1. Reaching Beyond the Walls… By Living Sacrificially Romans 12:1-2; Philippians 3; Hebrews 12:1-13 The fourth message in our 6-part series called Reaching Beyond the Walls. Sunday, November 16, 2014 Speaker: Carlos Castaneda

2. “The man or woman who wants to be more than good- natured, who wants a really good nature, knows well enough that the cure for ill nature must go deeper than recreation. It must search out and cast out the selfishness and vanity and uncleanness and indolence and spiritual fatigue that are at the root of our ill nature. The love of our friends and our kindred is too blind, too tolerant of our weakness. And they ask too little of us. We must come into a presence that condemns all the evil in us without disheartening us. We must come into the presence of the Cross.” Reflections on the seven words of Jesus at the cross

3. 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. 2 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 12:1-2

4. “…The martyr no longer desires anything for himself, not even the glory of martyrdom.” “If we are not all called to this extremity of submission, we can at least recognize – in our own choices to persevere despite personal cost, to honor our beliefs in the contest with doubt – the significance of the daily, incremental decisions that influence who we become, and how we behave.” Archbishop Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1170

5. But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, Philippians 3:7-10

6. Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2