Romans 12:1-2 (#45.2026.05.03)

Scott Keffer [: 00:00:02

Hi. If you're looking for greater hope, assurance and confidence through the shifting sands of life, then join me on today's episode as we dig deep into the Bible to discover rock solid truth for life and living from the God of the Bible. I'm your host, Scott Keffer. Hi and welcome to today's episode. As always, for a deeper experience, you can go to the show Notes and download the blank Insight sheet. Fill in the blanks along with the group. Depending on how you're listening to this, there will be a link to the episode website@beholdingbibletruth.com and a sheet with the answers is included as well. Enjoy today's episode.

Scott Keffer [: 00:00:45

Okay, so we've been spelunking together. We've been mining the depths of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. Thank you for joining us for that journey. Really appreciate that. 44 weeks, we've, 44 lessons we've looked at, we've been deeply mining. So I'm grateful to do that together as a team. And so as we wrap up this section and step into the next one, the question is, what's next? And so doctrine, which is the foundation of our Christian life, is, is the key, right? It is the. The very footers of what sustains us through the ups and downs and uncertainties of life.

Scott Keffer [: 00:01:33

Deep footers give us deep confidence and deep security in the midst of life. There's a lot going around that's confusing and uncertain. And so doctrine gives us footers. So the spirit of God through the APostle Paul, does 11 chapters here in Romans of doctrine. So we looked at doctrine. Now the question is, what's next? So that's what we're going to look at today. So stand with me if you will. We're just going to look at the first two verses of Romans 12.

Scott Keffer [: 00:02:10

Therefore, I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God to protect 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 so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Always, of course, drawing from what preceded it and focusing to what will come after, right? Therefore, what is it? Therefore, it's to pull together, if you will, and to focus where we go from here. So he says, therefore. So what we're doing is we're moving from doctrine here to our response, which is devotion from doctrine to devotion from doctrine to devotion, which is challenging because doctrine can be somewhat cerebral, Cannot it can be in our head, if you will, but not necessarily our head, the right kind of head. Not the mind that Scripture talks about, but our head.

Scott Keffer [: 00:03:30

And they're two very different things, being in our head versus being in our mind. So he's going to say, how did we move from doctrine to devotion? So he says to them, therefore, I urge you. And it's a call to come near. It's a call to come near and listen. So the Christian life moves from law to grace. It moves from have to, to. I urge you. You, you.

Scott Keffer [: 00:04:02

You know, I compel you, if you will. Right? It's not a shaking of the finger, but it's more, I urge you. It's come near and listen. So the Spirit of God, through the apostle Paul, saying, come near and listen. And so he's saying, as a result of that, right, as a result of what we laid, the foundation we've laid. So I put down there all humanity. It doesn't matter who you are, whether you're pagan or religious, all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Everyone is guilty under sin and deserves wrath.

Scott Keffer [: 00:04:36

And we talked about wrath, that wrath is not angry in the sense that we think about it. It's justice. Wrath is justice. So you can replace it with justice. But God doesn't shy away from the word wrath. The fact that He. He justly judges sin and wrath is judgment. It's justice and judgment in chapter 1:3.

Scott Keffer [: 00:05:03

Yet God, in His sheer mercy, he provides righteousness. How is it? How do we get righteous? The law. No, apart from the law, through faith in Jesus Christ. And he justifies those who are unrighteous. And so the question literally becomes if you understand the God who spoke all things into being, the God who. Who in his very will, it says in Revelation, worthy art Thou our Lord and our God. For Thou didst create all things, and because of Thy will they existed and were created. God literally spoke forth all creation placed in the garden.

Scott Keffer [: 00:05:45

Adam and Eve who had literally one commandment. Don't eat of this tree. What tree? The knowledge of good and evil. Why? Unable to handle the knowledge of good and evil, now man wants to become like God on their own, right? So the question is, how does man become righteous enough to be able to be in relationship with the God who is of purer eyes and to behold iniquity? How do we become the righteousness of God? That's what he's laying the foundation in the beginning of this right. He justifies us and that mercy doesn't stop at forgiveness. Or we say, that would be merciful if I literally had my sins paid for, right? That would be mercy. But God goes beyond that, doesn't He? It's not just mercy of forgiveness. He breaks s dominion and he unites us to Christ and He secures, he pays for, he buys, not only redeems us, but he buys our future glory.

