FBC Adult Bible Study

Let's do this this Series pastor started back in the first part of June and this is based upon a book

Entitled a radical comprehensive call to holiness a radical comprehensive call to holiness

How many of you ever spend part of your day sitting around reading the dictionary? I know

I'm weird That's okay, but you knew that before I got up here Actually, it's kind of enlightening because sometimes we forget the depth of meanings of some of the words so again the title of the book is a

Radical comprehensive call to holiness if you look at the word radical several definitions

One is and you don't need to write this down. One is basic radical can mean basic The other definition is extreme

So what the two authors of this book that would be Beaky and Baird are basically saying

We need to look again and have an extreme

Comprehensive call to holiness and that's what we want to look at today. So you can see from the title

This is entitled This chapter 8 in their book living for Jesus or another way to look at that is simply holy living

Which is what Christians should be about? So the introductory or premise statement is listed right there for you.

Truth and duty are inseparable Truth and duty are inseparable and I'm gonna start this out a little bit different So you can see in your notes.

It says consider the biblical fool. We read about that in Psalm 14 1 You don't need to look it up and it basically says the fool says in his heart what?

There is no God now fool as used in the Bible does not mean that we're stupid fool

Addresses the moral arena. So any person that would say there is no

God both Old Testament and New Testament call that person a fool from a moral viewpoint

So Romans chapter 1 tells us that if we look at creation around us, right it is

Evident that there must be a God so whether Old Testament or New Testament if a person says there is no

God the writers are saying that person is a Moral fool that's a strong language strong language

So in Romans chapter 12 verses 1 and 2 I want to read those Then we'll go back to Romans chapter 1 and we'll plow through this together

So Romans chapter 12 verses 1 and 2 and this is going to be our main text that we're going to unpack this morning

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 So let's now go back a couple pages to Romans chapter 1

Romans chapter 1 verses 18 through 20 so again, what are we looking at that truth and duty are inseparable and In Romans 18 we read this

Romans chapter 1 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth for What can be known about God is plain to them because God has shown it to them for his invisible attributes

Namely his eternal power and divine nature Have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world in the things that have been made

So they are without excuse So whether this passage or the one back in Psalm 14

The writers are basically saying if a person says there is no God morally, they are a fool very very strong but clear language

So the next idea is and this is all introductory the next idea and I think we know this and again part of the problem

Of this brothers and sisters is this when we have familiar passages like this

Do we tend to just kind of roll over them? Yes, we do So let's look at this in a fresh perspective

Romans chapter 1 through 11 is a phenomenal treatise written by Paul and Basically, he describes two great truths number one all of sinned and therefore they are without excuse and Number two the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus So Romans 6 23 says what for the wages of sin is?

Death, but the free gift of God is eternal life So we know that we know that to be an evident truth

Sometimes though still in the back of our mind we can begin to think well Sometimes I need to work just a little bit to get

God's favor, right? I send a little bit here. So I'm gonna be a little bit good here and that's going to restore the relationship

Well, we know in truth that that's not true that this is only something that is presented one way

By faith, we believe we accept the gospel God does the transforming work in our hearts through the

Holy Spirit and that's what restores that relationship But now look at this next point.

So Romans 1 11 talk about all have sinned and That the free gift of God is eternal life

This brings us then to our text that we started with back to Romans chapter 12

These two truths that we just talked about are followed by the duty of Romans 12 1 & 2

So, please go back to Romans 12 1 So we're back in Romans 12 verse 1 and notice what

Paul says here. I appeal to you therefore This is one of these little phrases that I think most of us has learned it once we see the word

Therefore we must find out find out what it is therefore, right so why

Does Paul talk about and he says I appeal to you? Therefore he is referencing all 11 chapters the first 11 chapters of Romans.

Does that make sense? So in essence what he's saying is if you go back and you read the first 11 chapters of Romans all that God has done for us

In spite of our sinfulness Because of what he's done for us now chapter 12 verses 1 & 2 apply

So we get through all the doctrine of the first 11 chapters We get to chapter 12 verses 1 & 2 and in two short verses

Paul describes the duty So Next paragraph in your notes.

