Romans 12 1 2 1 Therefore I urge

Romans 12: 1 -2 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.

Romans 12: 1 -2 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.

Living Sacrifices Romans 12

In View of God’s Mercy What has God done for you? Good News of Jesus By Faith we are declared righteous Adopted as God’s children Joint heirs of all creation with Christ Escape from God’s punishment (mercy) Showered with good things when we deserved only bad (grace)

How Do You Respond To a love that loved us when we were unlovable To mercy that rescued us when there was no hope To grace that shared with us the glory of the riches of heaven and all creation by making us co-heirs with Jesus

Romans 12: 1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.

Romans 12: 2 Do not conform any longer 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.

So What is a Living Sacrifice? A sacrifice is the act of giving up, destroying, permitting injury to, or forgoing something valued for the sake of something having a more pressing claim. In other words, we give up our own comfort, our time, our stuff for the sake of Christ and His body the church. Spiritual act of worship

Transformation Not Conformity FAME POWER RICHES

Romans 12: 3 -5 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you; Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

Romans 12: 6 -8 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

We Have Different Gifts According To The Grace Given Us. (Rom. 12: 6 -8) Proclaiming the Word of God (prophesy) Serving Teaching Encouraging Contributing to the Needs of Others Leadership Showing Mercy

LEADERSHIP

TEACHER

PROPHESY

GIVING

SERVICE

ENCOURAGEMENT

MERCY

Practicing My Gifts Blending with Other’s Gifts Keep it fresh Keep it real Stay focused on Jesus Keep yourself in perspective

Specific things we can accomplish as a team of living sacrifices Love sincerely Hate what is evil, cling to what is good Be devoted to one another in brotherly love Honor one another above yourselves Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord

Be Joyful in hope Patient in affliction Faithful in prayer

Keep it up Share with God’s people who are in need Practice hospitality Bless those who persecute you – bless and do not curse Rejoice with those who rejoice Mourn with those who mourn Live in harmony with one another Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position Do not be conceited

And Finally… Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath. Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.

Where the Rubber Meets the Road Diving in Reckless Abandon Giving it All Fitting in

We Are The Body Of Christ We are the body of Christ because God has shown us mercy and placed us in His family. He has given each of us gifts that will help the body here at Hardin Valley grow stronger and become more effective in God’s Kingdom.

II Peter 1: 3 -4 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

II Peter 1: 5 -9 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness, and to goodness knowledge; and to knowledge, self control; and to self control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

Be Jesus to Those Around You Don’t forget what Jesus did for you. Practice your gifts with reckless abandon, diving in with everything you have and everything you are Fit your gifts into the body of Christ so that together God can use us to accomplish more than could be accomplished with each of us individually.