Scott Keffer [: 00:06:58

What is, what is our future glory for eternity, right? I always say, imagine you could say, oh, my sins forgiven. And, and if I were in, in, in God's kingdom, if you will. And God said, just go over there and sins are forgiven, but just go over there instead. He says, no, come and be in the place of my Son in whom I am well, please. So imagine for eternity God looking at you, say, you are well pleasing to me. You are well pleasing. How does that happen? He's done that in Christ. He has done that in Christ and that's the awesomeness of his mercy, right? So he unites us to Christ and He secures our future glory.

Scott Keffer [: 00:07:49

Even in the midst of the suffering in this world. Even in the midst of the suffering in this world. Then he deals with the issue of what about Israel's widespread belief? Why, why are there very few Jews coming to Christ? He talks about the fact that his mercy is not defeated, but actually is on display and that God is sovereign in his choice in election, he's patient in endurance, and he used their disobedience to, to produce mercy for Gentiles, to open up his mercy to gentiles in the entire world while he's preserve, preserving a, a remnant among Israel and He's got a future plan for them. So he's saying, based upon that 44 weeks of that doctrine, if you will, he says, what's the most critical thing? The mercies of God. The mercies. He said, by the mercies of God. By the mercies of God. So again, he's not wagging his fingers, he's saying, stop, stop and consider the mercies of God.

Scott Keffer [: 00:09:04

The mercies of God. Have you ever experienced mercy in your life? Somebody where you deserved something else and you got mercy? How'd you feel? Relieved? Favorable to the mercy? I've gotten off on many, many. I've gotten off on many, many things. So the question is how? What's the response to the mercies of God? Well, what's interesting, because mercies mean pity and not in the sense of, oh, I pity you, like prideful, right? I'm, I'm better than you, but More in the sense of heartbrokenness, compassion. Right. Favor, grace and mercy. So it's not just I feel. I feel pity towards you and compassion, but it's moving to provide favor.

Scott Keffer [: 00:10:03

But with God, we get more than mercies, we get sonship. We get more than mercies, we get sonship. So he says in love, he's predestined us to adoption as sons. So he reminds us, this is not a gender thing. This is. This is a favor. This is act access, this is inheritance. This is sonship.

Scott Keffer [: 00:10:33

You're in the place of the firstborn. The firstborn among many. Jesus Christ. The firstborn among many. We get firstbornship, if you will. We get sonship and all the favor of that through Jesus Christ. What is that? Where did that happen? What's. What is it according to the kind intention.

Scott Keffer [: 00:10:55

Right, God's kind intention. His purpose of his will. So his will is kind to the praise of the glory of his grace. Favor unmerited, which he was required, which he was forced, which he had to. What did he say? He freely reminds us of the fact that he is free, he is sovereign overall. But the fact that God, out of his freeness, right. He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. Who's that? So in the Beloved, guess what? We become beloved in the Beloved, we become beloved.

Scott Keffer [: 00:11:51

In Him. We have redemption. What is that? Bought back. Bought back from the slavery of sin. Bought back from the Justice Doas. Right? We've been redeemed. How did he redeem us? Through his blood. The Lord Jesus shed His blood to buy us back.

Scott Keffer [: 00:12:17

He shed his blood to buy us back. We get the forgiveness of our trespasses. Well, what is that according to? As he said, we're adopted according to the kind intention of his will. But we get redemption and forgiveness according to the riches of his grace, which he was stingy about, which he gave us just barely enough. No, it says, which he poured out upon us. He lavished upon us grace upon grace. So we have more than mercies. Sonship, son.

Scott Keffer [: 00:12:58

So in other words, there is essential mercies that we received in Christ. All the mercies in him, right, in Him. All the things that we have in Him. And he says, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who's blessed us with every spiritual blessing. So we've been blessed. It's what we have in Christ. But then more than that, there are the practical mercies. I call them mana mercies.

Scott Keffer [: 00:13:28

Mana mercies. They're the mercies of God. Day by day, they're the ones we Miss. Because we're moaning and groaning. They're the ones we miss because we expect. They're the ones we miss because the Lord loving his loving kindness is indeed. And notice he says, not a mercy. He says, myrrh seas.

