Chapter 34

How To Prove God's Will

Romans 12:1-2

 

My first thought about preaching from Romans 12:1-2 is its familiarity.  In my lifetime I have heard many sermons from this passage and hundreds of references to Romans 12:1-2.  In fact, long ago I committed these two verses to memory.  I suspect that many of you are equally familiar with Romans 12:1-2.  No doubt, you also have heard sermons from this text and maybe even committed it to memory.  It is good to be familiar with verses in the Bible, wonderful to know them by memory, but sometimes familiarity can hinder and impede the application of a text to our lives.  It's as if we don't really pay close attention to a text because we tell ourselves, "I already know those verses."  I want to begin by appealing to you today to really think about what God's word is telling us in this important text.

 

My second observation about the this particular text is that it comes at you quickly.  I mean that it says a lot, that it is tightly packed with important ideas, it's complicated.  Which means that we've got a lot to cover, a lot to think about, a lot to learn from this text.  It's like the old joke - How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time!  We've got to take it apart, slice this text into bite size pieces and  see what they say and then put the whole passage back together.  Let's begin by reading it.

 

In Romans 12:1-2, I notice three things.  First, I cannot help but notice places where the Bible commands me to do something.  And these two verses contain several commandments that must be obeyed.  Second, I notice that the text reminds me of reasons why I need to obey those commandments.  Sometimes the Bible just gives us a string of unexplained commandments.  But not here.  The commandments in this passage are accompanied by reasons.  The third thing that I see here is that there is a desirable outcome if I will keep those commandments.  There are definite benefits for me if I keep the commandments in this passage. 

 

Let's consider these two verses under those three headings - the commandments, the reasons, the benefits.  But you know me - I need to make these three headings all start with the same letter.  So I am going to call it the  requirements, the reasons and the reward.

 

Let's begin with ...

 

 

The Reward

"that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God"

 

Whatever it is that God wants me to do here, the benefit of it is that by my obedience I am going to prove the will of God in my life.  That word for "prove" to discern, to examine, to test. 

 

The truth is that we Christians often struggle with discerning the will of God.  So this is a great benefit.  I can know, I can discern, I can test, I can examine, I can prove what is the will of God.  I don't have to be in the dark and clueless about the will of God.  God's will doesn't have to be guesswork for me.  I don't have to wander around with a maybe so, think so, hope so attitude about God's will for my life.  It can be know so!  I can prove and discern God's will.  That is a great benefit.  That is truly a wonderful reward. 

 

Paul adds some words to describe God's will.  It is "good and acceptable and perfect."  God's will is good - that is simply knowing and doing God's will is good, it is beneficial, it will make my life better.  God's will is acceptable - it is pleasing, well pleasing to the Lord.  God likes for us to know and do His will.  God's will is perfect - that is, it perfects and matures us, it produces spiritual maturity.

 

So the reward of obeying the commandments in this passage is that I will discern God's good and pleasing and spiritually maturing will in my life.  I want that reward!  So what comes next?  Just what are the commandments that will produce such wonderful and dynamic results in my life?

 

Well, before we get to the commandments, the requirements, let's consider ...

 

 

The Reasons

 

Paul gives two basic reasons for us to consider for obeying the commands.  His appeal is personal - "I beseech you, brethren."  His appeal is passionate - "beseech".  He implores, entreats, encourages, begs his reader.  There is something about a personal passionate appeal that makes us want to respond.  When you ask me personally and when you ask me passionately, I don't want to say no.  For me, this makes me want to be more personal and more passionate a leader and teacher.

 

The first reason to be considered for obedience is because of God's mercies - "by the mercies of God."  In fact, Paul uses the word "therefore" and it connects us what has already been written.  At the end of chapter 11 Paul wrote about God's mercy.  Verse 32 says that God has had mercy upon us all.  And verse 36 says that everything that we have is "of him and through him and to him, so that he is to receive glory  forever."  Really,  the first eleven chapters of Romans detail the "mercies of God".  That we are all sinners, every last one of us.  The God loved us even our sinful state and that Jesus Christ died for us on the cross.  We are saved by the grace and mercy of God demonstrated through Christ.  The forgiveness of our sins and our future home in heaven, is not because of who we are or what we have done.  It is because of God's grace and mercy.  He has withheld what we rightfully deserved and He has graciously given to us what we could never earn nor deserve.  Lamentations 3:22-23  It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.  They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.  God's mercies to us are the first reason why we should obey His commands.

