A. Christianity is NOT a religion for the " high and mighty" of this world.
1. For Jesus said, " The rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them," Matthew 20:25
2. Jesus' concept of greatness is different, " Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant and whoever wants to be first must be your slave," Matthew 20:26-27.
B. In this lesson, we shall learn that Jesus is Our Model For Sacrificial Living, John 8:32
1.Jesus -Our Model and Pefect Example
2. His Life As a Ransom for Many
3. Our Bodies as Living Sacrifices
4. Transformed by Renewal of the Mind
DISCUSSION
A. Jesus- Our Model and Perfect Example
1. He lived what He taught His disciples
2. He required " baptism for salvation," Mark 16:16. And He was also baptized by John, Matthew 3:16
3. He taught us to be forgiving even to our enemies, Luke 23:24
4. He taught us to love our enemies and He even died for them, Romans 5:10
5. He taught us to be humble and He did that first, Philippians 2:5-8
6. He died for us and He wants us to lay down our lives for the brethren, I John 3:16
B. His Life As A Ransom For Many
1. Ransom means " a sum of money or other payment demanded or paid for the release of a prisoner."
2. Jesus' sacrifice is the means by which God delivers or saves mankind from sin and death, Matthew 20:28
3. The shed blood of Jesus was a ransom price for many
- Ephesians 1:7 ( redemption through His blood )
- 1 Peter 1: 18-19 ( redeemed not with silver and gold but with the precious blood of Christ )
4. Ransom works in three ways
- payment, Numbers 3:46-47; we were bought by Christ, I Cor. 6:20
- release or redemption, Exodus 21:30; I Corinthians 1:30
- corresponds to the value of what is paid for or covers it- human life, I Corinthians 15:21-22; 45-46
5. Why the RANSOM? For Adam and Eve sold mankind to the Devil at the FALL, thus it required God to pay the Devil a RANSOM to free us from his clutches!
C. Our Bodies As Living Sacrifices
1. As Jesus gave His life for our salvation, we ought to offer our bodies as " living sacrifices," also
2. In the Old Testament, animals were offered as " sacrifices " for the forgiveness of sins
3. In the New Testament, God made Jesus as the SOLE sacrifice for all humanity once for all, John 3:16; Hebrews 10:10
4. But after dying on the CROSS, Jesus resurrected from the DEAD and now sits with God in heaven, Colossians 3:1
5. In the same way, to be with Christ in His glory, we have to suffer with Him, Romans 8:17; 12:1
6. Paul said in Galatians 2:20 " I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
D. Transformed By The Renewal of the Mind
1. In Romans 12:1-2, Paul wrote that we have to " present our bodies as living sacrifices"
2. They should be HOLY and ACCEPTABLE to GOD as our reasonable service ( worship )
3. These services are as follows:
a. Good works, Matthew 5:16
b. Doing good to all men, especially the household of faith, Galatians 6:10
c. Visit the orphans and widows in their affliction, James 1:27
4. Not to be conformed to the world ( its standards of morality )
a. " Do not the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is NOT in him," I John 2:15
b." All that is in the world- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world," I John 2:16
5. " By the renewing of the mind"
a. " changing our mind to create a better life for ourselves and a life that honors God."
b. how can we renew our minds?
- focusing on Christ
- focusing on God's mercy and the love of God
- rejecting the deception of sinful desires; enemies of our souls
- rejecting the patterns that the world promotes as desirable
6. How do we create new patterns?
- spend more time in prayer
- read more the scriptures
- serve others, Galatians 6:10
- listen to God's messages
7. With a " renewed mind, we can prove what is that good, acceptable and perfect will if God," Romans 12:2
- those who do God's will enter into the kingdom of heaven, Matthew 7:21
CONCLUSION
A. To make Jesus as our Perfect Model and Example
1. We have " to believe and be baptized" first, Mark 16:16
2. We have to " repent of our sins and be baptized for forgiveness of sins and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit," Acts 2:38
B. Christ is inviting everyone to come to Him for spiritual rest, Matthew 11:28-30
1. The acceptable time is now, today is the Day of Salvation, 2 Corinthians 6:2
2. Christ will take vengeance on those " who do not OBEY the gospel" 2 Thessalonians 1:8