A Living Sacrifice

Well, thank you for being here with us this afternoon. We're so honored that you're here with us now. If you read the midweek update, then you maybe you expected to see someone a little handsomer up here speaking. I think Franz was on the midweek update, so I apologize if you're disappointed that Franz is not preaching today. Actually, if you want to hear Franz's message, he actually preached the same sermon this morning in Potsdam.

So you can go to the Fellowship Potsdam website and listen to this message. I think you guys also had a community dinner as well, right, Franz? So if you were at Potsdam this morning, I'm going to be watching you, especially because I know that you're probably tired. It's going to be hard to keep your eyes open. But, yeah, I'm just so thankful for the opportunity to preach this sermon today, this passage, because I think what we're doing in this passage is really hitting the heart of our series.

And we named our series, in Romans, Gospel Transformation. And what we believe is the Gospel is meant to transform. And In Romans, chapter 12, we really get a sense of how we can be transformed by the gospel. I think that we all have a desire to make a difference in this life. We have a desire, I think, to be known.

And I think our world is guided by a mindset that if we can just change ourselves into something better, then we can achieve what we desire. If we can just change our intellect, we can just study harder. If we can change our appearance, if we can just work and shape our bodies into something else or maybe our situation, if we can change these things, then we can make a difference.

I think our thinking is that if we do these things, then our lives will not be wasted. And I don't think we want to waste our lives.

We're all looking for transformation. And I believe it's because deep down we don't want to be forgotten.

Now, this week, I went to see a movie with my daughters. It was Michael the Documentary, Michael Jackson. Everyone knows who Michael Jackson is now. You might say, why would you go see that movie? You might be thinking, well, you know, that's not very holy.

That's, you know, to go see a movie like that. But, you know, I'm a child of the 90s. I'm a child of the 80s. And this was the era that Michael Jackson really transformed. You can see the transformation from a young man to later in his life, Right?

But in many ways, he transformed the world of pop. He transformed our world. And I wanted to know more what was behind this transformation. So we went and saw this movie. I was interested in knowing what it was that drove him from growing up in a poor family in Gary, Indiana, to the heights of stardom in our world.

And as we were watching the movie, one message came to the forefront, and it was this idea that his mom put in his head to shine your light. Now, one thing I think was true about Michael Jackson was he was a kind and gentle person. He was someone that wanted to bring joy and to others. But also what you really began to understand as we watched his life unfold was that for Michael Jackson, what it meant to shine his light was to be the greatest of all time. And he wanted to be known in this world as the best.

And this drove him to great heights to transform his image. And it's really incredible to see even his physical appearance, how it transformed, transformed through his life, how this drove him to create his own image.

But my question for us today is whether this is the transformation that we're looking for. And as we study, I hope that we'll understand and we'll recognize that the transformation we actually find in God's word in this chapter of Romans, chapter 12, that I encourage you to turn to now is different than the transformation our world is after. So, Lord, as we open your word today, I pray that your spirit would guide us.

I pray that you would guide my words, that they would be pleasing to you, that they would be a sweet savor to you, that we would understand how we can be transformed by the good news of the gospel. And I pray this in your name, Jesus. Amen.

Now, as we've studied the past couple of chapters, I think that one thing has become clear. And I think Paul, he's really set the stage in a way as we enter chapter 12 to understand this. And there's one big idea that I think that we really understood that God's choosing or calling, that the privileges and purposes that he bestows on his people, that they have nothing to do with our merits, but everything to do with his merits, that it's not our merits that is a ground for our transformation. And as we've studied God's faithfulness to his chosen people, to Israel, to the Gentiles as well, over the past three weeks, we must recognize that there's a reason why Paul is talking about Israel's mistake of squandering this privilege that they had that's been given to the Gentiles, and why this should make us aware that we should not do the same thing. And it's because when given a privilege, our natural tendency is to think that we deserve this, isn't it?

But what we see over the past couple sermons is that Paul's cut through our pride. And we see this at the end of chapter 11. He kind of brings this to a close and as if he's asking, do you really think that you have even any reason to boast of the grace that you have received? Do you think that your wisdom and knowledge can compete with the wisdom and knowledge of God? It says in Romans 11:34, if you look there at the end of the chapter, for who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?

