Introduction

(Read) One of the most fascinating and convicting books I have ever read was Adoniram Judson’s biography To the Golden Shore. Judson was the very first foreign missionary from the USA. His story is amazing, but it rarely felt romantic for him. Judson suffered in a 3^rd world prison, he endured severe illness, and he lost two wives and several children in the lonely jungles of Burma.

But no one expected the teenage version of Judson to become such a great servant of the Lord. Although Judson’s father was a conservative Puritan pastor, he renounced the faith as a teen. But when Judson was nineteen, God put him in a hotel room next to a dying man. He listened all night to the man’s final groans. God used that horrible experience to grab his heart and Judson was saved!

He took off spiritually. Eventually, he surrendered to the work of missions despite fully understanding the risks and even the death rate of missionaries in the 19^th century. Listen to the letter he wrote to his eventual father-in-law asking for his daughter’s hand in marriage, “I have now to ask, whether you can consent to part with your daughter early next spring, to see her no more in this world; whether you can consent to her departure, and her subjection to the hardships and sufferings of a missionary life; whether you can consent to her exposure to the dangers of the ocean; to the fatal influence of the southern climate of India; to every kind of want and distress; to degradation, insult, persecution, and perhaps a violent death. Can you consent to all this, for the sake of him who left his heavenly home, and died for her and for you; for the sake of the perishing, immortal souls; for the sake of Zion, and the glory of God? Can you consent to all this, in hope of soon meeting your daughter in the world of glory, with the crown of righteousness, brightened with the acclamations of praise which shall redound to her Savior from heathens saved, through her means, from eternal woe and despair?” Dads, what would you say?

Ann’s dad said yes, and so did she. They got married and sailed for Burma in 1812. Ann returned to America one time, but Judson’s other fears all came true. Ann died in Burma when she was only 36 after she buried her only two children.

The Judsons’ story is stunning. It’s radical. And it perfectly illustrates the surrender God demands from you. Sure, God hasn’t called us all to die on the mission field, but he demands that you be willing. God commands you to surrender everything to the Lord. He wants all your heart and passion. To make this point, v. 1 commands you…

I.  Sacrifice everything (v. 1).

Verse 1 is no suggestion. Instead, Paul summons all his apostolic, God-given authority, and he “urges you…to present your bodies (as) a living sacrifice.” He’s clapping his hands, shaking his fist, and pounding the table for you to listen up. So, pay attention. God demands that you sacrifice everything. What does that mean? First, it means…

Give it all. That’s what Paul means by a “living sacrifice.” He is drawing on imagery from the OT sacrificial system. When Israel approached God in worship, they had to bring a sacrifice, which they would “present” at the tabernacle/temple. Those sacrifices were very costly, especially in a world where many people lived hand to mouth.

But God doesn’t just demand an animal from us; God commands you to “present your bodies” to the Lord. I want you to hear that from the perspective of the lamb. It didn’t make a partial commitment. The lamb didn’t just suffer with the option of waking up the next day to do something else. No, the lamb died. It gave everything to the work of atonement.

But so often we want to be committed, but only on my terms. For example, there’s an old parable that says, “A Pig and a Chicken are walking down the road. The Chicken says: ‘Hey Pig, I was thinking we should open a restaurant!’ Pig replies: ‘Hm, maybe, what would we call it?’ The Chicken responds: ‘How about 'ham-n-eggs”?’ The Pig thought for a moment and replied: ‘No thanks. I'd be committed, but you'd only be involved.’”

The chicken can give a bunch of eggs without giving his life. But the pig must give everything to provide ham. That’s a silly illustration, but it makes a very important distinction. Are you a chicken or a pig kind of Christian? Does God have all of you or some of you? When God speaks, do you have to think about it? Do you get defensive, try to negotiate with God, or make excuses? Or is the cry of your heart, “Yes, Lord. Whatever you want I will do”?

