Avoiding Worldly Drift: Romans 12:1-2 by Jeff Kliewer

And I think it was David, I think David, I think you mentioned this that, or no, John, I think it was you, that Melt B. Babbuck is the author of this. He died at the turn of, the end of the 1800s, early 1900s, that's around the time he died.

But he would go up to Lake Erie, one of the Great Lakes, and he would say, I'm going to my father's world. And what a beautiful song. And we sing it 120 plus years later. Isn't that amazing? So I'm going to introduce here again, Jeff, I introduced him yesterday.

But I figured I'd say some different things today. So one year ago at this time, Jeff and I did not know each other. In June of so about 11 months ago, 2023, I was following kind of from what was happening within the, within the Evangelical Free Church of America.

And as I was following him, what was going on there, he was one guy that had really taken a stand. And I noticed that and, and I was really discouraged and disappointed by what I was seeing. And, and one day I decided to, you know, I'm going to give him a call, you know, why not?

So I called his church, didn't even know if he would ever even return the call. I called, I left a voicemail. And then a day later, I see in my phone, I missed a call. It was Jeff Cleaver, calling me back.

And Jeff and I, we talked and I just wanted to show support to him before he went to the national conference in California at Fullerton, where he was going to be on trial. And that was the conference where they censored his ordination.

I'm going to switch mics here, one second. Is this better? Okay. Okay. Yeah. So, so he goes, I called him before Fullerton and I texted him the night of the vote. I didn't know, it wasn't live or anything.

So it all happened behind closed doors or, and I texted him that night. I said, how did it go? And he said, it went bad. 93 of the people voted against me. And I, where's John Laskin? So he was one of the ones who voted for him.

So we have one of the, one of the 29 men here, one of the 29 brave souls who voted for him. And, and I, and right around this time, TrueScript started, you know. And I thought, you know what, on this new platform, maybe I should say something about what happened in Fullerton.

So I would only do it though if Jeff gave me permission. So, so I, I wrote an article defending Pastor Jeff and I, and I submitted it. And before I submitted it, I actually got his approval. He read it.

He, he approved it. And I wanted to be as accurate as, as I could be in, in what I wrote. And so from that point on, we, we really have become good friends. And I, I'm not kidding when I say that I think every single week we have some kind of communication.

We're always, you know, there's some pastors that you really feel a, a connection with, a camaraderie with, certain guys. I mean, I, I feel that with these guys, with, with Russell, John, and David. And it's such a gift to have that, that connection with fellow pastors and Christian leaders.

And so, yeah, so Jeff and I certainly have that. And so we, we only give this pulpit to people who we, who we really trust. And, and Jeff is a guy that we, we trust a lot. And so what he's going to do today is he's going to bring the word from Romans 12, 1 and 2.

It's a lot easier to stand in a war when you know you have fellow soldiers that would take a bullet for you or smother a grenade. And that's the kind of brother we have in Seth.

So thank you.

Prayer for Humility, Discernment, and Faithfulness

Let's pray. Our gracious heavenly father, we pray that as we open your word, you would humble our hearts before you, that we would not think more highly of ourselves than we ought to, but rather Lord, that we would be sober in judgment, Lord, that we would be reminded of the deep things of God, that you would motivate us and encourage us to stand strong in a crooked and depraved world.

And Lord, that we would have discernment to know what is right and what is your will. Help us, God, to grow this morning through the preaching and the hearing of your word in Jesus name.

Amen.

The Drift of Culture and the Need for Discernment

One of my great memories growing up was when the cousins would come down from Indiana. And I had cousins that lived in Florida plus these Indiana cousins. So when they would come during the summer, we were all about the same age and we would go to Clearwater Beach.

I'm a Floridian, grew up in Florida. And then I don't know why, but moved the opposite direction that most people do. I went from Florida up to New Jersey and that's where I live now. But when the cousins would come down, we'd have 10 cousins, we'd go to Clearwater Beach.

And our favorite thing to do would be to go out in the water, the surf coming over you, we'd throw footballs, we'd just hang out. It was eight boys and two girls. And one of the things that always surprised me was that when we would finish playing in the water, we would come out of the water and we couldn't locate where our parents were.

They were like half a mile up the beach. And not because they moved, but because we were slowly drifting in the water. The current was just slowly moving us along. I see this same phenomenon. We don't have many lakes in New Jersey.

