Turn with me to Romans 12. Paul,
the apostle, had begun this chapter beseeching us by the mercies of God. And that's
the only way that we would to present our bodies a living sacrifice,
holy, acceptable, and here is the key, unto God, which is your
reasonable, your logical, the only service that makes sense
before God. Only in the Lord Jesus Christ,
who is the living sacrifice, He is the lively. the sacrifice
who is life, ever liveth, making intercession for his people. Almighty God, who has commanded
us, and we do so presenting ourselves. It actually means to stand before,
present your bodies. How do we stand before God? acceptable, a living sacrifice except in
Christ. We look to the Father and truthfully
say in our hearts, I am accepted in the Beloved. And because of the good pleasure
of Almighty God to show mercy to an everlastingly loved people.
You know what is so wonderful is to think that salvation is
not by chance. Not by chance. Salvation is established upon
the rock of our salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ. I don't have
to worry. Have I done enough? I can answer
that question. I haven't. But to know that He finished
it. That He finished it. And that He'd give me a heart
that loves Him. Like last Wednesday, the Lord
asked Peter, Do you love Me with the love that is born only from the heart of God, agape. And Peter said, Lord, You know
I love You, but I love You only as a man can love You, phileo
love. But I do love You. I love You
through a glass darkly. I know I love You in a way that
I see failings And I know that my circumstances causes me to
waver, but Lord, I love you. There's been enough doubt in
my mind before I got here this morning and since I've been standing
in this pulpit to cast a billion worlds into hell. But thanks
be to God that he'd give me a heart to love him. But the reason I
love him is because he loved me first. and those that Almighty
God has given a heart to be able to present themselves in Christ. I know this, that there is some
evidence of that. Verse 2, they are not conformed
to this world. They do not fashion themselves
according to the disrespectful religious habits of this world. I mean, you know, when you start
talking about conforming to this world immediately, you're going
to start thinking, well, you know, man, you're not going to
catch me doing all those evil things that the world does. Which
ones are you going to pick? You don't conform yourself to
the religious habits of this world, that is, thinking that
you have done something to merit your salvation. They possess
a new heart. They are not conformed to this
world, verse 2, but transformed by the renewing of their mind.
God gives them a new heart, a new spirit. And they possess that
new heart that He has given for their good, no doubt about that,
but the glory of God. It pleased God to show mercy
to them. And that's the only reason. They despise the pride
that they see within themselves and their own nature and that
flesh. And they don't think more highly of themselves than they
ought to think. I mean, they truthfully say, in the midst
of all the pride that a man can have, I am what I am by the grace
of God. I know that. I know that. They
just get down to where the rubber meets the road. They know that
God has dealt with them in mercy. And He's given to every one of
them the measure of faith, verse 3. That is, to every one that
God Almighty calls out of darkness, He gives them faith according
to the position that He's called them to. Every human body has
got members. I said, you know, hands and arms
and legs and they all got a purpose and they all do exactly. the body of Christ does too.
Scripture says in 1 Corinthians 12, 18 that the Lord has set
the members, every one of them, in the body as it has pleased
Him. Just look around and just see
how the body and every one of the body of Christ has got a
purpose. They are all gifted and they all have the measure
of faith to do exactly what God has called them to do. Someone said, I don't think I
could preach. If God calls you, you could.
He'd give you a heart. He'd teach you something of yourself.
He'd teach you something of your frailty. Believe me. He'd show
you. He would gift you. Teach you. And then all the while, you'd
know. If God doesn't keep me, I'm not staying. I'll quit. And you would, too. No matter
what. knowing then that we are members. Verse 5, many were of one body
and all the members of one another. Verse 6, having then gifts differing
according to the grace that is given to us, whether it is prophecy,
whether it is ministry, whether it is teaching, whether it is
exhorting, whether it is giving, whether it is ruling, whether
it is showing mercy. He says then in verse 9, and
here is where we will start this morning. One verse today. Verse
9. Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil and
cleave to that which is good. Now, to show you what Paul is
talking about. I'm just going to read the 10th
verse, and Lord willing, we'll look at it next week. But I'm
going to say this before I read the 10th verse. When it says,
let love be without hypocrisy, dissimulation, don't be hypocritical. Love that is not hypocritical.
That's what I'm preaching on this morning. The reason that
I'll say what I'm going to say