Let us turn to God's Word and
directing you this morning with the Lord's help to words that
we find at the beginning of Romans chapter 12 Romans chapter 12
and the first verse 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, I beseech you, therefore brethren, by the mercies of God
that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable
unto God, which is your reasonable service. Taking up then the subject
of the living sacrifice, these words of course really introduces
to what we might say is the more practical parts of the epistle. Observe the word therefore, I
beseech you therefore, he is really now drawing out the implications
of what he has said in the previous eleven chapters If they are really
those who are believers of those great truths that he has been
setting before them, they will respond by presenting themselves
as living sacrifices unto God. What is that truth, that particular
truth that stands forth in the opening chapters of this epistle?
Primarily it is the truth of justification. Therein The very
first chapter of verse 17, Paul reminds them of the words of
the prophet Habakkuk, the just shall live by faith. The words originally found in
Habakkuk 2.4 but taken up by the Apostle here in the New Testament
not only as he writes to the Romans but he mentions it also
in his epistle to the Galatians and then when writing to the
Hebrews the just shall live by faith, the great doctrine of
justification. And we see a great deal of that
doctrine certainly in the opening part of this epistle to the Romans
in chapter 3, for example. And there, at verse 21, he says,
Now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested,
being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness
of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon
all them that believe. For there is no difference for
all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, being justified
freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus. Now he speaks then of that free
justification which is in the Lord Jesus. And so, he can continue
there in chapter 4 speaking of Abraham's faith and Abraham's
justification. What shall we say then that Abraham,
our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if
Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory. but
not before God. For what saith the scripture,
Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the
reward not reckoned of grace, but of death. But to him that
worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly,
his faith is counted for righteousness. All this doctrine, justification,
how that the Lord Jesus Christ, that one made of a woman made
under the law, has fulfilled all the law, obeyed all the commandments,
wrought a righteousness, which becomes the sinners by faith
in Him. In chapter 5, therefore, He says,
being justified. By faith we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also we have access by
faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoice in hope
of the glory of God. Now, repeatedly then, he has
been speaking in the former part, the opening chapters of the truth
of justification, that the sinner standing before God, his righteousness
in the presence of God, is that righteousness of Christ that
is imputed and transferred and reckoned to the account of all
those whose trust is in Him who is the only Saviour. And now
as I say, when we come to chapter 12 and through to the end of
chapter 16 he works out the practical implications. What will be the
evidence that we are those who by faith are justified in Christ? It will be by godly conduct,
by godly living. and this is what he begins to
speak of then here at the beginning of this twelfth chapter I beseech
you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present
your bodies a living sacrifice wholly acceptable unto God which
is your reasonable service and be not conformed to this world
but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind that ye
may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of
God. And as I said, I want us therefore
this morning to take up this theme of a living sacrifice. That's what the life of the justified
sinner is to be. It's a living sacrifice that
is being offered up unto that God who has saved him and justified
him. And in taking up the theme, to
divide what I say into some three parts. First of all, to consider
the mortification of sin. Secondly, to look at the motivation,
that that moves the believer to present himself as a living
sacrifice. And then finally, to look at
the consequences. What are the consequences? It
will be that holiness of life, that conformity to the will of
God. First of all then, to say something
with regards to the mortification of sin. The believer is a living
sacrifice under that mortifying operation of God the Holy Ghost. Now what do we mean when we speak
of mortification? Well the word or the verb to
mortify literally means to put to death. To put to death. To crucify we might say. And
that is the calling of the believer. He is to put to death. What is it that he is to put
to death? It's himself. It's his whole
nature. Now remember how previously in
chapter 7 the Apostle Paul has a great deal to say with regards
to his old nature. He is very much aware of that
old nature, that sinful nature. That nature that everyone possesses
as they are born into this world because we are all the children
of Adam and Eve. who can bring a clean thing out
of an unclean. We have received from our first
parents a fallen nature. We're born dead in trespasses
and in sins, and that is true of all, but most are blissfully
unaware of what their real condition is. But when this man, who was
once Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee of the Pharisees, when he was
born again by the Spirit of God When he knew that quickening
grace in his own soul, oh, then he became aware of what he really
was. As a Pharisee, he thought he
could live a righteous life in his own strength. He could make
himself one who was pleasing and acceptable to God. Touching
the righteousness of the law, he says he was blameless. And
he really thought he was blameless, but he didn't understand. the
real nature, the spiritual nature of the Lord of God. Once that
came, and then he was so much aware of what he was as one possessing
a fallen nature. And so what does he say here
in chapter 7 and verse 18, I know that in me, that is in my flesh
dwelleth no good thing for to will is present with me But how
to perform that which is good I find not, for the good that
I would I do not, but the evil which I would not that I do."
