Jesus Christ, in fact, up until this point, Paul spent the first 11 chapters dealing with the gospel that he lays out or that he he announces in chapter 1. And so if he gets to chapter 12 and many will hear or you may have heard it said that it's here where we see a break in this book of turn where God goes from laying out the gospel to applying it. And so we read in chapter 12, verse 1, I appeal to you, therefore brothers, by the mercies of God to present your bodies as a living, sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship or reasonable service. This is God's own word. Let's bow our heads and go for the Lord in prayer. A gracious God in heavenly Father, we bow before you once again in this service. We give you thanks and Lord, we pray for this time of our service that you will bless your people. You will bless us all Lord to hear you, hear you clearly. We pray God that you will address any needs that we have. That you will give us the sense, Lord, the awareness to understand that what we have now in here is greater than anything, Lord, that may be occupying our minds right now. So God, turn our attention to you and you alone. Supply us with everything we need, Lord, use me. Use me, Lord, to speak your word and your word alone. May the people see you. May I step down, Lord, may they not see me in any way. And it's in Jesus name that we pray. Amen. Again, we know that where we are in this book and the book of Romans, Paul's letter to the church in Rome or at Rome, but it's also fitting if you have been taking Pastor Jones Sunday school class, or if you ever sat in or if you've read Michael Horton's Dr. Michael Horton, one of his recent works, a systematic theology or pilgrim theology. And you note one of the way that we've been exhorted to look at the scriptures as one story. And so we get that break where we see first the drama that is presented in scripture. The Bible is a drama. It's a story. It's one whole story. And it's got story. And so Paul lays out a drama here. He tells us the story of man in his sinful condition and he goes on to give us the story, the drama of Christ, God's son, God, the son in the flesh, descended to the earth to where our sinful flesh, though he was without sin. And he does so to live a righteous life that he would have righteousness to give to us in exchange for our guilt and our sin. And so that's the story that Paul's Paul lays out. We are sinners condemned to death and God's wrath. But Christ has come. God has sent his son who was a perfect sacrifice. And so we see the drama. From the drama, we go into the doctrine and there is much doctrine here in the book of Romans. So I'm have falsely identified Paul's motives here that he set out to write a systematic theology. And we know that that is not the case. However, Romans does deal with weighty theology and doctrine. And so we learn of the doctrine. Again, of man's fallen condition, justification by grace alone, much doctrine. And from the doctrine, and we can see ourselves in at the end of chapter 11, Paul goes into doxology and praise because of the truth that we see from the drama. That God has saved sinners. We read in chapter 11, we'll start in verse 28. As regards to the gospel, they are enemies, speaking of the Jews of God for your sake, but as regards, but as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers, for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you were at one time disobedient to God, but now have received mercy because of their disobedience. So they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you, they also may now receive mercy. Verse 32, for God has consigned all to disobedience that He may have mercy on all. And we see doxology here in verse 33, Paul says, oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God, how unskirtable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways. For who has known His mind, known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor, or who has given a gift to Him that He might be repaid, for from Him and through Him and to Him are all things to Him be glory forever. Amen. And so we go from drama, from the story, to the doctrine that prompts us to praise God and give doxology. And then we come to verse 12, which is what we'll look at for this evening. Where we see discipleship, what is it that we do in light of what Paul has just told us, what he's walked us through for the last 11 chapters, how does that affect the everyday life of the believer, the Christian us? And so we'll see that. I think about one of the age old, I want to say arguments, or two extremes that we have seen since the scriptures have been penned, one is legalism that we are saved by how we perform and what we do by being perfect and following every command, we gain salvation, a right standing with God. And in the sense that is true, but the problem is what we see John talk about, what we see Paul already tell us that we are sinners, we cannot perform up to God's standards. But our other extreme is we know licentiousness or antinomianism, at least licentiousness, where our sins don't matter and where there's nothing that we have to do. We've been saved by grace and we sit around and we look around and we just waste time and we may sin and that's okay because we're saved by grace. But Paul here he addresses both extremes. He says no there is something that we are to do. I appeal to you therefore brothers by the mercy of God to do something. And we'll look at that. And as it applies or as it concerns legalism, Paul tells us that our doing has to be understood properly. Yes, we do, we don't just sit around and not do, but understand what it is that we do and why we do it. Understand the