Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. Romans 12:21(NLT)
X
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:1-2(NLT)
During the “gold rush” in California
Think with me about this idea of prior
claim. It is a legal concept
– the first one to stake a claim owns the property. Then consider this sentence:
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1(NLT)
Now, the meaning should be quite clear
about Who has “prior claim”
over everything in the universe. God’s
claim is that undeniable first and prior
claim. Man’s problem, since
the Garden of Eden, has always been the struggle between accepting God’s
“staked-out prior claim” and wanting to be a “claim-jumper”!
Self-promoting is the essence of jumping
God’s claim on you. A woman lived in a
big city neighborhood that was going downhill very fast. The area was becoming increasingly
overcrowded, noisy, and dirty. It was a
bad situation. The woman decided
something would have to be done about it.
She knew that money would be required to
change the situation. Consequently, she
started a fund-raising drive. She called
people. She sent letters. She got some financial support from a private
foundation. She finally raised
eighty-five thousand dollars and then she used the money to move to another
neighborhood.[2]
To give like you’re poor has
nothing to do with money; it has everything to do with the fact that the poor
(in spirit) only have themselves to give.
They understand having nothing; they understand Who has everything. The opposite of “claim-jumping” is respecting
God’s claim on this universe, including its inhabitants!
I imagine it is only fair to issue the
disclaimer first here. If you agree with
God owning it all (including you), that implies integrity to what follows, in
that when you say it, that
means you’re then going to do it. The disclaimer here is that I want you to
know Kingdom-life is not easy; Kingdom-life is hard!
If what Paul says here about how to give
yourself to God is true, it becomes the standard by which we conduct our lives
and will change most things about most of us. But if we will do this, we will find that giving
like a poor person is what pleases the Father most, which is also
the best for us, our families, and our communities.
In our text this morning there are three
phrases which call us to honor God.
The sum of these three “callings” adds-up to our lives. They are what define the lives we lead as
Kingdom people:
Phrase #1. …present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice
To
Do that means You are Promising to Honor God with Your Body
There is a lot of body talk these
days. Magazines promote making this part
smaller or that part larger. Do the
diet, exercise or pills, but don’t just sit there and couch potato – get with
the program! It’s all in the name of
buffing-up, slimming down and showing off!
And, if it all seems too difficult, you
can always go on “Extreme Makeover” or become the next “America
We have a whole culture willing to cut,
pierce and punish their bodies, just to be beautiful and different. Funny, how you’ve got to be doing the same as
everybody else to be different.
That is so different than what God says is
important. The world says your body and
your appearance is the most important thing; Paul says presenting that body as
a holy sacrifice to God is the real deal.
That’s how poor people give.
Now, it’s obvious that God’s ways and 21st-century
worldly culture are in serious conflict here.
So, what does it mean? To
“present” something is to give it over to someone else’s ownership or care. God created us; there is no one better
equipped to take care of us than He.
Now, many people today would agree
with that (with their lips), but instead of honoring God by submitting to His
authority, we want to make our own decisions despite His prior claim. The person who lives like that isn’t serious
about sacrificing self-will to the authority of God.
Authority is easy to figure out when
you’re little. I always knew when Mom or
Dad was asking me something, or suggesting I do something…they only used my
first name. When it came down to being
called, RUSSELL JAY BROWNWORTH, I
knew the suggestions were over…authority was not in question!
But, what does it mean to present your
body as a living and holy sacrifice? Essentially a sacrifice is
offered – you give up what you want and do what the other person wants.
A living sacrifice is daily choosing to give up your own will.
What makes the living sacrifice holy
is that you do those things that will honor God. You submit to His authority. Jesus did that in the Garden of Gethsemane
Presenting my body as a living sacrifice
has to do with commitment to living God’s way in His will. Commitments are hard to come-by these
days. Many people will make a decision –
you always saw that at the Billy Graham crusades. People walk the aisle and make a decision for
Christ.
It’s almost like pulling the lever in the
voting booth…crunch…and you
have voted; you decided. But a monkey
can also pull a lever.
The question is not one of decision,
although decision is a necessary thing.
The question is more of commitment.
Commitment is the hard work that follows decision. I can make a decision to replace our ailing
car. Making the payment every month
afterward is the commitment part.
How is your commitment level?
·
Are you giving God the respect He is due with your body?
·
Is that body conditioned to pray, give, worship, and witness?
·
Are you keeping that body pure from unwholesome influences?
For God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:20(NLT)
Phrase #2. …do not be conformed to this world
To
Do that means You are Promising to
Honor God in Your Relationships
We each will have many relationships
throughout life; we start in the womb.
Mothers know that relationship can be strained from the first bout with
nausea! By the time a child is born he
is already in debt to his parents for nine months of room and board…and he
comes into the world complaining about it!
Relationships build throughout our lives
with family and friends, classmates and careers. The idea of Kingdom living is that in the
midst of all relationships we seek to be consistent in
maintaining a life and a heart that honors God with all we do.
·
In the context of church, we honor God by consistently
worshipping, working and witnessing…all the while respecting each other.
·
In the context of home, we honor God by
considering the members of our family and doing our very best to support and
love.
·
In the context of school, work or acquaintances
we remain children of God, and act like it, no matter who is present, or who is
not.
·
In every context we are fiercely committed to honoring God,
no matter what turns relationships may take.
Even if our friends desert us, cut and run, we remain true to God. Even if our friends tempt us to turn from God,
we stay true.
One of the Star Trek spin-off shows had a
character called Shape Shifter.