You might say, “Of course!” But if Adoniram and Ann Judson spent a week watching your routine and listening to your complaints, what would they think of your living sacrifice. I’m pretty sure they would say that many of us are just playing games.

We never share the gospel because someone might get mad at us, or we might get embarrassed. Judson spent 17 months in a primitive jail, on the edge of death. But we skip church because we’re tired or because the weather is crummy. What’s wrong with us? House churches gather in China every Sunday under the very real threat that they will be hauled off to prison.

We jam our lives full of activity after activity. We chase this pleasure and that hobby. When life gets even slightly uncomfortable, we can’t take it, and we need our space. And then, amazingly, we have no time to invest in the Great Commission.

If Jesus appeared tomorrow and told you, “Sell all that you and come follow me,” what would you say? I hope you would say, “yes.” He’s not going to do that, but he has said with just as much authority, “Present your body a living sacrifice.” Obey him. Stop playing games. Give everything you have as a living sacrifice. 2^nd 1 challenges you to…

Give it worthily. Paul says our sacrifice must be “holy” and “acceptable to God.” That language recalls the standards God gave for the sacrifices Israel brought to the tabernacle. God demanded the best. And he demanded that they honor his standard of what is best, not theirs.

For example, consider the story of Nadab and Abihu. Israel had just finished building the tabernacle and begun worshipping in it. God comes down in an awesome display of glory and the people are overwhelmed. It’s an awesome, climactic moment.

But Nadab and Abihu got lazy about following God’s prescriptions for worship, and they offered “strange fire” on the altar. They didn’t bring a prostitute in the tabernacle or offer a pig as a sacrifice. Probably all they did was use coals from a common fire vs. from the altar of burnt offering. They surely thought, “They’re just coals. What’s the big deal?”

But God killed them instantly. The text says, “Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.” God said, “By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, and before all the people I will be honored” (Lev 10:2–3). God made himself clear.

Yet, we think that God is just so desperate for our love that he will be happy with whatever expression of our hearts we want to give him. It’s absurd.

Have you ever had someone give you a thoughtless gift? Or has anyone ever ignored what they know you want to buy what they think is better? Do you feel honored? Do you feel loved? No!

So, what does God think when you are careless about understanding and obeying his will? Do you really love him if you are not “trying (striving) to learn what is pleasing to the Lord” (Eph 5:10)?

For example, your testimony matters. It’s how you show Christ to the world. So, do you know what the Bible teaches about a modest heart and modest dress? Do you love the Lord enough to think seriously about how to present yourself in a way that honors him? What about your time? Do you know what the Bible says about your priorities, and do you love him enough to wrestle carefully through the priorities in your life?

Don’t be like Nadab and Abihu. Don’t think, “It doesn’t really matter. God doesn’t care.” He does. He demands a “holy” and “acceptable” sacrifice based on his standards.

Correct it. I honor Heidi, and I love her well when I listen carefully to her passions and desires, and I strive to fulfill them. Do the same for God. Don’t assume you know what he wants. Listen to his Word. Seek godly counsel. Embrace correction because you want to give him the most holy, acceptable sacrifice imaginable. Give it worthily. The 3^rd challenge of v. 1…

Give it gladly. This is very important because God’s standard is very high. Your flesh does not like it, and it will devise every excuse imaginable as to why God demands too much. If the only force binding you to God’s demand is guilt, shame, emotional manipulation, and fear of embarrassment, the flesh will eventually win, or you will become a terrible hypocrite.

But thankfully, we have a higher motivation. Paul frames the command, “Therefore…” “Therefore” is a major hinge within Romans. It signals a transition from the doctrinal section of Romans in chapters 1–11 to the practical section in chapters 12–16. Specifically, Paul just spent 11 chapters, and we’ve spent 18 months, walking through the most detailed exposition of God’s grace in the entire Bible.