impact that our doing has. Unlike the legalists, Paul would argue that our doing, our performing has no variance on our right standing with God. I took a course, a church ministry course in school and one of my textbooks, it was looking at, I guess teaching and laying out the proper way or a method for less planning and teaching. And when it talked about children and how you are to approach teaching children and planning to teach children and it stated something that I'm sure we all have seen in our lives. We all have experienced either with ourselves as children or with other children. And that's this. When you teach a child, their attention span is very short. And so what children love more than anything is to be hands on and to do. And in that way, they're entertained and they they they stay focused and they they may hopefully get something out of it. And we look at the Christian, the condition of Christians of now, and we see a lot of people, a lot of churches who are like that, they don't feel any urge or regard to be a Christian if it does not come with doing. That is they elevate, they're doing above everything else. And that's our main focus for this evening. We look at four things in regards to our doing. Why do we do what do we do and what what impact does it have? Where does it stand? How important is it and what is it that motivates us to do it? So the first thing that we see, when we come to this portion where Paul says, do something. Do something and the legalists, their ears may perk up because now we get to do something. What is it that we do? Paul says, do this. I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God to present your bodies as a living sacrifice. Do this. Give a sacrifice. The first thing that we're met with as it applies to our doing before God, after hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ, Paul says, this is what you're to do. Give God a sacrifice. And many of us are, we're familiar with sacrifices. And if we wanted to give a definition of sacrifice, it can be defined as the offering up of something precious for cause or a reason. And we're especially familiar with sacrifices from the Old Testament. As we look at the Old Testament, sacrificial system, we see sacrifices given. So Paul here in Romans 12, he's instructing us to bring God a sacrifice. And in doing so, Paul is highlighting the priesthood of all believers. He's highlighting the fact that because of Jesus Christ, our sin has been dealt with. And because of that, each and every believer, every Christian here now, we no longer need a mediator to go between us and God besides the mediator, Jesus Christ, we have direct access to God. So Paul says, go. He tells us that as priest, we are now to give God a sacrifice. This is the on the list of our doing. This is the umbrella that everything else falls under our belief. Give God a sacrifice. And now when we think of the Old Testament sacrifice also, we normally tend to think about the sacrifice that attuned for the people sin. The sacrifice of atonement or the atoning sacrifices. On the day of atonement, we see bulls and goats sacrifice for God. And their blood is given up for God. And his judgment is restrained. And he forebears the sins of his people and he allows them will say another year with the clean slate for lack of a better term. And this is the sacrifice addressed the sin and the guilt of the people. But one thing that we want to remember is we look at this passage and we look at that example. We remember that that sacrifice of atonement was made by the high priest and him alone. As we see in Leviticus, the sacrifices did not have a lasting effect. That was the one problem. And one problem was a bit problem. In fact, these sacrifices anticipated a greater sacrifice and a greater or a great high priest. If we turn to Hebrews chapter 10, our preparatory scripture for communion, as we read this morning, we read, for since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come. Instead of the true form of these realities, it can never by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year make perfect those who draw near otherwise what they not have ceased to be offered. Since the worshipers having once been cleansed with no longer have any consciousness of sins, but in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. And we read also in Hebrews 9 where Christ, Christ, he entered into the holy the holies, not by the blood of bulls and goats, but by his own blood. So this sacrifice that we see Paul telling us to give, he tells us to make a sacrifice to God, but not that of a high priest, not the sacrifice that we see Christ fulfilling, not only a sacrifice, but also as the priest, Paul is telling us to give and offer up a sacrifice of a different nature. Now as we look at Leviticus or we look at the Old Testament, we see another sacrifice. Again, we said the atoning sacrifice is one of the more populous for those who are not well read when it comes to the Scriptures, but there is a sacrifice that we see that is different from the atoning sacrifice. It is the sacrifice of peace or fellowship, praise and a thank offering. And so we see these sacrifices of praise and I want to read a quote from a great Presbyterian theologian and preacher from times past, Robert Candles. He says these were sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving offered an acknowledgement of the sovereignty and bounty of God and as pledges of dependence and gratitude. These sacrifices had nothing to do with the canceling of guilt and the restoration of the guilty party to favor. They did not make peace. They proceeded on the faith of peace being otherwise made by a previous