This being, who was neither male nor female took whatever
appearance best-suited the circumstances.
That is so like our culture; just do whatever seems best to fit the
circumstances. But God says: Don’t do that! Stand firm…have
an identity…be the same all the time.”
In short, we do not allow this world – the
culture of post-modern 21st-century secularism, post-church heathen
godlessness to control and squeeze us into its mold. Rather we stay true to
what God has said about the way we should live and conduct our
relationships. That is what the Bible
tells us:
And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:5(NLT)
Tom Eliff is a Southern Baptist pastor and
denominational leader. He shared in a Baptist
publication about a man who didn’t have a clue about honoring God with his relationship
to his spouse:
Some years ago, I sat listening as a man,
caught in immorality and unfaithfulness, spilled out what was obviously a
carefully crafted confession. There was
no remorse, no tears, and no real desire to be reconciled with his wife. It was obvious that he had made some critical
choices and did not intend to turn back.
Visiting with the pastor was just the final stage in accommodating his
wife's desperate attempt to put their marriage back together. It was his final words that got me somewhere
deep inside and provoked a visceral reaction which shocked us both.
"I know what you're thinking,
preacher," he said with a slight nervous grin. You're thinking I'm probably not a Christian
and that I don't love the Lord. But you
see, I really do love the Lord with all my heart."
"No, you don't love the Lord with all
your heart," I replied tersely and in a tone so loud it had surprised us
both. Time will tell if you're a
Christian because if you are, God will treat you like one of His kids who is
deserving of discipline. But one thing
is certain, you don't love the Lord."
"You see," I continued, "if
you love the Lord, you do what He says.
But what you are saying is that you do not intend to do what He
says. You are bent on leaving your wife
and family and living in an immoral relationship. Say what you will, but you do not love the
Lord."[3]
Loving the Lord with all your strength,
everything that you’ve got, is not about grabbing for what feels good, or
what will fulfill you.
Loving the Lord with all you’ve got sometimes means sticking it out
through the tough times.
Phrase #3. …be transformed by the renewing of your mind
The
Result of saying “I will” to Kingdom Living is a Strengthened Life
Minds are always crowded and besieged by
what’s going on in our lives. Many
people today are more upset about what’s going on in their lives than they are
content with what God has placed before them.
God says he wants us to have an undivided
mind…a contentedness that more money can’t buy, a new job can’t
provide, and a better body won’t win.
Even in the church we see it clearly…folks struggling to get more so
they will be happier. People change
their appearance with hair dye, and plastic surgery; they change their clothes
and cars with the newest fashion or fad; they change their spouses with
regularity, and their church membership because the last preacher or Sunday
School class didn’t meet all their needs…all the while failing to see that a
renewal of mind was their entire need.
Renewal of the mind, and the subsequent
transformation of life, is the result of giving up on this world’s system
and allowing God’s way to be your way.
It is a decision that’s made;
then a commitment that follows; then a transformation
which happens.
This transformation begins and continues
in the heart and renews your mind.
And all of us…. are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another… 2 Corinthians 3:18(NRSVA)
Our hearts – that’s a place where others
cannot see, only God knows what’s happening in your heart and mine. But the results of that
transformation will be seen! And
in the opposing sense…no transformation is also easily seen.
Metamorphosis is a transformation; it is
what happens in a cocoon. Cradled in a
nest the nature of a caterpillar begins to change. Finally, it breaks out, looking very little
like it did before. What was once an
ugly little squirming worm is transformed into the very essence of delightful
beauty! It was once conformed to the
slinking image of a dust-eater; now it soars with color and majesty – some are
even called Monarch!
In a human being, follower of Jesus Christ,
our cocoon is grace. Surrendering control
of our lives to God’s grace, entering the cocoon, allows God’s transforming
power to change us. We emerge with wings
to escape temptation and live a life that is pleasing and acceptable to
God. We can live a life of purpose and
dignity, leaving the dust-eating worm-life behind. This happens when we resist this World’s
Culture and rest our whole being in the cocoon of Christ’s grace.
Just like a caterpillar must crawl up on
the branch of some tree to attach itself, a Christian believer must attach himself
to the branch of Jesus’ cross. It is one
act of surrender; a lifetime of service.
I knew a man once who decided to accept
Christ when he was a little boy. That
decision was not followed by commitment to live honoring God’s authority. His life was marked by insecurity, inability
to make good decisions, and in a real sense, inconsequence as a member of
society.
Then there was a time when he became a
young man; there was renewal, and a calling to commit. The young man did so, committing his life to
living as a Kingdom Child.
Ever since that time of commitment, the
Lord has been renewing, transforming, and changing that young man, who is now older
– much
older.
Slowly, through the years of successes and
failures, Christ was always building on the inside to take care of what’s
happening on the outside.
The man isn’t perfect today, but when he
looks back over what the Lord has done these past 43 years, he sees that giving
like he was poor (giving himself) was the key to letting God’s
Spirit renew and transform his soul; that he is God’s, and God is his.
There is providence, joy and all good
gifts in his life…even the difficulties are opportunities, every ache and pain,
success and rejection…all of it marks of the love of God, and the assurance of
heaven’s welcome at the end of the journey.
It’s a great way to live, honoring God’s
Authority.
It’s the Kingdom Family way to live. There’s no better way to live.
Go to VIDEO
[1]
Title Image: Courtesy of Pixabay.com
[2] James S. Hewett, Illustrations
Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988), p. 450.
[3] Tom Eliff, Honoring
God's Authority, Principle #1 of Building a Kingdom Family, SBC.net
No comments:
Post a Comment