Let us turn to God's Word, directing
you this morning to the words that we have at the beginning
of Romans chapter 12, the twelfth chapter, in the epistle of Paul
to the Romans, and I'll read verses 1 and 2. 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 and be not conformed to this world but
be you transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove
what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Taking up then the theme of conforming
to the will of God in particular I'm thinking of the words that
we have here in this second verse, Romans 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. You see how in the opening words
of the chapter we have that word therefore I beseech you therefore
brethren says the apostle to the church there at Rome and
of course what he's now doing is beginning to draw out the
practical implications of the truth that he's been setting
before them in the previous part of the of the epistle the opening
chapters Romans is a very doctrinal book I'm sure we're well aware
of that maybe you've read it I trust you've read it many times
and it's not an easy book because there are great profound truths
being declared certainly in the opening 11 chapters and I suppose
principle amongst those doctrines that he sets before us is that
of justification It's a great epistle dealing with the truth
of the sinner's justification. He's standing before God. And when Paul defines the gospel
as he does there in the opening chapter, remember what he says
in verse 16, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, he says,
for it is the power of God and it's a salvation to everyone
that believe us, to the Jew first and also to the Greek, How does
he define this gospel? That is salvation for sinners.
Therein he says that is in the gospel the righteousness of God
is revealed from faith to faith as it is written the just shall
live by faith. And as we read on in the following
chapters of this epistle, we see how time and again he speaks
of that blessed doctrine. In chapter 3, verse 21, Now the righteousness of God
without the Lord is manifested, being witnessed by the Lord and
the prophets, even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus
Christ unto all and upon all them that believe, for there
is no difference. For all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." Chapter 5,
again he declares it, being justified by faith, we have peace with
God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have access by faith
into this place wherein we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory
of God." It's the righteousness of Christ reckoned, accounted, imputed
to the sinner that is that sinner's salvation. This is the theme
that is so prominent, how he declares it so clearly here in
the 10th chapter, remember. verse 4, Christ is the end of
the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. And so we see this great, this
blessed truth. But of course as he was reading
and studying really, here in the epistle of Romans, it's Martin
Luther, in all the torments that he was feeling because of his
realization what he was as a sinner before God, he sees that blessed
truth, the just, shall live by faith, a justified sinner is
that one whose salvation altogether centers in the person and the
work of the Lord Jesus Christ. But then when we come to the
end, the final chapters, beginning here really in chapter 12, we learn something of the practical
implications of that doctrine of justification. There is not
only a righteousness that is imputed, that's justification,
but where there is salvation there's also a righteousness
and a holiness that has been imparted. The sinner is born
again, he has a new nature. He's a partaker of the divine
nature, the seed that is now in him. there is a righteousness
in that is imparted. I like the lines in the hymn,
I think it's 270 in Gadsby, Hard Sin, and he says, Righteousness
within the root it may appear to take thy part, but let righteousness
imputed be the breastplate of thy heart. What a truth is that! We rejoice in imputed righteousness,
but we don't deny that there is an imparted righteousness.
Isn't this what's being spoken of here in these verses that
we've just read at the beginning of this twelfth chapter? So I
want to try to say something with regards to what is involved
in being conformed in our lives to the will of God. Paul writes,
I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you
present your bodies a living sacrifice wholly acceptable unto
God which is your reasonable service and be not conformed
to this world but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind
that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect
will of God." Well, as we come to consider this conforming to
the will of God, I want to divide what I say into two parts. What does it involve? there must
be the mortifying of sin, and there must also be the pursuit
of holiness. And so, considering that twofold
division, first of all to say something with regards to the
mortifying of sin, and it's here. What is the believer's calling? Well, he says here in the middle
of verse 1 that you present your bodies a living sacrifice. a
living sacrifice. How is the body a living sacrifice
unto God? Well, in part, surely, where
there is that mortifying, putting to death the deeds of the body. And we read it there in Romans
8 at verse 13, if ye through the Spirit do mortify, put to
death, crucify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. To mortify is is to kill. It's putting the thing to death. And this is the believer's calling.
