INTRODUCTION
We have begun a series to Discover & Experience God’s Will, and I’m sure that we all agree that God’s Will IS good, perfect, and pleasing as we will see in our text this morning.
What we are striving to discover during our February study is what type of conditions are necessary in order for the believer to be able to discover and experience that good, perfect, and pleasing will.
I MEAN:
WHAT DOES GOD EXPECT ON THE PART OF THE BELIEVER?
As we will see in our study this morning, there are 2 Parts to This Question:
1. What does He expect regarding “our relationship with Him”?
2. What does He expect regarding “our relationship with Each Other”?
ROMANS 12:1-5
I. OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
Romans 12:1 (NIV)
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.
A. (Vs. 1) – GOD EXPECTES - A LIVING SACRIFICE
1. in view “of God’s mercy”
- God’s compassion, mercy, love
- Notice Vs. 32 of chapter 11 “he may have mercy on them all”
- He offered His Son!
2. “’offer your bodies’ as living sacrifices”
- Represents our whole being
- The tool that rep our mind, personalities/skills, emotions, activities
- Meaning is that we are to offer our entirety – all that we are
3. “offer your bodies ‘a living sacrifice’”
- OT Sacrifice: Priest would kill, cut, place on altar
- Sacrifice was something offered in payment for sin
- God wants the believer to offer themselves as living sacrifices
- Not dead or temporary, but alive in Christ
4. “is holy and pleasing (acceptable) to God”
- Christ in becoming our payment of sin also redeemed us – He bought us.
- In view of Christ, God expects the believer to OFFER THEMSELVES to Him.
- It’s “acceptable” to Him.
Romans 12:2 (NIV)
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.
B. (Vs. 2) – BE TRANSFORMED
When believers offer their entire self to God, a change will happen in their relation to the world. Why? Because we are allowing God to work in and through us so that we become a transformed “from the inside out” new creature!
1. “be transformed” (last week)
The Greek verb translated “transformed” is seen in the English word “metamorphosis”: a total change from inside out.
READ 2 Corinthians 3:18
God – through Christ – is working to transform us from the inside BY...
2. “renewing of your mind”
- Key to this transformation is the mind – the control center – total being.
- As God works one’s whole life and lifestyle become what God envisioned.
WHAT IS RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE BELIEVER AND GOD?
1. Body: A “Living Sacrifice”: A daily laying aside of one’s desires giving them to God through Christ so that He can work in and through
Eph 2:10 “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works…”
Matthew 16:24 (NIV)
24 "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Why does He wants you as a living sacrifice?
2. To Become: A “Transformed Mind”:
- A transformation through our control center – our mind
- A process where God reshapes us into His likeness – His thoughts – His desires – His image.
3. 2b) “test and approve what God’s will”
As God transforms us, we become more like Him in every area and we then begin to: “Discover and Experience His Perfect Will! – that GOOD, PLEASING, AND PERFECT WILL!
II. OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH OTHER (Verses 3-5)
That’s what God expects of us, BUT there is another part of what is expected from us as BELIEVERS.
WHAT DOES GOD EXPECT IN OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS
Romans 12:3 (NIV) (1st part only)
3 “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you…”
TRANSITION: “BY THE GRACE GIVEN ME”
What Paul was about to share was exactly as God instructed Him. He wasn’t sugar coating or cherry picking what the believers necessarily wanted to hear.
ILL: A STATUS CHURCH (Central)
Over the last couple of years, one of the more prominent churches seemed to change. Negative things were beginning to be reported and observed.
I was very careful in what judgments I began to form. Then this past week, I was talking to an individual I knew to be a solid man of faith.
He offered he had been a member of this particular church and had left. Very carefully worded, I inquired as to why and what was going on with church.
The exact words he used were this: “The pastor preaches what he is allowed to preach including when, what, and how long.” He went on to say there became to be “no meat” in the messages for fear of ruffling feathers.
APPLICATION: “What kind of pastor/preacher do you want me to be?”
I HAVE COME TO GRIPS WITH THIS PROMISE:-
I will stand to give an account.
- Work to be popular today.
- Can take care in what I preach so not to ruffle feathers (mine too)
In fact, it goes further – Not just me!:
- We can Work to be popular today.
- We can just do all the worldly stuff so we become the in the now church!
OR
- I can work, preach, and pastor so that I can Stand Then!
- WE can be the church GOD WANTS US TO BE so WE can stand then!
SO YOU TELL ME!
Last week, - examples Charles Stanley had written examples on why we…
- might not recognize God’s will or the plan He had prepared
- how I wish there would have been a mirror in some of your faces!
**Today: This passage for today was selected several weeks ago. Oh how good and perfect is God’s timing in I NEEDED to be reminded of my purpose.
