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 service."

This sermon from American Pastor J.D. Montieth teaches What God Requires for Proper Worship: "The apostle is beseeching those special souls called by Christ, sanctified by His Spirit, and promised eternal inheritance. They are unique above all men of the earth simply because God has chosen them, like He did Israel, to be His possession. Because they are part of God’s heavenly call, complete devotion to Him is their sole reason for living. And like Israel be­fore them, they have been brought forth solely by the will of the Lord and have been designated a holy people by Him.

"The Christian must, through faith, present himself as a living sacrifice to God. This is an individual choice and must be offered of one’s own free will. The Lord delights in those who give their lives to Him not grudgingly or out of necessity but with cheerful hearts. Hence, if any think that they can present an offering to God and He will be blessed with it when it lacks either willingness or cheerfulness, then they know little to nothing of the standards for acceptable sacrifice. Like with so many other things, if the heart is not right, the action will be rejected. To worship God properly, one’s soul must initiate and prompt the wor­ship. Again, if the heart does not desire to offer itself to God for His use, we should not think that He finds anything pleasing in any action performed by the body.

"What sets a man up for engaging in proper worship of the Lord is that in heart, mind, and body, he presents himself as a living sacrifice to the Lord. To properly worship God, one must first present one­self as a living sacrifice to God, as there can be no proper spiritual worship of the Lord without first dedicating one’s life to Him. Any sinner who does less is unwor­thy of mercy. Therefore, to properly wor­ship God, the Christian must be willing to give his entire life, the totality of his being, to doing God’s will, with nothing held back nor anything denied.

"For any sacrifice to be accepted by God, holiness must be its main character­istic. Throughout Scripture, God’s Word reiterates that holiness is essential to have fellowship with the Lord and serve Him properly. "Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." God’s Word also declares that he who is unholy will be kept from ever truly seeing the Lord. "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:" Holiness is es­sential if we are to see the Lord and have the worship we present to Him be found acceptable.

"How astounding is this truth, that the basis of all true worship resides in men and women presenting themselves to God as living sacrifices. And this can only hap­pen when they completely, and without hesitation, give their entire lives to Him. This is the foundation of all true Christian worship: if we are to worship God prop­erly, our bodies, representing our entire lives, must be presented to Him for His spiritual use, not for a moment, not for a week, but for the rest of our earthly lives and we are finally, miraculously changed into the image of God’s Son.

"Ultimately, if our bodies and lives are not presented to God, they will be kept for ourselves. In the end, the life lived un­der His name is the only one that will ac­tually be found acceptable by Him."

This sermon was preached live at Castle Grace in the At the Mouth of Two or Three Witnesses Series. Other sections of Scriptures highlighted in this sermon: Romans 12:1-2, Deuteronomy 7:6.

Broadcast live from Castle Grace 09/05/2021