Scott Keffer [: 00:14:00

He says, not loving kindness. He says loving kindnesses. In Psalm 107, he. He reviews these. And at the end he says, for you who are wise, consider the loving kindnesses of the Lord. We have to consider them, don't we? Because by nature we wake up and consider the things I don't have. It's our nature. We wake up saying, welcome, how come the world's like this? How come my life's like this? How come my boss is like this? How come my spouse is like this? How come? How come? How come? Right.

Scott Keffer [: 00:14:35

That's what we do. Their nature we just consider. Because he says, the loving kindness is indeed never cease. For his compassions, his mercies never fail. Well, what are they like? Well, they are new every morning. And I remind myself, man, because the, the. The principle of mana is you only get enough for today. You can't hoard it.

Scott Keffer [: 00:15:03

If you, if you gathered multiple days, it went bad. And that's why the Lord Jesus says, worry about tomorrow. He says, you should worry about next week. Spend your time worrying about that stuff because it will help. What's he saying Today? Today. You only get mercies for today and their custom. God isn't giving out assembly line mercies. He's giving out custom mercies.

Scott Keffer [: 00:15:36

That's why, why David says, if I consider your thoughts, to me they're more than the sand upon the seashore. How many of those? Yeah, which reminds me that I miss probably 95% of God's mercies. I just miss them. They're coming to me because they said they're never cease. Which means they're just flowing throughout the day. You know why? Because I expected all to go right. I expect it all to go well. I have my plan for the day.

Scott Keffer [: 00:16:13

This is the way I want it to work. And the fact is, we live in a broken, fallen world. Broken, fallen world. And he said to Adam, as a result, you will earn by the sweat of your brow, thorns and thistles. Like, welcome to the world, thorns and thistles. Guess what? Thorns and thistles do. Scrape you up, tear you up. Right? That's what he said.

Scott Keffer [: 00:16:49

That's the deal. Man of mercies. So if we summed up God's mercies, it's one of the best. The Bible is filled with answers. It's also filled with questions. Oftentimes the questions are more important than the answers. Are we asking the right questions? So he asked this question here in Romans 8. If God is for us, God is for us.

Scott Keffer [: 00:17:20

Is he? Of course. If God is for us, then who's against us? Right, so that's a really good question. If God is for us, who is against us? Is God for us? Yes. Who's against us? It doesn't matter. That's. That's essentially what it means, Right? Of course. The evil one's against us. Right.

Scott Keffer [: 00:17:44

The brokenness in the world is against us. If God is for us, then he says, he who did not spare his own son, how will he not also with him, freely give us all things? It's the all things question. So in other words, if he gave his son, is there anything along with him he would withhold? He gave his son, he did not spare his own Son. How will he not also with him, freely give us all things? Is there anything, Essentially he's saying that it's greater, more valuable or more necessary for you than his son. So would I withhold those if I've already given my son? That's the question of which we say, of course not. But. But I do have a list of some things. If you could just include those things.

Scott Keffer [: 00:18:49

But that's the question, right? In his mercies and at the center of his mercies is really the question, can I fully trust God? It's really, can I fully trust Him? Doctrine aside, can I fully trust Him? God is for us. Who is against us? So he's saying, what is the only response to this? What's the only response? Present your whole self to God as a living and holy sacrifice. Which is interesting. It's a underlying voluntary. Voluntary. Under the Old Testament, you were required to make sacrifices. In the Old Testament, the Old Covenant. In this one, it's a voluntary.

Scott Keffer [: 00:19:55

Voluntary. So it's literally. So you think about when the offerer gave an offer to the Lord, they were to face the holy of holies. To face the holy of holies, right? And then the high priest took the offerings in directly, which means they were face to face with God. In other words, they were facing Him. So literally, it's me standing with God and saying, I'm yours. I'm yours if you're for me, if you've sent your son, if you shed your blood, Lord Jesus, Right, I'm yours. Here am I.

Scott Keffer [: 00:20:45

So here am I, Right. Here am I, without a contingency clause. Oh, that's the hard part. Here am I. Mostly here am I mostly. So. Every knee shall bow, every tongue. Confess Jesus as Lord.