In his life here upon the earth, he has an all nature, doesn't
he? That which is born of the flesh is flesh, says the Lord
Jesus Christ. That which is born of the spirit
is spirit. He's speaking there in John 6,
of course, of the necessity of the new birth. He must be born
again. receive a new nature but what of the old nature? and we
know don't we from what the Apostle says here in the seventh chapter
of this epistle it was a great torment to Paul that he had that
old nature he calls it the old man and he felt it it troubled him really the good
that he would he wouldn't be able to do And he realizes what it is, it's
sin dwelling in his own nature. Verse 18 of that 7th chapter,
I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing,
for to will is present with me, but how to perform that which
is good I find not. For the good that I would I do
not, but the evil which I would not that I do. I find a law that
when I would do good, evil is present with me. I delight in
the Lord of God after the inward man, the real me. That's what
I want. I want to be conformed to God's image. But there's this
other Lord in my members warring against the Lord of my mind,
O wretched man, that I am." And Paul therefore has much to say
really about the necessity of mortification. putting to death
those words that we read there in chapter 8 verse 13, if ye
through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall
live. This is the believer's calling. And it's a hard calling. And
Paul doesn't just speak of it as he writes to the church at
Rome, but when he addresses the churches of Galatia, we find
him saying much the same thing. They that are Christ have crucified
the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof, he says. God forbid that I should glory
save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world
is crucified unto me. And I unto the world, that's
what he means when he speaks of this mortification. And here is a man who feels it. It's interesting, you know, when
we go back to the Old Testament, of course, we see God's ancient
people, the children of Israel, God's covenant people, and they're
typical, aren't they? They're a type of the spiritual
Israel, the church. and you know when they come into
the promised land we often think of their crossing the Jordan
and entering into that land of promise as a type of the believer
when he comes to die and he passes out of this world and he enters
into heaven itself but really I would argue that it's not so
much that their entering into the promised land is typical
of the believer crossing Jordan and entering into heaven. It's
more a type of what it means to be saved and to pass, as it
were, from death to life spiritually. when one is born again of the
Spirit of God, because when they enter into that promised land,
they're involved in conflict. The Canaanites are dwelling in
the land. Not only the Canaanites, but all those other peoples,
those wicked peoples. So, it's not altogether the rest
of heaven that they're enjoying there, but it's gospel rest. But it's interesting when we
think of it in that sense because I think it teaches us something
really with regards to this need for the mortifying the deeds
of the body. God gives a promise to them there
in Deuteronomy chapter 7 and verse 22 through his servant
Moses. He says the Lord will put out
those nations before thee by little and little. So, they're
not going to overcome them all at once and have perfect peace.
It's going to be little by little. And isn't that the way with the
Christian? There's a word in the 59th Psalm
concerning these things. It says, Slay them not, lest
my people forget. Slay them not, those Canaanites
who are still in the land, lest my people forget. And when we're involved, you
see, in this conflict that Paul speaks of, and the necessity
of this mortifying the deeds of the body, does it not make
us realize how our whole life of faith is one of complete and
utter dependence upon the Lord Jesus Christ? Again, there's
a verse, or part of a verse, in the hymn book 782 And those
lines, corruptions make the mourners shun presumptions, dangerous
snare, force us to trust to Christ alone and fly to God by prayer. Because we've got this whole
nature that we're having to wrestle with and fight against and seek
to kill and to mortify. How we're saved from any presumption,
any trust in ourselves, how we're continually being cast on the
Lord. That's the life of faith, isn't it? We're to be those then
who would present to our bodies this living sacrifice. It's part
of our service to God. Mortify therefore your members
which are upon the earth, says Paul, fornication, uncleanness,
inordinate affection, and covetousness. which is idolatry well we are
not at times idolaters those things that we long after those
things that we would often put before the Lord himself there's a conflict, there's a
fight there's a mortifying The words of the Apostle there at
the end of 1 Corinthians 15, My beloved brethren, be ye steadfast,
he says, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch
as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. What
a labour is this! Be ye 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. We need to heed such exhortations
and we're to hear them and endeavor to respond
not in some legal fashion but in an evangelical fashion, an
experimental fashion. our inward conflict with sin,
our complete dependence upon the Holy Spirit of God, we can
do nothing of ourselves. Those words back in that 8th
chapter that we read at verse 13, if ye through the Spirit,
there's the key, if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds
of the body, ye shall live. where is the believer? the believer
is one who is completely and utterly dependent upon the spirit
and the spirit is that one who is the spirit of Christ you're
dead your life is hid with Christ in God now we have to continually
be reminded of that lesson and learn that lesson you see here
we see really what it is that is to motivate the believer,
in making this presentation as it were, presenting his body
a living sacrifice, what does he say there at the beginning
of the chapter? By the mercies of God, by the
mercies of God, present your bodies a living sacrifice. We're all together dependent
upon God and the grace of God. And remember the context. You know, the end of the previous
11th chapter. What does Paul say, verse 33?