** So today – PAUL AND MYSELF say in VERSE 3 and WITHOUT APOLOGY:
“for by the grace given me I say to every one of you”
Romans 12:3 (NIV) (2nd part)
3 … Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, …
A. A Call for – A PERSONAL EVALUATION
Q: What is an “evaluation” and what is “its purpose”
What Is an EVALUATION?: To examine and judge carefully – to appraise
What Is the PURPOSE: To determine where you are and make improvements?
1. “not to think more higher than you ought”
- Who are YOU and WHY are YOU HERE?
- What do YOU have to do with WHO & WHY?
2. “but rather ‘think with sober judgment’”
- Word “sober” means with sound – careful - judgment.
- We must give credit where credit is due!
READ 1 Cor. 4:7
NO ONE is better than anyone else.
EVERYTHING you have, EVERYTHING you have accomplished,
EVERYTHING — HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU –
IT CAME FROM GOD!
Christ Himself Set The Standard and the Conditions
Matt. 20:28 “just as the Son of Man did not come to be serve but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many” – The example here is that we are to serve to the point of giving our life – for that one that we all judge against!
PAUL SETS US UP FOR THE PUNCH – THE MEANING BEHIND WHAT GOD EXPECTS OF OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH OTHER!
B. WE ARE GOD’S TOOLS TO EACH OTHER (3b)
As if it doesn’t get harder to preach – IT DOES! This next part - This next phrase wiped me out. But it was the nugget God was holding until I was ready.
Romans 12:3 (NIV) (final part)
3 …in accordance with the “ measure of faith” ‘God’ has given you”.
1. “the measure of faith God has given”
I questioned translation change by time. Checked the Literal reading: "I say for through the grace having been given to me, to everyone being among you, not to think more highly beyond what is necessary to think, but to think so as to be sober minded, to each as “God apportioned a measure of faith."
The original meaning behind the word “apportioned” gives us our word “distribute” and here it means:
“to each as God distributed” – Distributed what?
2. “a measure of faith”
The word “faith” here is describing that “gift” God has given you (OK GET READY - HERE IT IS) to serve others in God’s Church
EVERY COMMENTARY I had: Here are three examples:
Adam Clark: “the power this gave him (referring to the believer) of being useful in the Church of God”
Bible Knowledge: As a result every Christian should have a proper sense of humility and an awareness of his need to be involved with other members of Christ’s body in order to become what God desires.
Life Appl: This expression refers to the capacity and/or power given to each person to carry out his or her function in the church. WHATEVER we have in the way of natural abilities or spiritual gifts—all should be used with humility for building up the body of Christ
And I feel I have to almost apologize for calling on us to be involved in the church? SOMEHOW THAT JUST DOESN’T SEEM TO MAKE SENSE!
Paul used same analogy and phrasing in Eph 4:7:
“to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.” Then he begins to describe the different parts of the body given to instruct, help, encourage, and grow God’s church until He calls us home!
APPLICATION: The church, the bride of Christ, was created by the Master Himself so that together, each being so vital a part of the body, HELP EACH OTHER to become the tool God needs to accomplish HIS GOOD, PLEASING AND PERFECT WILL!
The church is for us. Yes the church needs to meet the needs of the family, BUT WE TOO ARE FOR THE CHURCH.
I have lost families because of this statement. But it is time we grow up and understand while the CHURCH IS FOR US – WE ARE FOR THE CHURCH.
*** WHY? BECAUSE – WE BELONG TO EACH OTHER!***
APPLICATION 2:
I hate to tell you – but we each – regardless of race, creed, color, money, status, success, or failure, sin, or no sin, perfect or imperfect, - WE ALL – IN CHRIST – BELONG TO EACH OTHER!
III. SUMMARY
Let’s close with VERSE 5
“SO in Christ, we who are many FORM ONE BODY and EACH member belongs to all the others.”
1. As an individual:
WHAT DOES GOD EXPECT IN OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM?
1. As a church:
WHAT DOES GOD EXPECT IN OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM?
ANSWER: To “offer our body (individually and as a church) as a Living Sacrifice” to Him!
2. As an individual:
WHAT DOES GOD EXPECT IN OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH OTHER?
2. As a church:
WHAT DOES GOD EXPECT IN OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH OTHER?
ANSWER: “so in Christ, we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others”
As far as church involvement: From this passage I see 2 reasons we are to be involved in the church – the Bride of Christ:
1- to learn how to be the person God desired (so He can work in me) and
2- To help others do the same” (so He can work in them)
YOU have to “DISCOVER AND EXPERIENCE GOD’S WILL” and based on the principles of this book make a decision as to the involvement He desires of you and your family!