Do you think that you know better than him? Is the question. Verse 35 goes on. It says, or who has given a gift to him that he may be repaid?

If he's asking, do you really think that you're capable of bringing God a gift? I mean, how do you bring a gift to someone who has everything? I don't know if you have someone in your life that's hard to buy gifts for. My father in law was like this. He was someone who would just go out and get what he needed.

So it was practically impossible to buy a gift for him. But I think when we think of God in this way, even more so than this, how do you bring a gift to someone who already owns everything? It says in verse 36 of Romans chapter 11, for from him and through him, and to him are all things. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.

That he owns everything. And there's an important realization that we must come to before we can see transformation in our lives. I think Paul offers this in verse one of our text today, this basis for transformation. And it's in the appeal he says, therefore he's saying, because of what I've just said, that this is what I want you to know. And he says in verse one, I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by what?

By the mercies of God. Now, Paul, he doesn't base his appeal on his authority as an apostle of God. He in no way is basing it on anything that he has done or anything that we can do. But he points to what God has done, specifically one aspect of the character of God. He points to the mercy of God.

And he appeals to us on this grounds of God's willingness to offer us undeserved favor. That the ground that we stand on, this gospel transformation that we're after is powered through God's mercy. That this is the basis. Now notice the transformation that is initiated by God. It will not be something that we rise to achieve, but it's actually something that God stoops down to us to give.

And what we must understand is that our status as God's children should not make us proud, but it should make us humble. That understanding God's mercy gives us ground to offer something that is pleasing to God. And notice the response that follows that understanding God's mercy calls us to offer up our bodies.

Romans 12:1 says, I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Now notice a critical difference in how someone being shaped by the gospel responds to God's mercy. Notice that they. They recognize that their bodies are actually not to be used for themselves, but they present their bodies to God. And it seems the way that they're presented is in devotion, but it's also in awe that there is a reverence and a holiness that we are to present our bodies with. And it's this idea that we desire to dedicate our bodies for service to the one we owe everything.

It's the idea to yield. And actually this word present, we've actually seen it in Romans already. It's the same verb that was used in chapter six, if you remember, in Romans 6, verse 13, it says, but do not present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.

The transformation begins when we yield ourselves over to God's purpose for us. That the transformation we're after is not made possible by taking hold of our own lives, but it's actually possible by surrendering our lives. That we're called to lay our lives down, to lay down our own striving and receive his mercy. That this is how we're justified. But also notice that we are also called daily to lay down our bodies as a sacrifice pleasing to God.

Here in this passage, if we're really to think about it, in a way, sacrifices have not ceased in the new covenant.

Now the old system is gone. This system that was required, animals were required, but this has now been replaced. These sacrifices are now once and for all in Christ, but in a new temple, the temple of the body. We still have this sacrificial system. Is what Paul is saying today, that as the temple of the living God, we are still to offer sacrifices.

Now notice that God no longer requires a physical sacrifice, but what he does ask for is a spiritual sacrifice.

He asked us to lay down our egos, to lay down our pride and our arrogance, to yield ourselves over to him, our bodies over to him.

And maybe this is what the purpose of sacrifices was all along. That daily dying to ourselves would help us experience true worship or a spiritual worship is what Paul says. Now I think it's important to understand that spiritual worship does not separate our body from our spirit. And there was, especially in this day, there were people that were trying to pull people away. And the Stoics were one of these groups and they saw the body as useless.

They actually saw the body as a tomb, as part of us. This spirit, our spirit was actually desperately trying to escape from.

They would say only the spirit was good and that their bodies could be used in however they wanted. There was this separation between the two. But in Romans what we recognize is that our bodies are destined for redemption. Romans 8:11 says that the Spirit will give life to our mortal bodies. And Paul makes a profound statement when he says we are to present our bodies for worship.

And what he's saying is that our worship is to be reasonable and rational. That's actually the term there, that this is our reasonable or rational worship. And what is our reasonable worship for us as those who have received the mercy of God? Well, that's an open ended question. That's something that we have to decide.

But have we allowed these ideas that we can separate our bodies and our minds? Have we allowed these things to infiltrate the way we think about how we are being transformed? Can we really divide our lives into secular and sacred areas?

My question for us today, is it reasonable in light of God's great mercy and grace to confine worship to maybe what we just do here on Sundays?

What is reasonable and rational worship for you?

