Grow With Pastor Joe

Faith must not be theoretical. It must be practical. We talked last week about the need of practical theology and seeing that all true biblical theology or systematic theology must lead to practical theology. This is where what we believe meets our behavior. Faith without obedience is not faith at all. Faith that isn’t moved by God, motivated by His grace, glory, and the gospel is not faith. We are told that we are not only saved by faith, but that we live by faith. I believe that many today know that they are saved, but their faith is not so practical. The reason that theology remains either uninteresting, unfulfilling, or unknown is because the average Chrisitan is not living a consecrated life. Consecration means setting something aside as sacred. We have so divided our lives that we have the secular and the sacred categories. Most of our life is lived in the secular. The average Christian today spends so little time in the sacred in their personal lives that church itself is not viewed as sacred and they may be committed to the idea of following Jesus, but they are not consecrated to Jesus. God only works through consecrated believers. He only works through a consecrated church, a consecrated preacher, and a consecrated body. It is time that we see all of life as sacred, set apart, consecrated to God for His use and glory. We often speak of dedication and rededication (and in some churches rededication over and over again that it means nothing), but we rarely speak of consecration. Oswald Chambers writes, “There is actually only one thing you can dedicate to God, and that is your right to yourself.” You are not your own. Your life is not yours; it is His and He desires and deserves a vessel that is fit for Him to live in and through. A consecrated life is giving God a signed blank check of your life. It belongs to Him and Him alone. It is up to Him to do with it as He wills. F.B Meyer writes, “Consecration is only possible when we give up our will about everything.” It is not our body, mind, soul. No, it is His. It is not our money, marriage, or ministry. No, it is His and His alone. In Christ, we have our total belonging of our being established because of our union to Christ and His Church. All that we are and do belongs to Him. God’s will for our life is for us to yield our will to His will, so that His will would be done in our life and that we would do His will in our life for the good of the church and glory of Jesus Christ.

            Consecrated Christians are not “Super Christians” who are heroes of the faith. No, God doesn’t need you to be super, He just desires and deserves your surrender. Godliness is greater than giftedness and we waste the gifts of God in this life when we remain unconsecrated in every fiber of our being to Him. True consecrated living is submitting to Christ as Lord over our entire life. There is nothing to be hidden or kept back from Him. We keep nothing for ourselves, but we relinquish our grasp of our life and give Him what already belongs to Him. As we approach Romans 12, we see the transition from doctrine to doxology to the Chrisitan’s daily duty in our personal relationship to Jesus and our corporate relationship to His Church. What we believe determines how we behave. What we learn and love determines how we live and who we live for. Our relationship to Jesus and His Church has requirements and responsibilities that we must fulfill, but we will only fulfill them God’s way. God’s way is a consecrated Christian that simply surrenders all that they are and do, both inside and out to God. This is our duty. We will look today at the consecrated life as seen in Romans 12:1 which says, “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.” These familiar words have become so familiar that they are misunderstood, ignored, or just not put into practice. Today, we will see the motivation and the presentation of the consecrated life. This is the “why” and the “what” of the consecrated life. Truly, the consecrate life is to be the normal Christian life. It is one of faith, humility, and surrender to the Lordship of Christ. I believe that we have a lot of Christians today who have Jesus as savior but not as Lord. Today is the day to bow the knee and consecrate your life to the Lord of Lords, the Lord of life and love.

            If you don’t know the “why”, then the “what” won’t matter, or it at least will never hit home enough to be applied by faith in your life. The motivation of the consecrated life is seen in the first portion of this verse. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God” acts as our sole motivation of living the consecrated life. First, we are beseeched by the mercies of God to live the consecrated life unto God. The word “beseech” is not used much anymore. What does it mean? The Greek word “parakaleo” is used here which means to call to one’s side. This word is used throughout the New Testament for exhortation, being an advocate, and as well as describing the indwelling Holy Spirit as the “Comforter.” The apostle Paul could have used his apostolic authority to command the believers to get their conduct to match their character, however he uses this word in a tender appeal to the hearer’s mind, emotions, and will. Paul is speaking to our inner man to be consecrated so that our outer man would be consecrated. God desires and deserves a whole Christian because we have a whole Christ. The sense of the word is an urging, an earnest plea, and a call to make a choice leading to action in response to the previous truth presented. This is what practical theology looks like. This is the purpose of a pastor’s preaching. It is to strike at the entirety of our body and soul to respond in faithful obedient surrender to Jesus Christ. We are urgently urged to make a decision of the will for our character and conduct to match our communion with Christ and His Church. If the mercies of God don’t motivate you to be consecrated, then nothing will. We don’t need rededication, we need consecration. Second, we are besieged by the mercies of God. It is not only His mercies that are urging us to faithful consecration, but it is also His mercies that have besieged our very life. We are surrounded by His mercy, and therefore, should yield ourselves in surrender to His mercy. You could look through a microscope or telescope and you’ll see His mercies. God’s mercy is seen in every molecule of every man, woman, and child. God’s mercies are His attributes and actions. It is who He is and what He does. As we have seen throughout Romans, and our study the previous two weeks, the gospel extends mercy and expresses the might and majesty of the grace and glory of Jesus Christ. The mercies of God should motivate us to be consecrated to Him completely and without hesitation or reservation. All that God is, has done, is doing, and will do gives us the motivation and meaning to all that we are and do. All that we are and all that we do should be in response to who He is and what He does. Consecration is the only reasonable response as we will see later on. God’s mercies act as the motivation of our life, the message of our life, and the mission of our life. The motivation of the consecrated life is nothing more or less than the mercies of God. If you want to rededicate yourself to do better, be better, try harder, or feel better then know that it won’t last. What motivates and moves you? May the mercies of God in our life be the motivation for our whole life to be consecrated to Christ our Lord and King.

