The core idolatry of this world says "you should feel good." And that if you can get enough money, and can do what you want, then you will feel good.
Thats a lie.

There is a kind of Christianity that builds on this false assumption that Christianity is a way to feel good and for things to go well for you... That's a lie too...

Jelly Roll has had a huge hit over this past week with a song that is honest about people's experience:

[Verse 1]
I am not OK
I'm barely getting by
I'm losing track of days
I'm losing sleep at night
I am not OK
I'm hanging on the rails
So if I say I'm fine, just know I learned to hide it away

[Chorus]
I know I can't be the only one
Who's holding on for dear life
But I know, God knows, when it's all said and done
I'm not OK, but it's all gonna be alright
It's not OK, but we're all gonna be alright

[Verse 2]
I woke up today
I almost stayed in bed
I had the Devil on my back
And the voices in my head
Some days it all ain't bad
Some days it all gets worse
Some days I swear I'm better off
Layin' in that dirt

[Chorus]
Well, I know I can't bе the only one
Who's holding on for dear lifе
But God knows, I know when it's all said and done
I'm not OK, but it's all gonna be alright
It's not OK, but we're all gonna be alright

[Post-Chorus]
Gonna be alright
Gonna be alright

[Bridge]
I know one day, we'll see the other side
The pain will wash away, in a holy water tide
We all gonna be alright

[Chorus]
I know I can't be the only one
Who's holding on for dear life
But God knows, I know when it's all said and done
I'm not OK, but it's all gonna be alright
We're not OK, but it's all gonna be alright
I'm not OK, and that's alright

Romans is Paul's biggest and most influential letter.

It is divided in four parts

1:1-1:15 Introduction
1:16 - 8:39 Explanation of the gospel
9:1- 11:36 The promise of Israels salvation
12:1 - 16:27 The ethical implications of the gospel

Chapter 12 is introduced by two verses that set up the rest of the letter, and "Therefore" tells us something like "on the basis of all I have said so far:

Paul has spent 11 chapters spelling out an incredible vision of who God is, who we are and what God is doing and now he says "Therefore"

He then says "I urge you brothers (and sisters)"

I urge you (or I appeal to you) communicates both authority and affection and its clear that his urging is for everyone who is listening... which means we should all listen.

God's Mercy is everything Paul has communicated in the first 11 chapters.

It is not something we earn.

Mercy means a deep commitment to the well-being and experience of another, no matter what.

offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.

There is not a much more counter-cultural statement that you can make.

"offer" recals the offering of the old Testament, but this is not about sacrifice on an alter resulting in death, it is a living sacrifice that produces life.

by urging us to offer our bodies, Paul is asking us to offer our whole selves.

This is the heart of Jesus' teaching.

To be holy means to be set apart for God's purposes. The heart of the gospel is the simple statement, "Jesus is Lord,"

"This is your true and proper worship"

Paul assumes that worship isn't an internal impulse, but rather is a response to the external reality of God's mercy (which he has spent the past 11 chapters talking about)

He is about to unpack in the rest of the chapter what this true and proper worship looks like.

You worship that which you value, and what you ultimately value, you ultimately worship.

Paul is not talking about whether you should worship God, he is talking about how you should worship God.

The J.B. Philips Translation of Romans 12:1-2

With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship, to give him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to him and acceptable by him. Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.

We are to be different. We are to live from a wholly different set of values.

Paul assumes we need transformation in the way we think... so we can know the truth.

He understands we can't trust our own view.

Paul is going to challenge the whole way you live your life by naming what worship looks like...

Small Group Questions:

1) Do you agree that the core ideology of the world says "you should feel good?" What aspects of that lie are most likely to suck you in?

2) Either read the lyrics or listen to Jelly Roll's song "I am not Ok"... how do you find yourself responding?

3) Paul challenges us to offer our whole selves to God. What aspects of your life do you find hardest to give God control over?

4) Paul says worship should be an action we take in response to God's actions rather than a feeling we have or a song we sing. How do you respond to this way of thinking about worship?

5) What aspects of the word's mould do you find it hardest not to get squeezed into? How is God inviting you to make different choices at the moment?