lessons

19-Apr-2025: Being a Living Sacrifice for God (Romans 12:1-2)

Opening Prayer

A Living Sacrifice – God Wants Your Body

Read Romans 12:1–2:

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

What I’ve always found special about the Bible— the Apostle Paul’s letters—is how incredibly practical it is. It’s not super duper difficult to understand and it helps us in our everyday life.
The Apostle Pauls teaches us through The Holy Spirit—on sin, salvation, grace, and the righteousness of God—Paul Teaches us how to apply all this truth? It starts with your body. Yes, your actual, physical body.
God Wants the Vessel which is our Body but also what is inside of us and the Contents >
Some people think God’s only interested in your soul. That what matters most is the invisible, the spiritual. And while that’s partially true, God is far more practical than that. He wants the whole package.
If I ask you for a glass of water, what do you give me? Just the water? Of course not. You hand me the glass—the vessel—and the water inside. And that’s how it is with us. God isn’t just after what’s inside of us—He also wants the vessel. Your body. The life you live in that body.

A Living Sacrifice – Not a Dead One

In the Old Testament, people brought dead sacrifices—animals offered on an altar. But now God says, ** “I want your body just as fully—but I want it living.”** That means God doesn’t want you dead or disconnected from the world. He wants you fully alive, fully surrendered, fully available.

He wants your feet—to go where He sends.
He wants your hands—to serve and bless.
He wants your mouth—to speak life and truth.
He wants your mind—to think His thoughts.

This isn’t just symbolic. This is practical. Real. Daily.

It’s the Altar That Sanctifies the Offering Jesus said in Matthew 23:19:

“Which is more important, the offering, or the altar that sanctifies the offering?” What makes your body holy is not how perfect it is or how strong it is—it’s that you place it on God’s altar. That you say, “Here I am, Lord—use me.” That simple, surrendered act of placing your life before God—that’s what makes it holy. But here’s the catch: God doesn’t take it by force. You have to offer it. It’s your move.

Be Transformed By the Renewing of Your Mind

Let us move on now to Romans 12 verse 2. Notice what comes next in verse 2:

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”

There’s a connection here. When you offer your body to God, something begins to shift—your mind starts to change. The world tries to shape us from the outside in—pressuring us to conform. But God changes us from the inside out—by renewing our minds. And as your mind is renewed, you begin to discover something amazing: God’s Will…

God’s Will: Paul says the will of God is:

Good – It’s for your benefit.
Acceptable – It fits who you are becoming.
Perfect – It meets every need, every longing.

But you can’t grasp God’s will while clinging to your old mindset. That’s why the mind has to be renewed.

The Enemy of Renewal: The Carnal Mind

Romans 8:7 says:

“The mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God.”

The natural mind is at war with God. Why? Because it’s built on self:

“I want” – the will
“I think” – the intellect
“I feel” – the emotions

That’s the unrenewed life. It’s all about me.

But if you want to know God’s will, you have to let go of that ego-centered life. That means telling your old self, “You’re no longer in charge.”

Losing the Soul-Life to Find Real Life

Jesus said in Matthew 16:25:

“Whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it.”

The word “life” here is actually “soul” in Greek. He’s saying: If you cling to your soul-life—your ego, your rights, your way—you’ll lose it. But if you surrender it, you’ll find the life God meant for you.
Letting go isn’t a loss—it’s a trade-up. It’s a divine exchange: your limited, self-directed life for God’s higher, richer, more fulfilling one.

God’s Good Works Await

Ephesians 2:10 says:

‘…we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which He prepared in advance for us.”

If we stay locked into “I want, I think, I feel,” we’ll miss those works. We’ll miss our calling. We’ll miss the joy of walking in sync with our Creator.

A Simple but Life-Changing Question

So here’s the question I leave with you today:

Are you willing?

Are you willing to say:

“Lord, here is my body—use it.”
“Lord, here is my mind—renew it.”
“Lord, here is my life—I lay it down to find Yours.”

God’s not looking for perfect people. He’s looking for available people. He doesn’t ask you to die for Him — He asks you to live for Him.

So let’s be living sacrifices—holy, acceptable, and fully surrendered. Because when God has your body, He has you.

God Bless you all in The Mighty Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.