Introduction - Sacrifice your life unto the Perfect Will of God

 

Introduction

Today I want to talk to you about the plans that God has for your life and how to fulfill His plans through sacrificing your life unto the perfect will of God.

Bible Study Title:

“Sacrifice your life unto the perfect will of God”

Romans 12:1-2  ¹I 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. ²And be not conformed to this world: 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. (KJV)

As Christians sometimes we have the misconception, that once we become a Christian our life will be a bed full of roses.  In a sense, it is a bed full of roses, but roses have thorns.  Thorns prick, they hurt, and they draw blood.  The roses are beautiful and they have a nice aroma. To get to the roses we must go through the thorns.  Life is exactly like that.  It can be beautiful and filled with thorns: trials, tribulations, pains, and sorrows we experience in life. Life is both challenging and rewarding. 

But the beauty of a Christian’s life is the triumphed victory we are given by Jesus Christ our High Priest, who was made perfect by the things which he suffered. He is touched by the feeling of our infirmities and was tempted in all points, yet without sin. Therefore, our hope is in him, our perfect sacrifice.

Hebrews 5:8-10 (KJV)

⁸ Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; ⁹ And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; ¹⁰ Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.

Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; Hebrews 3:1

 

Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. Hebrews 4:14

 

For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15

 

Let’s look at our Topic of Scripture in detail:
Romans 12:1-2

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.

And be not conformed to this world: 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.

Romans 12:1

That ye present: is the concrete act of presentation; present is an action word (verb).

Bodies: refers to the whole person: body, mind, and soul which belong to God and Spiritual worship is the offering of your whole life/body to God, as a sacrifice.

God’s will is his purpose/plan for the life of the believer.  He provides direction and guidance in every area of your life to accomplish His purpose.  Sacrifice is the act of surrender or submission to His will for our lives whereby we become a “living sacrifice”.  To be holy is to be clean and pure according to God’s standards: mind, body and soul/spirit (I Peter 1:15-16: be ye holy).

Your bodies a living sacrifice, holy:

Previously your bodies were instruments of sin according to (Ro. 6).  Now your bodies are to be presented to God so his righteousness can be manifested in you and through you. We are to yield ourselves as instruments of righteousness unto God, Ro. 6:13.  Bodies: refers to the whole person: body, mind, and soul which belong to God and Our Spiritual act of worship is the offering of our whole life to God, as a sacrifice.

Because you have been bought with a price, you are to glorify God in your body, (in your mind), and in your spirit, which belong to God. You are not your own. You are a slave to Christ: I Corinthians 6:19-20.

A living sacrifice:

God was specific in how the presentation of the sacrifice was made under the Levitical Priesthood; the offering of the sacrifice became holy in the presentation requirements (Exodus).  God is specific with us also, today.  In the New Testament the Christian life entails total commitment and irrevocable presentation to God, that is our sacrifice.

Acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service:  Our sacrifice has to be Holy and acceptable.  When we follow God’s instructions about sacrifice, then are we acceptable. (Refer to Cain and Abel Genesis 4:3-7; king Saul sacrifices was not acceptable to the Lord. I Samuel 15:1-35)

“Be not” conformed to this world:  STOP: Don’t be like the world:   Read: 1 John 2:15- 17 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.-For 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.  And the world passeth away , and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.  

Be not conformed:  you are to resist your own thinking, your own will, your own ways, the value systems of the world, and the conduct of the world: which is the world’s lifestyle.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil (the prince of this world), and he will flee from you. James 4:7; Jesus said, “³⁰ Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.  ³¹ But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do…”John 14:30-31.  Jesus obeyed the commandments of God and we are to do the same.  In order for us to not conform to the world we must obey God’s first commandment:  Mark 12:29-31: This is a vital key to our Christian life.  Remember God is a jealous God.

But be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind:  Our lives are changed as our minds are made new by the work of the Holy Spirit: putting on the mind of Christ, that’s the transformation, so that we can discern God’s will for our life. (You must receive the H.G. for the transformation to take place, being born of the water and the spirit, being endued with power from on high: power to live right; you must be born of the spirit to worship God in Spirit and in truth.)  




Still laying a foundation on presenting your body as a living sacrifice unto the perfect will of God:

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you (test you, prove you), as though some strange thing happened unto you: ( I Peter 4:12)

We all go through trials, we all will be tested. We will all go through heartaches, disappointments, pains, troubles, challenges in life, things we don’t understand, temptations, and periods of silence from God.  It is in this time of testing that we fulfill the will of God for our lives or not.  This is also where we present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service.

This is also where we are faced with the temptation to conform to this world or to persevere in overcoming this world and to be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that we may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God for our life.

The bible teaches us, with all thy getting to get an understanding, therefore, I’ll teach comparatively on these two passages of scripture with three main examples:

• Joseph sold into Egypt: not knowing the will of God for his life; before Christ
• Jesus our sacrificial lamb: who knew the will of God for his life; Christ our Messiah and Savior
• Solomon Northup 18^th Century example of Romans 12:1-2: who committed himself to the will of God for his life; After Christ (a perfect example for you and I to submit ourselves unto the perfect Will of God)

As a teacher of the word, I’ll breakdown part of passages to give you a foundation on which to build upon:

Assignment: Romans Chapters 1 – 12:1-2, God’s mercies are accomplished in the life of the believer. ( Read Romans this week in its entirety, if you'd like)

Next week we’ll look at the history of Joseph, his trials, and how he presented his body(life) as a living sacrifice unto the perfect will of God through God’s plans for his life, fulfilling Jeremiah 29:11. 

Memorize:
Vital keys to our Christian life:   Mark 12:29-31 and Romans 12:1-2

                                                          
Next week we’ll look at the History of Joseph how his life was a sacrifice unto the perfect Will of God.

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