Scott Keffer [: 00:21:08

Hear that all the time. New Testament version of the Isaiah. And I used to think, yeah, confess Jesus as Lord. Say it with your mouth. Say it with your mouth. But it's a quoting of Isaiah. In Isaiah, it's a different context. It's the same application.

Scott Keffer [: 00:21:27

But in Isaiah, the word is to seven yourself. The word literally means. The Hebrew word is to seven yourself, which means fully. Seven is fullness. Right? Fullness. It's the full fullness yourself. The seven yourself and the. It's.

Scott Keffer [: 00:21:46

It's translated swear allegiance. Swear allegiance. Dang. We used to do that in school, right? Pledge allegiance. Pledge allegiance. What does that mean? We don't have a king here. What does that mean? It's weird. It's a weird concept, right? I swear allegiance.

Scott Keffer [: 00:22:19

I swear allegiance. Which means I lay down my sword and it's yours. I'm yours to the death, right? To swear allegiance. Well, that's a different. That's a different. That's a different than just confessing Jesus is Lord. I can say Jesus is Lord, but swear allegiance. That's a hard thing in that.

Scott Keffer [: 00:22:46

And I don't know about you, but just. Do you feel it inside, like that fear? I don't swear allegiance. I don't want. I don't want to surrender. I don't want to. I don't want to. I don't want to. Yeah, I don't want.

Scott Keffer [: 00:23:03

So, Romans, he says, what does that look like? You present your members, the members of your body, to sin. I know what that's like. I know what it's like to surrender my body to do what it wants. So he's saying, you know what that's like? You surrender to what you. Your body says it wants. He says, instead, present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, your members as instruments of righteousness to God. So he says, present your whole self to God as a living and holy sacrifice. Sacrifice, which he says, right.

Scott Keffer [: 00:23:47

Acceptable to God. Acceptable to God. What does that mean? Well, in the Old Testament, what was a sacrifice that was acceptable without blemish? Without blemish. Right, without blemish. Holy. Not doesn't mean just perfect in the sense of without blemish. It also means completely, totally right. Set apart, set aside.

Scott Keffer [: 00:24:11

Right. Acceptable to God. The word literally means well pleasing. Well pleasing. Well pleasing. I've been with me in the darkest of depths of my heart and my life. How would I ever be well pleasing to God? How would I ever be well pleasing? As you think about the Pure, perfect and holy sacrifice in the flock. It wouldn't be me.

Scott Keffer [: 00:24:45

Wouldn't be picking me out right, because I've seen the depth of my sin. How will I be well pleasing to God? There is one who's well pleasing. Who's that? This is my son, in whom I am well pleased. He's the well pleasing one. How do I become well pleasing to God? By faith. By faith. Faith. Faith in Christ.

Scott Keffer [: 00:25:09

Faith in what he's done for me. Without faith, it's impossible to please him. Somebody say they don't feel well pleasing to God. Yeah, well pleaser. We seem you've been made well pleasing. Where when we give of ourself. Without faith it's impossible. You come to God must believe that he is, which means that's his character.

Scott Keffer [: 00:25:34

That God is who he says he is and that he is a rewarder. Rewarder of those who seek Him. Even in my clumsy broken seekingness, he rewards. Is that good news? No, it's great news. He says this is more than just giving yourself to God. He said, this is your spiritual service and it's your service of worship. It's. Worship means singing and music.

Scott Keffer [: 00:26:13

No, I mean we gather together and do that stuff here. Stuff. Some of the stuff I like and stuff I like over here. And we say, I don't like worship. I don't like the way they worship. I don't like this worship. Lord says that. That you do together.

Scott Keffer [: 00:26:30

That form is irrelevant in a sense. The. The worship. The worship begins where? With us. Surrender. Surrender. The. The.

Scott Keffer [: 00:26:43

The worship. New Testament worship is surrender. And he says it's your spiritual service. The word literally means rational or spiritual. Reasonable. Rational. It comes from Lagos. It's rational.

Scott Keffer [: 00:26:59

He said you. There isn't anything else that makes sense. In other words, what else would you do? What else would you do? The Count of Monte Cristo. How many have seen the Count of Monte Cristo? The movie, if you've seen it, right, where he saves the. There's a young pirate, right? Putney. He's got to fight him after he escapes from prison. And he beats him in the fight. The guy says, well, you can kill him and you can take his place.

