Whole Life Worship

It’s my privilege this morning
to introduce Pastor Jason Schmidt and his family to you this morning. While he was attending the University
of Wyoming, go Pokes, during his junior year, the Lord intervened
in his life and he found himself confronted with the truth of
the gospel and the reality of his own sinfulness. He understood
that Jesus Christ was his only hope for forgiveness, and he
placed his faith solely in him for salvation. And Jason and
his family have been a member of Valley Bible Church since
1994 and began the pastorate there in 2002. He works part-time
at the YMCA as a personal trainer and instructor for youth weight
training, and he’s been married to his wife, Robin, for 27 years.
They have two children, Kenan and Kira. It is Kira, right? Okay. And her husband, Walker,
and Angel is Kenan’s girlfriend. And so they have been really
just a blessing in our lives, at least the Frascos, and privileged
to have them here today. We’re thrilled to have you guys
with us. So, Pastor Jason, if you would. Can you hear me back there. I am known to have not a loud
voice. So I ask that question just so
everyone can hear me in the back there. I’d say it’s a tremendous blessing
to be here this morning. I don’t know. I don’t know who
has been here for the last five or six years but We came through
about five years ago and that’s when we first met the Frascos
and become acquainted with their family and what a tremendous
blessing. We didn’t stay in contact really
frequently for the first several years I guess but here recently
in the last year or so we have kind of been reacquainted and
It has been just a true blessing for us. The theme I know this
morning is thankfulness. I would like to extend my thanks
to you for the invitation to come and for Pastor Ron and inviting
me to come and share his pulpit. I know that’s that’s something
that many pastors protect and they guard their pulpit and so
It is an honor to be here this morning and to be able to speak
to you and to preach from from God’s word. There’s two words that I want
to for you to tuck your tuck back in your minds this morning
as we begin. Those two words are commitment
and devotion. Commitment and devotion. We use those words in relation
to a number of things in our lives. We talk about being committed
to our work. We talk about being devoted to
our studies. If you’re a student, We talk
about being devoted in relationships, marriage being one of the most
important relationships. In athletics, we talk about being
committed to that sport. We talk about being devoted to
practice and becoming the best that we can become. Those two
words we use in a number of ways. In our life, they’re interwoven
really in everything that we do. We talk a lot about commitment,
being committed to something. This morning, we heard that if
you’re interested in church membership, you’re going to take part in
a class, you’re going to find out what you’re to be committed
to, what you’re going to be devoted to. So it really is intertwined
in our lives and everything that we do, those two words, commitment
and devotion. They factor into every part of
your life, especially in your relationship with God. As a believer, that is your most
important relationship. If you’re a Christian here this
morning, that is the supreme relationship, is your relationship
with Jesus Christ. And because that’s your priority,
because that’s your supreme relationship, you’re to be devoted to him above
all else. You’re to be fully and completely
devoted to the Lord. That, in essence, is what Christianity
is all about. That’s what true Christianity
is, is being fully devoted to God himself. to serving, to worshiping,
to obeying him. That’s the purpose of the gospel.
That, in essence, is the purpose of Christianity. It’s to transform
false worshipers into true worshipers who yield their lives in serving
and worshiping their Savior. That’s what we’re going to consider
this morning. And as we consider that, I’d like you to turn in
your Bibles to Romans chapter 12. Romans chapter 12 and verses
1 and 2. I have very little doubt that
this passage is familiar to most, if not all of you. One that is
often quoted, one that is often memorized by many of us. In Paul’s letter to the Roman
believers, these are the words that he writes, words that are
timeless, words that are applicable for every generation since Paul
penned them. Paul writes in verse one, I urge
you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your
bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your
spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this
world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that
you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good, and
acceptable to God. Father in heaven, we humbly come
to you this morning. So thankful for the grace that
you have granted to us through your son, Jesus Christ. We thank you, Lord, that through
his offering for us that we can stand before you. holy and blameless,
that we can stand before you accepted, even in spite of our own sinfulness. Father, you have been so kind
and so generous to us, granting to us salvation and forgiveness,
though undeserving. Your word is very clear. You
chose us from before the foundation of the world. You set your love
upon us, called us in time. You are continuing to sanctify
us and ultimately someday you will bring all that to fruition and
you will glorify us with yourself. Father, we also know that that
calling requires responsibility. Our calling as your children
requires commitment and devotion. This morning, we thank you, Lord,
for your word and what you have spoken to us, what Paul, through
the Spirit, wrote generations ago. And we know that it’s still
applicable for today. It is a timeless truth. We pray this morning that we
would Be given eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts that will
accept your word for what it is. Lord, we commit our time to you.