You guys have lakes here. Although I learned from Seth that Wisconsin kind of doctors the evidence of what is a lake. Minneapolis has a higher standard than Wisconsin or Minnesota does. So maybe you don't actually have more lakes than Minnesota.

Well, we don't have many lakes in New Jersey, but we do have the ocean. We go down to the shore. And now as the dad, my kids run out into the water and I always start them at the far edge of where they're allowed to be based on what's marked off by the lifeguard.

And sure enough, as they play and they ride the waves, they begin to drift. And they're always shocked when they see me waving and calling them in to say, look, you've drifted beyond the border. And they have to get out and run back up the beach and start again on the right.

Because there is just this steady drift to the left, a steady leftward drift that they're not even aware is happening to them at the time. It's a great picture of the world's pressure to move us along as the culture drifts away from biblical standards.

John MacArthur said that the greatest problem that the church is facing is the lack of discernment. Discernment, awareness of what's happening, ability to determine what's right and what's wrong. Discernment is the pressing need of the hour because Christians, even very sincere Christians, are prone to this worldly drift.

To be more influenced by the world than what we realize. Turn with me, if you will, to Romans chapter 12. And let's read verses 1 and 2 and then situate this passage within the larger book. And break down the text here into three parts.

The first will be about the motivation to live for Christ and to stand strong in a crooked and depraved culture. The first part of verse 2 is about not being conformed, not drifting with the culture. And then the second part of verse 2 is about our discernment and being trained in how we think.

It says, 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. 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. The book of Romans divides at this point between the first 11 chapters, which are largely doctrinal. A teaching of what we are to believe about justification, sanctification, and Israel and election.

And then from chapters 12 to 16, we have the very practical section of the book. So there is a transition that happens here as we move into Romans chapter 12. It becomes practical exhortation and really all that unfolds from 12 .1 through the end of 16 is imperatives for Christian living.

And they can be summarized in these first two verses. The first two verses are applying to practical life everything that we've learned prior to chapter 12. And this phrase in verse 2, the will of God, then becomes the central issue.

What is God's will? As we are to discern what is right and acceptable and good, this is not something for us to invent on our own. It's not a matter of mere opinion. That each of us should come to our own private truth, but rather that there is a will of God that determines what is good and acceptable and perfect.

So the imperatives that follow after verse 2, the commands, unfold from the idea of the will of God. Therefore, we need to ask the question, how does Paul use this phrase, the will of God? Now, before we unpack the three major points, let's take a moment to talk about that word philema in the Greek.

Will, desire, philema. The first use in Romans is in chapter 1 verse 10. Turn with me there. I didn't have my little stringy thing marking it, David, so I'm not cheating here. I'm turning with you. In Romans 1 10, Paul says, always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God's will, the word there is philema, will, desire, I may now at last succeed in coming to you.

Paul is not here looking to obey a command, but the will of God refers to God's secret will. Within God's plan, within his decree, a door will open for him, or it won't. It's not up to Paul to obey. What he's saying here is that he has this desire to come and see the Romans, but it's somehow by God's will.

This would be what theologians call the decretive will of God. God's decree, his secret plan for what is to unfold. If you turn a page in the Bible to chapter 2 verse 18, here we have what is called the revealed will of God.

It is prescriptive. It's what God desires for us to obediently do what he's given us to do. In chapter 2 verse 18 it says, and know his will, and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law.

The law gives us knowledge of right and wrong and teaches us that we shouldn't do this and we should do that. It teaches us what is acceptable. And we know that there are ceremonial and civil laws that somehow are changed in the death of Christ.

There are no longer sacrifices of animals because Christ has fulfilled that as the one and only final sacrifice for our sins. And yet there's that general equity from the law which instructs us, teaching us to do God's will.

So the same word is used, but here you have what is called the revealed will of God, the prescriptive will of God. In chapter 8 verse 27, we learn that the Holy Spirit knows the secret will of God. In chapter 8 verse 27, and he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

The word Thelema has been repeated now already three times. Thelema referring to this time the secret will of God. Now lastly, let's look at chapter 9 verse 16. To understand from verse 16 that we also have a will, a Thelema.

The same word is used. So then, referring to election, salvation, it says it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who has mercy. For the scripture says to Pharaoh, for this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show you my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.

Verse 18, so then he has mercy on whomever he wills, Thelema, and he hardens whomever he wills. So in verse 16 we're told it does not depend on our willfulness, but in verse 18 we learn it does depend upon God's will.