It says what truth in the mind Must affect the heart and direct the hands

Another way to say that is doctrine must be followed by duty

So truth in the mind must affect the heart and direct the hands the other way to say that is

Once we have doctrine understood and applied to our hearts by the

Holy Spirit Doctrine must be followed by duty. So the first two verses of Romans 12 chart the course for the kind of holy living required by the gospel

And we're going to break this into three supporting arguments Living for Jesus that is holy living

Living for Jesus is logical Progressive and worth the effort and that's what we're going to impact this morning

And if I go long enough than pastor will acquit doesn't even have to come up and preach And he's okay with that Okay.

So now let's get to the actual stuff and I want you to understand the way that I've hopefully

Presented this in your outline is all the bold terms that you're going to find

Those are the words that are actually found in your text and we'll unpack those for us so logical or Reasonable I appeal to you.

I'm going to read verse 1 again. I Appeal to you therefore brothers by the mercies of God to present your bodies as a living sacrifice

Holy and acceptable to God and here's our key phrase, which is your Spiritual worship.

It's your reasonable worship or it's your logical worship All of those terms would be acceptable based on the

Greek word So skipping down and I've put these in italics. These are the transliterated words from the

Greek that first word Logicos What word might that remind you of in our

English English language? Logic logical exactly.

So what kind of worship should we be giving? Yes, it should be spiritual.

It should be reasonable It should be a logical worship

Do you catch that concept in any one of those three words are acceptable to put in our

English? versions So in light of everything that God has done for us as Paul has described in the first 11 chapters

What should be our response? in Response to that wonderful doctrine our duty should be a worship.

That is Reasonable should be spiritual because it is logical.

Do you catch that truth? for the redeemed person

Not to pursue that pursue that kind of a holy Lifestyle is illogical and absurd

Even apart from the more serious assessment that it is sin So let's look at that sentence carefully if as Christians we are not living a holy life.

Is that sinful? Yes, absolutely, and that's part of why we pray

Continuously, even though we're in this period of sanctification God sees our lives as holy through Christ, but we know from our own vantage points that frequently they don't measure up But for a redeemed person not to pursue that kind of of life is what?

Illogical now, let's look at that word again. If you're illogical, you're not logical and if you're not logical

Are we acting? Foolishly, do you catch that?

so when we're not living a holy life Paul says We're acting foolishly

And if we're not pursuing a holy lifestyle We're acting absurdly, so I had to look that one up just to catch the richness of the word an absurd means ridiculously unreasonable is

Paul basically saying that We could have so much fun with paraphrasing what he's saying he's basically saying

Anytime you're not living a holy lifestyle. You're acting foolishly and we are reasonably ridiculous in our lifestyle

Did you catch the richness of that and you say that's that's a little harsh Well Paul's getting a little harsh here in verses 1 and 2

In light of everything that God has done for you. He's basically saying brothers and sisters. I got to have your attention

We've got to be really committed to a holy lifestyle so logical's we get our word logic from that can be translated reasonable or spiritual and then if we get to the last word of verse 1 it is your spiritual worship

Latria Can be rendered as either service or worship. So what is

Paul saying? logically Reasonably spiritually we need to have true service and worship

Let's look over at Hebrews 9 6 Hebrews 9 6 in Hebrews 9 6 this is what we read

These preparations having thus been made the priests go regular into the first section

Performing their what duties? my version says

ESV says Ritual duties now that is the same word that Paul uses back in Romans chapter 12 for worship in other words

Our life should be a life of worship It should be a life of service that's what

Paul is saying and to veer from that is Illogical.

So is there a logical link between worship and life Paul thinks? So you can see these bullet points any disconnect between worship and holy living is

Illogical in other words, we would be a biblical fool And to be deficient in a living personal holiness

Taints every other expression of worship So you're saying boy, this is kind of a downer you guys you sound kind of serious up there.

Well, I'm kind of serious because Here Paul is exceedingly serious

When I'm talking about seriousness I'm not saying that we as Christians should run around with a bunch of long faces like you have right now looking at me thinking

What is he trying to say? No, there should be a joyfulness and yet there should be a somberness to our

Christian walk We've all seen those Christians They walk around like they're part of the Trinity right carrying the weight of the world.

