Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Dedication in a World Without It -- A Servants Heart


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 12:1-2

An old saying is necessary here to correctly understand the meaning that the Apostle Paul is conveying, "when you see 'therefore' you need to find the reason that it is there for."  So why is it the fourth word seeing it is a connection to prior information?  The preceding three  chapters discuss the removal of Israel as the primary witness to the world due to their hardness of heart towards God's plan of redemption that is revealed in the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ.  As a result, they were "pruned" from the tree of salvation as a nation for the time period of the church age.  In their stumbling over the rock of offense, Jesus Himself, God made provision for the mostly gentile church to be grafted in.  God is not finished with Israel as a nation!  There are clear promises outlining the national revival that will accompany the return of Messiah.  Also, this does not prevent individuals from salvation who will heed the call of Christ as many Jews have done throughout the last two thousand years.  This concept of their fall bringing salvation to all is summarized in a discourse containing this verse, "Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off (Romans 11:22)."  Notice that last phrase?  This is the reason that the "therefore" is there for.


Seeing that God will deal severely with His children if needs be for the purposes of redemption, Paul warns "therefore" to offer yourself as a living sacrifice.  This is not to earn salvation!  It is the REASONABLE thing to do in the face of such grace and severity for your sake.  It is a reminder about the awesome price of God's grace.  Jesus suffered terribly that you might be saved.  The price He paid personally was astounding.  In view of this great work given freely on your behalf, the sensible thing to do is to totally and completely surrender to His Lordship.  It is the primary act of service and worship God is looking for.  Add to this the statements made by all of the writers of the New Testament and you clearly get the picture that God wishes for us to entirely surrender ourselves.  

Think of the words of Paul in this passage from the first verse of  Romans, "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ..."  Not even his position as an apostle was as important as his position as a servant to the Lord.  Furthermore, there can be no ministry for Christ that does not stem from the priority of servitude!  This is why many of the New Testament writers mention that they are servants first and foremost.  Consider the following examples:

"Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ,..."  2 Peter 1:1

"James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,..." James 1:1

"Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James,..."  Jude 1:1

"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:..."  Revelation 1:1

Of these, James and Jude are most interesting,  Being the children of Mary and Jesus' half-brothers, they dare not mention their relationship to Him.  To His own family, being a servant of Christ was the appropriate position, the top priority, and the reasonable response.  So where does that leave us?  It should leave us at His feet desiring to accomplish His will and purposes seeing that He is Soon 2 Come!

Various New


Sunday, June 3, 2012

Dedication in a World Without It

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 12:1-2

Homosexual super-heroes, flesh-eating zombies, pastors fasting for abortion rights, theologians arguing whether the SON of God was a male or female, rampant divorce among Christians:  what in the world is going on?  These current news headlines are all symptoms of a missing element in many pulpits.  What ever happened to wholly dedicated believers striving to live holy unto the LORD as God gave biblical direction and the presence of the Holy Spirit as support?  What we desperately need is dedication to God in a world without it.

For centuries offering a sacrifice was the basic means by which men and women worshiped God.  Because Christ's atonement soon put the practice out of business, we have lost touch with the spiritual meanings associated with offering up of a defenseless animal to be destroyed due to our personal sin. It was God's way of letting us sense the awfulness of our sin.  A life had to perish to keep us from perishing.  Jesus seemingly changed all of that, or did He?  No, the awfulness of sin, and the danger of self deception in all things spiritual led the Holy Ghost to have Paul pen the words above.  God, through Paul, is begging for us to offer ourselves in complete dedication.  We are to offer ourselves in view of Christ's offering for us; it is the reasonable thing to do!  Not a dead nor cold sacrifice, but a vibrant living sacrifice.  A sacrificial life lived outwards from the place of sacrifice--the altar.   A life lived in clear view of the cross.


Why should we live devoted and dedicated lives?  Because we are not our own.  We are bought with a price.  A  man offering a sin offering had to dispatch the animal that was being offered for his sin while placing his hand on the head of the unfortunate animal.  It was his means of acknowledging that the sacrifice had taken his judgment.  Is this not what we do?  Christians should understand the substitutionary sacrifice that Jesus made for them--He paid their personal redemptive price.  "For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's (1 Corinthians 6:20)."  As LORD, Jesus has full rights and authority to demand how we should present ourselves!  He demands that we be His obedient servants!

There is much more to say here, but this will be the start.  In the meantime, take a moment and ask the holy Spirit to illuminate your service to God.  Is it pleasing and acceptable, or is their need for fresh dedication.