Romans 12:1-2
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (ESV)
The principles of real holy living are:
- The Worship of God
We saw last week:
a. The Call to Worship – yielding up our bodies to the Lord.
b. The Cause of the Call to Worship – God’s mercy alone.
c. The Consecration of the Call – a living sacrifice to God.
d. The Conditions of the Call – awe inspiring and acceptable to God. - The Wisdom of God
The root of all our problems is in our heads.
Conquering it entails:
a. Shunning the mould of everything that is not of God.
b. Shaping of the mind in order to not give in to the works of the flesh (Gal 5:19-21).
The world is diametrically opposed against God. We as believers must be renewed in our minds – it must be transformed into the mind of God.
Here’s how:
a. By surrendering your will to God, by filling your mind with His Word.
b. By ordering your life after the teachings and commands of God.
c. By cutting yourself off from the influences of the world.
d. By allowing the Spirit of God to control your mind.
There are basically three kinds of people in the Church:
a. The sensual – ruled by what they see and how they feel.
b. The soulish – ruled by their own intellect, rules and emotions.
c. The spiritual – truly and always under the control of the Holy Spirit, which is God’s will for every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Word of God is the only discerner (Hebrews 4:12) between the soulish and the spiritual person – living for self or for God’s glory.
You must be wary when it starts to go well in your life, for it is often then that backsliding happens. - The Will of God
a. The Description of His Will
(i) It is Precious, leading to Eternal Life.
(ii) It is Pleasant, as His will is revealed to us and we change as He grows and matures us, becoming ready for what He calls us to.
(iii) It is Perfect – nothing can be added to His will. He knows everything, and His plans cannot be improved upon.
b. The Discerning of His will
Taste and see that the Lord is good (Ps. 34:8).
We need to understand that we are not gods, and that we are to submit to the will of God.
We don’t have much time – life passes quickly. But we’ll help each other to know the worship, the wisdom and the will of God. That is our spiritual worship.