Oh, the depth of the rich is both of the wisdom and knowledge
of God. How unsearchable are his judgments
and his ways past finding out for who has known the mind of
the Lord or who hath been his counsel, or who hath first given
to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again. For of him, and
through him, and to him are all things, to whom be glory for
ever. Amen." And then you say, I beseech
you. It's in the light of what he
has just said. It's nothing of ourselves. It's
all to the glory of God, His grace, His mercy. magnified in
the salvation of sinners and the life of the child of God
as he is wrestling with his old nature and mortifying the deeds
of the body. Again, Pope Paul time and again
in his various epistles will defines something of what the
gospel is. He does it, doesn't he, when
he writes to Titus, that pastoral epistle there in chapter 3. In
verse 5 he says, not by works of righteousness which we have
done, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according
to His mercy. He saved us by the washing of
regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost which He shed
on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Lord. It's according
to His mercy. It's by the mercies of God then
that you present your bodies a living sacrifice unto God. It's not legal. It's not a legal duty. The believer is one who is dead
to the Lord, and that's the truth that Paul has already declared.
Back in chapter 7, wherefore he says at verse 4, My brethren,
ye also are become dead to the Lord by the body of Christ, that
ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from
the dead, that ye should bring forth fruit unto God. For when
we were in the flesh, the motion of sin which were by the law
did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. But now
we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were
held, that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in
the oldness of the letter." How clear Paul is to believe as one
who is living on Christ. his life is by Christ, his life
is from Christ and so in that sixth chapter the words that
we read there at verse 14 sin shall not have dominion over
you for you are not under the law but under grace and again
he says being then made free from sin ye became the servants
of righteousness It's quite clear what the apostle
is saying. The motivation in all of this,
it's gospel, it's not law. I am crucified with Christ, he
says. He can speak in very personal
terms. Nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life which I now live
in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me
and gave himself for me. In all this dying to sin, mortifying
the deeds of the flesh, it's complete, it's utter dependence
upon the Lord Jesus Christ, it's His mercies. Oh, it's of the
Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, because His compassions
fail not, they're new every morning. Great is His faithfulness, and
there we have to be continually looking to Him, resting in Christ, that one in
whom we discover the wonders of the grace and the mercy of
God. Remember the words that we have
back in the third chapter. A remarkable
book is this epistle to the Romans. so full of the Lord Jesus Christ
and as I said at the beginning the emphasis throughout those
opening chapters on the doctrine of justification and he says there in chapter
3 verse 24 being justified freely by his grace through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation
through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for
the remission of sins in the past through the forbearance
of God, to declare, I say at this time, His righteousness,
that He might be just and the justifier of him that believeth
in Jesus. Oh, what has God done? He has
set forth Christ to be a propitiation, he says. And you know the significance
of it. It's a word really, mercy-seek.
That's how it's rendered in Hebrews 9.5. He set forth Christ to be
our mercy-seeker. That place where atonement is
made. And it's there, it's all in the
work of Christ. that we find this mortification,
it's nothing of ourselves. And yet, it's that that we cannot
avoid. It's the life of faith, where
those who are truly the Lord's people will know the conflict,
will feel it. And the Lord will overrule all
of these things to His glory and to our good. but there's
not only the call to mortification but there's also this reference
to the pursuit of holiness as he goes on to say here in verse
2 be not conformed to this world he says 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 He is a believer
of service, you see. Your reasonable service, he says.
To be not conformed to the world, but transformed. And what does
this involve? Well, I mentioned just three
things with regards to this pursuit of holiness. There is clearly
here to be a separation from the world. A separation from
the world. not conformed to this world but
transformed he says by the renewing of your minds and of course Paul
makes it so clear when he writes in his various epistles remember
that passage in the second epistle to the Corinthians and the call
that we have there at the end of chapter 6 verse 17 come out from among
them be ye separate saith the Lord touch not the unclean thing
and I will receive you and will be a father unto you and you
shall be my sons and daughters saith the Lord Almighty and then
the implication having therefore these promises dearly beloved
Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and
spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. There's a calling.
There's a definite call to be those who are not following the
fashions of this wicked world. The world lies in wickedness.
Lies in the wicked world. All that's in the world is not
of the Father. Oh, it's of the world. What are
these people to do there, that to be transformed? He says, be
ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. Remember, the believer, of course,
is a new creation. He's a new creature in the Lord
Jesus Christ. And we have therefore those exhortations
that Paul gives. There's the restoration of that
image now. That image that was lost in the
fall. God created man after his likeness
in his own image. But Adam sinned. And all sinned in him and all
received sinful natures from him. But what do we have in Christ,
the last Adam? The second man from heaven, we
have the restoration. And Paul says then, put on the
new man which is renewed in knowledge, after the image of him that created
him. Paul, there's a knowledge you see. There's a renewal in the mind.