            If you don’t have the motivation of the consecrated life nailed down, then the presentation of yourself to God, both body and soul will cause you to slide right off of the altar. You will fall into the performance trap and the rededication cycle. You will remain doing Christian things, yet in your own strength and you will see little lasting fruit. If you only know the “what” then your life will be all about you trying to improve yourself to impress God, who doesn’t need your performance, but desires your participation with His grace within you. The focus of the consecrated life is that of presentation. Now, this doesn’t mean being polished in your outer life. There are plenty of people who are squeaky clean on the outside, but have a rotten heart with selfish or fleshly motives. Consecrated living is the continual presentation of ourselves to God saying, “Here I am. I am yours. Have your will and your way. Take my mind, my body, all that I am for all that you are. Lord, I am yours. Here’s my life, it is yours anyway.” Unfortunately, most Christians view their Chrisitan life about getting more out of God and church. However, the consecrated life is not about getting but rather giving ourselves entirely to Jesus and His Bride and Body, the Church. We are starving, spiritually starving and stagnant because we give Him our leftovers and scraps of whatever is left of our life. Read the words of Isaac Watts hymn, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.”

“¹ When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of glory died, my richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride. ² Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast save in the death of Christ, my God! All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them through his blood. ³ See, from his head, his hands, his feet, sorrow and love flow mingled down. Did e’er such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown? ⁴ Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were a present far too small. Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.”

When we see the mercies of God clearly through the person and work of Jesus Christ resounding outward from the cross of Calvary, how could we not give our soul, life, and all? Our life and lips must be consecrated to Him completely if we are to live a life of victory over the world, the flesh and the Devil. We must be consecrated to Him presenting ourselves to Him if we are to live by His grace for His glory. Our hearts, homes, churches, and communities are depending upon our moment-by-moment presenting ourselves to God in faithful consecration.

The presentation of the consecrated life is seen in the second half of Rom. 12:1 which says, “that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” To present means to yield, surrender, and place at the disposal of another. This is to be not only a regular occurrence, but a constant giving of oneself to Christ. Romans 6 is critical in understanding what everyday Christianity should look like, but specifically what daily consecration looks like. We are to know, reckon, and yield. These are the first commands in the book of Romans that are duties based on doctrine. As we grow to know the grace and glory of God in the gospel of Jesus which includes our eternal union to Christ and His Church, then we are to reckon (apply to one’s account) the finished work of Christ by faith and then yield ourselves inside out to God so that we may serve Him and not sin. The presentation of ourselves to Christ is a definite act of the will with a thought of finality. Meaning, we present ourselves decisively, deliberately, and definitely. No one can do this for you. You must decide today based upon the motivating mercies of God to present your body as a living sacrifice to God. Paul uses Old Testament sacrificial language to capture our attention. In the Old Testament, sacrifices were offered by faith to God. He not only required blood, but belief from the one who made the offering. The Jewish people failed repeatedly by shedding blood without faith leading to the sacrifice being worthless. There are several examples of God’s displeasure such as Malachi 1, Hosea 6:6, and Jeremiah 6:20. Psalm 51:16-19 David repents and says, “¹⁶ For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. ¹⁷ The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. ¹⁸ Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem. ¹⁹ Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.” God cares about the presentation of a heart of faith more than ritual, traditions, or outer works.