We entrust it to you. And pray, Lord, that you would
accomplish your purpose. Strengthen your people. We ask this all
in Jesus’ name. Amen. If you are familiar with Paul’s
letter, you know that chapter 12 marks the beginning of what
we would call practical instruction for the church. In fact, if you
would divide Paul’s letter into two general sections, you would
have a doctrinal section and you would have a practical teaching
section. The first 11 chapters are considered
doctrinal, while the last five chapters are viewed as practical
instructions. Some have even described these
two sections as God’s offering and the Christian’s offering.
The first 11 chapters focus on all the gospel truths that address
or deal with the work of Jesus Christ that centers on the person
of Christ and the work of redemption. The emphasis is on God’s work
of redemption through the sacrifice of his own son, while the last
five chapters center on the Christian’s responsibility and how he or she lives his life
in response to what God has done for him or her, in response to
his gracious gift of salvation. I mention that and I mention
that the first 11 chapters deal with doctrine because that forms
the foundation for the last five chapters of Paul’s letter to
the Roman Christians. It’s the foundation for chapters
12 and following to the end of his letter. And I tell you that
because I want to give you at least a little bit of context
Chapter 12 marks the beginning of the believer’s practical living.
It’s the beginning of Paul’s instruction for the church on
how to live the Christian life. What it looks like. The responsibility
that comes with salvation. There is a foundation then. There
is a practical application, if you will, to the gospel. Before we can understand the
significance of how we’re to live our lives as believers,
we first have to understand the basis for it. There is a foundation
for it. D. Edmund Hebert wrote, true
Christianity involves both believing and behaving the gospel. A gospel
which has no significance for man’s life and conduct is not
a real gospel. And life and conduct, which are
not based on that which comes to us in the gospel, are not
Christian life and Christian conduct. In a living Christianity,
faith and conduct are inseparable. Paul’s concern first for the
church was to understand the foundation.
to understand why they do what they do, why they are to live
how they are to live. He wants them to understand the
basis for what they do. And so Paul lays a foundation
first. He gives us the basis for Christian
living first. And what is the basis for Christian
living? What is the foundation for the Christian life? Paul gives us the answer to that.
Paul appeals to the church and he appeals to us to live a life
of devotion to God, to present your bodies a living and holy
sacrifice. We’ll get to that in a moment.
But there is a basis for that appeal. And the basis for that,
the foundation for a life that’s completely devoted to God, is
his mercies. That’s the basis for why we live
the way we do. the mercies of God. The mercies that he has lavished
upon you, the mercies that he has lavished upon me as a child
of God. Paul connects everything that
he’s written up to this point with what he’s about to write
in chapter 12. And he does that starting in verse 1. The word therefore connects everything
that Paul has said up to this point, everything regarding the
precious truths of the gospel. What God has done on behalf of
us, on behalf of the church, he ties that together with practical
living. How they are to live, how you
and I are to live our lives as God’s people. When you understand and you know
who God is, when you understand what he’s done for you out of
his mercy, the only reasonable and the only logical thing to
do is to live a life that is completely devoted to him. And that’s Paul’s whole point.