sacrifice of atonement. They were in fact expressions of thankfulness on that account. So what is Paul telling us? We said that we have come out of these first 11 chapters with Paul giving us the gracious, beautiful gospel of Jesus Christ. And so Paul tells us to do something and that something that he tells us to do is to give God a sacrifice. You are priest by Christ and according to Christ and through him now give God a sacrifice. And that sacrifice is not a sacrifice of atonement. You cannot. You have not the capability to give that sacrifice. In fact, it is already been given for you. So now give the appropriate sacrifice that would proceed and atoning sacrifice the sacrifice of thanksgiving. But secondly, now that we see that our sacrifice that we are to give is a sacrifice of thankfulness. The second thing that we see is that this sacrifice must qualify as being holy and acceptable. We are to do something. We are to give a sacrifice and that sacrifice is not the nature of that sacrifice. It is a sacrifice of thanks offering. But that sacrifice must meet certain conditions. And so Paul says this sacrifice that you offer, it has to qualify as being holy and acceptable. Recently, this is a random thought. I was sitting around and I realized that it has been a while since I have used a vending machine. I said it was a rent. I don't know why that thought popped in my head. But I said, man, it has been really long since I have last used a vending machine. And I guess what I was thinking about was because I was dealing with some money. And so I remembered the times when I was just having one dollar in my pocket and I would be so hungry, so thirsty. And so I was appending on that dollar to be exchanged for whatever it was that I wanted to eat or drink. But the problem came and you probably can relate to this when you try to put that crinkled dollar into the machine and it won't take it. And I thought about that. And then you take the dollar and you rub it on the edge of the vending machine to try to straighten it out and you put it and it just won't accept it. This keeps rejected. And in no way is our money holy. But I think it's a great illustration of God's acceptance. God calls for a sacrifice, but it has to meet conditions. It has to meet conditions. If we look in Leviticus, chapter 22, in verse 17, we see conditions that God lays out for free will offering. Beginning in verse 17, and the Lord spoke to Moses saying, speak to Aaron and his sons and all the people of Israel and say to them, when anyone of the house of Israel or of the cajurners in Israel presents a burnt offering and has his offering for any of their vows or free will offerings that they offer to the Lord. If it is to be accepted for you, if it is to be accepted for you, it shall be a male without blemish of the bulls or the sheep or the goats. It shall not offer anything that has a blemish for if, for it will not be acceptable for you. And God goes on to lay out his conditions. And so we see with these sacrifices that they are to be holy, set apart, there to meet certain conditions. If not, God will reject them. And so we come to chapter 12 of Romans and likewise, as Paul tells us to give a sacrifice, a thank offering, just like here in Leviticus, it is to meet certain conditions. This sacrifice cannot be any sacrifice that you feel to give. It must be holy and acceptable before God. If not, brothers and sisters, we, we bother not to give it. How can we give God or give to God what it is that he has not commanded that he has not deemed acceptable? We see the story with Cain. And the funny thing is, Cain, it can be argued that what Cain offered was appropriate for a thank offering. However, he did not meet the necessary requirements. It was not preceded by an offering of blood for a tone and able. He offered the appropriate a toning sacrifice and if spared, more than likely he would have followed up with a thank offering. The brothers and sisters were told that we are to do, we are to give a sacrifice to God. We are priests. And as priests, we no longer need anyone to stand on our behalf, besides Christ, to give, we can come and we can give and we are urged by Paul to do that. But our giving, our sacrifice, our offering, which is a thanks and not for a tone, has to meet these conditions that has to be holy and acceptable. But then Paul goes on and he tells us, early on, exactly what that sacrifice is to be. What is this holy sacrifice that should be acceptable? This living sacrifice that God has sought out for us to bring to him as priests. Well Paul says that I appeal to you therefore brothers by the mercies of God to present your bodies. Your body. So thirdly, the sacrifice that Paul urges us to give is our very own bodies. And it's sitting that as we have, we've looked at Christ and we'll go back to Hebrew chapter 10. And as we read for in verse four, for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said sacrifices and offerings, you have not desired, but a body, have you prepared for me? In burnt offerings and sin offerings, you have not, you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, behold, I have come to do your will, oh God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book. And so church, as we, we know that we are or have been made one with Christ, we find ourselves in him. And we say isn't it fitting that as Christ fulfills the old testament sacrificial system as he fulfills both the sacrifice for atonement and the great high priest. How much more are we to fulfill our obligation as priests in him to give offerings of that same nature as Christ gave his body for atonement. Again, we are to give our bodies, again, not for atonement, brothers