READ | SERMON NOTES
Summary l Paul appealed to the Roman Christians to live in a way based on God’s mercy. God withheld the judgement that we deserved. Jesus Christ, His beloved son, suffered the punishment that was meant for us and died our death that we might be sanctified to be children of God. So, what does it mean to live as a Living Sacrifice?
A. Surrender your Body (v1)
The worshipper in the Old Testament would bring an animal to be slain, and he would place his hand on the head of the animal to make atonement for sin and to gain God’s acceptance. Under the New Testament, we no longer offer animals to God as sacrifices because in the NT, we are the living sacrifice, not to make atonement for sins because Christ had already done that as a once-and-for-all perfect sacrifice on the cross. When we live lives of worship unto the Lord, we do not do it to earn His favour or to gain something. To be holy and acceptable to God is about our posture of submission and surrender. Paul specifically mentioned bodies because he wanted to emphasize that worship entails more than the spiritual acts of piety, praises, or prayers. When we surrender our bodies and live every moment for God, our life becomes a living sacrifice to Him.
B. Sanctify your Mind (v2)
The decadence of the Roman culture and practices permeates the society. Paul’s warning is as urgent today as it was then. We live in a digital age, and the accessibility of depraved ideas and images has escalated the rise of moral decay. Our identity and worth are bestowed by God, but the media perpetuates values and images that are of worth and value only when we have certain appearance, assets, or accomplishments. The deadly spiritual battle raging for our minds seek to define what is of worth in our eyes, especially in the minds of our children. Let us not perpetuate the distorted ideas of this age but affirm our children as precious gifts from the Lord. Do not conform but find our identity in Christ and be transformed by the renewing of the mind. This is not something we can change with our own strength. Sanctification is a process we need to surrender to a power outside ourselves. It is an apprenticeship with the living Christ where we posture our hearts to be tutored by the Word and the Spirit. In the year of the Sabbath rest, the spiritual discipline of silence and reflections help to posture our hearts and renew our minds to discern what the will of God is. Are we willing to follow God’s will? When we say, “I will surrender. I will allow God to sanctify me.”, then we are ready to discern the will of God.
C. Service to Others (v3-10)
To have a surrendered body and sanctified mind, requires us to be in service to others. It leads us to a new way of living in community with attitudes and priorities that are not conformed to this age. It is about service, not about self. What does it mean to serve as a Living Sacrifice?
1. Humility (vs Prideful Arrogance)
We must humble ourselves, not to think ourselves better than others. All that we have is by His grace!
2. Community (vs Self-Absorbed Individualism)
Christian life is not to live as a hermit or to take care only of your family. God has redeemed a people for Himself to restore this world, for His redemptive purposes, who are to encourage and sharpen one another in the community. How can we practise compassion and patience if there is no one around? We can only grow in discipleship in the midst of community.
3. Serve Others (vs Self Promotion)
God gifted each of us differently and we are to use our gifts for the good of the body of Christ and for the glory of God. Online worship is incomplete for our faith journey. Discipleship calls us to find ways to serve with our gifts within the Wesleyan community and in society. Christian service acceptable to God is not about how much effort we put in or how much we have accomplished. Let us evaluate how we serve, the goals and emphasis of our ministries. People of God offer sacrifices to God through surrender, sanctification, service to others, that honour His name.
Our prayer is not just to do good works to help the needy; we desire to offer spiritual sacrifices to build a spiritual house that is beyond Fort Canning. In a world of uncertainty, it is timely to ask what are we living for. Paul would tell us that the only sacrifice worth making is to be a living sacrifice, to surrender our bodies and all, to the Father, to sanctify our minds to be more like Jesus, to serve our neighbour with the help of the Holy Spirit.
(Sermon notes by Honey Vreugdewater)
PONDER | REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- What is the significance of the following words in verse 1: (a) “appeal”, (b) “therefore”, and (c) “mercies”.
- What does Paul mean when he says, “present your bodies as a living sacrifice?” How does it redefine your understanding of worship?
- What does it look like not to be “conformed to this age” in your context?
- What are some practical ways to allow God to renew our minds? How is verse 3 connected to verse 2, regarding the renewed mind?
- What is God’s “good and acceptable and perfect” will? What does God want from his people?
- What “gifts” do you believe that God has graced you with, and what are you doing with them?
- What would offering your whole self to God as a “living sacrifice” continually require?
