Ro 12:1 .

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service.
AV Ro

12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Today Im going to give you four steps to discerning Gods will for your life. This message will not tell you specifically what God wants you to do, but it will give you the principles by which you can receive a clear understanding of what His will for your life is.

Before we consider these four things, however it is important to understand that God does indeed have a will for every one of us. Not only that, but He expects us to find out what that will is and then do it. Jesus said in Mark 3:35 For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother. As children of God, members of His church family, we are expected to fulfill Gods plan for our lives.

So how do we do that, well turn with me to Romans 12:1 2

First we see that Paul is telling us that we have a responsibility toward God. He describes this as a reasonable service. Another way of saying this would be the logical or natural thing to do. God gave His only son so that we might have the gift of salvation. It just makes sense that if we are going to accept that gift the logical thing to do is to be a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.

Then he goes on to tell us how it is we can perform that reasonable service. In this verse we find the four principles for discerning His will.

First Paul says we should be transformed.

To be transformed means that we should no longer think and do the same things we did before God saved us. We should be different than the world. That word also means that we should have a different set of priorities. We should focus on the things of God and

what will glorify Him and further His Kingdom. The way I like to phrase this is that we should make ourselves available. But not available in terms of fitting God into our schedule, rather, putting our yes on the table and making our schedule fit into His plan.

Second he says we should renew our minds so that we might prove what is good

To prove means to recognize as genuine after careful examination. Using the words renew your mind before this statement indicates that we should gain an intellectual understanding of what is good, acceptable and the perfect will of God. We do this by reading His word, communicating with Him through prayer, remembering that for communication to be effective, we must listen and not just talk or go through the motions. All too often we read our bible without really studying or seeking the true message behind the words we read. And our prayer life may consist of nothing more than some recited words we use on a daily basis before we eat or go to bed. If we want to know what Gods will is for us, we have to be committed to reading and studying His word and surrendering to Him in prayer.

Third we see the words good and acceptable.

These words are synonymous with joyful, happy and pleasant. You see God wants us to do things that make us happy. He wants us to enjoy our service to Him. The people who play the piano and organ, sing in the choir, preach the sermons, teach Sunday school and so on, all enjoy what they do. We would be ineffective for God if we were stuck doing things we hated doing. A person can sing about drinking and sex or they can sing songs that glorify the Lord. As we seek Gods will for our life, we should consider those things we enjoy doing and how they can be used for His purposes.

Fourth Paul closes verse 2 with the words perfect will of God.

That means it is not necessarily what we want to do, think should be done, or feel comfortable doing. Our will is not a factor in doing Gods will. That word perfect means complete or full. In other words the only thing we should concern ourselves with is what He wants. That means even when He wants something that makes us feel uncomfortable,

or does not make any sense, we should not let our feelings be a factor in our decision to follow His will. I term this as stepping out of our comfort zone and doing things that scare us or make us nervous. How many solos would never touch us as they do if the singer submitted to nervousness and refused to sing? How many sermons would never be preached if the man called refused because he was afraid to stand up in the alter?

So what is Gods will for your life? I dont know. But if you:

Make yourself available for service Read His word and seek Him in prayer Develop your talents and use them for His purposes Step out of your comfort zone and let His will strengthen you

I believe you will soon know exactly what it is He would have you do. One final point, these principals only apply to those who are believers. If you have never accepted Christ as your savior God wants nothing from you but that commitment. II. A. Body A Call to Surrender Your Body

Pliny the Elder, was a Roman writer who lived during the same time period as Jesus. He told a story of the setting of an obelisk, which when erect would stand 99 feet tall. Twenty thousand workers where chosen to pull on the ropes and activate the hoisting apparatus. There was great responsibility and risk in the operation. Just one error could cause the obelisk to fall, ruining years of work. The King demanded one act which insured the complete attention and best direction of the engineer. He ordered the engineer's own son to be strapped to the apex of the obelisk, so that his heart as well as his head would be given to the task. 1. a. b. 2. The passion of Pauls call I beseech you I beg of you, please The reasons for Pauls compassionate call

a. b. c. 3. 4. 5. B.

Therefore refers to all that precedes it This call is to believers: brethren It is by the mercies of God: love, grace, and salvation Present your bodies a living sacrifice Wuest: The physical body of the believer, put at the disposal of God is holy. Your reasonable service, the intelligent thing to do A Call to Surrender Your Mind

In Ancient Greece, to prevent idiotic statesmen from passing idiotic laws upon the people, lawmakers--legend has it--were asked to introduce all new laws while standing on a platform with a rope around their neck. If the law passed, the rope was removed. If it failed, the platform was removed. 1. 2. a. b. c. 3. a. b. c. d. e. C. Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind So much competition today for our minds So much to read: books, periodicals, etc. So much to see: television, videos, and computers So much to learn: Daniels prophesied knowledge explosion How do we renew our minds? By tuning out negative information By spending time being quiet before God By developing a consistent devotional life By focusing on Bible promises and rejoicing in them By attending church regularly so that the Bible teaching brings spiritual growth A Call to Surrender Your Will

When Julius Caesar landed on the shores of Britain with his Roman legions, he took a bold and decisive step to ensure the success of his military venture. Ordering his men to march to the edge of the Cliffs of Dover, he commanded them to look down at the water

below. To their amazement, they saw every ship in which they had crossed the channel engulfed in flames. Caesar had deliberately cut off any possibility of retreat. Now that his soldiers were unable to return to the continent, there was nothing left for them to do but to advance and conquer! And that is exactly what they did. 1. 2. a. That good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God Our stubborn wills crave satisfaction in the world (1 John 2:1517) Bent on pleasure (the lust of the flesh)

b. Bent on possessions (the lust of the eyes) c. 3. 4. Bent on self-exaltation (the pride of life) The world and its lusts are passing away Satisfaction comes when the will is surrendered to God

III. Conclusion A. How Strong Is Your Commitment to Christ?

B. Are You Willing to Surrender All to Him?