297 - Les Feldick Bible Study Lesson 3 - Part 1 - Book 25 - Our Logical Intelligent Service

https://lesfeldickbiblestudy.com Through the Bible with Les Feldick LESSON 3 * PART 1 * BOOK 25 OUR LOGICAL INTELLIGENT SERVICE Romans 12:1a Now back in Chapter 8, verse 1 Paul says: Romans 8:1a You don't have to go all the way back to Chapter 1 on that "therefore," but on that one we went back to Chapter 5, and Chapter 7. Romans 12:1a "I Beseech you therefore, (on the basis of everything that he has written or taught in those first eight chapters) brethren, by the mercies of God,..." When you go back and reflect on everything that was written in those first eight chapters, what is really exploding throughout those chapters? The mercies of God. There is none that seeketh after God. Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" The immoral, the moral, and the religious. Everyone has come short of the glory of God, and then what's the very next verse there in Chapter 3? Romans 3:24-26 Romans 4:20 "He (Abraham) staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief;" Romans 5:1 "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:" Then in Chapter 6, he goes through this whole idea of being identified with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. Galatians 2:20 "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." Romans 7:24 Just from that one chapter, and what does verse 1 of that chapter say? Romans 8:1a I Corinthians 15:1-4) Now for a moment I want you to turn back with me to Chapter 8, and let's look at those closing verses from which we're going to jump right into Romans Chapter 12, and verse 1. So let's look at Romans Chapter 8, that tremendous chapter of our great Salvation, not based on what we have done, but what Christ has done on our behalf. Romans 8:35,36 Now verse 37: Romans 8:37 Now verse 38, and the Apostle Paul's words should be our words, we should be able to say exactly the same thing, and in verse 38 the word "persuaded" in the Greek is much stronger than what we normally think of as finally consenting to something. Romans 8:38,39 Now then with that as a background, and everything we've reviewed in these first 8 chapters, flip over to Romans Chapter 12, and what this first verse says. Romans 12:1 Death by stoning. Galatians 5:1 Now back to Romans Chapter 12, and verse 1, with this whole concept that as a believer, as a child of God who has the promise that nothing can separate us from the love of God. We have the promise that now being justified by faith that we have peace with God, now Paul goes on to say: Romans 12:1 Galatians 2:20 "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." As a believer, yes, we've died, we have been put to death in the mind of God on the Cross of Calvary. Well, what is a living sacrifice? Let's look at Chapter 13. Now remember God is not commanding it, or demanding it, but rather He is asking for it. That's what the word beseech means. Hebrews 13:15 "By him (that is the crucified Christ up there in verses 12 and 13. Now then come back with me to Romans Chapter 12, and again in verse 1. Romans 12:1 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,..." We are a set-apart people. Now that doesn't make us an oddball, but it does, in God's mind, designate us as people of The Book, as people who are living to please Him first. Well remember what the Scriptures says: Priority says, "God First!" Now back to Romans again. Romans 12:1b "...that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, (now this is what I want to show you in the Greek that I had never known before) which is your reasonable service." For about 20 years now, when I teach Romans I tell folks that these last five Chapters 12-16 of Romans are just practical Christian living. If you could live in a community where people 99.9% lived out these last five chapters of Romans, you'd be in the closest thing to heaven on earth. Getting back to the Greek part of that verse, "reasonable service" as Paul uses it, are the two Greek words `Logikos' and `Latreia' which means `ritual' or `service.' Hebrews is rehearsing all the Old Testament rituals of Judaism. Now in Chapter 9:1 we find. Hebrews 9:1a 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 (intelligent) service." Or you could say, "logical service," or "practical service." We are an individual, accountable to God and God alone. Now let's go on to verse 2. Romans 12:2a world:....." The god of this world! #LesFeldick #BibleStudy #Bible