WHAT IS TRUE WORSHIP

Lesson 2

Romans Part IV

Kay Arthur

Romans 12

“Mercy”

Romans 9 – 11 Paul has spoken to us numerous times about mercy.

Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, by the mercies…

Paul is showing us that worship begins with serving God with all your being. It is not merely static, emotional feelings. True worship comes from presenting yourselves as a living sacrifice to God.

Eight things we learn from Romans 12 – 16 about this spiritual service of worship.

  1. It begins with the renewing of your mind which brings a transformation that keeps you from being conformed to this world and it will allow you to know the will of God. Romans 12:2
  2. It will bring you to a sober assessment of who you are in Christ Jesus:
  1. What you are gifted to do
  2. Where you are placed in the Body
  1. It will bring you to devotion to others. It will allow the love of God to flow through you to every different kind of person on this earth.
  2. It will bring you to a life of subjection to those that God has placed in authority over you.
  3. It is such a sacrifice that it causes you to determine to clothe yourself with Christ and make no provision for the flesh.
  4. It is such a sacrifice, a spiritual service of worship, that it will cause you to lay aside your liberties for the sake of weaker brothers.
  5. It is such a sacrifice, that it causes you to accept Christians whose “do’s” and “don’ts” are different than yours.
  6. It is a spiritual service of worship that serves the saints, simply because they are members of the body of Jesus Christ.

What is the “therefore” there for? Paul is calling us to sacrifice.

Romans 1 – 11 Paul tells us all that Christ has done for us.

Therefore….present your bodies.

Details of the Sacrifice of Christ and what He has done for us.

Christ’s Sacrifice

  1. Propitiated a holy, righteous God. (to satisfy God’s holiness)
  2. Redeemed you from sin’s penalty.
  3. Justified you and put you in right standing with God. (declared righteous)
  4. Imputed to you the righteousness of God. (put to your account)
  5. Reconciled you, who were an enemy, giving you peace with God.
  6. Put you IN Christ (before we were IN Adam Romans 5) where grace reigns unto life.
  7. United you with Christ, so much so that you died, were buried and were resurrected with Christ so you can walk in newness of life. (Romans 6)
  8. Freed you from sin’s power.
  9. Freed you from the laws of jurisdiction (Romans 7)
  10. Gave you the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Romans 8)
  11. Set you free from condemnation forever and ever (Romans 8:1)
  12. Guarantees you that you will never be separated from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:32-35)

All of this came, not because of any merit within yourself, but by the mercies of God.

“Beseech” – Paul is on his knees before you.

Romans 11:32 – 12:2 God has shut up ALL in disobedience so that He might show mercy to All.

Sin is independent action.

Romans 11:32-33

Romans 11:34-36 From Him and through Him and to Him are all things.

How can we help but present our bodies to Him?

Romans 12:1

When you think, “He couldn’t forgive me” you slap God in the face. That is a lie from Satan.

Romans 12:1-2

What God has done in Romans in calling us to sacrifice:

Two Classes of Sacrifices

I ReconcilitaionII Consecration

(Sin – Peace)(Burnt – Meal)

Romans 1 – 11Romans 12

Leviticus 1:2-6 Leviticus opens up with how to offer a burnt offering. When they “filleted” the animal they were “exposing” what was inside)

Leviticus 1:7-9

Leviticus 1:9 The priest offers up ALL of the offering. The burnt offering was a soothing aroma to God by looking at God and His worth and giving Him worth. “I’m giving You this animal, because I know all belongs to YOU. Expose what is on the inside. Wash me with the Word of God.”

Romans 12:1Brethren = is all, not just Jews.

Present: Paristemi: to place near, to offer, to place at one’s disposal.

So to present yourselves to God is to offer yourself at His disposal.

It is a technical term for presenting Levitical sacrifices. Revelation 1 and 5, we are priests unto God. I am to offer myself to Him, I am to lay myself at His disposal by presenting my body to Him: my body, my whole self, everything within me.

Aeorist = at one point in time

Active = the subject performs the action of the verb. In this case, it is me.

Indicative = is a mood of reality. It is NOT a command, it is a plea; it is voluntary.

Warren Wiersbe says the verb indicates “once for all”. Once the sacrifice touched the altar, it was total.

Dedication is not coming to God saying,“I am getting rid of a sin”. When I come to God I am presenting a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable unto Him. Salvation has already happened; this is a spiritual service of worship, to present myself to Him.

What are you to present?

Body – it is living, not dead. My eyes look only on what is pleasing to Him. The words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart are to be acceptable in His sight.

It is holy: set apart from sin and set apart for service.

It is to be acceptable unto God: euareston: “areston” - acceptable, pleasing or approved. Eu – good or well. “It is extraordinarily pleasing to God.” This is your spiritual, logical, reasonable act of worship.” It is not external, it is spiritual.

Service of worship: latreia – “latreuo” to minister to God.

True worship begins in the total, complete, unrestricted, unconditional offering of yourself to God to do whatever He wants with you, but you do not have to be afraid, because of all that Christ’s sacrifice wrought for you. When you do, you will begin to know the will of God. That it is good, acceptable and it is perfect.

Where does true worship begin? In you, presenting your bodies to Him.