He is lamenting that though now he has a new nature, he's born
again, he's a new creature in Christ Jesus, but he cannot do
the good that he would. He still has his fallen nature.
Verse 23 there in that chapter he says, I see another Lord in
my members, warring against the Lord of my mind, and bringing
me into captivity to the Lord of sin, which is in my members.
O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ
our Lord. So then with the mind I myself
serve the Lord of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. And so, Paul understands the
necessity of that old nature being mortified, being put to
death. They that are Christ, he says to the Galatians, have
crucified the flesh with its affections and lusts. That's
what the Christian is to do, he is to crucify the flesh, the
old nature. He is to put it to death. God
forbid that I should glory, he says, save in the cross of our
Lord Jesus Christ. To know something then of the
fellowship of the sufferings of Christ. There is a link here,
of course, to what we read in that portion of Scripture in
the 8th chapter. Here he says, I beseech you therefore,
brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a
living sacrifice. And what did we read there in
8 verse 13? If ye live after the flesh ye
shall die, but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds
of the body ye shall live. That mortifying the deeds of
the body is the same as this presenting your bodies a living
sacrifice but observe carefully just what he says in that previous
8th chapter how is it that we mortify the deeds of the body
if ye through the spirit he says if ye through the spirit do mortify
the deeds of the body it's not something that we can do of ourselves
it's not something that we can accomplish in our own strength
by our own efforts no there is a complete and utter dependence
upon the spirit of God and this is the lesson this is the lesson
that the Lord God is constantly teaching his children those who
are justified those who have a standing before God those who
are accounted righteous in the sight of God because they stand
in the Lord Jesus Christ, their souls cleansed from all the guilt
and all the filth of their sins, because Christ has made that
great sacrifice, He has paid the penalty that was their just
desert, but not only that, He has clothed them in those robes
of righteousness, that garment of salvation, they stand before
God acceptable in Him who is the Beloved. But then they have
to learn what it is to come to terms with their old nature which
they are to be mortifying and sacrificing and killing. Now,
remember in the Old Testament the children of Israel are atypical
people. When we read of the experiences
of Israel in the Old Testament It's not just an interesting
historical account of God's dealings with that people whom he had
chosen for himself. There are spiritual lessons.
They are a type of those who are the true spiritual Israel
of God. Now, God brings them out of Egypt. He takes them through the wilderness
and they are to enter into the Promised Land. and what is the
promised land? well often the promised land
is spoken of as a sort of type of heaven you know when the believer
dies he passes over Jordan and he enters into all the promises
of God in heaven there's a certain element of truth in that but
when we think about it more carefully the promised land is really a
type of the life of faith. Because in the Promised Land,
what do the children of Israel know? They know conflict. When
they pass over Jordan, there are many battles. We read of
these things in the book of Joshua. They have to conquer the land.
They have to become established in the land. Now, in heaven there
is perfect peace. really the entrance into the
land of Cain and the coming into the possession of God's promises
is the type of the life of faith that we have to live that we
have to lead and how does God deal with his people there? well
twice we find this statement in Exodus 23 verse 30 it says
by little and little I will drive them out from before
thee." That is, the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and
those other nations, God says, by little and little I will drive
them out. And that's repeated then in Deuteronomy
7.22, the Lord says, I will put out those nations before thee
by little and little. They do not all together overcome
them at once. There's conflict. The Shami says,
slay them not, lest my people forget. And isn't there a truth
there? We have this constant warfare
with Satan. We have to fight the good fight
of faith. We have to lay hold on eternal life. There's not
only the conflict with him who is the great adversary of souls.
There's that warfare that we're fighting with the world, that
world that lies in wickedness. Not only that, there's that inward
conflict. Does that old nature use them?
