Slides: Embracing God’s Will

Embracing God’s Will
Romans 12:1-2

¹ Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. ² Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Embracing God’s will

• Trust God’s mercy
• Offer your body
• Renew your mind
• Attune your will

Trust God’s mercy

Salvation = Jesus plus nothing!
Nothing I do makes me right with God. Jesus has done it all; it’s mine by faith.

Salvation = Jesus minus nothing!
The whole me is in union with the whole Christ by the Spirit who lives in me.

God says, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy.” Salvation does not depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. God makes the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy (9:14-23). You Gentiles have received mercy… Jews will receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all (11:30-32).

Offer your body

^12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

Your body matters

• Your body is a marvel of God’s creation.
• Your body is linked with Jesus’ body.
• Your body is the Holy Spirit’s temple.
• Your body is your offering to God.
• Your body is your equipment for action.
• Your body is your gift to your spouse.
• Your body will be raised and glorified.

Offer body parts to God

Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. (Rom 6:13)

Offer your body

^12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

Renew your mind

² Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

• Conform: shaped by outside pressures
• Transformed: shaped by Spirit within

Do not conform

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him… The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. (1 John 2:15, 17)

You died with Jesus to this old αἰών [eon: world/age]. You arose with him into a new creation, the new αἰών of Spirit. So don’t conform to this old αἰών; be transformed by renewed mind of the Spirit.

The Mind of the Spirit

Those in accord with the Spirit mind the things of the Spirit… The mind of the Spirit is life and peace… Those led by the Spirit of God are sons of God… The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children… The Spirit himself intercedes for us… He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit. (Romans 8:5-27)

The Mind of Christ

We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us… “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Cor 2:12-16)

Renew your mind

² Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

• Conform: shaped by outside pressures
• Transformed: shaped by Spirit within

Attune your will

Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)

• His will for all as shown in Scripture
• His will for you personally as guided by the mind of the Spirit

 
Embracing God’s will

• Trust God’s mercy
• Offer your body
• Renew your mind
• Attune your will