No, I'm not talking about that But we need to occasionally reflect and say boy this

Christian walk It's a it's a serious thing and I'm glad that we have brothers and sisters to help us in the walk

I'm glad we have the word to give us direction I'm glad we have the Holy Spirit to give us guidance, but the spiritual walk is a serious thing

George Sweeting anybody remember that name? That's a call from way way back

Yeah, so he used to be the pastor at the Moody Bible list or Moody Bible Church the

Moody Church And this is what he says the Christian life is a positive allegiance to Jesus Christ It is becoming so occupied with him that the values and standards of the world around us have little influence in other words what

George Sweeting said and what Paul is saying is if we get so enamored with What God has done for us?

our natural outflow of that our Logical response will be a holy life that will be so Consuming and so delightful to us that we don't even get track attracted to the world

And that's the standard so we don't want to look at it negatively. We want to look at it positively

Continuing Motivated by mercy so this logical

Living this living sacrifice these holy lives that we are supposed to be all about we can divide that into a couple different sections, which

I've already alluded to first of all a holy lifestyle is Motivated by mercy.

So back to our text verse 1 of chapter 12. I Appeal The word there can be rendered either beseech or appeal now

I can't remember the last time I heard somebody in normal English use that word. I beseech you right?

That's kind of died 150 years ago when I was just a kid So we don't use that but that is a pretty strong word as it says in your notes

This is a note of urgency that Paul uses it is and I hate to go grammar on you

But this is in the present tense. Remember your present tense future all that Okay, some of that my wife knows that because she homeschooled.

I forgot all of that long time ago But it is in the present tense and basically what

Paul is saying here I Persistently Insistently implore you do you catch all of that?

He's kind of grabbing us by the face and he's saying listen, this is really important. I beseech you

I implore you He's not asking it's way beyond that He's not commanding But he's literally strongly begging each one of us as Christians To be about this kind of holy living very strong language in the

Greek and then mercies not mercy But mercies he's saying reflect upon the countless mercies back in chapters 1 through 11

That God has shown our way So living for Jesus makes no sense

Apart from the overwhelming knowledge of the richness of God's grace

This kind of distinctively Christian living does not occur in a theological vacuum

Paul's basis for his admonition is what God has done for us So what

I'm what do I mean by a theological vacuum? It would be like this is the first time you've ever heard the gospel and I just say listen

This is what you know You just need to go out and give it your best and do everything you can that's living in a theological vacuum

But Paul doesn't do that. He spends 11 chapters carefully telling us that in spite of as bad as each one of us were or maybe are as Sinful as things are

God's mercies are greater than that and it is in light of God's mercies

That we need to be about holy living So now we have definite reasons for holy living we're not living in a theological vacuum

So join me, please in 2nd Corinthians 5 14 and 15 2nd

Corinthians 5 14 and 15 and we'll develop this thought just a little bit more 2nd

Corinthians 5 14 and 15 For the love of Christ Controls or compels us because we have concluded this that one has died for all therefore all have died and He died for all why that those who might live no longer for themselves

But for him who for their sake died and was raised So Paul is saying the same thing in different words over in 2nd

Corinthians Continuing in your notes, please.

It doesn't make any sense spiritually to live by self -interest

In other words, we can't live a successful life if we're just thinking about ourselves To live by self -interest when we look at life through the spectacle of Christ's love to strive for virtue without any reference to grace

Reduces the Christian life to legalistic list keeping or frustrating failures

Do you catch that folks? Paul's saying one of the reasons so many

Christians tend to live a flat spiritual life is They try to live a life

Not thinking about God's many graces and mercies and we just can't do that.

That's living in the flesh And we're going to be a failure So what does

Paul say again? focus on what Christ has done for you and In response to that we will live lives of holy living and when we fail which we will

We can always depend upon additional mercies of Christ to forgive us that that's what can turn a flat or Really flat

Christian life into one of victory because we reflect on Christ's mercies

So the last line in there the proper why? Leads to the proper what?

Well, what's the proper? Why the proper? Why are God's mercies and What's the proper?

What holy living? So if we reflect on God's mercies that will be the should be the primary motivator

For holy living and that's an important motivation and perspective for us to have so right thinking causes right behavior

Not too long ago. I had a conversation with a business owner and a politician and This Individual was going through just kind of a not a complaint list

But going through a checklist of all the difficulties that we're currently seeing in our own environment

From the political realm to the moral realm to the business realm and that you guys know probably what some of that conversation and as the conversation continued to unfold we got down to the end and We both agreed that the answer to all of those problems

Was this and the problem of course that we're doing or we're seeing in our society is we're trying to fix those each of those problems at man's level

But if we get back and that's what Romans chapter 1 is all about right Romans 1 2 3 4 5 up to 11

So I was glad to hear him arrive at that conclusion in each one of those cases if we took and applied biblical principles

To parts that were biblically oriented those problems would clear up Paul's saying this is important stuff and I agree with it.