And I think of the language of the hymn 782. I do commend the
reading of that hymn. Read 782, it's a long hymn, But see how it speaks of these
things really, that conflict that the believer is having with
himself and that need to mortify the deeds of the flesh, to present
to God a living sacrifice. One of the verses in the hymn
says, Corruptions make the mourners shun, presumptions dangerous
snare. force us to trust to Christ alone
and fly to God by prayer. We have to learn the life of
prayer. Why do we have to pray? Because
we constantly need that God himself should come and assist us and
help us and strengthen us in all this good fight of faith. Or we are to mortify then the
deeds of the body. Look at the language. that we
find when Paul writes to the Colossians. There in Colossians
3 verse 5 he says, "...mortify
therefore your members which are upon the earth." Put to death,
sacrifice. And what are these members? Fornication,
uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, evil desires,
and covetousness. which is idolatry, for which
things sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience,
in the which ye also walked some time when ye lived in them, but
now ye also put off all these, anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy,
filthy communication out of your mouth, lying one to another,
seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds, and have
put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image
of him that created. And this is the life that the
child of God is to live. And it's that life of complete
and utter dependence upon God, upon the Holy Ghost in particular.
If ye through the Spirit, always through the Spirit, not of ourselves. Our looking to God, our trusting
in the gracious workings of the Spirit, if ye through the Spirit
do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. And so what does
Paul say? at the end of that great 15th
chapter in 1 Corinthians. Therefore, my beloved brethren,
be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the
Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in
the law. Oh, that's the conflict. And
how these exhortations are given then in the Scriptures. It's so often in those practical
parts of the epistles. As I've said here in Romans,
the first 11 chapters, we might say that's the doctrinal part,
that's the part where Paul is setting before them great teaching,
particularly the truth of justification. And then from chapter 12 through
to the end in chapter 16 we have the practical part. And we see
it time and again in his epistles. That's the way he seems to construct
his epistles. There's a certain pattern. I
suppose Ephesians is a remarkable example because we have six chapters,
and the first three chapters are the doctrinal parts, And
the last three chapters are the practical part. And when we come
to those practical chapters, how we have all these exhortations. And we're not to heed them in
a legal way, but we're to see them in an experimental, in an
evangelical sense. the inward conflict that we have
with ourselves, that conflict with sin, but not any dependence
upon ourselves, not looking to ourselves to overcome, but ever
always feeling our utter dependence upon the Spirit of God. Or the
believer's standing. The believer's standing is secure.
He stands complete in the Lord Jesus Christ. To those Colossians,
Paul says, you are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God. That's the believer standing.
It's safe, it's secure. It's justification. It's all the work of the Lord
Jesus Christ. But then, how the believer has
to live a life of faith and learn his utter dependence upon God
that he might fight that good fight of faith and overcome sin
and Satan and himself. If ye through the Spirit do mortify
the deeds of the body ye shall live. I beseech you therefore
brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies
A living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God which is your reasonable
service. Well, we sought to say something
with regards to this mortification. The mortification, the putting
to death of the sin that is within our fallen nature. In the second place, I want to
direct your attention to the motivation. Well, what is the
motivation? What is it that moves us? It's looking to God Himself.
Again, observe the opening words of the text, I beseech you, therefore. Immediately, we see that He is
drawing a conclusion. What has He said previously?
Well, look at the end of the previous chapter. He speaks of the depths of the
riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God. Verse 33, O the depths
of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable
are His judgments and His ways past finding out! For who hath
known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been His counsellor?
Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto
him again. For of him, and through him,
and to him are all things, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. I beseech you therefore."
