The Perfect Will Of God

Romans 12:1-2

In the spirit of the New Year, we hear a lot about resolutions and self-evaluation, etc. In order to do these things, we must have a sense of what our purpose is.........some strive for great purposes, some are resolved to just to take care of what is front of them. It is a boiling thought in some of our minds, what is my purpose?.....

I heard a preacher tell of a conversation that he had with a lady that was troubled because she was not pleased with her life. She stated that she started going to a charismatic church, in which she participated in a lot of the spiritual gifts and she still was not pleased with her life, she said that she wanted to get all that she can get from God, but she still wasn’t pleased with her life.

I also hear a lot of words, within this same conversation, such as: “self-improvement”. In my studying, I read a word that stuck with me: “self-importance”..........These words are not actually all that bad, when put in the right perspective, but are extremely dangerous, when viewed from a worldly understanding!

Let us bear down on this text and get an understanding of what Paul is driving in our minds and hearts.

Romans 12:1-2..........Paul starts off with “I beseech you, therefore”..........He is drawing a conclusion to what he has been talking about prior and in this text, it is what he had been writing throughout this whole letter. In light of all that Paul has unfolded about God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ since chapter 1, there is a practical conclusion that he wants the readers to reach........Practical conclusion......what we take from what he had just written a make it a practice in our life. We take what we have learned and begin to live it out.

So, in light of the woman that told the preacher that she wanted all she can get from God, Paul tells us what God has given and now it becomes about what we give. Do you get that?

Paul begs this church at Rome, by the mercies of God.........In light of all the mercy and grace that has been poured out by God through His Son, that Paul laid for the past 11 chapters, he is begging them to do this..........

This is why doctrine is so important........Teaching and having a format to teach........This is what Paul has done in chapters 1-11....

We are all without excuse

We all have sinned

Christ being the Just and the Justifier

We are then justified by faith

Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 6:4 “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

There still remains a battle with flesh and the Spirit.......Romans 7:24–25 “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”

Romans 8 is the Holy Spirits work in us.....Romans 8:16 “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:”

Romans 9-11 the Gospel is the same for Israel.

With all of this there is One prevailing truth.......The mercy of God on sinful humanity..........God is dealing with us through His Own Son.........

So, Paul begs us by the mercies of God.....In light of the mercy that God has shown upon us............Therefore.......Present/offer your bodies as a living sacrifice.............Paul is referring back to the OT offerings, it was “thank” offerings and the animal had to be killed before it was offered and every bit of it was used in some way. Paul, then, calls for a living sacrifice.......This is pointing to the entire person, our entire lives! Sacrifice means that you give something of extreme value.......Something I read from R.C. Sproul, that some say that sacrifice means that you lose something, he went on to say that sacrifice means that we express something.......We when we say that we will lose something for God, it makes it about us.......However, when we do lose something of great value in an offering we are expressing something.

When we give an offering to the church or to help someone, we are expressing something! We don’t call for offering anymore, but we have a basket if you would like to give to the God’s work, but when the offering is called for it is an expression of worship to God the Father!

What are we presenting? Our bodies.....Our entire lives.......This is moment by moment......A life given to God........That really sums up our purpose doesn’t it! I told you before that Spurgeon has said that Every Christian is a missionary or an imposter. That is a powerful quote, but some missionaries got their feelings hurt because they do not believe everyone is a missionary. I disagree, but that point I want to make is we tend to inflate our importance........God is important! End of statement! Our lives wholly given to God, as an expression of our honor to God, as our thankfulness to God, and as He is worthy of our lives given unto Him.

Without any mercy shown, He is worthy of praise and honor, but with the mercy that has been shown, His worth/value is inexpressible! Look at the previous verses in Romans 11:33–36 “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counseller? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.” .............

Our lives given unto God, seems small at this point, but it is our reasonable or logical service! It is the only conclusion we can draw from what has been revealed in Scripture!

A living sacrifice, holy........set apart for God..........An instrument of righteousness........Sacrifices had to meet a standard in the OT, without spot and without blemish........You say, well we are not perfect, to which the Bible says, no you are not, but is God worthy of your best?

Herein is the next verse........Be not conformed to this world (world system)........but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.......this is the way to a living holy sacrifice............

Not conformed to the world.........Jesus called satan the ruler of this world, Paul called satan the prince and the power of the air.......Do not conform......do not copy the behavior of this world........Because is the satan’s place.

Some say that nonconformity is about avoiding something........In a sense yes, but I have been doing some reading and been taught lately that is more about what you are living for......

We can spend more time on avoiding something and it becomes about what you are avoiding, rather than what you want to live to do!

Be transformed by the renewing of our mind........The renewing of our minds is by the Holy Spirit and God’s Spirit brings us to obedience not avoidance.

There is a lot of things I do not like to do and I have always been that way, so then it is not about God then, it is about me.

The difference in our text is that our expression of this living, holy sacrifice from our bodies is because of God and His mercies!

Walking in a newness of life that Romans 6:4 tells us is what happens when we are raised from the spiritual dead and that newness of life is a delighting in God’s Law, if that scares you then we can say God’s Way, either way it is the same thing!

A desire to fulfill, however, we still battle our flesh and we must renew our mind, through His Word!

Matthew 11:28–30 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” .......Jesus says learn of Him.......this how we transform our lives..........We were put here to glorify God and Jesus is the only One that has done that!

So, our lives must mirror His..........Christ transforms our lives........He tells us that the Holy Spirit is given to Help us John 16:13–14 “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.” ...........This is how we are transformed, by being Christ-like!

Jesus’ life was totally consecrated unto God......John 6 is a powerful chapter full of spiritual understanding, part of that is what Jesus said in John 6:38–40 “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Jesus, the Son of the Living God, came down from Heaven, not to do His Own will, but His Father’s will........what eventually is that will

Everyone that sees the Son and believes on Him......Jesus is the Only Way to God.........Peter said it in this same chapter, Jesus had said some hard things and He asked the disciples if they would leave also, Peter said in John 6:68 “Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.”

Jesus Christ, everything He is, has done, has said is the transformation that renews our minds.......we must be born from above, born again!

That is a life, wholly given unto God, my every reason for life decisions, for responses, for thoughts, everything....

How I dress, should be according to the mercies of God, not what I am going to avoid, although that would lead to avoiding some things but not for avoidance sake, but just that I want to please God, I want to be Christ-like!

That you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God........what is our purpose? What is God’s will for my life?

Renew your mind.............Learn of Jesus........Feed on God’s Word and find His Way...........You can find what is good unto God...........You will find in His Word what is acceptable........you will find, in His Word, what is complete.......

I find Jesus there, to be renewed is only through His Person and His Work........

The cleansing of sin, the everlasting life, the life lived unto God, knowing God the Father’s will and living that out with joy!

I find what I am not and Who He is and then I see what He has done for me through His Son and I am overwhelmed and desire to live unto God not to avoid things but to be pleasing unto God, a sweet aroma!

One of my other favorite chapters is 1 John 4:9–19 “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us.”