Scripture Romans 12:1
THEME VERSE: Romans 12:1
Therefore, I urge you brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship.
The “Therefore” at Romans 12:1 is there in light of everything Paul wrote from chapter 1-11.
Romans 1-11 are considered Paul’s greatest treatise on his theology - how he understands God.
How he understands God has everything to do with God’s grace and mercy.
Last week’s message centered on Jacob who stole the blessing and birthright from his brother Easu. Check this out as a lead in for today…Romans 9:10-16 Rebekah's children had one and the same father, our father Isaac. Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad — in order that God's purpose in election might stand: not by works but by him who calls — she was told, "The older will serve the younger." Just as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated." What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy.
Grace is God giving us what we don’t deserve, Mercy is God not giving us what we do deserve. Mercy only has meaning in light of our sin. A Sunday School teacher had just finished a lesson on Christian behavior and asked, “Now, Billy, tell me what we must do before we can expect to be forgiven for our sins.” Without hesitation, Billy replied, “First we gotta sin.”
Romans 1-11 talks a lot about our sin and God’s mercy.
Due to time constraints we will not read Romans chapters 1-11 here today. (I suggest you do that on your own). However, beside the one we just read I believe there are 4 others that will give us the core of what Paul is saying throughout. We need to have this understanding to really grasp our theme verse. We need this understanding just to get at the first word “Therefore”
# 1
Romans 1:18-20 All are without Excuse
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
(No Excuse Sunday --- No Excuse Life!)
# 2
Romans 4:18-25 Abraham believed…Abraham received - righteousness
Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be." Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead — since he was about a hundred years old — and that Sarah's womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness." The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness — for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
# 3
Romans 5:18-19 Adam & Adam v2.0 (Jesus)
Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
# 4
Romans 7:14-8:4 Do you lean to the left or the right?
We know that the law is spiritual;
but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.
I do not understand what I do.
For what I want to do
I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do,
I agree that the law is good.
As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it,
but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.
For I have the desire to do what is good,
but I cannot carry it out.
For what I do
is not the good I want to do;
no, the evil I do not want to do — this I keep on doing.
Now if I do what I do not want to do,
it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
So I find this law at work:
When I want to do good,
evil is right there with me.
For in my inner being I delight in God's law;
but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind
and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
Thanks be to God —
through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then,
I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law,
but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free
from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature,
God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.
And so he condemned sin in sinful man,
in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us,
who do not live according to the sinful nature
but according to the Spirit.
In the town of Wishaw, Scotland there was a Christian judge. There appeared before him in the court a friend of his youth, who had broken the law, was arrested and brought before him for judgement. Those who knew the relationship between the two men expected the judge to mercy, and they were very much surprised when they heard that the sentence was a heavy fine. But they were more surprised when the judge went to the officer of the court, and took his own money to pay the fine. He did his duty as a judge, and upheld the law, but he also showed the mercy of God for his friend when he paid the penalty for his friend’s wrong doing. There is little wonder that the law-breaker was broken-hearted in his repentance.
Romans 1-11 shows the gravity of our sin whose penalty is death, in light of God’s mercy through Jesus’ death on a cross in our place. THEREFORE,
I urge you brothers and sisters,
in view of God's mercy,
to offer your bodies as living sacrifices,
holy and pleasing to God —
this is your spiritual act of worship.
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Prayer
Psalm 86:1-7
Hear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long. Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. you are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you. Hear my prayer, O Lord; listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me.
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