and sisters, but as our thanks to God, as our thanks to him, a lot of misunderstanding comes from this phrase, give your bodies. And we see people who have refrained from tattooing themselves because they wish to give their bodies and sacrifice unto God, holy and acceptable. And we've seen some who actually tattoo their whole body with religious themes, right, Jesus, I have a Jesus tattoo, so when I hear that I kind of have to hold my head low. But we see that we see people who cut their hair all off and we see those who will abstain from a razor touching their head. And we see those who will wear only Christian clothing or clothes made by Christian companies own and they do all these things in an attempt to present their bodies as a living sacrifice, but we miss the point. Because when Paul is telling us to present our bodies, he's saying that we are to present much more than our physical selves, than flesh and blood, and saying bodies, Paul is telling us he's urging us to commit all of us, our whole and entire being, everything that we have to die. In a sense, Paul lays out a mission. He gives us a mission and that mission is to commit ourselves and everything about us, everything that we have, everything that we are to pleasing God or to pursuit of pleasing God and living lives of obedience to him. Paul is saying that now as believers, you have been ransomed by Christ, your body is not your own. And so I look around and I'm inspired because I see this fleshed out in the context of our church. I see those who have given their bodies, given themselves to God. I see members who are faithful and diligent to caring for the needs of other members, whether it's a call or a card, whether it's a smile, a genuine smile as we pass by a Sunday after Sunday worship. I see it. I see them committing themselves. I see ministers who travel far. I see ministers who have given themselves fully to building up God's people in meeting after meeting, lessen after lesson, sermon after sermon, here in a local church, across the seas, and in the midst of trials and hardships that they face, and they do it diligently. They know that their body is not their own. They are priests and they offer themselves up to God as living sacrifices. Their body is here, their life is his and whatever his will be. That is what they wish. So Paul tells us, give your bodies. But we don't want to ignore the fact that Paul has said these bodies that were to give, remember, they're supposed to meet these qualifications. There to be holy and acceptable. And so some of us would stop and say, well, wait a minute. I understand, given my body, and I understand a sacrifice to God being holy and acceptable. But how will the two work? I am a sinner without pricing apart from him. There's nothing good about me. I send day in and day out. And I'm called to give this body as the holy and acceptable sacrifice, a thanks to God. How does that work? And we remember brothers and sisters that preceding our sacrifice and offering of things with our very own bodies is that sacrifice for a tomen made by our great high priest. And so we continue to give ourselves. And we, we, we, we, we, we kind of put to death the thoughts of the legalists that what we do apart from Christ saves us and keeps us safe. And we kind of tell those who would practice licentiousness that know what we do. It matters. God has called us to do something. And so we see that we are to live lives of obedience, give our lives as sacrifices to God. God, not because God will pass on a bat, give us an a plus or smile more. But in closing in as we look at our, our fourth point, we do it with this motivation. We as priests, we do something. We give God a sacrifice. That sacrifice has to be holy and acceptable. It has to be. And it has been made that by Christ, a toning sacrifice. And so that sacrifice that is to be holy and acceptable is our bodies. And the motivation that we have for giving ourselves to the pursuit of total obedience to God is God's own mercies. Paul says, I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, not by the guilt that you feel if you don't do this, not by how others will look at you because you fall in, not because you, you won't feel good about yourself. But I appeal to you, brothers, I urge you, brothers, I beseech you. Therefore, and that therefore is taking us back to the gospel that he has laid out and fleshed out in all these 11 chapters. Because of that, therefore, I appeal to you to offer and present your bodies as a living sacrifice. You do it because the great high priest has gone before you. You do it because God has given his mercy. You do it because God is worthy of your thanks. You showed it by not sparing his son. And then doing so, he promised this to uphold us and to keep us brothers and sisters how much more motivation do we need as we continue to live our lives as sacrifices. And so, we stand here and we thank God and we pray that we will look at the charge that we've been given and we will get excited because we do have something to do. We have a mission to commit ourselves to God and we won't detour from that mission and we won't shy away from it because we understand that it has no bearings on where we stand with God. We do it because we're thankful for what he has done. In other words, our life as Christians, our mission is nothing more than a reaction to God's actions of greats and mercy brothers and sisters. So, we pray that we will live our lives as holy and acceptable and living sacrifices because we are that, we are holy, we are acceptable, we have been made alive, we are living and we do so because oh, we're so thankful for the grace that God has poured out. Let us pray.