Again, this is his secret will, his decree in election. This is an amazing teaching, a deep teaching, and in verse 19 Paul strengthens this idea with a different word. It is boule, but it means purpose, will, desire.

Verse 19, you will say to me then, why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will? Paul in Ephesians chapter 1 verse 11 will use both Thelema and boule according to the purpose of his will.

In order to strengthen this idea, and here's the big idea, that God has a secret will. His plan will pass. In Ephesians 1 verse 11 that includes everything that happens is according to his will. But sometimes that word Thelema refers to what we are commanded to do, and we must discover what that is, his revealed will, his prescriptive will.

So there are two different ways that the word Thelema is used when referring to the will of God. This is not idiosyncratic to Paul, but is also how Peter uses the word Thelema. We won't look verse by verse at Peter, but there are four uses of Thelema in Peter, maybe you want to make a note of it.

1 Peter 2 .15, 1 Peter 3 .17, 1 Peter 4 .2, and 1 Peter 4 .19. And interestingly, the way Peter uses that word is alternating between the secret will of God and the revealed will of God. In chapter 2 verse 15, we are to do God's will.

He's revealed how we are to respond to the government and be submissive, and in what context we are to do that. And this is a revealed will of God. In chapter 3 verse 17, Peter teaches us about the secret will of God, that sometimes it's God's plan for us to suffer.

Now clearly we're not commanded to go out and suffer, but rather, if it be God's will, we must endure suffering. He uses it that same way again in 4 .19, and in 4 .2 you have the revealed will. So I think the point is clear.

The will of God can refer to God's secret decree, anything that happens under the sun, or it can refer to what we are prescribed to do, what He has revealed in His word, that He has made known to us. So now back to Romans 12, which we find in chapter 12 verse 2.

We're told that by testing we may discern what is the will of God. This is clearly the revealed will of God, what has been prescribed for us to do. And really this passage can't be understood without that phrase, because discernment is knowing God's will.

Now every Christian in America assumes that they know God's will. But very often to think they are doing right because it feels right to their own heart, will assume they're doing God's will, without having tested to see if they're actually being conformed by their own desires, or if they've learned and discerned from God.

So the will of God is central. Now look at verse 1 and the first major point. That was all introduction, by the way. No, we've covered a large amount of the territory already. But it needed to be laid down as a foundation before we could get to what Paul is saying in verse 1.

Because he's actually appealing to something that is in you. Namely, a real creaturely will. Your will is not free. You don't have free will. But you do have real creaturely will. That in Christ, if by the mercy of God you've been regenerated, you are able to exercise.

So let's look at verse 1. It says, I appeal to you therefore brothers. Hear that language.

Appeal. I appeal.

What is he trying to influence? Your will. And it's not just an appeal out into the ether, but it's to you. Paul is saying, you. Brothers, to whom does he speak? Is this to the world or to the Christian?

To the Christian. The brothers who have a will are to present. That word present is something that you must do. And so Paul here is understanding that by his theology. Romans chapters 1 through 3 .21 is about the sinfulness, the fallenness of man.

Right?

And we just see that people are not just good, but are in fact enslaved to sin. And their throats are an open tomb. And the poison is on the tongue. Paul has described man as enslaved to sin. But God justifies by faith.

And then gives the spirit so that now we walk in the spirit. Romans chapter 8. We no longer present our bodies. So what the picture is in the doctrine section of Romans 1 through 11. Is the picture of regeneration and being made new.

So that in Christ and by the spirit. You are able to exercise your will to do God's will. Now why would you do it? What motivation do you have to put to death the works of the flesh? Well according to our text in verse 1.

It is the mercies of God. We are to consider the mercies of God. By the mercies of God. We exercise our will to worship.

And what does that worship look like?

It's the taking of our body. Which here the word isn't so much just about the physical body. But the word body here refers to the whole person. And it would include the physical body. But it's to take you and all of you.

And bring yourself to God as a living sacrifice. To give yourself to God to do His will. This is true worship. But what motivates true worship? And the answer is the mercies of God. Turn back to that Romans chapter 9 verses 15 to 18 passage.

Here is that word mercy used again. Romans 9 verses 15 to 18. For He says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy. And I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. So then it depends not on human will or exertion.

But on God who has mercy. For the scripture says to Pharaoh. For this very purpose I have raised you up. That I might show my power in you. And that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. So then He has mercy.

Or Russell would tell you as a Greek scholar. That it's actually in the verbal form there. He mercies whom He wills. And He hardens whomever He wills. So the language of Paul in Romans. Sees mercy as a term that describes.

