The Lord's Day Bible Message Outlines
July 18, 2010
Pastor Dana Johnson
“…present your bodies a
living sacrifice….” Romans 12:1
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.
1. Introduction: This crucial
admonition represents a conclusion of all the doctrine in
Romans chapters 1-11; and an introduction to all the
practical Christian life instructions of chapters
12-16.
2. The word “beseech”
represents the appropriate mode of ministry in the local
church. As peter said: “not by compulsion.”
1 Peter 5:2 -
Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as
overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for
dishonest gain but eagerly.
3. This admonition is based on the
mercies of God.
a. The mercies (plural) are
all the attendant blessings that flow from the mercy
(sing.) of God. Chapters 1-11
b. Paul has made this point
before: that the grace and mercy of God does not lead to
ungodliness, but rather to godliness.
Romans 6:1, 15 -
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that
grace may abound? 15What then? Shall we sin
because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly
not!
4. We are urged to present our bodies
to God.
a. This is an act of our
will- once enslaved by sin but now enlightened and freed
from sin’s control.
b. Paul used this word
“present” before in Romans 6:13, 16, 19.
Romans 6:13, 16,
19 - And do not present your members as instruments of
unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as
being alive from the dead, and your members as
instruments of righteousness to God. 16Do you
not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to
obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of
sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to
righteousness? 19I speak in human terms
because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you
presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of
lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present
your members as slaves of righteousness for
holiness.
c. Christ presented His body as a
propitiating sacrifice in death; we present our bodies as
a living sacrifice of praise and devotion.
d. Consider the manner in which we
present ourselves :
1) consciously
3) completely 5)
proactively
2) continually
4) reverently 6)
reactively
5. We are to present ourselves as a
living sacrifice. This sacrifice is characterized by its
quality, not by its activity.
a. Holy: meaning it is
dedicated to God.
b. Acceptable: meaning it is well
pleasing to God.
6. This is our reasonable service.
a. The word
“reasonable” implies the crucial importance of
mentally thinking about doctrine.
b. Based on the doctrine of
God’s mercies a godly life is the right response.
(All
Scripture quoted is from the New King James
Version)
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