Romans 6:12-23 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body,that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. (13) Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin:but yield yourselves unto God,as those that are alive from the dead,and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. (14) For sin shall not have dominion over you:for ye are not under the law,but under grace. (15) What then? shall we sin,because we are not under the law,but under grace? God forbid. (16) Know ye not,that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey,his servants ye are to whom ye obey;whether of sin unto death,or of obedience unto righteousness? (17) But God be thanked,that ye were the servants of sin,but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. (18) Being then made free from sin,ye became the servants of righteousness. (19) I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh:for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity;even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. (20) For when ye were the servants of sin,ye were free from righteousness. (21) What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. (22) But now being made free from sin,and become servants to God,ye have your fruit unto holiness,and the end everlasting life. (23) For the wages of sin is death;but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
We have been looking at the role of death and life in the life of the Christian. And death is important for the believer in Jesus Christ:the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ on the cross and the death of self in order to better follow and love God. Believers are to set aside their desires in order to follow God’s desires and commandments. This means that believers are to mortify their members in order to accomplish God’s will in their lives. And believers are to mortify the deeds of the body in order to follow God.
Romans 12:1-2 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. (2) And be not conformed to this world:but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,that ye may prove what is that good,and acceptable,and perfect,will of God.
Romans 12:1,2 are very well known verses and let us compare something about them with Romans 6:13.
Romans 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin:but yield yourselves unto God,as those that are alive from the dead,and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
The word that is translated as “present” in Romans 12:1 and the word that is translated as “yield” in Romans 6:13 is the same Greek word. And the idea is the same in both verses:as believers in Jesus Christ we are to present ourselves before God and we are to yield before God. One day,believers will stand before Jesus Christ at the Judgment Seat and our works will be tried in fire as to our obedience to Christ.
1Corinthians 3:12-15 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold,silver,precious stones,wood,hay,stubble;(13) Every man’s work shall be made manifest:for the day shall declare it,because it shall be revealed by fire;and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. (14) If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon,he shall receive a reward. (15) If any man’s work shall be burned,he shall suffer loss:but he himself shall be saved;yet so as by fire.
But remember,we are to present ourselves to God everyday as a living sacrifice to Him. The idea here is that we are to yield to Him – let our will go in order to follow His good,acceptable,and perfect Will. Consider how a sacrifice was made during the Old Testament:a man would come to the Brazen Altar and present a bullock or a lamb to the priest for sacrifice on the altar. The animal would be slain and placed on the altar for burning. The sacrifice of the animal would temporarily atone for the man’s sins. The man had to present the animal to God and he yielded the animal to God – it became God’s to use as God wished,not how man wanted. God wanted the sacrifices performed as a sweet savor to Him. God had no need for the animals,what He wanted was man’s obedience to Him. God wants us to yield ourselves to Him and present ourselves to Him on a daily basis. I repeat the quote by Francis Schaeffer that I read last week. We are to live by faith now as though we were now dead,as though we have already died. We are to live now by faith as though we have now already been raised from the dead [Francis Schaeffer]. It means:That in our thoughts and lives now we are to live as though we had already died,been to Heaven,and come back again as risen [Francis Schaeffer].
That requires,as Paul stated in Romans 12,that we do not conform to this world,but be transformed by the renewing of our minds to the things of God. That can only happen when we yield ourselves to God and not to sin. Yielding ourselves to sin will not renew our minds or bring us closer to God. Romans 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin:but yield yourselves unto God,as those that are alive from the dead,and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. When believers go back to the things of the old man,they are yielding to unrighteousness. When believers go back to the things of the old nature,they are yielding to sin. Once sin is yielded to,it is hard to get back under control. Charles Spurgeon wrote:An officer in India had tamed a leopard. From the time when it was a kitten he had brought it up,till it went about the house like a cat,and everybody played with it. But he was sitting in his chair one day asleep,and the leopard licked his hand. But as he licked,the skin was broken,and the taste of blood came to the leopard. It rushed forth to kill,and was no more at ease till it reached the jungle. That leopard,though tamed,was a leopard still. So a man,sobered by moral motives but unchanged in heart,is a fallen man still,and the taste of blood,I mean the taste of sin,will soon reveal the tiger in him.
As believers,we have to choose to whom or what we are going to yield to – to whom or what are we going to present ourselves to? The old man or to God? Paul wrote:Romans 6:6 Knowing this,that our old man is crucified with him,that the body of sin might be destroyed,that henceforth we should not serve sin. Someone wrote about this verse:One of the best men I ever knew said,at eighty years of age,“I find the old man is not dead yet.” Our old man is crucified,but he is long at dying. He is not dead when we think he is. You may live to be very old,but you will have need still to watch against the carnal nature,which remains even in the regenerate [Spurgeon]. As believers in Jesus Christ we must yield ourselves to Him and not to sin.
And our yielding or presenting to God is to be heartfelt and sincere. God does not want us to be hypocritical with Him or anyone else. Going through the motions may fool everybody here on earth,but God knows the thoughts and intents of the heart. And what are your actions or inactions saying to others around you? What are your actions or inactions saying about what is important to you? And what are your actions or inactions saying to God about what is important to you? Turn to Isaiah 66.
Isaiah 66:1-4 Thus saith the LORD,The heaven is my throne,and the earth is my footstool:where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? (2) For all those things hath mine hand made,and all those things have been,saith the LORD:but to this man will I look,even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit,and trembleth at my word. (3) He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man;he that sacrificeth a lamb,as if he cut off a dog’s neck;he that offereth an oblation,as if he offered swine’s blood;he that burneth incense,as if he blessed an idol. Yea,they have chosen their own ways,and their soul delighteth in their abominations. (4) I also will choose their delusions,and will bring their fears upon them;because when I called,none did answer;when I spoke,they did not hear:but they did evil before mine eyes,and chose that in which I delighted not.