Because of God’s mercies, you are therefore now to live your
life in complete obedience, in complete surrender, in complete
worship of your God and your Savior. The psalmist in Psalm
116 verse 12 asked this question. What shall I render to the Lord
for all of his benefits towards me? What shall I give to the
Lord for all of his benefits towards me? You say, what are
those benefits? What are the benefits of the
Lord? Paul answers that here in verse
one. Those benefits are the mercies of God. You’ll notice that Paul uses
mercy in its plural form. I find that interesting. He says,
because of the mercies of God, you are to present your bodies
as a living and holy sacrifice. Why does Paul do that? Why does
Paul use mercies in plural rather than mercy? Because we know that
it’s according to God’s mercy that we are saved, right? Scripture tells us that we are
saved by his mercy, not mercies, but mercy. It’s because of God’s
mercy that we are redeemed. Back in verse 9, for example,
in verse 15, Paul says, I will have mercy, excuse me, God says,
Paul records the words of the Lord. I will have mercy on whom
I have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. Ephesians 2, 4 tells us God being
rich in mercy made us alive together with Christ. Titus 3, 5, Paul says, he saved
us not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness,
but according to his mercy. Why then does Paul use mercies
here in this portion of his letter? I believe it’s because Paul wanted
to capture all of God’s blessings, all of God’s gracious and glorious
blessings towards his people. He wanted the church to realize,
he wants us to realize the magnitude of God’s blessings towards us. Because of the mercies of God,
this is what you are to do. God’s mercies are everything
that you have received in Christ. Everything. Everything that you
didn’t deserve. It’s absolutely everything that’s
related to your salvation. That’s God’s mercies. And before we really can appreciate
that, before we can really understand the mercies of God, we have to
remember who we were before God saved us. It’s never bad to go back in
time once in a while. Think back, remember who you
were, what you were, where you were before God intervened in
your life. You have to remember that you
were helpless, a helpless sinner. You were you were an enemy of
God. Before he intervened, before
he granted you grace, you were separated from him, you were
without hope. Do you remember that? Do you
remember who you who you were, where you came from? You were lost in sin, deserving
of God’s judgment. It’s where we all were. But that’s
also where God found us. That is also where God found
us. That’s also where he poured out
his grace and his mercy upon us. When you were in sin, when
you were helpless and hopeless, he demonstrated his love toward
you, sending Christ to die for you. Paul already has dealt with
that back in chapter five. That’s God’s mercy. His love actually is a demonstration
of his mercy. And out of his love, out from
the death of Christ, flow all of God’s mercies. Your salvation. Your justification. Your sanctification. And your glorification. Everything that you have received
through Christ relating to your salvation is wrapped up in the
mercies of God. Your redemption, your reconciliation,
your adoption as a child of God, the freedom that you have from
the rule of sin, from the penalty of sin, Your freedom from God’s
wrath and judgment, your eternal life, the hope of glory, all
of that is wrapped up in the mercies of God. And that forms the basis for
Christian living, it’s the motivation for living a life devoted to
God, bringing him the most glory. There’s a foundation, there’s
a basis for why we do what we do and why we live the way we
do as Christians. And that is God’s mercies. When
you consider all of God’s mercies, all that salvation entails, the
only logical and reasonable response is to worship God and serve him
by devoting your entire life, your entire person to him for
his purpose and for his glory. Paul then makes his appeal based
on the mercies of God. The one thing that I have a passion
for as I watch professing Christians is to communicate this message.
The gospel is a transforming gospel. It transforms lives. God’s grace and his mercy transforms
sinners. And the first thing that it transforms
is our relationship with him. The mercies of God wrapped up
in the person of Christ, flowing out of the cross through faith,
is the believer’s motivation and reason for serving him. It’s
the foundation of our worship. It’s the foundation of our devotion. So there is a basis, and that’s
what I want you to see first. There’s a foundation. We don’t
do what we do just randomly and haphazardly. There’s a reason
why we live a life that is devoted to our Lord and our God. And
it’s because of what he has done for us. It is his mercies. And based on that, Paul makes
an appeal. He makes an appeal to believers. He urges Christians
to do something. And what is that? To present
your bodies a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to God. Under the Old Testament economy,
God required sacrifices. It required sacrifices to be
offered as part of the prescribed worship from his people. Animals
without blemish, animals that were spotless, animals that were
perfect, were to be slain, brought to the priest, presented on the
altar on their behalf as an offering to the Lord. There is little
question in my mind that Paul has that picture. as he writes
this. He has that picture in his own
mind as he’s writing to the church, but rather than offering a dead
animal, which has no significance anymore, even symbolically, Paul says we are to present our
bodies. Paul is urging us to present
ourselves. our own bodies as sacrifices
to God. The word present here means to
yield or to surrender. It has the idea of placing something
at someone else’s disposal. In this case, it’s your body. Paul says every Christian is
to give their bodies as a sacrifice to God, to place them before
Him, to be used at His disposal, to be used for His purpose and
for His glory. It’s called whole life worship.