God graciously changing your heart. Giving you the gift of faith. Mercying you. It speaks to the grace of God. In salvation. There was nothing that I brought to the table. When I was raised in Florida.

And my parents when I was a little boy. Began to teach me the scriptures. I remember they used the A to Z memory verse method. Any of you guys do that with your kids? Or any kids here? You learn that A.

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. B. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. And you go right through A to Z. 26 verses memorized. I did that because they were giving me rewards.

I remember I would run around the living room. And my brothers and I would jump over the couch. And quote the verse. And then run throughout the house. And that's how we would move about the house while we learned the scriptures.

But I couldn't control the place of my birth. I couldn't control who it was that was rearing me and training a child in the way he should go. And so when I look at the fact that I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

That He was crucified, buried, and rose from the dead. All I can say is thank you God for your mercy. There was nothing in me that made me come. The outward call of the gospel came to me through my parents.

Teaching me the gospel. And the inward call was not even something of my own doing. It was that the Holy Spirit of the living God changed this dead heart of stone. Into a living, beating, feeling heart.

That believed. He gave me ears to hear and eyes to see. And so why would you be motivated to stand when everybody around you. If you live in Minneapolis or I live in a very blue state. New Jersey. What am I motivated by?

Well it is this thought. Turn with me lastly to Romans 11 to finish this verse. He uses this phrase one more time. In Romans 11 30 -32. He has been talking about Israel and how Israel has been hardened for a time.

But later God will have mercy on them. And one day Israel will be saved. Verse 26. But here in verses 30 -32 he says. For just as you were at one time disobedient to God. But now have received mercy. Because of their disobedience.

So they too have been disobedient in order. The mercy shown to you. They also may now receive mercy. For God has consigned all to disobedience. That he may have.

There is our word.

Mercy on all. So what Romans 12 -1 picks up on is this train of thought. But I want you to see what is in between. That glorious thought. That it is God who has mercy. Whether on Jew or Gentile. Because there is always a remnant of Jews who do believe the gospel.

And most of us.

One of our brothers here is a Jew. But the rest are Gentile most likely. Whether Jew or Gentile. It was because of mercy that you came. And I want you to see what Paul does in verses 33 -36. Because he just explodes with gratitude.

He moves into a doxology before it is even the end of the book. He says, oh the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God. Do you see what is happening in Paul's mind? As he thinks about justification by faith.

Romans 1 -3. And sanctification 6 -9. And this doctrine of election 9 -11. It is not that he is thinking himself wise in his own eyes. Like he has really figured out how do we have a compatible creaturely will.

With the sovereign will of God. He is not debating online. What he is doing is he is glorying in the God who saved him. And he even recognizes that some of these things are beyond his understanding. It comes to a point he can't reconcile all these things.

Spurgeon said it is like two train tracks. That when we look at it, human responsibility, divine sovereignty. How could these train tracks ever meet? They just seem to run parallel and they can't come together.

They are opposed. But he says somewhere in eternity those two tracks merge. God knows.

And this is what Paul does.

He says, oh the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways. He is marveling. He is delighting in the deep things of God. His mind is on the things of God.

And so as he delights in that, he says in verse 34. For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Or who has been given a gift to him that he might be repaid? And here is that doxology.

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever.

Amen.

Do you hear the heart of Paul come through in those words? Why is Paul willing to be beaten five times receiving the 40 lashes minus one? Stoned and left for death.

Shipwrecked.

Suffering.

Imprisoned and writing letters of joy. The book of Philippians. Where does this passion and zeal come from? The mercies of God. The doctrines of the book of Romans that he's just written for us in chapters 1 to 11.

You can't live for God unless you've heard his will and been touched by his grace. That you've experienced the new birth. Brothers and sisters, if you can be addressed this way. I appeal to you therefore brothers.

If you're a brother. If you believe in Jesus. You have every motivation to stand. The Savior came and died on a cross. Allowed himself to be lifted up.

And mocked.

Come down from the cross. The mocker said. Save yourself if you're the Savior. Spit upon. The spear of the soldier lifted up with vinegar. The mocking. And the pain of crucifixion. But not just physical pain.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Our Savior did this by mercy for us. What a Savior. The motivation is in everything that Paul has already written. He sums it up in this term.

By the mercies of God.

This is what he was referring to. That your salvation is all of God. You have the motivation. The second point.

And there's only three.