It matters to God that we present ourselves in entirety to Him. God desires that we would present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God. Here, the word bodies is not just in reference to our outer man, but as well as the inner. You see, the body is the outer expression of our inner essence, nature, and character. God doesn’t just care about the inside, but as well He cares about the outside. But it must be in that order. If you don’t give yourself inwardly then your outer works will be nothing more than self-righteous deeds. The true presentation of ourselves in the consecrated life is where everything is yielded to Him completely. To present your body means that you give God your head. This means everything that you think and bring in through your eyes, ears, and mouth matters. What you think about and how you think matters. Proverbs 23:7 says, “For as he thinketh in his heart.” We have been given the mind of Christ and must yield our thinking to Him as seen in Philippians 2:5; 4:7-9. To present your body is an inside out process. God not only wants your head (your thinking and mind), but your heart. The heart of man is where the mind and soul meet. It is where facts and faith collide. The heart of man is where belief becomes behavior. This is where decisions are made and where transformation takes place. God cares about what you think, how you feel, and what you decide. Presenting your body to God must lead to an outward presentation as well. God wants all of you. He desires and deserves all of you to be consecrated to Him. God wants your head, heart, and hands. God cares not only about how you think, feel, and decide, but He cares about how you use your body.         1 Thessalonians 4:4 says, “That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour.” Paul expresses this about his life and encourages us to follow suit in 1 Corinthians 9:27 saying, “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” Your outward conduct is the expression of your inward character and consecration to God. The true presentation of ourselves to God means that He has all of us from the inside out. Nothing is to be withheld from His command.

Not only are we to present our bodies, meaning all that we are inside and out, but we are to do so as “living sacrifices.” A living sacrifice means that we climb on the altar of faithful obedient consecration to God, and we don’t slide off. We need the meat hooks of grace and faith to keep as fastened each moment of our life. The idea of the sacrifice is that a burnt offering in the Old Testament was an animal slain and burnt entirely. Nothing was left of the animal. The consecrated life means that there is no more of you, but that your life is all “of Him, through Him, and to Him” (Rom. 11:36). A consecrated life is where we give all that we are so that there is no more of us, but that our life is all Him (Gal. 2:20). The Old Testament sacrifices were to always be “holy, acceptable unto God.” The problem that plagued Israel’s worship is that it had become unholy and unacceptable as seen throughout the Old Testament (see above references to Hosea, Jeremiah, and Malachai). Holiness is to be separated and pure before God. Our life is to be one of holiness and holiness is Christlikeness. Consecrated living is Christ being formed in us and seen in our character and conduct as we present ourselves living sacrifices to God. I wonder, is your conduct “holy, acceptable unto God?” The only way to live a life of holiness that is acceptable to God is through consecration. Nothing else will do. All of your religious knowledge and experience doesn’t come close to a life that is consecrated and presented to God as a living sacrifice. This sounds harsh. This sounds life changing and even radical to most Christian’s ears and hearts. However, this “is your reasonable service.” Consecration shouldn’t be difficult; it should be a delight. It is a battle, but it is a blessing. The word reasonable is the word, “logikos” where we get the word logical, reasonable, or rational. Based upon the mercies of God seen in the might and majesty of the gospel, grace, and glory of God, it is only logical that we would consecrate our lives to Him completely. It is illogical to have Christ as savior and not as Lord. It is unreasonable to want Heaven without holiness. It is illogical to not respond to God in surrender giving all that we are and do for all that He is. As missionary and martyr Jim Elliot said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” It is a fool’s errand to keep your life for yourself. You waste the work of the cross in your life by not living a consecrated life. It is futile to not live in faithful obedience consecrated to Jesus Christ. Don’t waste your salvation and stop wasting God’s time. Stop wasting the work of the Word and the Holy Spirit in your life. Consecrate yourself now by presenting yourself to God as a living, holy, acceptable sacrifice to God for your good and His glory.

Read the words of the classic hymn, “Take my life and let it be” by Frances Ridley Havergal.

“¹ Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee. Take my moments and my days; let them flow in endless praise, let them flow in endless praise. ² Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of thy love. Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for thee, swift and beautiful for thee. ³ Take my voice and let me sing always, only, for my King. Take my lips and let them be filled with messages from thee, filled with messages from thee. ⁴ Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold. Take my intellect and use every power as thou shalt choose, every power as thou shalt choose. ⁵ Take my will and make it thine; it shall be no longer mine. Take my heart it is thine own; it shall be thy royal throne, it shall be thy royal throne. ⁶ Take my love; my Lord, I pour at thy feet its treasure store. Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for thee, ever, only, all for thee.”

Have you consecrated your life to Christ? What part of your life are you still holding on to for yourself? Do you seem to keep sliding off of the altar of life? Are you tired of rededication that is doomed to fail? Now is the time to be motivated not by the law, tradition, guilt, but the mercies of God. Now is the time to present yourself body and soul to God alone for your good and His glory. Every spiritual struggle and set back in your life stems from having the wrong motivation or the wrong presentation. If you know the “why” of God’s mercies, then you can do the “what” of presenting yourself to God. May our prayer be that God would have our soul, life, and all. May it be our hearts desire and decision to not simply dedicate ourselves to Him, but to lay down on the altar, die to self, so that we may live holy and acceptable to God as consecrated Christians.