 

The second reason given by Paul is because God's commandments are reasonable - "which is your reasonable service."  God's commandments are not extraordinary.  God is not demanding something above and beyond the call of duty.  This is your reasonable service. 

 

So if God has done something extraordinary for you and then He requires something not extraordinary from you, those are legitimate reasons for your obedience.  These verses tell me that if I will obey these commands, which are not at all extraordinary or unreasonable, I will know the good and pleasing and perfecting will of God.

 

So what are these commands? 

 

 

The Requirements

 

When you study the Bible and want to make personal applications, always look for the commands.  There are several in this text.

 

Command #1 - "present your body unto God."  God wants you.  He doesn't just want your money, He doesn't just want your words, He doesn't just want your attention, He doesn't just want your talent ... God wants you. 

 

He wants you willingly and voluntarily.  He doesn't take you by force.  He says, "Surrender."  He says, "Present yourself."  He wants you on an ongoing basis.  A dead sacrifice can only be given once.  A "living sacrifice" can be given again and again, over and over.  And there is "sacrifice" involved - it's not all easy.  He wants you to be "holy and acceptable."  At our house, we have lots of cups.  Some are fancy, some are for every day use.  Some are old, some are newer.  Some are fragile, some are sturdy.  They all have different uses.  If I'm thirsty, I'll drink out of any of them, as long as its clean.  God can use any kind of vessel, any size any shape any age.  But He will not use a dirty vessel.  It does no good to offer to God a dirty life.  God wants you.  But He wants you holy and acceptable - clean.  Made clean first by the blood of Jesus Christ, which washes away all sin.  Kept clean thereafter by holy living.  "Be ye holy, even as the Lord your God is holy."  The first command is for you to voluntarily, daily present to God a holy life.

 

Command #2 - "Be not conformed to this world."  All of us are being "shaped" by various influences around us.  When we are young, our parents shape us and mold us.  As we get older, other people and other forces influence and shape us.  The school, the peer group we associate with, our friends, the things we read, the things we see or hear, television affects us or music - all of these things influence our way of thinking and affect our world view.  We like or dislike things largely because of how we have been shaped.  We believe or doubt for the same reason.  Our philosophy of life, our values, our perspective is greatly influenced by what has been used to shape us and mold us.  I can look back over my life and think of particular people or experiences or forces that have impacted my and my way of thinking.

 

Well, right here, Paul warns us that we must not allow ourselves to be shaped by this world.  We must not allow ourselves to be shaped by those things in the culture that take us away from God and from being able to present myself to Him.  "Be not conformed to this world."

 

Command #3 - "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind."  In contrast to being conformed to this world, we are commanded to be transformed by the renewing of the mind.  The Greek word for transformed is the word "metamorphosis".  We learn about that in grade school science.  It is the for the process through which a tadpole becomes a frog, or a caterpillar becomes a butterfly.  It is a change from the inside out.  And so, what Paul is saying is that we are not be shaped from the outside in, but we are to be changed from the inside out. 

 

Paul explains that this change, this metamorphosis, this transformation takes place "by the renewing of the mind."  So you need a new mind.  You need to think differently.   We need to have the mind of Christ, to think like God, to view life like God views life.  How does one learn to think God's kind of thoughts?  It is by so saturating your life with God's Word, that everything that you see, everything you hear, everything you experience you see it from the perspective of Scripture. 

 

Thus, what is right or wrong is not based on what society says but on what the Bible says.  We look at people through the eyes of God and see that they are sinners in need of Savior.  We love them with the love of Jesus Christ.  We look at life - at all of it - at relationships and time and money and possessions and work and family - at life with a transformed and renewed mind - a mind that has been changed from the inside out by God and His Word. 

 

And so, Romans 12:1-2 says that we can discern and prove the good and acceptable and perfect will of God keeping three commandments.  We willing obey because of all that God has done for us and because what He asks is not unreasonable.  And what He commands is for us to give ourselves to a kind and merciful God, to not allow this world to shape us but to changed from the inside out by saturating our lives with the Word of God.

 

So how do you discern God's will?  By giving yourself completely to the God who mercifully gave His best completely for you, and by getting a new mind that has not been shaped by the world but has been changed by the Word of God.

 

Are you currently struggling with discerning God's will for your life?  Are you being shaped by the world or transformed by the Word?  Have you ever just given yourself, your life, your body to God?