August 9, 2019
Part 3: A BIG PICTURE VISIONARY
Pastor Troy Brewer, OpenDoor Church, Burleson, Texas
This challenging message is designed to be empowering, life-giving, and confrontational in a way that convinces you God is who He says He is and you are who He says you are.
Romans 12:1 (NKJV) – I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
Romans 12:1 (AMPC) – I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.
Romans 12:1 (PTV) – In light of how merciful God has been to you, I want to urge you – even beg you, brothers – to decide to dedicate your entire life – everything you are responsible for – as a living sacrifice, totally devoted (Holy) and totally dedicated to glorifying God, which is how you rationally and intelligently serve and worship God.
I want to urge you brothers…
The aim of Romans 12:1–2 is that all of life would become “spiritual worship.” Verse 1: “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” The aim of all human life in God’s eyes is that Christ would be made to look as valuable as He is. Worship means using our minds, hearts and bodies to express the worth of God and all He is for us in Jesus. There is a way to live — a way to love — that does that.
How valuable God is to you determines how much your life worships Him. Worship is “worth–ship.”
GOD IS COUNTING UPON YOU TO ACT LIKE YOU’RE SAVED – TO ACT LIKE YOU ARE VICTORIOUS – to act like God is amazing and has made your life amazing.
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO THE KING THAT HIS PEOPLE ARE ENCOURAGED AND EMPOWERED BELIEVERS FULL OF HOPES, DREAMS, FAITH AND CONFIDENCE. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO THE KING THAT THE PEOPLE IN HIS KINGDOM ARE SO EMPOWERED, THEY TAKE ON HELL WITH A WATER PISTOL AND COURAGEOUSLY MOVE THE KINGDOM FORWARD.
Our mission team just got back from the Amzon jungle where they saw signs, miracles and wonders…
Our prison teams are faithfully serving and courageously preaching the Gospel of freedom in total defiance to the obvious spirit of bondage there.
Our rescue teams are saving nearly 100 girls out of sexual slavery every single month throughout the world.
Our Food Bank is giving away close to 500,000 pounds of food every single month to poor and hurting families, isolated elderly people, and single moms and dads.
And you don’t do that if your scared. You don’t do that if you’re demoralized, depressed, balled up or locked down. You have to be free, full of the Holy Spirit and determined to advance the Kingdom for the sake of the King’s heart!
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO HELL THAT YOU ARE DEMORALIZED AND UNWILLING TO ACT.
The Kingdom of hell’s fundamental belief systems are designed to keep you a slave. This is one way to put you in bondage:
Hell says, “It’s somebody else’s responsibility to advance you.”
Just turn everything over to some benevolent pharaoh or worldly king.
1 Samuel 8:10-22 (ESV) Samuel’s Warning Against Kings – So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking for a king from him. 11 He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. 15 He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. 16 He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18 And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.” 19 But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us…”
You don’t need another King! King Jesus has appointed YOU to be a king! He’s the King of Kings.
Hell says, “It’s somebody else’s fault you are not successful.”
Jesus says, “Take up your bed and walk!”
PROMISED LAND LIVING
Deuteronomy 6:11
Houses you didn’t build or fill up.
Wells you didn’t have to dig.
Vineyards you didn’t have to plant.
“when you have eaten and are full”
This is both a promise and a warning.
Luke 12:48 – …to much who is given much is expected.
You are responsible for having the big picture that your entire life is supposed to glorify God.
Romans 12:1 (PTV) – In light of how merciful God has been to you, I want to urge you – even beg you, brothers – to decide to dedicate your entire life – everything you are responsible for – as a living sacrifice, totally devoted (Holy) and totally dedicated to glorifying God, which is how you rationally and intelligently serve and worship God.
Then the next verse says this:
Romans 12:2 (KNJV) – And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Romans 12:2 (PTV) – Don’t let the world mold, shape and define you. Instead, be transformed and miraculously changed so you can show proof what God’s heart and desire is – whether it’s good, acceptable or completed to the fullest extent.
prove: to throughly examine and confirm its authentic
Embracing whatever is going to happen or embracing the responsibility of making the will of God happen.
We have to understand our role in fulfilling God’s purpose.
I have a role in influencing the results of my life.
That’s why He commands us to not be dismayed or discouraged.
The GOOD will of God is always the beginning stage of God’s heart and desire (will).
THE GOODNESS OF GOD BRINGS MEN TO REPENTANCE AND REPENTANCE IS ALWAYS THE BEGINNING OF THE JOURNEY.
Romans 12:21 – IT IS GOOD THAT OVERCOMES EVIL
It’s the tip of the spear when the arrow of the Kingdom comes into some new territory.
We are commanded to overcome evil by displacing it with the goodness of God.
Acts10:38, Jesus went about doing good: Any definition of the sovereignty of God that allows for evil to exist as the will and purpose of God is a blasphemous definition.
THE ACCEPTABLE WILL OF GOD IS DIFFERENT. IT HAS TO DO WITH WHAT GOD IS COMPATIBLE WITH EVEN THOUGH IT’S REALLY NOT COMPLETE – IT’S NOT YET WHAT IT SHOULD BE.
God can only manifest in what He is compatible with.
ACCEPTABLE – “COMPATIBLE WITH GOD’S PRESENCE”
PERFECT DOESN’T MEAN FLAWLESS. IT MEANS “COMPLETED.”
THE PERFECT WILL OF GOD IS WHEN GOD GETS HIS WAY – ALL THE WAY – AND HIS HEART’S DESIRE IS WRAPPED UP AND COMPLETED.
Romans 12:21 (PTV) – In light of how merciful God has been to you, I want to urge you – even beg you, brothers – to decide to dedicate your entire life – everything you are responsible for – as a living sacrifice, totally devoted (Holy) and totally dedicated to glorifying God, which is how you rationally and intelligently serve and worship God.
Romans 12:21 (PTV) – Don’t let the world mold, shape and define you. Instead, be transformed and miraculously changed by letting God give you a new mind so you can show with proof what God’s heart and desire is – whether it’s good, acceptable or completed to the fullest extent.
marriage, finances, ministry, occupation, your want life, your dream life, your family life, your house and how you live, your goals and what you achieve.
Grow, Go and Grab it! It’s not up to anybody but you.
Nobody else is coming to make it happen for you.
You’re not a victim or a slave. You’re a bad motor scooter.
Fight for it. Take up your bed and walk.
Let God give you a fresh and much-greater vision with clear definition that all of your life can and must advance. All of your life belongs to God and you are going to prove how wonderful His heart is by moving forward in every way you possibly can.
The reasonable way I truly show how valuable God is to me or how I worship him is by presenting my entire life as a living sacrifice.