Scott Keffer [: 00:27:25

And he has mercy on him. And he says, I will serve you all the days of my life. You had mercy on me. I will serve you all the days of my life. And he does through the. Through the end. But in other words, the word is saying here. What else would you do from somebody who.

Scott Keffer [: 00:27:43

Who gave all to redeem and rescue you. Is there anything else that Makes sense. It's both rational and reasonable and spiritual. So Vincent, who's a word Smith guy, says that the, the Greek word means rational as distinguished from merely external. There's an internal piece of that and it's in harmony with the highest reason. In other words, there isn't anything else that makes sense. If somebody did that for you, isn't anything else but to make sense that they would be, you would give your all for them. And I put it in there.

Scott Keffer [: 00:28:24

Just as under the old dispensation, the mind expressed its devotion through the ritual of sacrifice. So now, now into the New Testament, worship takes the form of self dedication, self surrender. Self surrender. Not forced, not legaled, but self surrender. So of course begs the question, right? Who do you serve? Who do you serve? And Jesus said it, you know, you're confused. The hour is coming when true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth. Spirit and truth. Spirit and truth.

Scott Keffer [: 00:29:11

So it says we go from doctrine to devotion, doctrine to devotion. Then he says the next step is we move from devotion to discernment. So in other words, without understanding the doctrine behind all that God has done, why would I devote myself to them? And without devotion, you will never be able to discern him. So he says, what does that look like? Do not be conformed. Do not be conformed. You've heard that, right? Like taking a Jello mold and you pour the jello into it or whatever into it, right, that do not be conformed, do not be squeezed into the mold, do not be fashioned like. Do not mold your life according to the, the form or frame of the world. Well what does the world mean? This present age.

Scott Keffer [: 00:30:10

It means this present age. So it's talking about the spiritual atmosphere, it's talking about the values and the opinions. It's talking about what's going on in the fallen state of man in the world. So in second Timothy it says, what will that look like? Well, in the last days, perverse times. So you can cross out perverse or you can write above it. Perverse. Above, difficult. Because the word isn't just difficult, it's perverse.

Scott Keffer [: 00:30:45

Perverse times will come, so men will become lovers of self. Oh, not that I don't see that in others, of course, not me. Lovers of self, lovers of money. Boastful, arrogant revilers. Don't go on social media, but just go on there. What do you get? Boastful, arrogant revilers. Disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips. Without self control turns into brutal haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited.

Scott Keffer [: 00:31:33

Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of money. Oh. Rather than lovers of God. Yeah. Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. Thank you. Thank you. Holding to a form.

Scott Keffer [: 00:31:47

Godliness. It's okay to be spiritual today, isn't it? Okay to be spiritual? Just don't. Although they deny its power. Yeah. You believe this. You believe that. Where the essence of Christianity is not about beliefs, the essence of Christianity is a. Is a historical event that God became flesh, shed his blood on the cross and rose from the dead.

Scott Keffer [: 00:32:17

The resurrection is what it's about. It's not a. I believe this. You believe that. It's a. It's resurrection. So he says, don't be conformed to this age. That's hard not to, isn't it? Why? Because we marinate in it.

Scott Keffer [: 00:32:35

Marinate in it. And being conformed to this age is like carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide. You have to have a warning because it's invisible. It's undetectable to you. You can't. You can't smell. It doesn't have any smell.

Scott Keffer [: 00:32:58

And it rots the brain out, right? First of all, puts you into a sleep and stupor, right? And then you just die, right? Suck your oxygen away. So the. The conforming process is like breathing in carbon monoxide. And again, it's. It's just the age in which we live. There's no way apart from it, right? It's the age in which you live. You can't move away from it. You can't go into another part of the world.

Scott Keffer [: 00:33:26

It just is, because it's the aged. It's the Aon. It's the. The. The atmosphere. So he says, don't be conformed, but do be transformed. And it's the word we get. Metamorphosis.

Scott Keffer [: 00:33:42

It's the same word. When the Lord Jesus went up to the mount of Transfiguration, When. When he went up there to the Mount of Transfiguration, it's used. That word's used in three places. He's saying, be transfigured. Be transfigured. Be transfigured. And let.

