God Wants the Total You — Erlo Stegen

Let us pray. We thank you, Lord, for all that we have heard and seen. Lord, it was once said that blissed are your eyes that have seen and your ears that have heard. And Lord, we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities.

And Lord, we've also seen that your name is above every name. You are alive and nothing is too difficult for you. Help us now, Lord Jesus, through your word. Amen. Romans 12, verse 1 and 2. I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is good and acceptable and the perfect will of God. We'll read thus far. Now listen carefully.

God's Mercy Calls for Total Surrender

I'm not going to go on at length. I'm just going to go in speed. Our text starts by saying, I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies and compassion of God. We are begged by the mercies and compassion of God.

If you're here as a Christian, or even if you're not saved, you are here because of the grace of God. And he begs you through this compassion, which we've received. We read in the Bible about Ananias and Sapphira who made a pact of deception and hypocrisy together in their home, and they died for it.

Think how much you have lied, how much hypocrisy has been in your life, and yet you are still alive because of the grace of God. We read in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 where it says, Do not behave as they did in their sexual promiscuity, and 23 ,000 died in one day.

Consider this, that in their whoredom, in their immorality, God came down swiftly in His wrath, and He wiped them out. They died like flies. Think how immoral you have been, and yet it's been the compassion of God that has kept you alive.

It also speaks there about how they tempted and pushed God, and tempting Him there in the wilderness and God destroyed them. Think how much you have tried to test God, and yet He has kept you alive by His compassion.

It says that they murmured, they complained in the desert, and God sent the destroyer to destroy them. Think how often you have murmured and complained, and yet you are still not destroyed because of His grace.

And that text says that we should learn the lesson from them not to do and behave as they did. Just think how many were destroyed, and yet you are still here and alive. That is through God's mercy. God appeals to you through His deep compassion.

Presenting the Body as a Living Sacrifice

If you despise and trade under your feet His compassion, you will be destroyed one day like they were. Secondly, I beseech you by the mercies and compassion of God that you present yourself as a living sacrifice acceptable to God, holy and clean.

This is an amazing appeal that we should come and present our bodies as a sacrifice to God. I remember way back when I was preaching Kingscliff one day, a Lutheran pastor came in and said, to the congregation, God isn't concerned at all about your body.

What He is interested in is your spirit and your soul. That is what he says, the body is insignificant. Well if you want lies, those are raw lies. God wants the body. And He says, bring your bodies and present it as a sacrifice acceptable to God.

Now our emphasis is different. We would say it sounds more true to say, give your heart to the Lord, or give your spirit to the Lord, give yourself to the Lord, but to present your body to the Lord? Isn't that of greater importance than just giving your body?

God knows what He says and the Bible is the truth when it says, give your body to Him. So what is the meaning therefore of presenting your body as a sacrifice? There were various sacrifices in the Old Testament.

There was the sin offering, they might bring a beast like a bull and the hand of the sinner would be laid on it and it would be said, this is the substitution for your sin. There were the sacrifices for peace.

There were food sacrifices. Various. When Jesus came, He was the final and ultimate sacrifice. No more sacrifices are necessary. And do you hear, you who are involved in the occult and bring your animals to be slaughtered, it's not necessary.

Jesus is God. Though there is no sacrifice necessary anymore, nevertheless it speaks in this context of presenting your body as a sacrifice and you, bridegroom and bride, present your bodies to the Lord.

The Body as the Home of Soul and Spirit

Why should it say present the body? Why doesn't it rather refer to the soul or the spirit or the heart? It's because your soul, your spirit is in your body. All of that is united together bodily. I have.

When God speaks therefore about presenting your body, He means your total surrender because the body contains soul and spirit. It means an absolute sacrifice of everything who you are. And your soul and spirit receive strength then through your body.

It's not just that the body is the tent containing these parts. Your body is the home of your soul and spirit. Not only home, umbusi is the ruler. The body is ruling your soul, your body is ruling your spirit, your body is ruling your heart, controlling it.

Let me illustrate for you. It's like a person who is addicted to drugs or alcohol, they say I better give myself to the Lord. He makes a decision but his body demands to go back to these things. It is like a person who is convicted of being loose, sexually immoral.

And they are convicted but they say I have no control, my body is just too hot, it just demands this lifestyle. So do not despise the body and say it is of no consequence. It is thoroughly of all importance.

The Bible says the spirit is willing but the body is weak. And that the spirit then fails because of the body. Jesus said could you not watch with me for even one hour but the body is weak. The spirit is willing but the body is weak, that's why their spirit and soul did not obey.

When you die, soul and spirit goes to God but your body putrefies but when it's the judgment, when it's the final day, it is united. When your body is transformed to a body of glory. Now I am just hurrying through.

The Members of the Body as Instruments of Righteousness

In Romans it says in our holy war we must present our members that they are weapons of righteousness, instruments of righteousness and not instruments of evil. That is why the Bible says so clearly there, your body, let it not be instrumental for sin.

Let the members not be instruments of wickedness but unto righteousness. For sin shall no longer rule over you, over this dying body. It says mortify the lusts of the flesh, do not listen and give in to the cravings.

But present your bodies and the members thereof as instruments of righteousness. That is why God wants every part of you and all of you, your whole body, every member thereof to be holy, holy, holy. Like the choir sang Christ holy, what you feel, are you so or you dead, that holiness means nothing to you.

That is why God says present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy unto the Lord. That the body is not used for wickedness but that evil is destroyed. You see why it is necessary that God says give your bodies as a sacrifice to God.