What Paul says is that real spiritual worship, it actually takes place outside the walls of the church on Sunday. Now this is important, what we are doing on Sunday to set this, this time apart for a purpose. So we're not denying that. But if this is all we're doing throughout a week, then we're missing the point of what worship really is.

It's not meant to be confined to earthly temples or buildings one day a week, but it is to present our bodies daily to God. I like the way John Stott communicates this. Listen to this. This is what he says. He says, what however, is this living sacrifice, this rational spiritual worship?

Is it not to be offered? It is not to be offered in, in the temple courts or in the church building, but rather in the home life and in the marketplace. It is the presentation of our bodies to God. That this is actually where it starts. It starts in our homes before the service.

It starts in our places of work, as we call people, into what God is doing. That spiritual worship is meant to happen in the everyday. That God's will for us is that we would use this vessel, this body that he has given us for his glory. That offering our lives as a living sacrifice is to offer our bodies to be transformed. And what we find is that this is not all that we offer.

Look at verse two with me. Verse two says, but do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. That by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. And what we find is that the key to gospel transformation is our willingness to not only offer up our bodies, but to offer up our minds. That our minds are critical if our desire is to present our bodies as a living sacrifice.

And what we have to understand is that the mind is the rudder of the ship. That this is what dictates where our body is going to go, the path that our body is going to take. That we must understand that a war is being waged for our allegiance and this war is in our bodies.

That the battle is won and lost in our minds. Now, notice the contrast in verse 2. That we are not to be conformed to this world, but we are to be transformed to discern the will of God. And we have two words here. We have conformed and transformed.

Now there's some debate on how these words should be interpreted. And throughout the age, there's been different scholars that have interpreted this in different ways. Whether this is the same, whether these are different in different words, whether they mean more of an outward appearance is being conformed compared to an inner substance, is how we're transformed. I think regardless of how you looked at these words, what we see in these words, they communicate that there are two opposing forces that are trying to shape us. We have the world on one side and we have God's will on the other.

Now, I think the key to understanding the difference here is actually in the word world. Because what we find is that this word world actually means error or age. It actually means, what age are you living for? Now, when I look at the word world, I think of this sphere, this physical place that we're living. But in reality, it's bigger than that.

It's this error, this kingdom that is ruling here on Earth. And the question is whether we're being conformed to the values of this age or we're setting our minds to be transformed to the values of the kingdom that is coming. That's the difference. And actually what we find is that conformed is really the idea of being enslaved to this world's economy, the values and the things that actually make this world run, where actually transformed means to be set free to pursue God's economy and the things that God values, the things that please God. And what we find is that there's this great reversal that is happening, that the wisdom of this world is actually being brought to nothing.

And I love studying First Corinthians because you really see what Paul is talking about here. But in verses 28 and 30 of chapter one of First Corinthians, Paul says this, that God shows what is low and despised in this world, even things that are not, even things that are nothing to bring to nothing, things that are so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption. You notice that that's actually how gospel transformation happens. It's this righteousness and moving into sanctification and then finally to redemption that is actually powered by what God is doing, that he's actually bringing these things, this world, to nothing through weak things.

And what we find is this is the upside down kingdom that is underway that we must choose to serve.

Which kingdom will we set our mind to? And as spiritual people, those who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, what we find is that we are capable of spiritual worship, that we are now capable of discerning and being transformed by the renewing of our minds. And we're to test everything that enters our minds and look at the difference between how a natural person discerns and how a person of God, a person that has the Spirit of God, discerns. And we find this later in First Corinthians, in chapter 2, verses 14 and 15, it says, the natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. But the spiritual person judges all things, the spiritual person tests all things.

And this is important to understand because we have been given a guide. We've been given the Spirit of God, and that helps us discern what the will of God is. And his influence will cause us to examine everything that enters our minds, to whether it's conforming or whether it's transforming is what we're receiving from God or is it from the world? That's what we're called to do when we test everything that comes into our minds, that God wants to shape us into a holy and pleasing people. And the key to this is discipline our minds for this purpose.

Now you might say, well, what does this transformation look like?

I think transformation has a marked effect on those who encountered it and was really interested in studying this. Because this word transformed is actually used in two other places in the New Testament. It's used at the transfiguration in Matthew 17:2, where it says, and he was transfigured or transformed before them. It says that his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. And then we also see in Second Corinthians, verses 3:18, this word transformed, it says, and we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.

