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Preaching the Living WORD through the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4:2 - |
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2007 GBC THEME “Renewing Our Lives
And Minds In Christ” - Part 4 (Rom 12:1-2) Pastor Daryl
Hilbert I.
THE BELIEVER’S LIVING SACRIFICE II. THE BELIEVER’S
NON-CONFORMITY TO THE WORLD III. THE BELIEVER’S
TRANSFORMATION IV. THE
BELIEVER’S CONFORMITY TO THE WILL OF
GOD A. The Design for
Renewing the Mind 1.
Paul exhorts the believers in 2.
In order to do this, they must not allow themselves to be
conformed to this world (2a). 3.
Rather, they must be transformed into a holy offering to
God by the renewing of their minds in the Word of God (2b) 4.
Paul mentions an additional design or purpose (“so that” -
eis with an infinitive of purpose
RWP) for renewing their minds. It is in order that they will be able to
examine and discern what is that good, acceptable, and perfect will of God
for their lives. B. The Discernment
of the Will of God 1.
Most versions use the phrase, “prove the will of God.”
Prove is an acceptable translation because it comes from the Greek word, dokimázō. 2.
Dokimázō originally and
quite literally meant to assay or test metal for their purity. It later came
to be applied to putting persons to the test or to examining them in trial. 3.
In reference to God’s will (thélêma - desire or purpose), the believer is to examine
and discern proper behavior, ethics and decisions for his life as a living
sacrifice to God. 4.
The believer is able to do such examination and
discernment by having his mind renewed. a)
…when a
believer’s mind is transformed, his thinking ability, moral reasoning, and
spiritual understanding are able to properly assess everything, and to accept
only what conforms to the will of God. (MacArthur in loc.) b)
And Christian
renewal imparts not only the will and power to do God’s will, but also
intelligence to discern it. (Pulpit Commentary) 5.
Discernment of God’s will is not an esoteric mystical
process, rather it is through the mind’s (nous)
knowledge of the revealed will of God. a)
The will of God is revealed in the Scriptures (Deut
29:29). b)
The will of God is discerned with the mind (Eph 5:17). c)
The will if God is ultimately the believer’s
sanctification (1Th 4:3). C. The Description
of the Will of God 1.
It is Good a)
Paul is describing the will of God for the believer. As a
living sacrifice, the believer is to be and do what is morally good (tò
agathós). b)
Objectively, God’s will for the believer is ultimately
good (Rom 8:28). c)
Subjectively, God’s will for the believer is that he would
do those things which are inherently good (3Jo 1:11; Gal 6:10). 2.
It is Acceptable a)
Paul used this word in vs. 1. Acceptable (euárestos) literally means,
“well (eu) pleasing (aréskō).” It emphasizes that
it refers to the things that are well-pleasing to God (tō theō vs. 1). b)
Paul is using imagery of the OT sacrifices which must be
acceptable to God (Lev 22:17-20). c)
So Paul is saying that God’s will for the believer is one
in which he is morally and spiritually spotless without the blemish of sin
(Eph 5:10; Rom 14:18; 2Co 5:9). 3.
It is Perfect a)
The word “perfect (téleios)
often means “mature.” The idea is that it is God’s will for the believer is
to be spiritually mature in his conduct. b)
The believer is to be mature in his thinking in order to
be transformed (1Co 14:20). c)
The believer is have a diet of the spiritual food of the
Word (Heb 5:14). d)
The goal of sanctification is to make the believer
spiritually mature (Eph 4:13). 4.
It is Christ-like a)
The summary of the goal for the believer, who is to be a
living sacrifice and conformed to the will of God, would be described as
Christ-likeness. b)
God’s ultimate will for the believer is to be conformed to
the image of Christ (Rom 8:29). c)
By renewing the mind in the Word of God, the believer will
be a living sacrifice, not conformed to this evil age, but conformed to God’s
will, namely, conformed to the image of Christ (Rom 8:29; 2Co 3:18; Col
3:11). D. Practical
Observations Concerning the Will of God 1.
If believers were preoccupied with following the revealed
will of God from the Scriptures, there would not be so many questions
regarding the will of God. 2.
One major consideration often overlooked in discerning the
will of God for the believer is his spiritual gifts. There is a contextual
connection between the believer becoming a living sacrifice for service
according to the will of God (Rom 12:1-2) and his exercise of spiritual gifts
(Rom 12:3-8). 3.
Based on Rom 12:1-2, it is God’s will for the believers of
this church to commit to “Renewing Our Lives and Minds in Christ,” not only
for 2007 but for the rest of our lives until the Lord comes. |
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