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Delivered Sunday morning 12/18/2022
Romans 12:1 ¶ 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.
The FIRST thing that is required regarding this LIVING sacrifice – is a clear and concise decision regarding the direction that we intend upon traveling for the rest of our lives . . .
When you got married – did you walk down the isle – thinking that your marriage was only temporary . . . why is acceptable to have this attitude toward our commitment to God – when we join His NTC . . .?
1) A decision on who exactly we are going to spend the rest of our lives following or SERVING . . . self vs others/God
Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
This is the classic example of not being able to travel down two different roads/streets/paths at the same time . . .
A child that is told to do a certain thing – must either obey or disobey because there is no middle ground regarding obedience . . .
If we tell a child – that he cannot go to the party . . . but he sneaks out of his room to spend the evening on the porch – at the house where the party is being held – did he obey or did he disobey . . .
If God tells us . . . thou shalt not . . . but if we long for that which is forbidden - inside of our heart – do we claim obedience just because we stayed outside on the porch . . . and never actually went in?
As a child of God – we will either hate our responsibilities as Christians – or we will have fallen in love with our Christian duties . . .
For most of my life – I have enjoyed exceptionally good health – and during the course of my life . . . I have enjoyed coffee and chocolate
more than any other things that I have ever put in my mouth . . . I go to the Dr. every few months and get blood drawn to determine if anything is starting to go wrong with my health . . .
When I get the results of my blood work back – I have a choice to make – I either hold onto my good health and despise the coffee and chocolate that I have grown to love . . . or
I hold onto my coffee and chocolate and despise the good health which the coffee and chocolate have taken from me . . . because I cannot have
them both . . . You see one of them quite literally comes AT THE COST (or at the expense) of the other . . .
Decaf coffee and artificial sugar – are things that will cause me to feel better about the blood test – but decaf does not remove all the caffeine – and sugar substitutes often cause more problems than real sugar . . .
The point being – that if I do not love my good health enough to give up on trying to find some type of compromise – then this is evidence that I have chosen to hold onto the wrong thing . . .
1Ki 18:21 ¶ And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
Likewise – religion affects our lives much like decaf coffee and artificial sugar . . . it may allow us to feel good about ourselves – but the original
problem still remains – and we are not a healthy Christian – because of how we refuse to let go of things which God tells us – that we should despise . . .
Acts 5:40 And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they (the apostles) should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
41 And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were “counted worthy” to suffer shame for his name.
42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.
What did the apostles love – and what did they hate . . . Did the apostles compromise their teachings – did the apostles only preach on certain days . . . How easily are you and I discouraged in our Christian walk . . .?
What this concept means in our every day lives is this . . . when we are
confronted with something that “tests our faith” or challenges our
willingness to follow Jesus - like the apostles mentioned here – Are we going to choose to be true to our responsibilities as a Christian or will we
“temporarily” forsake these duties until later – until the required
sacrifice is not so great . . . (so that we hide our Christianity) until our accusers are
gone – so we can start acting like a Christian again - after they leave . . .
This is what it means to HOLD onto one – while we despise the other . . . and every single one of us – is either holding on to our duties as children of God – or we have agreed (decided) in our heart – to forsake those duties.
Do we remember what it was like to “fall in love” and to find Prince Charming . . . do we remember how that - at one point in our lives – there was only room for ONE . . .
This concept - of there being only room for ONE - is what I am referring to when we read Matt 6:24 . . .
Among our circle of acquaintances - we could find those who felt this way about their significant other - 20 or 30 years ago – who do not regret their
choice - and have never changed their minds . . . in fact if given the choice – they would do it all again . . . but then we could also find others
who DO regret the choice that they have made . . . so that NOW because of this regret - there IS room in their heart for more than ONE . . . as they have left their first love . . .
No man can serve TWO MASTERS – means that IF we are treating our church like it was a prosperity gospel – So that we are faithful when things
are good – and not so faithful when things are not good . . . then we are a babe in Christ who refuses to serve a God that tells us NO . . .
We know what it means for a romance to sizzle – and we also know what it means to backslide from the Truth in our heart . . .
To heal a broken romance – is sort of like a “new birth” as we forget about the past and concentrate on the here and now . . .
No man can serve TWO masters – means that IF we WILL NOT decide to follow Jesus unless we know ahead of time – where He plans on leading us . . . then we have fallen in love with something OTHER than The Truth
And unless we REALLY want to know The Truth – regardless (or in spite of) what that Truth may require us to sacrifice in our daily lives – then we will
not be given access to a Truth that we have chosen NOT to love and to follow completely and totally . . .
As Jesus was teaching and being confronted/questioned by the Pharisees – who were opposing Him . . . Jesus met their opposition – with the Truth
John 8:30 As he spake these words, many believed on him (many were saved – repenting of their sins and believing that Jesus was The Christ).
31 ¶ Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, IF ye continue in my word, THEN (because you have made this choice to LOVE The Truth after you were saved – only then) are ye my disciples indeed;
32 And (because you have chosen to LOVE My Word – and because you have chosen to show that love by continuing in My Word) ye shall know the truth (ye will be SHOWN The Truth), and the truth (which I will show you through the power of My Spirit this TRUTH is the only thing that) shall make you free (from the bondage of error and false doctrine).