For this comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. Now, notice that in both these verses, the transformation begins with really two things. It actually brings two things. It brings light, specifically, that there is a light to the face that this transformation brings. Do you see that in both of those passages?

But not only this, there's a likeness that this transformation brings, and it's not changing us into our own likeness. What is it changing us into? It's changing us into the likeness of the person of Jesus. That this is what transformation is meant to look like. And that the result of this, at ast according to Second Corinthians, is that we will.

This will transform us from glory to glory. Isn't that cool that our purpose in this life is to be transformed from glory to glory? Now, I was talking with a brother, and we were kind of talking about this, and he said, you know what? It's kind of like a video game. You know, like in a video game, you.

You actually level up. You, like, level up as you do the purposes of. Of. Of the video games. And.

And you're going to actually increase your level. Now, maybe not a very good example.

Maybe you don't play video games. But I think that what we have to understand is that as we fulfill the purpose that the Lord has for us, as we live as a holy people that are pleasing to our Lord, as we set our minds to present our bodies to our God, then we are actually going to level up in glory, that that's actually how we move and are transformed by the Gospel that we present our minds and our bodies for the purpose of living holy and acceptable before our God. And this is how we desire to live a life of spiritual worship. That we're not just presenting ourselves to God at special times through throughout the week, but our desire is that in everything we do we would bring him glory. And we show up to help each other.

This is what this looks like. We celebrate with each other. We seek to build each other up even when we don't feel like it. And maybe you showed up today and you didn't really feel like coming, but maybe you came because you wanted to encourage someone else. That is what living a life of sacrifice looks like.

You know what happens when each of us takes seriously the call to present our bodies wholly acceptable to God?

Then we are going to be transformed. And what we find next is this transformation does not only have an effect on us, but it actually has an effect on the body as well. Now we're not talking about body little B. We're talking about body big B. That as we offer up ourselves, we offer up our members in the body of Christ to live according to the gospel that we have received.

That this will actually have an effect on the body. Says in starting in verse three. For by the grace given to me, I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly then you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as one body we have many members and the members do not all have the same function. So we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually members one of another.

And what we understand is that not only do we present our individual bodies, but we present our body as living a living sacrifice. That the body of Christ is actually called to present itself to God, to be holy and acceptable, to be a holy nation before God. That there is a collective purpose that we are working together for even within our diverse parts. Because I don't know about you, but we don't all look the same, do we? We don't all have the same purpose even within the body.

But your life and your gifts you've been given are meant to be used not for yourself, but to work together with others. That God's people have been given the privilege to display the glory of God to our world. And this is what I really think it means to be elected to this, to have this purpose, to have this calling to it's not to set the light of the gospel under a bushel, to squander the privilege that we've been given. But it's to display the glory of God to our world that each part matters if we are to do this.

And here's the thing. We each have a responsibility, a role to play. Each of us are called to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, to be vessels shaped by God's mercy, so that together we will transform the world around us. And what we find is that this is critical to taking up a humble mind. This is actually how this happens.

Look. Look at verse three. We can't miss this. For by the grace given to me, I say to every one among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think. The key word to working properly in the body is not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think, but to value the importance of every member.

And what this means is that each member is to think soberly about their function. That we cannot get past the fact that we are all different, but that we're called to the same mind. And we're called to the humble mind. We're called to the mind of Christ. That each part is to be a vital part of the function of the body.

And what we must understand and recognize is that each part has been given gifts to help the body function well, that presenting ourselves as a living sacrifice also offers up our gifts. Verse 6 says, Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us. Let us use them. All right? Let us use them.

That we are to present our gifts to God by using these gifts for the good of the body. Now notice what basis these gifts are given to us, because this is critical to how we think about our gifts. I mean, are they gifts of our own merit? Is that what it says? No, it doesn't.

Does actually says that they are gifts of grace. Huh? Grace and mercy.

That these gifts really are just different sides of the same coin.

What we understand is the mercy of God that we're not getting what we deserve. But we also understand the grace of God is getting also what we do not deserve. Right?

So what we must ask ourselves is, should what we have been given make us arrogant? If it's grace?

I think the only reason why we would think this is because we really think that we deserve these gifts.

