Romans 12:1-2

 “ I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

I Urge You Therefore Brethren  Equated to begging or offering strong encouragement. Compelling and directing them.  2 Corinthians 6:1 “ And working together with Him (God), we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain”

By The Mercies of God  His grace that brings salvation.  His kind favor offered to people who do not deserve it.  His spiritual blessings (context bears this out).  God is rich in mercy (Ephesians 2:4)  Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

To Present  To offer, as a gift or honor towards royalty.  a presentation—this that I am offering you today for your consideration.  2Corinthians 4:14 Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.

Your Bodies  This earthly tabernacle. (2 Corinthians 5:1)  The fleshly body wherein is housed our spirits and soul.  Our bodies which are temples of God.  1 Corinthians 6:19 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?”

A Living  Alive as opposed to dead which was done under OT requirements.  Acts 17:28 “For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring”.  2Corinthians 5:15 “And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again”.

And Holy Sacrifice  Not fleshly, but spiritually sound in Christ.  1Peter 1:15 “But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;”  1Peter 1:16 “Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”  2Peter 3:11 “Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,”

Acceptable To God  To be justified.  To be in good standing to the Creator.  Acts 10:35 “But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with Him”.  2Corinthians 5:9 “Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of Him.”

Which Is Your Spiritual Service  Service is a duty performed.  It is doing something for someone else.  We are doing this for God.  We offer ourselves as spiritual beings doing spiritual things.  We do not live for ourselves any longer.  Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered himself up for me.”

Of Worship  That which we present to God in ourselves.  Devotion, Love, Adoration, Praise.  This goes beyond the couple of hours we spend in assembly each week.  We worship God and not idols or other objects.

And Do Not  There is a prohibition  Breaking the prohibition has consequences.  Equal to the OT: “Thou shalt not”  In a moment we will see the contrast.  BUT!

Be Conformed  To make someone or something in the image or likeness of another thing.  Romans 8:29 “For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the Firstborn among many brethren.”  Bring into line with rules regulations.  Agreement with established guidelines.

To This World  Not speaking of the planet Earth.  Or the elements of nature.  The general nature of mankind and his tendencies to sin against God.  Titus 2:12 “Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;”

BUT be transformed  Trans is to cross  Formed is made.  We are “CROSS-MADE” individuals.  A change is made in our lives whereby we cross from serving ourselves to serving God.

By The Renewing Of Your Mind  This is where our spirit lives, even though housed in a mortal body.  2Corinthians 4:16 “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.”  Ephesians 4:23 “And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;”  Colossians 3:10 “And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:”

That You May Prove  Establish as fact what you have purported, suggested as factual.  There is to be no shadow of doubt as to the validity of your faith.  It is to be seen by others (skeptics and believers alike).  James 1:25 “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”

What The Will Of God Is  God’s will is seen in Psalm 119.  Testimonies, statutes, ordinances, commandments, ways, laws, teachings, understandings, word, words, righteousness, judgments, precepts,  Doing what God commands.  Matthew 7:21

That Which Is Good  Jesus went about doing good.  We are to follow His example.  We are created in Christ Jesus for good works (Ephesians 2:10).  As people of the Cross, that we are to do good to all men is a requirement God has given us.

And Acceptable And Perfect  Meeting the approval of God  2Corinthians 10:18 “For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.”  Complete, fully mature, righteous according to God.

Conclusion  Our responsibility toward God is revealed in this passage of scripture.  Are we doing our duty as a congregation,  Are you doing your duty as an individual.  Have you started your spiritual service?  Do you need a restart (do-over)?  Invitation.