We’ve seen that we are wretched sinners who serve a great Savior. When we were hopelessly lost, God extended great mercy. So, this might be the most pregnant therefore ever spoken. So, God wants you to remember all that we have seen about the glory, grace, mercy, and wisdom of God. Let your heart be filled with wonder, amazement, humility, and love.

Then let that mercy drive you to obey God’s command. That is so important. I want to do everything I can to inspire you to present your life to the Lord, but you’ll never do this for me. If you are just trying to save face or please people, you’ll either become a terrible hypocrite or you will fizzle out. And, if you are driven solely by guilt, shame, emotionalism, fear of embarrassment, or any other lesser thing, the flesh will eventually win.

No, grace must drive duty. 2 Corinthians 5:14 says, “The love of Christ controls us.” When I dwell deeply on all that God is and all he has done, I love him, and I want to love him more. Yes, I’m still a sinner, so I’m going to fall short. You need the daily confrontation of Scripture, biblical preaching, and friends who hold you accountable. But grace must drive duty.

I heard a preacher say once, “For every glance that you take at your duty take 100 glances at the at the grace of God.” That’s an exaggeration, but you get the point. Gaze at the grace of God. Love him. Trust him. Give glory to him.

As you do, this passage won’t appear harsh; instead, you will love it. And your heart will resonate with the conclusion of v. 1 that this is “your spiritual service of worship.” I love the fact that Paul frames all of this as worship. Again, it’s not just duty. I love the Lord, and I’m thankful for all that he has done. So, I want to please him, and I want others to see his glory. Therefore, I see all of life as act of loving worship.

That doesn’t mean I always feel like it or that my spiritual passions are always through the roof. Some days I just have to press through. But when I embrace the perspective of God’s mercy, Paul says that I won’t be grouchy about what God demands. Instead, I will see it as “reasonable.”

The NASB says “spiritual service,” but the Greek word is logikos. We get our word logical from it. Reasonable is a better translation. The point is that what he demands is not outlandish. It is reasonable or logical.

Do you believe that? If God said, “Get on a boat and go to Burma with Judson,” what would you say? When you understand the mercy of God, the only reasonable answer is, “Yes!”

So, gaze on the incredible mercies you have received. Be amazed at all that Christ has done. Then present your whole life as a sacrifice to God. Every day make a conscious choice to gladly devote yourself to God. Sacrifice everything! Then, v. 2 gives a 2^nd important command.

II.  Be different (v. 2).

This verse fleshes out how you can present a holy and acceptable sacrifice. I’d like to break it down into 3 challenges. First…

Resist worldliness. That’s what God means when he commands you not to be “conformed to this world.” He’s not talking about the planet, and he’s not talking just about people as if Christians must be weird for the sake of being weird. Rather, he’s talking about this evil age that Satan dominates. 1 John 2:16 describes it as “the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life.” John warns that these anti-god, temporal passions shape the unbelieving world around us.

We see that. Every day we are surrounded by a philosophy and value system that dramatically shapes how people think and live. BTW, it can come in many shapes and sizes. It can be red or blue politically, skinny jeans or Wranglers, white-collar or welfare. But John warns that it is hostile to a biblical perspective on life.

And Paul warns that the world is constantly trying to “conform” us to its likeness. Every worldly community that Satan has designed wants to squeeze you into its mold so that you think like them, love what they love, look like them, and behave like them.

Satan pounds on you day after day tugging at your fleshly passions and pride. He numbs us to the filth around us, and he slowly presses you into his mold. Before long, we have no idea how ungodly our hearts and our behavior have become.

So, God says, “Wake up! Do not be conformed to this world.” Much of time, I don’t think we have any clue how conformed we have become. I wonder what Paul would think if he walked into one of our homes. I’m pretty sure he would be appalled at much of the entertainment Christians enjoy, the clothes we wear, and how they speak. We’ve become so calloused to the perversity of our age that we can’t see how disgusting it is.