Because people make decisions, they say alright I give my heart to the Lord. But they continue in sin, continue using their members of their bodies as instruments of unrighteousness because they have not presented their bodies to God.

God demands the total you, everything about you and your body, otherwise Satan himself will rule you. It also says in the word, by the spirit put to death the members of your body. You mortify the flesh, you resist and deny the members of your body by cutting off that, denying it and saying no.

Disciplining your body to be in subjection to God's rulership, not subject to the rulership of sin. Take your whole being, your whole body, every part of you and bring it to the altar of God as a living sacrifice that you belong to God, you are His property.

For when you part from sin you are being sanctified, being acceptable to God. And it says this being your reasonable service, this is your duty, your reasonable service. If you are worshipping sin through your body, you are making haste with the greatest of speed towards destruction and judgement.

The Mouth and Ears Under God's Rule

For you use your mouth to swear, to slander and through your body, through your mouth you complain and you fight. And through your mouth not being surrendered to God and surrendered rather to the devil, you involved in satanic immorality and what is rotten comes out of your mouth.

You eat with the same mouth that you swear and slander with and your body is being used as an instrument for satan. But if you have surrendered your body to God, you won't gossip, you will not blaspheme.

You will sing good songs, praising God, you will bless people, you will comfort people, you will speak encouraging up building things. You will pray with the same mouth. Like that girl who testified that she had that 666 written invisibly but if you go to her now she is converted not visible anymore.

But if you go to her now she is converted not visible anymore. But if you go to her now she is converted not visible anymore. But if you go to her now she is converted not visible anymore. But if you go to her now she is converted not visible anymore.

But if you go to her now she is converted not visible anymore. Your body is to be Christ's very own instrument, not that you abuse yourself. Job said, I have made a covenant with my eyes not to look upon a woman.

Have you made a covenant with God or are you lusting after women, you are using your body as instruments of the devil. We are playing around if we say that we are Christians and we act like that. We are playing around if we say that we are Christians and we act like that.

We are playing around if we say that we are Christians and we act like that. Have you presented your ears to God for it belongs to Him, do you listen to wicked things, slanderous things that are gossip, you are on your way to hell if you are doing that.

Have you presented your ears to God for it belongs to Him, do you listen to wicked things, slanderous things that are gossip, you are on your way to hell if you are doing that. Have you presented your ears to God for it belongs to Him, do you listen to wicked things, slanderous things that are gossip, you are on your way to hell if you are doing that.

Have you presented your ears to God for it belongs to Him, do you listen to wicked things, slanderous things that are gossip, you are on your way to hell if you are doing that. Have you presented your ears to God for it belongs to Him, do you listen to wicked things, slanderous things that are gossip, you are on your way to hell if you are doing that.

Have you presented your ears to God for it belongs to Him, do you listen to wicked things, slanderous things that are gossip, you are on your way to hell if you are doing that. Have you presented your ears to God for it belongs to Him, do you listen to wicked things, slanderous things that are gossip, you are on your way to hell if you are doing that.

Resisting Conformity to the World

Look at our Christians run after the fashion, whether it is mini or maxi or showing the belly or the back, whatever happens to be the trend of the moment Christians run after. It is God's command that says do not be conformed and be like the world.

So that you will be enabled to prove what is good and acceptable and the perfect will of God. I ask you since you got converted, have you given yourself totally to the Lord, have you surrendered your body as well.

Let your body be surrendered to God, let all of you, your total being be His and then it will be evident that God has worked in your life indeed. Thank you. Thank you. I thank the Bridegroom and Bride for their good testimony which we have heard.

Marriage as a Covenant of Holy Surrender

Now let this be a day of complete surrender to the Lord that in every way you will be transformed like Christ and not conformed like the world. Do you say and agree that you have been brought together not by man but by the will of God.

He says yes. And that this is the bride that God gives you, He says yes. And this ring is a witness to that, you are surrendered, this is a complete ring, it is joined and so let your life be like that as well.

And to the Bride I ask, do you believe that your Bridegroom is given by God for you, she says yes. Then God has united you together and let your bodies be instruments of righteousness since God has joined you together.

And you live in that way right till death, till death do you part. Don't be conformed like the world where they look at another woman when they are married and they desire someone else for Jesus says such a person has committed adultery, even looking with desire has committed adultery in his heart.

And you live in that way right till death, till death do you part. And to the Bride I ask, do you believe that your Bridegroom is given by God for you, she says yes. Let your body be a holy temple to the Lord that He rules you, that you are not an instrument of the devil, that you live for the Lord.

That is pleasing. And to the Bride I ask, do you believe that your Bridegroom is given by God for you, she says yes. And to the Bride I ask, do you believe that your Bridegroom is given by God for you, she says yes.

And to the Bride I ask, do you believe that your Bridegroom is given by God for you, she says yes. That they have behaved in a good way and they have presented their bodies as holy temples to you. That the Holy of Holies, the Holy Spirit would fill them.

Prayer for Sanctified Bodies and Lives

That even Satanists would have no power over them. For even their bodies are the temple of God, the Holy Spirit. Sanctify them Lord, let your grace be with them always. May the love of the Father overflow in their hearts.

And the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be theirs until the last trumpet shall sound or before you come through death. That they would be people who have indeed surrendered their bodies. And Lord I also ask on behalf of the rest of the audience here, Lord I have asked everyone including the photographers, every single person whether they have surrendered their bodies to you.

That their bodies Lord would be righteous and acceptable to you and that you would be well pleased with them. Amen.