God wants us to be good stewards of what He has given us,but remember,the earth is His footstool. The earth is not as important to Him compared to His children. The Lord asks,where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? The earthly temple could not contain God. Solomon declared:1Kings 8:27 But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold,the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee;how much less this house that I have built? God does not need an earthly home,for He is far beyond that. So where is at least some of His dwelling place today? In the blood bought,born again believer in Jesus Christ.
1Corinthians 3:16-17 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God,and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? (17) If any man defile the temple of God,him shall God destroy;for the temple of God is holy,which temple ye are.
2Corinthians 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God;as God hath said,I will dwell in them,and walk in them;and I will be their God,and they shall be my people.
Every believer is the temple of God,so shouldn’t we act that way? In 1 Corinthians 3:17,Paul wrote that the temple of God is holy,so shouldn’t we be holy? Believers are the temple of the living God,so believers should act that way! There should be a difference in our lives and we should behave that way! D.L. Moody said: A holy life will make the deepest impression. Lighthouses blow no horns,they just shine.
Isaiah 66:2 For all those things hath mine hand made,and all those things have been,saith the LORD:but to this man will I look,even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit,and trembleth at my word.
God is looking to use men and women that realize who they are before the all holy God. God wants men and women that are contrite or broken hearted about their sin and the sin of others. God wants men and women that tremble at the Word of God and have the proper fear and respect of Him. God wants men and women that are obedient to Him,not out of obligation,but out of love for Him.
Isaiah 66:3 He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man;he that sacrificeth a lamb,as if he cut off a dog’s neck;he that offereth an oblation,as if he offered swine’s blood;he that burneth incense,as if he blessed an idol. Yea,they have chosen their own ways,and their soul delighteth in their abominations.
This verse really stuck out to me this week. God wants our sacrifices to be true. If we are presenting ourselves as living sacrifices to Him,then our sacrifices to Him must be true,not hypocritical. Our sacrifices must be done His way,not our own way. Look at again at what the LORD said in verse 2:Yea,they have chosen their own ways,and their soul delighteth in their abominations. The Israelites were performing the sacrifices that God had asked for,but they also offered up sacrifices to other gods as well. And when they did sacrifice to the LORD,they chose to do them their own way,not God’s way. Sadly,they were not truly presenting themselves as a living sacrifice to God and they were not yielded to God like they should have been. They were half-heartedly serving God because they were also serving idols and false gods. Half-heartedness consists of serving God in such a way as not to offend the devil. And we do the same today. Are you delighting in what God would call an abomination? Is your heart set on following God and loving Him with all of your heart and soul? Or is your delight in things that are not godly? Or is your time spent in forsaking time with God for other delights? Some people can talk Christianity by the yard,but they cannot walk it by the inch. Look at what God said He would do to those that act as in verse 3:
Isaiah 66:4 I also will choose their delusions,and will bring their fears upon them;because when I called,none did answer;when I spoke,they did not hear:but they did evil before mine eyes,and chose that in which I delighted not.
God called for them,but they were so busy with their false sacrifices and false living,that they did not hear. God called,but they did not answer. They chosen to yield themselves to unrighteousness and present themselves to sin rather than to God,so when He came calling,they were not able to answer. Why? Because they were busy doing evil before God’s eyes and chose to do that which God takes no delight in. Note whose standard God is using:His Standard! Too many of us justify our actions,or our words,or our thoughts and use our own standards and pretend they are God’s standards. God has His Own Standards and they are written down in His Book so there can be no mistaking them! Believers must follow His standards,not our own standards. Sin is sin and you hate sin just insofar as you love Christ. Relevation 3 has a similar passage to Isaiah 66:4.
Revelation 3:19-20 As many as I love,I rebuke and chasten:be zealous therefore,and repent. (20) Behold,I stand at the door,and knock:if any man hear my voice,and open the door,I will come in to him,and will sup with him,and he with me.
This is not a salvation verse – this is Jesus Christ speaking to believers. Are we listening for Him? Are we looking for His knock? Are we following Him the way He wants us to follow Him?
Romans 6:22-23 But now being made free from sin,and become servants to God,ye have your fruit unto holiness,and the end everlasting life. (23) For the wages of sin is death;but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The wages of sin have never been reduced and when believers regularly remember what our sin cost,then believers will look to regularly follow God.
Sin,when viewed by scripture light,
Is a horrid,hateful sight;
But when seen in Satan’s glass,
Then it wears a pleasing face.
When the gospel trumpet sounds,
When I think how grace abounds,
When I feel sweet peace within,
Then I’d rather die than sin.
When the cross I view by faith,
Sin is madness,poison,death;
Tempt me not,’tis all in vain,
Sure I ne’er can yield again.
Satan,for awhile debarred,
When he finds me off my guard,
Puts his glass before my eyes,
Quickly other thoughts arise.
What before excited fears,
Rather pleasing now appears;
If a sin,it seems so small,
Or,perhaps,no sin at all.
Often thus,through sin’s deceit,
Grief,and shame,and loss I meet,
Like a fish,my soul mistook,
Saw the bait,but not the hook.
O my Lord,what shall I say?
How can I presume to pray?
Not a word have I to plead,
Sins,like mine,are black indeed!
Made,by past experience,wise,
Let me learn thy word to prize;
Taught by what I’ve felt before,
Let me Satan’s glass abhor. – John Newton