And don’t fool yourself into believing that just because you dress conservatively and like classical music that you aren’t worldly. The Pharisees looked spiritual, but they were terribly worldly. Pride, lust, and hypocrisy can take many shapes.

So, beware of Satan’s devices. He has a mighty bag of evil tricks. Examine your heart regularly, ask God to convict you of sin, listen to the counsel of brothers, and do not be conformed to the world. By God’s grace do not let the world squeeze you into its mold. Instead, the 2^nd challenge of v. 2 is…

Transform your life. I want to emphasize with Paul that the fight against worldliness begins in the mind. That’s because worldliness does not only reside outside me; it lives in my own sin nature. My biggest problem is me, not everyone else. Therefore, I need a radical transformation of what I believe, how I think, what I value, and how I look at the world.

How does that happen? First, notice that both, “do not be conformed” and “be transformed” are in the passive voice. Who ultimately does this? God does! You cannot truly be transformed into the divine image down to the core of your soul in your own strength. God must do that.

Therefore, 2 Corinthians 3:18 says you must “Behold…the glory of Lord” if you are to be “transformed into the same image.” So, behold the glory of the Lord every day. Live in his Word. Devote yourself to prayer. Sit under the preaching of God’s Word with a hungry heart at every chance possible. Spend time with godly people having real fellowship.

If you are going to be a holy and acceptable sacrifice to God, you cannot be conformed to the world. You must be transformed. Do you hate your sin? Do you pray that God would search your heart and reveal more of your ungodliness? How many sins did you confess to the Lord this week? Are you putting yourself in the best position to grow and to see your family grow?

As a practical test, where does the church calendar fit in the priorities of your life? I know you’re busy, I know you get tired, and I know you have physical challenges. But your soul matters. If you think, for example, that watching a football game or a movie this evening, will better prepare you for the week than being with God’s people, are you conformed to the world or to Christ?

God is calling you to something so much better, more glorious, and more satisfying than the trite nonsense of our world. So, by the grace of God, hate the worldliness of your heart and pray that God would transform you into the beautiful image of his Son. As he does that, you will be able to obey the 3^rd challenge of v. 2.

Think God’s thoughts. Several years back, I read Paul Tripp’s book on parenting teens, and I was shocked when he said that teenagers are the worst legalists. I was shocked because we tend to associate legalism with high standards and snotty spirituality. But legalism is about the heart, not the appearance. A legalist uses and manipulates rules to serve his own selfish ends. Teenagers do that all the time. They don’t care about the heart of the law; they are little lawyers who find every technicality.

Adults are often not much better. We come to the Bible looking for what I need to do to save face and what’s the absolute minimum I have to do to stay in God’s graces. When someone presses us to go further, we become little lawyers. “Show me in the Bible why I can’t do this!” That’s legalism. It’s using the law of God to serve my ends rather than hungering to please the Lord.

But God is calling you to something higher. Notice that the 3 adjectives at the end return to the sacrificial language of v. 1. Godly people aren’t looking for the minimum. They want to be good, acceptable, and perfect. They want God to be pleased with the aroma of their sacrifice because they love him and are so grateful for the gospel.

Therefore, they want to know what the will of God is. In fact, they seek to “prove” it. Prove simply means discern. So, godly people don’t fear being confronted by God’s Word; they want to learn it all. They aren’t looking for the lowest standard of godliness but the highest. They want to know what pleases God. They study, they think, they ask questions, and they pray. They want God to transform them so that they can please him.

Parents, imagine if you left a set of expectations for your kids before leaving on a trip, and they came to you and said, “Dad, what’s the best way we can honor this list. Help us understand your heart.” You’d probably faint. Then you’d be so pleased.

That’s what God wants from you. He wants your heart. He want you to strive to know him and his will so that you can discern how to please him. Do not be content floating along with a half-baked spirituality that is more conformed to the world than you are willing to admit. Be different.

Conclusion

The challenge is clear. No more games, no more excuses. Surrender everything to the Lord.