Or in view of these truths that he has just stated, that all
things ultimately are for the glory of God. All this mortification,
it's not for our glory, All is to the glory of God. The glory of the mercy of God,
the glory of the grace of God. How He appears to them, by the
mercies of God, He says. I beseech you therefore brethren,
by the mercies of God. Oh, in that mercy, what does
God do? In His mercy God saves sinners. God saves sinners. Again we see it previously in
the chapter where he speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ that remarkable
passage in chapter 3 verse 24 he says being justified being
justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is
in Christ Jesus, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation
through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for
the remission of sins that have passed through the forbearance
of God." Now, what we said previously, this word propitiation, it reminds
us of the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Propitiation has to do
with the the holiness of God, and the justice of God. Now that
God is angry with the wicked every day, how God's wrath burns
against sin. And propitiation has the idea
of the satisfying of the wrath of God, whom God has set forth
to be a propitiation. But we've said previously how
that the particular word that's used here in this 25th verse
of chapter 3, is used just once more in the New Testament in
Hebrews 9, 5. But there it's rendered, it's
translated not propitiation but mercy seat. He's speaking in
Hebrews 9 of the furnishings in the tabernacle and he speaks
of the mercy seat, and it's exactly the same word as we have here
as propitiation. Now, the significance is, of
course, that in the Old Testament, on the Great Day of Atonement,
the high priest would enter into the Holy of Holies, he would
go before the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat, and he would
take with him the blood of sacrifice, and he would sprinkle the blood
before the Mercy Seat and upon the Mercy Seat. He was making
propitiation. He came there to make atonement
for all the sins of the people through the year. He is their
representative and He takes the blood and He sprinkles it there
upon the mercy seat. The mercy seat then is the place
of propitiation, where God's wrath is satisfied. Whom God
has set forth, this is the Lord Jesus, whom God has set forth
to be a mercy seat. Oh, God, in His mercy, you see,
is the one who is pleased to save sinners. I beseech you,
therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your
bodies a living sacrifice. The motivation. The motivation
is found in God Himself, in that mercy that He has demonstrated.
in the gift of His only begotten Son. And that sacrifice that
the Lord Jesus Christ has made. Oh, that great sacrifice once
and for all. Look at the language again of
Paul writing there in Titus. Titus 3.5. Not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us. by
the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost
which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Lord
that being justified by His grace we should be made heirs according
to the hope of eternal life. Here is that that moves us to
make the sacrifice to present ourselves to Him It's because
of all that He has done for us, the greatness of that salvation
that is in the Lord Jesus Christ. It's not anything legal. It's not any legal duties that
we're being called to. The believer is one who is surely
dead to the law. The believer is not under the
law of God at all. Again, back in chapter 7, And
verse 4, Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the
law by the body of Christ, that ye should be married to another,
even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring
forth fruit unto God. For when we were in the flesh,
the motions of sins which were by the law did work in our members
to bring forth fruit unto death, but now we are delivered from
the law, that being dead, wherein we were held, that we should
serve in newness of spirit and not in the oldness of the letter."
It's not legal duty. No, the motivation is found in
God and what God has done for us. All of this then is an expression
of thanksgiving to God. To sacrifice ourselves to His
service. All the believer, he lives on
Christ. He lives by Christ. He lives
only for the Lord Jesus Christ. I am crucified with Christ, says
Paul. Nevertheless I live, yet not
I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life which I now live
in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved
me and gave himself for me. That's the believer's calling.
I am crucified with Christ. A living sacrifice, wholly acceptable
unto God. The motivation then, it's the
Lord's mercies. Oh, it is of the Lord's mercies
that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not, they
are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness. This
is the one the believer looks to, this is the one that the
believer lives for. The mortification then of sins,
the presenting of this living sacrifice the motivation, what
it is that moves the believer to live such a life as this,
it's all God, it's all for the glory of God. And then finally
this morning, to say something with regards to the consequences.
What's the result of all of this? Well, we see the consequences
in three areas. First of all, The believer is
to live a life of separation. The believer doesn't conform
to this world, this world that lies in the wicked one. Be not
conformed to this world, he says in verse 2, but be ye transformed
by the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is that
good and acceptable and perfect will of God. The believer's calling
then is one wherein he is caught out of the world and separated
from the world. Think of the language of Paul
when he writes to the Corinthians there in 2nd Corinthians 6, Wherefore
come out from among them, he says, And be ye separate, saith
the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you.
And we'll be a father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters,
saith the Lord Almighty." Oh, there you see, even as the Apostle
is exhorting them to this life of separation, it's all rooted,
it's all grounded in the promises of God. That's the amazing thing. so it continues in the next chapter
we just refer to those words at the end of 2nd Corinthians
6 chapter 7 begins having therefore these promises dearly beloved
let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and
spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God there's a motivation
again it's the promises of God nothing to do with the law It's
gospel precepts that the believer wants to live his life by. But
he is caught in this life of separation. Separation from the
world, and all the ways of this wicked world. And we see it in
the writing of all these apostles, and they all agree. When Peter
writes in his first epistle, for example, he says, "...as
obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former
lusts in your ignorance. For as much as you know that
you were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from
your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers,
but with the precious blood of Christ." as a lamb without blemish
and without spot. He is a motivation all the time.