Whole life worship. It’s a good term. I didn’t coin
the term. But it’s a good term. Because
we tend to compartmentalize our lives, don’t we? We tend to divide
our lives up into what is secular and what is sacred. Certain things
that we do, activities that we’re involved in, we consider those
secular. Sunday morning worship, we come
to church, we fellowship, that’s considered sacred. And we tend to compartmentalize
our lives into those two categories. But that’s not the idea we get
from Paul. The believer’s entire life is
to be given over to the Lord to be used for his service, your
whole life is to be viewed as an offering to God. An offering, by the way, that
should be a sweet-smelling aroma. Paul actually introduced this
thought, this truth, back in chapter 6, if you turn there
for just a moment. This isn’t the first time Paul
brings this up. Back in chapter 6 of his letter
here to the Romans, we see the same idea. Beginning in verse three, Paul says, do you not know that
all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized
into his death? Therefore, we have been buried
with him through baptism into death in order that as Christ
was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we
too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united
with him in the likeness of his death, certainly we shall be
also in the likeness of his resurrection. Listen, when God saved you, you
were joined to Christ. Did you know that? When God saved
you, you were immersed, if you will, into Christ. United with him, and for what
purpose? Paul says, not only have you died with Christ, but
you’ve also been raised up with Christ to walk in what? Newness of life. To live in a way that’s consistent
with Christ. To live in a way that’s consistent
with who he is and what he taught. To live a life that glorifies
him. Look at verse 11, same chapter
there, chapter 6. Paul reminds us before we were
saved, we were a slave of sin. Paul says sin ruled in your life.
It reigned in your life. It was your master. And so you
were at the disposal of it. You were at the disposal of its
lusts, its temptations, Your body was an instrument of sin,
Paul says, an instrument of unrighteousness. But now that you’re saved, now
that you are united with Christ, now that you are spiritually
alive in Christ, your body is used for something entirely different. Something entirely new. Your
life now is an offering of worship. and service to God. That’s what
God’s grace does. That’s what God’s grace does.
There’s a lot of people that lay claim to God’s grace, but
you see it not in their life. There’s no effect. There’s no
transformation. Grace changes. Grace transforms. As I mentioned before, that’s
the nature of the gospel. It’s the transforming power of
God. God’s mercy brings life. Spiritual
life. And that life is expressed and
made visible in what you do with your own body. God’s grace always results in
a changed life. Always. Here that life is a life
that’s completely surrendered to God. And I would also add
this, that it’s a life that is joyfully surrendered to God. Why do I say that? Because I
believe Paul is talking about an offering here of yourself
that’s based on extreme gratitude, extreme thankfulness. Because
God showed you mercy, it only stands to reason that you glorify
him in all that you do. That your gratefulness and your
appreciation for what he’s done results in a life that is completely
surrendered to him. Paul says, offer or present your
bodies a living sacrifice. That means there’s a point of
commitment, right? That means there’s a point of
commitment. It’s a surrender, not just to
do nothing. It’s a surrender, not just to
try to keep yourself out of spiritual trouble. It’s a surrender of
your life to allow God to use you for His purpose and for His
will. That’s the Christian’s worship. That’s the Christian’s worship.
We tend to compartmentalize that too. That’s why we’ve entitled
this whole life worship. You can’t divide your life up.
All that you do, everything that you do, with all that you are,
is to be surrendered to the one who saved you. There’s something
else that’s interesting. Under the Old Testament sacrificial
system, something you may or may not have known, before the
priest could enter into the office and service of the Lord and offer
the sacrifices, they first had to be consecrated themselves.
They had to be set apart. In Exodus chapter 29, you don’t
have to turn there, you can read it later on your own, the ceremony
is described for us by Moses, whom the Lord appointed to conduct
the consecration of Aaron and his sons. When you read that, you’ll see
that part of the ritual involved the sprinkling and the daubing
of blood that came from the animals that had been sacrificed. In
verse 20 of that chapter, we’re told that blood was to be put
on the right ear, on the tip of the right ear, tips of the
right thumb, and on the right big toe of Aaron and his sons
in order to consecrate them. It was symbolic, but it symbolized
the setting apart of those men for the work of God, in particular,
to hear and listen to the word of God. to actively engage in
doing the work and the service of God and to walk in His ways. That’s exactly what we see with
the blood of Christ and what it does for the believer. You’re not only forgiven of your
sins, but you’ve been consecrated, you’ve been set apart for His
service. to hear and obey the Word of
God, to do the work of the ministry, and to walk in His ways. Your entire body, really, your
entire life is set apart for Him. Every Christian belongs to the
Lord. The moment God saved you, the
moment he poured out his mercies on you, you gave up your right
to yourself. I gave up my right to myself. Paul called it dying to self. Paul also said for to me to live
is what? Is Christ. He’s everything. Everything Paul did, everywhere
he went, everything he said was for the sake of Christ. That’s what a living sacrifice
is. Everywhere we go, everything
we do. With all that we are. Belongs
to the Lord and we devote it to him. Paul says we’re not only living
sacrifices, but he also says we are what? Holy sacrifices. Holy sacrifices. The word means to be set apart,
to be consecrated. Set apart from what? Set apart
from sin, set apart from the world, and set apart unto God
himself. Why did God save us? Why did
God save you and I? Not just to give us access to
heaven, but to be used for His purpose, to live according to
His will. He saved you and I for the purpose
of holiness, to be set apart. Ephesians 1.4 Paul reminds us, God chose us
in Christ before the foundation of the world so that we should
be holy and blameless before him. Paul reminded Timothy, 2
Timothy chapter one and verse nine, that God has not only saved
us, but he’s also called us with a holy calling. God’s grace and salvation has
a purpose. And that purpose is to make us
holy, to redeem us, to transform us into His image. The believer’s relationship naturally
demands holiness. It requires it. Peter even said in his first
letter, chapter one, as obedient children, Do not be conformed
to the formulas which were yours in your ignorance, but like the
holy one who called you, like the holy one who saved you. Be
holy yourselves also in all your behavior, because it is written
you shall be holy. For I am holy. God doesn’t want just any sacrifice. He’s never wanted just any sacrifice. He doesn’t want just any offering.
