This is the seventh sermon it the “Renewal of the Church” series. We need to cooperate with the Father God, so that the church might bear much fruit.
Romans 6:6-13 NKJV knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
Romans 12:1-2 NKJV I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Text:
Romans 12:2 NKJV And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Romans 6:13 NKJV And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
Introduction
What is the most worthwhile investment a person can make? It isn’t a retirement account, a lucrative career, or a fine house, though these are all good. There is no better way to invest time, energy, or resources than to help someone come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
When we first trusted in the Savior, God transferred us from the realm of darkness into the kingdom of His Son.
Colossians 1:13-14 NKJV He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
As a result, we became an instrument in His hands, useful for reaching others for Christ. When others turn from sin and receive the Lord’s salvation, their eternal destiny is altered. Not only that, but Satan also receives a devastating blow—all his plans for those individuals are stopped. And as each new believer begins to live in God’s will, there’s no telling how far the Lord will extend His kingdom through them.
Whenever you tell someone about the Savior, you’re carrying out the Great Commission.
Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
This gigantic task of evangelizing the world is accomplished one person at a time, as we each do our part to share the gospel.
We each have our part and God will take care of the rest.
I Corinthians 3:6-8 NKJV I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
God’s plan for enlarging His kingdom is so simple—one person telling another about Jesus. Just think about being in heaven and seeing someone you introduced to Jesus. Your joy will far exceed any discomfort you may have felt in sharing the gospel. That’s the one-on-one personal evangelism I’ve talked about the last two weeks.
It is God’s will for the church to be renewed and transformed; it is not God’s will for the church to be shaped by the mold of the world. It is God’s will that the church be renewed to ministry, renewed in faith and a disciplined life. It is also his will that the church be renewed to witnessing, and this happens only as it experiences renewing through the Holy Spirit. We talked about that during this series, when we said that the Holy Spirit is the fire that ignites renewal.
Spiritual renewal is the answer for the church today. There is a secret to renewal and that secret is yielding yourself to God.
I. Yield yourselves to God.
The key word to spiritual renewal in the Christian life is “yield.” It is the same word translated “present” in Romans 12:1.
Romans 12:1 NKJV 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
It is also the word that is used to describe the presentation of an offering in the sacrificial system.
Leviticus 3:7-8 NIV 7 If you offer a lamb, you are to present it before the Lord, 8 lay your hand on its head and slaughter it in front of the tent of meeting. Then Aaron’s sons shall splash its blood against the sides of the altar.
The Israelite worshiper presented or yielded his sacrifice to the priest to be offered. Presenting or yielding ourselves It is an act of worship where we personally acknowledge that we belong to God. This act of presenting or yielding ourselves is the secret of renewal of life.
Romans 12:1 NKJV 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
Notice three things about this act of yielding or presenting yourself.
It’s a realistic act.
It’s a reasonable act.
It’s a resisted act …. I’ll explain that later.
A. First, yielding ourselves is a realistic act.
In the Christian life this is just as real as the decision to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
1. It is a definite act, it is clearly done without doubt, it was a real, true, unambiguous act.
Romans 6:13 NKJV 13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
In the scripture that I just read, Romans 6:13, the second use of the word “present” is in the aorist (a·o·rist) tense (did I pronounce that right Kimberly) the aorist tense of the Greek language means it is to be a continuous action.
Here is how this scripture is rendered in The Passion Translation of the Bible
Romans 6:13 TPT So then, refuse to answer its call to surrender your body as a tool for wickedness. Instead, passionately answer God’s call to keep yielding your body to him as one who has now experienced resurrection life! You live now for his pleasure, ready to be used for his noble purpose.
There comes time in your life where you must make the decision to present or yield yourself to God and from then on consider that your whole life belongs to him.
2. Presenting or yielding your life is a transfer of your life to God. Your life is no longer your own, but his!
I Corinthians 6:19-20 NKJV 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
3. Presenting or yielding is an act of the will as well as an act of obedience.
I John 2:3 NKJV Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.
Ephesians 5:17-21 NKJV Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.
B. Yielding is a realistic act, and it is a reasonable act.
Romans 12:1 NKJV I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
It is reasonable if we want to have victory.
The believer in Christ has a dual nature, the new man or woman, while the lost person has only one nature, “the old man or woman.” Something happens when a person is born again. New life comes in, Christ’s life, in the person of the Holy Spirit.
The old nature, the old-self-life, is dealt with by Christ’s death, but it is not eliminated from our lives. It would be wonderful if the old self were completely gone but it isn’t. As believers we now have a dual nature—a higher nature and a lower nature, an old life and a new life, the flesh and the Spirit, the selfish self, and the Christ-life.