There's a transforming now to the image that he set before
us in the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh,
let this mind be in you, says Paul, which was also in Christ
Jesus. And what is it? It's that humility. That's what Paul is speaking
of there in a very practical way in that second chapter of
Philippians. I know it's a great chapter with regard to the doctrine
of Christ. Yet the whole setting is so practical. He's speaking of what the mind
of Christ is. And what do we see? It's humility
upon humility. How he humbles himself. He humbles
himself, of course, in a sense, when we think of the eternal
covenant. He's the eternal son of the eternal father, but in
that eternal covenant, he willingly becomes the father's servant.
and so when the fullness of the time has come God sends forth
his time to serve him and he serves God in the incarnation
when he takes to himself that human nature, that holy thing
conceived by the Holy Ghost in the womb of the Virgin Mary that
holy thing, that human nature, that body and soul joined to
the person of the Son of God that holy thing shall be called
the Son of God we see him then in that state of humiliation
as a man here upon the earth and the life that he lives a
life of submission to the Father's will he's made to do the will
of Him that has sent him to finish his work and he's obedient he's
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross And this is
the life that we're to follow, the life of the Lord Jesus. That's
what Paul is saying there in that second chapter of Philippians.
Oh, it's a life of separation, separation to God, to the service
of God. Your reasonable service, Paul
calls it. What does it involve? Well, think
of the Lord Jesus. He went about doing good. He went about doing good. healing
all manner of diseases. How compassionate, seeing the
multitudes. He's moved with compassion. He
feels he's a real man, you see. He weeps, he weeps at the grave
of his friend Lazarus. He grieves to see the sisters
Mary and Martha there, at the grave of Lazarus. Oh, what a
man is this. And this is the man that we're
to follow, the Lord Jesus Christ. Kindness. Kindness, especially
to believers. That's the calling of the Christian.
In Galatians 6.10, as we have opportunity, Paul says, let us
do good to all men. especially them who are of the
household of faith. Do good to all men. Not just
separation from the world, but kindness. This is the sacrifice
that is acceptable and while pleasing to God, isn't it? How
those Philippians had such a love for the Apostle. of course he
was the one, the instrument that God had used together with Silas
in taking the gospel first to Philippi and when he writes there in the
final chapter of that Philippian epistle he says I have all and
abound I am full having received of Epaphras Epaphroditus the
things which were sent from you an odour of a sweet smell an
odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable well pleasing to God and this is what we are to do
you see presenting our bodies a living sacrifice wholly acceptable
unto God it's not just mortifying the deeds of the body it's serving
God, it's serving the cause of the Lord Jesus Christ you know
when Christ was obedient unto death Even that death of the
cross, what do we read concerning that blessed sacrifice? In Galatians
5 and verse 2, it's an offering and sacrifice to God for a sweet
smelling savour. That's how Christ's sacrifice
was, how the Father received it. A sacrifice, an offering
to God for a sweet smelling savour. But it's interesting because
the context there at the end of Ephesians 5 What does the Apostle say? I should say the end of Ephesians
4 and then he goes on in chapter 5, the beginning of chapter 5
In the end of chapter 4 he says, Be kind one to another, tender-hearted,
forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven
you. Be ye therefore followers of
God as dear children, and walk in love, as Christ also hath
loved us and hath given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice
to God for a sweet-smelling savour. We are to be like those Philippians
there. their service, you see, their
service to the apostle was such a sacrifice and how acceptable
it was this is a Christian's calling and his pursuit of holiness
not just separation from the world but a desire to minister a desire to be kind one to another
and then ultimately of course The sacrifice that the believer
makes is that of worship. Isn't that what the apostle speaks
of when he writes there at the end of the epistle to the Hebrews? He speaks quite plainly of that sacrifice. In Hebrews
13, at verse 10 in the following verses he says we have an altar
we have an altar whereof they have no right to eat which serve
the tabernacle for the bodies of those beasts whose blood is
brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin are burned
without the camp wherefore Jesus also that he might sanctify the
people with his own blood suffered without the gate let us go forth
therefore unto him without the camp bearing his reproach for here
we have no continuing city but we seek one to come by him therefore
let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually that
is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name but to do
good and to communicate forget not for with such sacrifices
God is well pleased all we are to worship this God were to ascribe
to Him all the honor, all the glory that belongs to His great
name were to be like the Lord Jesus Christ how He was that
One who would serve the will of His Father His meat was to
do the Father's will and to finish the work that had been given
to Him and He was obedient He humbled himself and became
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. How he was
submissive then, in all his life, submissive to the Father's will,
even in the agonies of Gethsemane. Not my will, he said, but thine
be done. When we see that human nature
in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, ever submissive to the
will of the Father, doing the will of God from the heart. This is what we're to do if we're
to be those who would be conformed to that will of God. It must
come from the heart. It must be wholehearted submission,
a delight in all his holy precepts, as we would delight in his promises,
so also in his precepts. 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. Oh the Lord grant us grace that
we might be those then who would seek above all things to be mortifying
the deeds of the body presenting our bodies a living sacrifice
and those who would seek to pursue the path of holiness and submission
to all the Lord's goodwill and pleasure. May the Lord be pleased
to bless His truth to us. Amen.