He wants one that is holy. Again, if you look back, you’re
reminded under the Old Testament economy, what kind of sacrifices
did God require? Those that were spotless, those
that were without blemish, ones that didn’t have any defect,
one that weren’t diseased. God required, he wanted the best,
the best offering. The best sacrifice. That’s what
God requires of you and me. He requires the best. He doesn’t want something that’s
not your best. He doesn’t want the leftovers
of your life. He wants your entire life. He wants the best of you. He
wants all of you. That’s the only sacrifice, Paul
says, that’s acceptable. A living and holy sacrifice that’s
acceptable to God. Paul says that’s what pleases
Him. And not only is it what pleases Him, but it’s also the
way we worship Him. That’s our worship. To offer yourselves to the Lord
as a living and holy sacrifice is not only acceptable to God,
but it’s also, Paul says, your spiritual service of what? Of worship. Of worship. Some translations
read reasonable service and worship. That might be a better translation. Why do I say that? Because in
light of what God has done in your life as a believer, in light
of God’s mercies in redeeming you and saving you, the only
reasonable worship that you and I can offer is giving your whole
life to God. That’s reasonable. To present to God all that you
are, all that you have, and all that you do every day. Whole life worship. As his children, we don’t offer
up just anything. We don’t worship him with just
any kind of worship. It’s specific. Here, Paul calls
that worship reasonable. We could also call it intelligent,
couldn’t we? Our worship is intelligent. It’s worship of the mind that’s
directly connected to our bodies. It’s because of what we know
about God and the truth of his gospel that we can give our lives,
ourselves, and all that we do to the service and worship of
our Savior. True worship, then, is whole life worship. It’s sincere,
it’s a heartfelt devotion to God, to Christ in surrendering
our entire lives, our entire activities in loving service
to him. It’s ascribing worth to God and
the way the Christian does that is with his entire life. True
worship involves every part of your being. D.A. Carson sums it up well,
I think. He writes in his book, Worship by the Book, Carson says,
Worship is the proper response of all moral beings to God, ascribing
all honor and worth to their creator God precisely because
he is worthy. Delightfully so. This side of
the fall, human worship of God properly responds to the redemptive
provisions that God has graciously made. Carson goes on to say, empowered
by the spirit and in line with the stipulations of the new covenant,
it manifests itself in all of our living, finding its impulse
in the gospel, which restores our relationship with our redeemer
God. Such worship, therefore, manifests
itself both in adoration and in action. Reasonable worship, acceptable
worship, really is simply loving the Lord your God with all of
your heart, with all of your soul, with all of your mind and
strength, and expressing that love in absolutely
everything you do. present your bodies as a living
and holy sacrifice. You say, what does that involve?