So the second point under logical is this expressed in consecration

The word present I appeal therefore to you I'm sorry. I appeal to you therefore brothers by the mercies of God to present your bodies

Present what's the verb tense? The verb tense conveys a sense of urgency and necessity

Okay, you're saying you're doing much grammar here. That's okay. That's okay. This makes this passage

I think jump out at us So again, this is not just something in passing that Paul's presenting and when we read these first two verses of chapter 12

We should sit back and we say Wow Grammatically, this is a really powerful to set of two verses.

It's really powerful So what's the extent of our presenting our bodies?

It should be totally Totally both in body and in spirit

So we are to present our bodies totally both physically, that's the body and spiritually

So if you'd go over please to first Corinthians 6 19 and 20 First Corinthians 6 19 and 20 and Paul says this 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

For you are bought with a price So glorify God in your body So this holy living

What's our motivation the mercies of God and how are we to express our holy living?

Well, the first thing is Totally totally both our physical body and our spiritual component 100 % should be dedicated and motivated to holy living the authors say this

There is no part of the redeemed life untouched by grace So there should be no part of the redeemed life

Exempt from living for Jesus to me That's a pretty logical statement

The saving work of Christ affected every part of us physically and spiritually so every part of us should be dedicated 24 hours a day to holy living

And again, why? Because it's a response of grace So the character of that consecration in other words this idea of holy living three points living

The word living that is in there Not a physical loss of loss of life, but a putting to death of the flesh

Let me give you this out of Colossians You need not look there if you don't want to in Colossians 3 5 it says put to death

Therefore what is earthly in you? Sexual immorality impurity passion evil desire and covetousness

Which is idolatry So what's Paul saying again he's saying when it comes to our bodies

We're not to literally put to death her physical bodies but that flesh this

Unredeemed portion of us that continually gets us in trouble. He says we continually need to put this stuff to death

Like the lust of the eyes and the lust of the flesh. That's an ongoing battle, isn't it?

Anybody conquered that yet? I haven't so we need to continually by the grace of God work on putting to death that flesh and Also our self interests that conflict with the work of Christ.

We already looked at that passage in 2nd Corinthians chapter 4 So what is our holiness the extent should be total?

The living the character of that consecration then the living we've talked about let's look at the holiness

So for this we can go back to Psalm chapter 24 verses 3 and 4

Psalm chapter 24 verses 3 and 4 another familiar passage

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord and who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart

Who does not lift up his soul to what is false and do not and does not swear deceitfully

Well, of course the clean hands has nothing to do with soap and water, right? It's talking about our works of service need to be pure and our heart needs to be pure so we must offer the best that we can unto the

Lord in light of all of the benefits of grace that he has bestowed upon us in Colossians chapter 122

Colossians 122 This is what we read He has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death

In order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him

So the idea is that in our holiness in our consecration that Paul is talking about back in Romans 12

It should be a total consecration it should be a living

Consecration it should be holy and it should be Acceptable so no life can begin to be pleasing to God Until the saving benefits of Christ's atoning sacrifice have been applied

And this is an interesting verse back in Isaiah so in Isaiah 64 verse 6

This is what we read Isaiah 64 6 we have all become like one who is unclean and All our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment

We all fade away like a leaf and our niceties like the wind take us away So is

Isaiah talking to the whole world or is he talking? Just to the unsaved

Well, we're included in this when he says we have all become like one who was unclean so the idea of this particular passage is

We cannot be acceptable to God until God first does a work in our life

Otherwise all of our works are like filthy Rags, right?

Can we as Christians do works of filthy rags? Yes, we can if we're doing them in the flesh wrong motivations of things like that Those are unacceptable so we must have pure hands in a pure heart and that can only be achieved through Christ's atoning work on us and Then out of the proper motivation those works are then acceptable so Expressed in consercation.