You know, the parable of the wicked tenants came to my mind as I was thinking of this. I don't know if you remember the. The story, but you have a landowner who plants a vineyard and equips everything he needs. A fence, a wine press, a tower, and he leases it to the tenant farmers before traveling to another country. And when harvest time comes, he sends his servants to collect his share of the fruit.

And the tenants, they beat and kill the servants.

Now, the landowner, he's actually patient with the tenants, even with this.

But finally, the landowner, he sends his own son, assuming they will respect him. And instead, what do the tenants do? They kill the son and they take his inheritance.

Now, this is speaking of the nation of Israel, but I think it's a warning to us as well that if we believe that we can take what God has given us because we are worthy of his mercy and grace, then we are mistaken.

That laying our lives down as a sacrifice, a living sacrifice, will depend on what we believe is the basis for the privilege that God has given us. And is this found in our worthiness, or is it found in his worthiness?

Here's the thing we cannot forget that God has entrusted us with gifts of grace, not to be used for ourselves, but to be used for his glory. And what this helps us understand is that each of our members is to use everything that we have been given to display his great mercy and grace. And as members of Christ's body, we are to look to the head.

You know, it would be weird if we had been given something and we looked at each other. You know, I think I have a graphic for this. But we do not look at ourselves and say, wow. We do not look at each other and say, wow. What do we do?

We look to the head, we look to Jesus and we say, wow.

And what we find is that this understanding is meant to guide us, that it leads us to offer up everything that we have in service to the head, to Jesus, for the good of others. That our service is a response to present all that God has entrusted us with back to Him. To present our bodies as a living sacrifice is to offer back all that we have been given to the One who, from whom, through whom, and to whom all things exist.

And this is why we've adopted these three things that you keep hearing over and over again at Crossway that reflect the mind of those that we believe are being transformed by the gospel. That we are here to love, build and serve. That our spiritual worship is to love God in worship, to build others up in community, to. To serve like Christ. That this is the culmination.

This is how we're transformed into a mature man or woman that will stand mature on the last day, that our gifts are to be used to serve the body. Now, notice that the gifts Paul lists in verse six through eight and he gives us seven gifts of grace that we are to be at work in the body.

And what we find is this isn't necessarily a complete list because we know that there's other gifts of grace that are mentioned in the New Testament. But I think what it does represent is a fullness of gifts. Now, if you know the, the number seven is actually an important number, you know, and this would have been in the mind of those that maybe were reading this. But it's known as the perfect number. It actually communicates the completeness and totality of something.

And notice that the gifts are both verbal and nonverbal. We have three verbal gifts, prophecy, teaching and exhortation. Three different ways of using our mouth to proclaim who God is and the truth that we find in God's word. And there are actually three different ways. Prophecy.

What we find and what we really understand, whether we're talking about an Old Testament prophet, a New Testament Testament prophet, is the idea that someone that is a prophet bears witness and speaks forth the truth of God. And they do this in a way that many times corrects people. It doesn't mean that this is some special knowledge or some new revelation. Really. What we find is that all revelation has been revealed in Jesus Christ.

So anyone that is actually speaking in this way is speaking to who Jesus is and what the Gospel says, what the word of God says. They're speaking forth with boldness and with truth. And we have teaching. It's the idea that we have people within our midst that are good at instructing, good at explaining things so people can understand them. And of course, exhortation, speaking in a way that applies and appeals.

It calls people and encourages them and builds them up. This is why we present God's word in different ways on Sundays with various presenters here at Crossway. Well, if you were here last week when Tim spoke, there's no denying that Tim is a teacher, that Tim can explain things well, that he instructs well. And if you were here when Phineas spoke a couple weeks ago as well, there's no denying that Phineas spoke with boldness. He spoke forth the truth of the gospel in a bold way.

Different styles, in different ways, but still using their mouths to declare the goodness of God, the word of God. And our desire is that we would present the gospel in a way that puts these gifts on display. But gifts of this nature, we have to understand they're not more valuable than the other gifts that Paul mentions today as well. The non verbal gifts, service, generosity, leadership and mercy. And brothers and sisters, do not think more highly than you ought to think of your gifts.

If you have a verbal gift, and if you think that your gifts are not the good ones, then please don't lose heart today. I love First Corinthians 12, verses 20 through 25. It says, on the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker, they're indispensable. And on those parts of the body that we think are less honorable, we bestow the greater honor. And our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require.