The second is shorter. It's just the first part of verse two. Do not be conformed to this world. So if there is a strong motivating force. For every sincere Christian. You want to do right. You want to reject the passions of the flesh.

Reject the world and stand. We all do. We're sincere in that. There is, however, a countervailing force. And the problem is. It's often imperceptible. My kids, when they're in the ocean. They don't even realize that they've drifted a hundred yards.

With the current. And in the same way. Very often living in such a wicked culture. We don't realize how it's affecting our minds. The things that we see on television. The things we hear. The friends that we keep.

The influence is pushing us along.

And so Paul says.

Do not be conformed to this world. The word in the Greek there is. We'd have to call on Dr. Russell for that. But I'll break it down into the parts. The first prefix. Sin means to be. Not like S-I-N.

But S-Y-N. You would get that in the word. Syncretism. To be united with. The word begins with this idea of being joined to or united with. Like in sync.

Which is.

Seth, that's your favorite boy band, right?

In sync?

Yeah.

No, I don't think so. The idea of being united in sync. That's the prefix.

And then.

Schismatizo. Is like a schismatic. Have you ever seen like someone draw. An outward design of something?

Make a.

A mold.

Not the thing itself. But a schismatic of it. Maybe I'm using the words wrong. I'm sure Russell is like.

Just.

Rolling his eyes over there right now. But I'm using what the commentators give me here. Having outward shape.

That's the idea.

So properly what's happening here.

Is that.

You are not to let. Yourself be pressed into a mold. That outward shape.

That you.

That the world would have you become. You're not to be united with it.

Not.

To press you.

Into.

Its mold.

What's the spirit of this age? Well that's been evolving over the years. John has helped us understand that. It didn't just start with the woke incursion. It's something that's maybe more baked in. That's been in the water.

Longer than that.

Liberalism.

But certainly we could say that diversity equity inclusion. Is all around us all the time right. Everything has to be equal. I was shocked when I just recently read. For the first time I read Abraham Kuyper.

I'm no expert. My jury's still out on whether this guy's good bad ugly.

I'm not.

But I was amazed that when he came to Princeton. In 1898 he gave the Princeton Stone lectures. And listen to this quote from 1898. Abraham Kuyper. Finally modernism. Which denies and abolishes every difference.

Cannot rest until it has made woman man. And man woman. And putting every distinction on a common level. Kills life by placing it under the ban. Of uniformity. Blew my mind to think that Abraham Kuyper.

At Princeton University in 1898 said. This modernism. Is trying to make women become men. And men become women. By placing everything under the ban of uniformity. Meaning everything has to be equal. No distinctions.

No hierarchies. No patriarchy. Even back then he saw that this was the direction of modernism. So it's the water we swim in. I have seen denominational leaders stand strong. And say I am opposed to critical race theory.

I am opposed to female pastors. I am opposed to the LGBTQI plus agenda. And they seem so stalwart in the faith. One of these leaders who made that very claim. And was called upon to speak out against these things.

Was then asked by the question and answer. Well give me an example here. I have a daughter who is going to college. And I want to give her a book so she can resist critical race theory. And he said can you give me the name of an author.

Who has written to resist critical race theory.

And he thought for a second.

And this leader who is against critical race theory. Said my first recommendation would be Rebecca McLaughlin. Well who is Rebecca McLaughlin? I had never heard of her. But the more I began to investigate.

I realized that this is a woman who touts her same sex attraction. As a part of her own identity. She is a female preacher. And here is what she says about race. On June 1st 2020. Yesterday our pastor preached on racism.

Remember this is 2020. It was necessary. As the U .S. reels from yet another broad daylight murder. Of a black American by a white American. Paid to be an officer of justice. It was necessary for our white pastor.

To stand up and call our majority white church. To corporate repentance. Lament.

Prayer.

And action. That is the language of the left. That is this identitarianism of the church. Dividing the church into majority church. Minority church. And it is the language that comes from critical race theory.

Now when this key denominational leader. Recommended McLaughlin. He was trying to be helpful. But McLaughlin. A couple years later. Would argue for the gospel coalition in the good faith debates. That woke church.

Is not a stepping stone to theological compromise. Think about this for a minute. The very person that we were given to resist woke church. Critical race theory. Herself argued for it a couple years later.

What I'm trying to say. Is that this denominational leader was sincere. He believed the same doctrines that I've been teaching from verse 1. He did not realize how far the culture had moved. And although he was to the right of where the Overton window had drifted.