We talked about the extent and the character Too many sheets of paper, you know, whenever you do something like this

You just start writing more and more and then I just get in trouble. So the conclusion of this section

Consecration of life is not in order to be accepted by God, but because of it.

Did you catch that? We live a consecrated life not to be accepted

But because of what God has done Do you folks? Honestly ever find yourself doing works

Kind of because you feel like you have to get in good with God Doesn't that sneak into our mind once in a while and we think

I think I better do this And then we sit back and we say no wrong motivation wrong motivation

So we live a consecrated life because of what God has done never to be accepted by him

So we move from logical as far as living for Jesus, it's the logical thing now we go to the idea of progressive

So back in Romans keep a finger there Back in Romans and now we're looking at verse 2

So Paul continues and this is what he says 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? So living for Jesus does it is progressive but because it's progressive it must start at a point of repentance

So it does require repentance in verse 2 the language that Paul uses

There is in the present tense again indicating a new way of life

Entirely different from what God saved us out of and he approaches this both negatively and positively in The negative aspect when it says do not be conformed

He's saying don't be conformed to this world or this present evil age on the other hand

Positively, we need to be transformed You know, I'm sure that many of you growing up when you first saw the idea of a little

Caterpillar and your parents said that caterpillar turns into a butterfly

And you thought yeah, they're not too bright There's no way that is gonna turn into that and then you got off to school and you came across that great big word called meta

Metamorphosis in metamorphosis It goes in as God goes in it wraps, you know itself around and all these wonderful little things take place

And then all of a sudden it pops out and here's the finished thing the butterfly, right?

So the change was from with in How did the Pharisees change?

The Pharisees were different on the outside, right? Their hearts were never changed only

God can do a Metamorphosis on us and that's what Paul is saying here

We need to be transformed from the inside out So as far as the do not be conformed the negative

I want to read a quote from a W Tozer if you've ever had to read or the occasion to read some of Tozer's work

I would challenge you maybe start with the knowledge of the holy Phenomenal book it'll make your brain hurt.

But this is what Tozer says And catch what he's saying here The fall of man has created a perpetual crisis

By the way, it's the world in a crisis right now in Tozer's saying the fall of man has created a perpetual crisis

It will last until sin has been put down and Christ reigns over a redeemed and restored world until that time the earth remains a disaster area and Inhabitants live in a state of extraordinary emergency

You say really? Well spiritually, haven't we been in a disaster since the fall?

We have he continues To me it's always been difficult to understand those evangelical

Christians who insist upon living in a crisis as if no crisis Existed did

Paul feel like he was living in a crisis time That's why he committed his life.

Yes They say they serve the Lord But they divide their days so as to leave plenty of time to play and loaf and enjoy the pleasures of the world as well

They are at ease while the world burns Now in Wednesday nights

We've been going through some interesting videos on some spiritual Giants and I would submit that each one of those individuals

Is not asleep. They're saying wow, the world is in crisis Just think brothers and sisters how we could impact the world around us if we realize that the world indeed was in a crisis

Especially spiritual right and we spent more of our God -given energies to address that So back to our notes to wrap up oneself in the things of this temporary world defies the objective of Christ's atonement

So this living for Jesus, it's logical it's progressive it does require repentance and it is achieved by right thinking so as the

Holy Spirit renews the mind a Transformed living for Jesus takes place 2nd

Corinthians 3 18 says this 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 spirit So let's look at this third and final point as we wind down living for Jesus is logical

Living for Jesus is progressive in living for Jesus is worth the effort

We get that from the last part of verse 2 of chapter 12

Let me read all of to don't 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? so the word prove

Now Professionally, I've been involved in the world of science for about 50 years and science is all about proving right and it's fun to look

At stuff and after it's proven you say, okay, I can hang on to that. It's truth as Opposed to a lot of this stuff that's floating around in the world today, especially in our country

So it's important to be able to prove and Paul says what? in this verse

That by testing you may discern or prove what is the will of God To examine and find by experience the attention giving

Given to discovering God's will should be a daily exercise This is why we need to be on the word in the word on a continuous basis

So as those little doubts may creep in and we say well, maybe maybe maybe not We can get back into God's Word and we say there it is right there.

That's the proof so God's will and There's three descriptors

It is morally good last part of verse 10 discern. What is the will of God?