I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service Romans 12:1

Recently I just preached on Luke 9 What Is A Christian? In this chapter Jesus lays out what he requires of us to be a disciple of Christ. Just an example Jesus said “If anyone wants to come after me (be my disciple), they must deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow me (Christ) (Luke 9:23) Jesus is saying if you really want to be a Christian, you must carry your cross and follow Christ. How many of the billions of people, who identify as Christians, carry their cross on a daily basis?

So as we look at our text today, the Apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, continues this theme. “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice” Wow this seems pretty extreme right? Well our sin is so extreme that the Son of God had to die on the cross for your sins, so yes salvation is extreme. Today’s Christianity is all about self worship and self glorification.

Most people don’t want to sacrifice anything, they want things added to them. Most peoples view on Christianity today is my life plus Jesus added as a bonus, but if you are truly a Christian, Jesus is your entire life. Consider what the Apostle Paul said here “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” (Galtians 2:20) You are not your own, you were bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

So going back to this theme, present your bodies as a living sacrifice, first understand your body is a temple of the Living God, as a Born Again Christian, the Holy Spirit lives inside of you. (1 Corinthians 3:16-17) How can you be pleased to continue to live in sin if God lives inside of you? While we battle against the sins of the flesh, we sacrifice the daily pleasures of the flesh to give glory to God. 

Lets consider this, if you are a Born Again Christ, the Holy Spirit lives inside of you, you are now a Temple of God. If you were at your local Church, would you be watching pornography? Would you be drunk? Would you be continually cussing? No, because you have respect for the house of The Lord, so if you’re a Temple of God, why don’t you treat your body with the same reverence?

As the Apostle Paul says “Holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service” Many will cry “Legalism” but No you are honoring your Lord, this is your service, to crucify the flesh daily and live for Jesus Christ as a living sacrifice, Amen!