do we act towards each other and the weaker and the younger the weaker and the stronger brothers?

Governing authorities all these things.

Here's the starting point.

Where chapter 1 verses 16 and 17 for i'm not ashamed of the gospel.

Is the theme of the entire book?

I would suggest to us that chapter 12 verses 1 and 2 is the theme of all the practicalities.

That follow.

What does it mean to give ourselves over?

We'll find out point by point with god's help as we go through it.

I want to consider for a moment what the prophet malachi told judah and this comes to bear upon what we're

talking about here.

Malachi ministered to those who returned from the babylonian exile and they returned to rebuild the temple.

And what he what the prophet found was a people so concerned with their daily lives that they had removed god as

their first concern.

Here was a people returned after the exile.

The temple was restored after its destruction.

The priests had returned to their work.

And they could look at the temple.

It was there on the on the mount.

They could see where it stood.

And they could look at it and see god's help to them in having put the temple back together.

But over here.

The economy is in tatters over there.

We have enemies all around.

There's drought.

There's famine.

There's hardship.

There's trouble everywhere.

And what did the people do.

The first thing they did the first thing to go was the quality of their offerings.

Their sacrifices that they brought to that temple the animals we spoke of earlier.

As you read the book of malachi you find that it became sort of a rote duty a mechanical thing they were doing.

They gave the animal but they didn't confess as their hand went to the creature's head.

They just sort of did it.

They ignored the lame legs or the mangy coat.

They said sort of well, this one produces no milk.

I'll give it to the lord and that one over there is about to die.

Perhaps god can make use of it.

And malachi 1 8 screams out and says when you offer blind animals and sacrifice.

Is that not evil?

And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil present those to your governor?

Will he accept you or show you favor says the lord of hosts?

And we can look at this and say well, what about us today?

What about what malachi saw and malachi 1 8 says in relation to what paul is telling us in the gospel

therefore Brothers present yourselves your bodies as living sacrifices.

What about us?

Well today I chose to be blind about what I let my sight take in.

Yesterday, I only limped away.

I didn't run but I limped away from temptation.

Tomorrow perhaps I shall indulge that which scripture says will be no good for my soul.

It might even make me sick and certainly would be displeasing to god who gave his son for me.

Paul writes of living sacrifices.

That are holy and acceptable to god.

He has in mind a rational people who've considered the gospel soberly and rationally and

biblically.

There's no part of us that could be hid from this.

The demand is all inclusive.

It's all invasive.

It demands our unrestricted unreserved unrestrained dedication.

Of all that is me To him.

And I would suggest that anything less makes no sense.

If you know jesus christ By faith in him and repentance

towards god the holy spirit residing within you as christ promised he would

anything else Is irrational.

Inconsistent sort of insane.

The 19th century frenchman godet he pointed out that the israelite sacrificial system can be boiled down

into two basic types.

First there were sacrifices offered in order to obtain reconciliation with god and then came the sacrifices

that celebrated that reconciliation.

And he says that the book of romans can sort of be divided by the same contrast where chapters 1 through 11 extol

the reconciliation we have with god by faith in his son.

And verses 1 16 and 17 the theme I alluded it to a moment ago.

For i'm not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of god for salvation to everyone who believes.

To the jew first and also to the greek for in it.

The righteousness of god is revealed from faith to faith as it is written the righteous shall live by

faith.

That's how the book opens.

Chapter 3 verses 25 26 christ jesus whom god put forward as a propitiation by his blood

to be received by faith.

This was to show god's righteousness because in his divine forbearance.

He had passed over former sins.

It was to show his righteousness at the present time so that he might be the just and the justifier of the

one who has faith in jesus.

Chapter 6 verse 23 for the wages of sin is death.

But the free gift of god's eternal life in christ.

Jesus our lord.

Chapter 8 ended with this blessed assurance.

Know in all these things.

We are more than conquerors through him who loved us for i'm sure that neither death nor life nor angels nor rulers

nor things present.

Nor things to come nor powers nor height nor depth nor anything else in all creation.

We'll be able to separate us from the love of god in christ.

Jesus Our lord.

