Text: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,
that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1).
This morning I want us to take a look at giving God our reasonable
service, and we can read about this at Romans 12:1. So, if you will, please turn in your Bibles to this verse. This morning, we are going to learn what reasonable service is and what our attitude toward it should be as Christians. As Paul states, our “reasonable service” is presenting ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God. What’s Paul talking about here? Let’s take a look at two “living sacrifices” that are mentioned in the Bible: The first example of a living sacrifice is Isaac(Genesis 22). Notice that Isaac did not question his father Abraham, but willingly put himself on the altar and would have died in obedience to God’s will, but God sent a ram to take his place. Isaac “died” just the same—he died to self and willingly yielded himself to the will of God. When he got off that altar, Isaac was a “living sacrifice” to the glory of God. Our next example of a “living sacrifice” is of course, Jesus Christ. He actually died as a sacrifice – a sacrifice for you and me in obedience to God the Father’swill, but rose again, and is in heaven today as a living sacrifice bearing in His body the wounds of Calvary. These examples of a “living sacrifice” presented themselves willingly to God as a sacrifice and we ought to be doing the same thing. Paul tells us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice. The word “present” is translated from the Greek word paristemi and is a verb meaning “present once and for all” and denotes a definite commitment of the body to the Lord just as a bride and groom commit themselves to each other when they marry and is the once-for-all commitment that determines what they do with their bodies. Notice that Paul gives us two very good and important reasons for this kind of commitment. The first is that it is the correct response to all that God has given and done for us, and secondly, this commitment is our reasonable service, or as some translations put it, our spiritual service or worship. What does this mean to us? It means that each and every day for us is a worship experience when we yield our bodies to the Lord. Now, lets take a look at what Jesus said along this same line. Turn with me to Matthew 16:24 where we read, “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” What was Jesus saying here? He was saying that if we are to follow Him, we must give up all right to being our own person. We must give up all right to say “no” to God. We must give up all ownership of self to Him. The person we once were must cease to exist and that means the death of the flesh nature. Why? Because we cannot please God in our flesh, that is in ourselves(Romans 8:7-8). We need to remember that as Believers who are trusting in Christ, we have been bought with a price and must glorify Christ with our bodies and are not our own person anymore (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). I want you to understand something this morning. When you were saved and filled with the Holy Ghost, the title and registration of ownership were transferred from self to God! Some professing Christians act like they are still part of the world with their worldly conduct, and this ought not be! Remember, we cannot serve two masters! (Matthew 6:24). With Christ it is all or nothing. There is no middle ground, no room for debate or compromise. If you are going to serve God then you must be a living sacrifice, serving Him whole-souled, without reservation. Where do you stand this morning? Are you giving God half-hearted service or are you totally sold out to Him as a living sacrifice pleasing to Him? Have you put yourself on the altar as a living sacrifice to Him?