But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. Isn't that beautiful? And for me, I'll be honest, those that quietly work behind the scenes and continue to present their bodies for no one's praise other than their God are the true worshipers.

They're the ones that are offering a spiritual worship. And I truly believe that God has reserved the greatest honor for servants, that no one will be able to recall their name.

That he has great honor in store for those who work behind the scenes, who don't use their mouth, but they use their hands and their feet to. To serve others, to be generous, to lead, and to show mercy.

And my desire for our church is that we would be a people of no names that want everyone to know his name.

So the question is, where do you fit?

Maybe you're not sure. You might say, how do I find the gift of grace that I've been called to display? And if I could just offer you three encouragements as we close.

First, recognize that your spiritual gift or gifts are not just displayed in holy places. If God has equipped you in a specific way, this gift will likely show up in the everyday. Recognize the place God has for you is many times where you find your gift. Are you a teacher? Are you a leader in your company?

Are you a philanthropist? I don't know if we have any philanthropists in this service today. It's a hard word to say. Do you work for a non profit? Each of these things tend to help us understand what our gifts are.

If we really think about it, how we can use these gifts to actually encourage the body. Second, recognize that your gifts are revealed as you serve others. You know, I have people come to me and they can't figure out what their gift is. Go start serving. That's actually how you're going to find your gift.

Here's the thing. We will not discover our gifts by sitting on our hands, but by using our bodies as instruments for his service.

And as you serve others, this will not only work to affirm your gifts, but others will actually confirm these gifts as well. That's what you'll find.

But here's the thing. We cannot find this out until we commit to to ministering to others. We commit to presenting ourselves for the service of God for others. Finally, recognize that your gifts are not better than someone else's.

Don't seek to use your gifts for yourself. Use your gifts for God and the good of the body. Don't forget that the body cannot function with a mouth alone. But we need every part.

May we let the gospel shine on us. That's what we need for the Gospel to transform us. May it transform us by his light shining through us. I'll leave you with just one last example of what gospel transformation really looks like as we close. And there's one other place that came to mind as I was studying in Scripture, where the gospel transformation was really evident.

It was really on display where the glory of God shined in the face of his servant. I think it's in the example of Stephen the first martyr. And I think I have a picture of Stephen here on this next slide.

But in Acts 6, it says, and Stephen, he was full of grace and power. He was doing great wonders and signs among the people. But then it said, some people rose up and disputed with Stephen, but they could not stand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. As you continue to read this account of Stephen and see Stephen's enemies set up a false witness against him, notice what it looks like to live as a living sacrifice. Because as he's accused in verse 15, it says, and gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

And the high priest said, are these things so he was being transformed in that moment. His face was shining. And in the midst of the accusations against him, this was his appearance.

And when faced with the opportunity to defend his own life, what we saw is an example of someone that was actually changed by the gospel. That the gospel was on display because he proceeds not to defend himself in this moment, but he testifies to the one to whom he owes it all.

I think this is what it means to shine your light. That we speak not on our own merit, but Christ's merit. That we shine not our own light, but the light of the world. We do not conform ourselves to our own image, but we allow ourselves to be transformed into his image.

May we present our lives as a living sacrifice. I tell you today the Gospel has power to transform us. If we will present our lives for his service, may we recognize his mercy and grace today to offer up our bodies as a living sacrifice for his glory. Lord, we thank you for this passage.

Lord, we thank you for your mercy today.

We thank you that because of Jesus everything has changed.

We thank you for your goodness in giving us gifts of grace that are to be used not for our glory, but for your glory. Lord, we have a vision of you today.

Will we see who you are? That you are a holy God.

And we pray this in your name, Jesus. Amen.

Just a reminder, we will in about 20 minutes have our seminar, apologetic seminar. It'll be here in this room. So we encourage you to gather right about 5pm and we'll start with that. Just wanted to leave you with this verse from Romans 15:13. As we leave today, may the God of hope fill you with all peace and joy in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit, you may abound in hope.

Reich seit in der Hofnung Dostikraft des Heiligen Geistes. Thank you so much for joining us this afternoon. We hope you have a great day. Stay around and try to encourage someone before you leave and you're dismissed.