Can we not hear? those verses.

And celebrate and just revel in the reconciliation that we have with god.

And then chapter 12 through 15 13 Explain to us how it is we celebrate this

beginning with this all -encompassing Need for spiritual

worship of total dedication and consecration of ourself to god.

It's a paradigm shift of the first half.

In a worldview that informs and changes everything.

The first half of this book has to give us a different outlook on everything.

So everything is informed by this one truth the sum of all those chapters all that

theology all that doctrine you see

dear ones the gospel changes everything.

It changes our entire outlook.

So every decision every word every thought every action Works through this one

filter the gospel of the lord.

Jesus christ.

You know, it's like a bride who's wooed by into marriage by the man of her dreams.

And suddenly when she has that ring on her finger, everything seems better.

The sun shines today exactly as it had yesterday.

But to her it's warmer and brighter and friendlier and a scientist might come along and say but i've measured the temperature and the

brightness.

There's no difference.

And the starstruck victim says no get away from me with your ridiculous instruments.

My savior has found me.

He's given me his life.

He's given his life for me.

He bore my sins in his body on the tree and now my body bearing life because of his death.

Lives and has given over to his service.

No, I don't care that yesterday.

It was 84 .0 degrees and today you can prove it's 83 .47 326 degrees.

It is warmer.

It is brighter.

It is clearer.

The gospel changes everything my whole life.

I know my savior lives and I see everything with new eyes and I want them to show me his ways

more and more.

Anyone who has no faith in jesus christ you here today who?

Think you're hearing the ravings of a fool who hasn't thought things through very well.

I need to tell you that with jesus as your sacrifice.

Without faith in him repentance towards god.

You're neither holy or acceptable to him.

I shudder a bit.

To continue preaching this to you who truly do not know jesus.

Because I fear as I go through this list of do's and you who've been with me a long time.

No, I don't turn it into just a list of do.

But it could come off that way as paul starts saying therefore here's what I want you to do.

Here's what I want you to act.

These are the kind of words.

I want you to say.

And if you don't know jesus christ.

But you've been coming here and listening.

And you continue to come and I pray you will.

But I tremble That you may come away thinking okay.

Finally got to chapter 12 finally got something I can grab on to and if I just do these things i'll be okay.

Holy acceptably god holy acceptable to god.

And the answer is no.

Chapters 1 through 11 if they tell you anything faith In christ and repentance

toward god.

And the dread price he paid for your sins.

Faith.

That's wholly acceptable to god.

Then Let's behave properly.

Secure your place with jesus christ first repent of your sins.

Flee to his cross ask god for forgiveness.

And trust that when christ on the cross said it is finished.

It was all finished and all your sins have been forgiven because they were Placed

upon him and he christ jesus paid your price trust that

With your eternal soul and then Listen to the do's

and the don'ts.

For your status before god to be holy and acceptable before him.

That was earned for us by our lord.

Jesus christ when he died on the cross when he removed from us the blight of sin.

And we can't try to gain what jesus only could do.

Come to christ for forgiveness of your sins.

Believe this gospel will be cleansed and by god's grace be a living sacrifice and a testament to his mercies.

And to the rest as we proceed.

Know that You are holy and acceptable to god.

Not by the quality or the consistency.

Or the level of effort in your doings.

Your place with god was won by christ jesus and that will never change.

And as we get into the doing of it, let us do it because we are living sacrifices to god.

And this is the only rational this is the only logical thing to do.

To spiritually give ourselves over in our bodies to god in all that we do.

Remembering that it's all holy and acceptable and pleasing to god because of his son.

And knowing that We strive all the more to be more holy and acceptable and

pleasing to god.

Amen.

Heavenly father we give you thanks for this day.

We thank you father for your word.

We thank you lord for this letter to the romans written so many thousand years ago and now to us.

That tells us of your wonderful mercies and what you have done for us in the lord.

Jesus christ.

And father may we be that people That gives ourselves over to you completely in a way that makes

you More and more pleased that brings more and more honor and glory to your name for we Pray all this

for your name and for the sake of your son's honor in his name.

Amen.