by Anthony Bertrand

Created on: January 01, 2009   Last Updated: March 02, 2009

A Real Purpose Driven Life

Text Roman 12:1-2

1-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.

We live in a world that is sick and perverse and is on a downhill slide into a moral decay like we have never seen. Truth is rejected and the foolishness of this world is accepted as truth. Take the saying, God is love and would not send anybody to hell. Or the one about the homosexual lifestyle that God made them that way, loves them, and accepts them as they are.

In this world as it is people are still searching for joy, peace, love and security. They run with this crowd and then another, they try the new and old fads like transcendental meditation, or some other eastern philosophy to relief stress or find their inner self.

The problem is that many of the ones following all these worldly ways are the Christians who do not read and study the word of God, where real peace, joy and security can be found. Paul gives guidelines or using the word "beseech" he is begging or entreating us to follow v1-2 as read above. When we follow these instructions, the change in our lives and attitude will be a witness to the world what God can do with a willing vessel. Let us now see a purpose driven life from the book of Romans 12:1-2

A- V-1 "offer your bodies a living sacrifice"

This involves the whole person, mind, body, and soul. We sacrifice our mind by studying the word of God and letting His word mold our thoughts, which will in turn mold our actions and our service to Him. Our souls were sacrificed at the cross when we accepted Christ as Savior and were washed in the blood at our salvation.

Out of gratitude for what God has done we lay our desires, needs, fears at God's altar, not being anxious because we know we where received by God who cares about those needs and fears and His peace will fill us, His love will flow from us to others, and the joy of our salvation will be a witness to all those around us what God has and will do for all those who comes to Him.

When we sacrifice ourselves to God in this way we setting our priorities above on the things of God and not below on the corruptible things of this world.

B- CHARACTERISTICS OF SACRIFICE

It is "holy"

In the O.T. items in temple where "set apart" for

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