Two things. Two things, look at verse two. Number one, it involves not being
conformed to the world. Number two, it involves being
transformed by the renewing of your mind. Paul defines true worship as
a living and holy sacrifice, and we do that by not being conformed
to the world and being transformed by the renewing of our minds. True worship, by the way, always
begins in the what? In the mind. Always. That’s where
it starts. A new way of living, a new way
of behaving begins with a new way of thinking. A renewed mind results in a new
way of living. It results in a holy life. A person’s mind will always control
its behavior. Proverbs 23, 7 says, for as a
man thinks within himself, so is he. So he is. Who you are in the inner man
should be who you are on the outside. What you are on the inside should
translate to what comes out on the outside. Martin Lloyd-Jones once said,
he put it this way, he says, the Christian gospel is unique
because it tells us be what you are, realize what you are, and
then show that you are what you are. Our lives are different. The life of a Christian is completely
different from the world. There’s a separation, not an
isolation, but a separation from the world. And how we think. And how we
talk. And in how we live. and conduct ourselves. That’s
why Paul gloried in the cross. When you read some of his other
letters, he gloried in the cross because it set him free. Through
the cross of Christ, Paul says, the world has been crucified
to me and I to the world. Paul understood that. He understood
that being set apart, that separation from the world and its thinking,
its ideologies, its principles, its values. Why did Christ die? I often answer
people. Not just to save us from hell.
That wasn’t the only reason he died. Paul tells us that he died to
deliver us from this present evil age. He came to transfer
us from one kingdom to another, to transfer ownership. You used to belong to this world. Before God saved you, you used
to belong to the devil himself, whether you realized it or not.
I know before God intervened in my life, I would never have
admitted that. But coming to an understanding
of the truth, I now realize that that’s who I used to belong to. Used to belong to the world. But now there’s a transfer of
ownership. There’s a new master. And that’s Christ. Paul’s point is, why would you
want to be conformed to that again? Why would you want to
go back to that? Why would you want to be conformed
to this world again? Unfortunately, it does happen.
And that’s why Paul writes what he does. That’s why he issues
this command. In fact, he’s actually telling the Roman Christians,
stop being conformed to the world. Some of them had already allowed
themselves to be pressed back into the mold of the world in
this worldly system. He says, don’t do that. Stop.
Stop allowing the world to press you into its mold. You have many
people masquerading as believers who aren’t really believers,
but sometimes there are also believers masquerading as the
world. That’s a tragedy. And Paul says,
don’t do that. Stop doing that. That’s not who you are. And that’s
not where you belong anymore. When God calls us out, when he
saves us, he also sanctifies us, he also sets us apart. That’s why Peter said, be holy
in all your behavior. Because God is holy, you are
to be holy also. Don’t be conformed to this world.
Don’t let the standards of this world press you back into its
mold. Instead, Paul says you’re to
continue to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. We know that with salvation comes
a new way of thinking. That’s part of the work of the
Holy Spirit. It’s part of the regenerating
work of God’s Spirit. He enables you to think differently. He gives you The thoughts of
God himself, that’s the work of regeneration, the new creation
in Christ. But there’s also the believer’s
responsibility, and that’s what Paul lays out here. And the responsibility is to
allow yourself to be controlled and influenced by God’s word.
You’re to be renewed. Transformed by the renewing of
your mind, and we know that comes through the truth of God’s Word,
doesn’t it? How do you keep from being conformed
to the world? How do you keep from being pressed
back into the standards of the world? That, by the way, are antithetical
to God and the truth. How do you keep from going back
there? Starts with the mind. by saturating your mind with
the truth of God’s word. The mind is a control center,
we know that. The mind is a control center, controls what you do.
And so it constantly has to be surrendered to the will of God. Very basic principle, when you
think right, you act right. When you think right, you act
right. When your mind dwells on what
is true, when your mind is renewed, it proves what is acceptable
and right. Look at the end of verse two,
just as we prepare to close. When your mind is renewed, with
the word of God when you think like God himself so as to have
his thoughts. So that you become transformed
in your not only thinking, but your behavior, rather than being
conformed to the world, you prove what the will of God is. That
which is good and acceptable and perfect. Sometimes God’s will isn’t so
hard. Sometimes we make it harder than what it is. We all want
to know what God’s will is. Paul gives it to us here. You want to know what his will
is? You want to know what is good in the sight of God? What’s
acceptable to God? What pleases God? This is it. This is it. Surrender yourself
as a living and holy sacrifice. Renewing your mind so that you
will manifest the glory of Christ in your life in all that you
do. That’s it. Through your obedience to God
and his word, you prove what his will is for your life. And not only is that God’s will,
it’s also our worship. It’s true worship. True worship. We tend to redefine that too,
don’t we? As believers. Paul helps us here. He says, true worship is really
nothing more than living your life in harmony with the character
and the will of God. That’s it. Commitment. Devotion. Two very important words, words
we use all the time, words that are interwoven into every part
of our life, but especially in our relationship with God. It’s
to him that we are to be absolutely devoted to, completely surrendered
to in all that we do.