We are brought back to the Lord Jesus Christ and it's that sacrifice,
that one sacrifice for sins forever. All the believers calling then
to be separated. Love not the world, neither the
things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the
love of the Father is not in him. All that is in the world,
the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride
of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. Says John. All will not to be conformed.
There is this separation. This separation from the world. This renewing of the minds, proving
what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. What is that good and acceptable
and perfect will of God? Well, believers certainly are
to be those who would manifest their faith by Christian kindness,
by Christian love. Aren't believers called to love
one another? You know the language of John
in that first general epistle, how he constantly harps on this
particular theme, how believers must be those who love one another. We know, he says, we know that
we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother
abideth in death. And what is this love? It's practical. "...who so hath this world's
good, and seeth his brother hath need, and shutteth up his bowels
of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?" asked
John. My little children, let us not
love in word, neither in tongue, but in deeds, and in truth, not
just talking, it's walking, it's practice. Not in tongue, not in words,
but in deeds and in truth. It's that kindness that the believer
is to manifest. And it's not just to fellow believers. Paul says, as we have therefore
opportunity, let us do good to all men, especially to them who
are of the household of faith. but now the believer will be
marked by these kindnesses and now all of this is spoken
of as a sweet-smelling sacrifice it's a sweet-smelling sacrifice
when Paul writes to those Philippians and he acknowledges their great
kindness to him the way in which they had ministered to him time
and again he says in the last chapter of
that epistle ye Philippians know also that
in the beginning of the gospel when I departed from Macedonia
no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving
but ye own for even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my
necessity. He says, I have all and abound,
I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which
were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice
acceptable, well-pleasing to God. This is a sacrifice, you
see, that He presents your body as a living sacrifice. This is
part of that sacrifice. an offering and a sacrifice to
God for a sweet-smelling savour." All that kindness, that love,
that affection that believers are to manifest. This is the
calling of the Christian. As he mortifies the deeds of
the body, he dies to self. He lives to God. How does he
manifest his love to God? By the way in which he loves
the brethren. And ultimately, it all amounts
to a life of worship, even serving others. The believer's
eye is ultimately upon God. This is what he desires. Above everything else, the honor,
the glory of God. Again, look at the language of
the apostle at the end of the epistle to the Hebrews. Hebrews 13.10 he says we have
an altar whereof they have no right to eat which serve the
tabernacle. Speaking you see of those legalists
who are still looking to themselves, still looking to the Lord of
God, still looking to the old covenant. We have an altar whereof
they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle, for the
bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the sanctuary
by the high priest for sin are burned without the camp. Wherefore
Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood,
suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto
him without the camp, bearing his reproach. For here we have
no continuing city, but we seek one to come by him therefore
let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually that
is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name all this is
that living sacrifice wholly acceptable that sacrifice of
praise to God the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name
acknowledging him, confessing him I beseech you therefore brethren
he says by the mercies of God that you present your bodies,
a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable
service." What are we to make of these last words in the text,
your reasonable service? The word reasonable that we have
here is is from the same root as we have in the opening verses
of John's Gospel. It's the word Logos. It's translated,
of course, as Word. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The sign was
in the beginning with God. and the Word was made flesh and
dwelt among us and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only
begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." But are
we then being directed here to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself? Your reasonable service, it's
that service that ultimately centers in the Lord Jesus Christ.
or are we those who love Him because He first loved us? Are we those who are moved by
that great sacrifice that He made once and for all when He
died the just for the unjust? Surely ultimately everything
comes to us from the Lord Jesus Christ and therefore all things
must be returned to the Lord Jesus Christ We desire to worship
Him. We worship God in and through
Him who is the only mediator. That's our reasonable service.
That's our reasonable service. When we come in the name of the
Lord Jesus Christ, and when we desire that in all things that
name might have the preeminence in all the service of worship,
but not only that, but in every part, every aspect of the lives
that we're living here upon the earth. 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. Oh, the Lord be pleased to bless
to us His Word. Amen.