112704 Dying To Live: Living Sacrifice

Series: Dying To Live
Message: Living Sacrifice

From The Bible:

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God?s will is ? His good, pleasing and perfect will."
Romans 12:1, 2

Message Summary:

A living sacrifice. Are there people walking around on fire? No, really, it's nothing like that. If God's Love is such that He gave his own son to die instead of us, then don't we have a reason to feel blessed? Somebody loves us that much. If we realize that, and understand that that gift of Love becomes ours when we take it, then doesn't it make sense to thank the Giver? What better way to thank God for that amazing gift than to realize that He has the most awesome recipe for Love and embrace it in our own lives? This realization truly honours God.

Think about it this way. All God wants in return for His gift of Love is your thankfulness in the form of willingness to learn about how it is that He can make people feel so Loved. To think that I might be able to learn God's way of doing things sends a chill down my spine. If all He wants as "thanks" from us is that we ask Him to be our teacher in life, then we are getting a double-shot!! Life can only get better with the guidance of the Master of Love. God asks us to live life His way. He knows the best possible path for our steps. He asks us to entrust our lives to Him so that He can lead us in the best possible way. God will teach us and transform us each and every day. Allowing Him to do that in our lives is what it means to become a living sacrifice. Now that is freedom, freedom from struggling through life, trying to find the best way possible on your own.

Opening

Being free from having to figure out things yourself, and free from sin, is an amazing thought. What leaves me even more speechless is that on top of giving the gift of His Son's life, God wants our thanks in the form of us allowing Him to give us more Love! Instead of burdening Him when we give up trying to figure out how to do things on our own, He is blessed! Being a living sacrifice is about sacrificing sin and allowing God to become our life-Teacher.

Discussion

If we are adopted children of God when we accept His gift of Mercy, then doesn't it make sense that He would want to teach us about His ways? If you were adopted into the royal family, then you would live as a royal.

What does the following passage say about living like a child of God? In what ways might God teach you to live like this? In practical terms, what do we have to do every day in order to allow God to be our Master Teacher?

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, 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. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this World, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will."
Romans 12: 1, 2 NIV

Think about what it means to be holy. The above passage tells us that we should offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. Since those who receive God's mercy when they follow Jesus are blemish-free in God's eyes, what can we conclude about what this part of the verse directs us to do with our physical bodies?

What pleases God? How can we thank Him for all the Love He gave us when Jesus laid down His life for us? God loves it when we give Him the opportunity to make us everything that we can be and that He originally intended us to be.

What every-day things, that we do, pleases God?

"Through Jesus therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips that confess his name."
Hebrews 13:5 NIV

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."
1 Corinthians 10:31

Life Application

When we start to realize that God wants us to thank Him by asking Him to guide every action and every thought, we will start to realize that a change is happening inside. God's Spirit will lead us and God will teach us through His word so that we can start to choose the best paths in life. God will teach us and help us to see the World through his lens. We will realize that His way is the absolute best way. With all that Love, how can it not be?

Closing Prayer

Lord, Thank you for your gift of mercy, and guidance in life. Renew us mentally and physically as we become a living sacrifice for You. Show us Your way and teach us to Love like You do. Thank You for training us to be royalty and embracing us as Your children. In Your name, Amen.