These are enemies, and they struggle for full control, and we must decide as to which we will yield. Believers have the choice as to which we yield ourselves. We can yield ourselves to the flesh, the old life, or to the Spirit, the new life. The nonbeliever doesn’t have a choice they are stuck with that old life of flesh. How the believer chooses is the secret to victory.
C. And finally yielding is a resisted act. I said that I would explain that. Go to
Galatians 5:16-17 AMPC But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God). For the desires of the flesh are opposed to the [Holy] Spirit, and the [desires of the] Spirit are opposed to the flesh (godless human nature); for these are antagonistic to each other [continually withstanding and in conflict with each other], so that you are not free but are prevented from doing what you desire to do.
The flesh resists the Holy Spirit and a person filled with and yielded to the Holy Spirit can resist the flesh. Yielding is the key to resistance, the key to victory.
Nothing will substitute for the act of yielding yourself to God. Jesus must be Lord of our lives! This is the secret to spiritual power in our lives.
Let’s go back to
Romans 12:1 NKJV I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
“Present your bodies.” Your body is important. Present it to God!
A. Yield your eyes to God. Your eyes control what you see and what you read. Make a covenant regarding your eyes.
Matthew 6:22-23 NKJV “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
The mind and thoughts—our awareness of the outside world—depends on the light being perceived by the eyes. Faulty eyes don't perceive and transmit light, effectively hiding the world in darkness for that person. On the contrary, focusing on sincere devotion to God and right living is like having clear, healthy eyes: it allows the light of God's righteousness into a person's heart.
B. Yield your ears to God. Your ears control what you hear. Be discerning about what you listen to. Listen to truth not error. How do you know the difference? Filter everything you hear through the Word of God.
Mark 4:24 AMPC And He said to them, Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you–and more [besides] will be given to you who hear.
C. Yield your mouth to God. What you say and how you say it are important.
Colossians 4:6 AMPCLet your speech at all times be gracious (pleasant and winsome), seasoned [as it were] with salt, [so that you may never be at a loss] to know how you ought to answer anyone [who puts a question to you].
D. Yield your mind to God. Let your thoughts and attitudes be formed by God’s Word.
Philippians 4:8 NKJV 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.
E. Yield your hands to God. Let him govern what you do and how you work—your actions and your service to others.
Colossians 3:23-25 NKJV 23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. 25 But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.
F. Yield your feet to God. Go to the places God would have you to go but walk away from places that would be detrimental to your spiritual or physical life.
Romans 10:14-15 NKJV 14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!”
G. Yield your face to God.
Matthew 5:14-16 NKJV 14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Your countenance should reflect the light of Christ who lives within you. You can look at a person’s face and determine his or her character qualities. Do you smile or frown? Are you serving others, or are you expecting others to serve you?
Conclusion
What Is the secret to renewal? Yield yourself and your members to God.
God has given you everything. What does he expect from you? He expects all of you. Your body is the totality of who you are — more than your skin and bones. He wants total commitment.
God doesn’t want part of your life. He wants it all. God doesn’t want 90 minutes of your week; he wants all seven days. God wants every part of your life: your finances, your sexuality, your time, your relationships, and most of all your affections.
Here is what C.S. Lewis said;
"He cannot bless us unless he has us. When we try to keep within us an area that is our own, we try to keep an area of death. Therefore, in love, He claims all. There’s no bargaining with Him."
“In love, he claims it all. There’s no bargaining with him.” What should we do in response to God’s grace? Surrender everything, present everything yield everything. From now on, it’s all his. He burns with passion for us. He wants us, all of us.
Our minds need renewing. We need to think differently.
Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
I want you to notice a couple of things about this scripture. It doesn’t say to transform your mind; it says to be transformed. We don’t do the transformation; the Holy Spirit does, and we cooperate. The other thing that’s clear in this verse is that this is a continuous process. The Spirit keeps renewing our minds. This will keep on going for the rest of our lives.
The result of this renewal of our mind is that we will be able to discern what’s pleasing to God. It’s like we’ll gain the ability to understand what God wants and what is right. We’ll stop being shaped by the world and we’ll start to be shaped by God instead.
Romans 12:1-2 NIV 1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Place yourself and the areas of your life before God. He promises you victory and renewal as you do!
Lord, thank you for the power of a testimony of renewal and transformation. Help us never to grow tired of describing the transformation Jesus has made in my life.
In Jesus' Name Amen
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