Reasonable Service to God (Romans #18)

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Reasonable Service to God

Text: Romans 12:1-2

Paul is done explaining the theoretical aspects of Christianity. He’s done explaining the divine economy and how all things point to Jesus Christ before and after him. Now Paul, in his typical fashion begins applying the ideas to life.

Reasonable service

Because this is what the LORD did.
Because this is what the LORD told his followers to do over and over again.

Renewed mind instead of conformed

Allow the Head of the church to do the thinking
- Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus… (Philippians 2:5)
- To turn a sinner into a servant of God, the mind has to be corrected. And moreso, for that servant of God to stay in the race and faithful to the end of his life, the thinking has to change. It’s called renewing your mind.
Social standing – …made himself of no reputation…
Servant – …form of a servant…
- Wear what the boss tells you to wear. Eat when the boss tells you to eat. Go where the boss tells you to go.
- Matthew 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
- Luke 22:42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
- Hebrews 5:8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered:
- It means he learned what obedience was like as a man. As God in heaven there was no one to obey, no one to be subject to, but he learned that obedience by the things he suffered.
Humanity of God – …made in the likeness of men…
- Subject to hunger and thirst
- Isaiah 53 …man of sorrows and acquainted with grief…
- got tired, but God never gets tired – Matthew 8:24
- got hungry, but God doesn’t get hungry – Matthew 21:18
- got thirsty, but God doesn’t get thirsty – John 4:7
Obeyed unto death – …obedient unto death…
- The victory of the cross is the putting down of flesh and blood
- John 12:30-33 The cross would be the judgment of this world and the prince of this world.
- The cross was defanging the serpent.
- It was destruction of the flesh and completely disarming the enemy. The flesh was is a friend of the devil.
- Remember the philosophy of the devil back in Job? His philosophy is man will do anything to preserve his own flesh and blood, live in physical comfort and worldly prosperity.
- Jesus would say, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
- Conformity to the world is set in opposition to this mind that God calls renewed.

You become living proof

It is the mind of Christ that leads to the exaltation of Christ. So Jesus Christ becomes living proof that the Father is satisfied and with the resurrection from the dead He gives assurance to all men that
1 Peter 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
1 Peter 4:1-2 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
Mark 10:29-30 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, 30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
Highly exalted him
Given a name above every name
All knees will bow
Every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord
John 3:35 The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.