Title: A Call to Complete Dedication to God (Rom. 12:1-2)
• Mabel Francis, Missionary to Japan (1909-1965)
• She said, “Thy will, nothing more, nothing less, nothing else.”
• Dedication is what sets soldiers, athletes, farmers, and missionaries apart.
• Romans 12-15, is written to set Christians apart in living a life fully dedicated to God.
Romans 12:1 (NASB), “Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Outline of Romans 12:1-2 (by Rob Ventura)
1. The Motive for our Dedication to God (12:1a)
2. The Character of our Dedication to God (12:1b)
3. The Means for our Dedication to God (12:2a)
4. The Purpose of our Dedication to God (12:2b)
First: The Motive for our Dedication to God
Romans 12:1a (NASB), “Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God...”
• Ill. Simon and the sinful woman. Luke 7
• W. Tozer, “Sometimes I go to God and say, “God, if Thou dost never answer another prayer while I live on this earth, I will still worship Thee as long as I live and in the ages to come for what Thou hast done already. God’s already put me so far in debt that if I were to live one million millenniums I couldn’t pay Him for what He’s done for me.”
Second: The Character of our Dedication to God
Romans 12:1b (NASB), “...to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”
• Your bodies – “living, holy, acceptable”
• Your service – “Reasonable, logical, true”
Timothy Keller, “Once you have a good view of God’s mercy, anything less than a total, complete sacrifice of yourself to God is completely irrational! If you give yourself partially or half-heartedly, you are simply not thinking; you are not looking at what Jesus did. If what he did does not move you or break the ice over your soul, you must ask yourself if you have ever understood the gospel.”
CONCLUSION: A Call to Complete Dedication to God (Rom. 12:1-2)
• Marv Parker wrote another note in his Bible when he was 24 years old. It is dated 2/4/1964, “Gave the Lord full control of my life and asked Him to remain in 1st place all the time and not just part of the time.”
• Have you dedicated your body to the Lord like this?
• Can you say with Mabel Francis, “Thy will, nothing more, nothing less, nothing else?”
• Make your declaration today. Write it in your Bible. Sign and date it.
• Always remember it is the mercy of God that is our springboard to all our service to Him.
