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Bible Study - Becoming a Living Sacrifice
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Jun 8, 2006 3:25 pm
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Below is my first Women's Bible Study as a pastor's wife. I thought I would share it with you, along with my notes. I hope it blesses someone! I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas so that I can add them to my notes for the next time I teach it. Thanks! Be blessed!
Becoming a Living Sacrifice
Becoming a living sacrifice is:
What our Christian walk is all about.
The foundation of our faith.
A sign of Christian maturity.
A process. We will never fully become a living sacrifice this side of Heaven, but must always be working toward that goal.
Romans 12:1-2
KJV - 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. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
NIV - Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer 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 three things does God ask of us in these two verses?
To present our bodies as living sacrifices.
Not to conform to the pattern of this world.
To be transformed by the renewing of our minds.
What does presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice mean to you?
I am dead to myself and alive to God (Galatians 2:20; 6:14 )
I only do what He wants me to do.
I do not live to please myself at all.
Every decision I make I try to do what God wants me to do instead of what I want to do. That goes for the things I do and the things I say, also.
My life is not my own. I have been bought with a price. I belong to Christ now. I can’t just go my own way.
I put no confidence in my flesh (Philippians 3: 3 ).
Why should we want to become living sacrifices?
Because of God’s mercy to us, it is only reasonable that we give Him our all.
I have been bought with a price. He deserves nothing less (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ).
Because God wants us to and He only wants the best for us.
What does not conforming to the pattern of this world mean to you?
Not willfully sinning.
Living to please God.
Not following my own desires, being selfless.
Not doing what our human nature tells us to do.
Living by the Spirit, not the flesh (Romans 8:1-14 ).
Why shouldn’t we conform to the pattern of this world?
Not God’s will.
Not a good witness.
We have the power, through the Holy Spirit to live Godly lives.
We are commanded not to.
What does being transformed by the renewing of our minds mean to you?
Taking every thought captive. (2 Corinthians 10:5 )
Thinking on good things. (Philippians 4:8 )
Seeing things through God’s eyes and not our own.
Why should we renew our minds?
So that we are pleasing God. So that we can do His will.
So that we can see things His way and not ours.
So that we don’t sin against Him.
What happens in our lives when we don’t present ourselves as living sacrifices to God?
We are not holy (set apart for His purposes).
We are not worshipping Him as we should.
We are not able to discern His will. (James 1:5-8 )
Fruit of the Spirit is absent (Galatians 5:22 )
What happens when we do the things asked of us in these two verses?
We become holy (set apart for His purposes) and pleasing to God.
We are worshipping God.
We are able to discern His good, pleasing and perfect will for our lives.
God is able to use us more fully for His glory.
We have God’s strength at our disposal (2 Corinthians 12:9 )
The fruit of the Spirit will be in operation in our lives instead of our sinful nature (Galatians 5:16-26 ).
How do we become living sacrifices?
God does it, not us (Philippians 2:13; 4:19 ).
We present ourselves to Him to do with as He likes.
Not by might, not by power, but by His Spirit (Zechariah 4:6 ).
By practice, we are becoming, we have not already become (Isaiah 28:9-10 ).
By praying and giving God permission to change our wills.
Pressing on toward the goal (Philippians 3:3-16 ).
By meditating upon God’s Word (Psalm 19:14 ).
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