Scott Keffer [: 00:34:08

It literally means let the outside, right? Let the light inside come outside. In other words, right? Be transfigured. Be transformed. Be transformed. Well, how do we do that? So, see, the year ago, we decided to renovate the. The kitchen, which turned it. Which is three months. We'll be done.

Scott Keffer [: 00:34:38

Yeah. Here we are, year later. No more than a year. What is a year and three months later? Right. Amay renovated their house. Always works on time. Easy process and renovation. What has to happen? Old torn out, new brought in.

Scott Keffer [: 00:34:59

Old torn out, new brought in. Right. Old torn out. So it's by mind, renovation by mind. Renovation is literally the word, means renovate by renovation of your mind. What does that mean? Old torn out. Torn out. Or when you tear out that old, what's it do? It doesn't want to leave and it creates a mess.

Scott Keffer [: 00:35:27

Right, Same thing. It's saying you need a renovation of your mind. And this is not just right. The, the. The head. This is a change of heart. It's literally a change of heart because it means renewal and a change of heart. Renewal and a change of heart.

Scott Keffer [: 00:35:47

This is really hard because the old stuff that I believe, I really believe, I believe it's nailed down, it's been there a while. I got some drywall around it, some pictures hung up. I don't want to renovate that stuff. But he's saying that, that those, those old thinkings are according to the pattern of this age. Pattern of this age. And the prince of the power of the air is whom. What does he want for you? He wants to kill and steal and destroy you. He wants to kill and steal and destroy.

Scott Keffer [: 00:36:34

And the enemy, he does that stuff. First of all, deception. Deception. He is the father of lies, and he lies from the beginning. Is he good? Oh, yeah. He's a master at deception, which means he will deceive you. Temptation, which is, you know, do the things that make sense to you. What's the A stand for? And then I'm going to tear you down with accusation.

Scott Keffer [: 00:37:08

I'm going to accuse you before the Father says he accuses the brethren day and night. I'm going to accuse you. So deception, accusation and temptation that the realm of Satan and what he does. So we need mine renovation. And scripture says this is not an outside in. You cannot, you cannot legislate renovation, right? It's not out. It's not outside in. It's inside out.

Scott Keffer [: 00:37:39

It's inside out. So scripture says you have mind, will, emotions, rolling it out into your body, right? And that you have to be transformed from the heart to change your thinking, right? Change your. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Changes your decisions, your will and your emotions. The problem is we, we learn. And the enemy wants us to live this way, doesn't he? This is what we are. Before Christ, we lived outside in what feels good, what looks good. What do I want to do? Right? What do I want to do? The lust of the eyes.

Scott Keffer [: 00:38:32

Lust of what looks good, what feels good, what makes me look good in my eyes, in the eyes of others. Right. So outside in is the way the enemy wants us to live. Scripture says you need to be born again. New heart, new heart, new spirit. God's spirit inside of you to change the way you think. How do I do that? Right, Right. Understand God's word, but it says renovation.

Scott Keffer [: 00:39:11

Now, here's the thing, is what he's saying here, this is absolutely critical, that without surrender, without devotion, you will not be able to discern the will of God. Without devotion, you will not be able to discern the will of God. So in other words, until I surrender to God, I will not understand. So he says, so that. That's the whole. So that you will be able to discern and heartily approve God's will. To discern and heartily approve God's will. So what we want to do is, okay, God, show me your will.

Scott Keffer [: 00:40:00

I'll determine whether it makes sense, and then I might do it. So we have conditional surrender. And it's also by my approval. You tell me what you think, God, and then I'll decide whether it's okay. So that's why I put approve God's will. You won't even be able to understand it. He's saying, until you have a heart willing to surrender, surrender your thinking, surrender your decisions, surrender your emotions to God, and then he ends by reminding us that God's will is good and it's pleasing and it's perfect. Good and it's pleasing.

Scott Keffer [: 00:40:53

It's perfect. Well, I'll be the fat. I'll be the judge of that. Well, the fact is, that's what we do, isn't it? That's what we do. Well, I can't figure out God's will. Well, oftentimes I haven't surrendered to God's purposes. I haven't surrendered. We are waiting to find out and approve whether that's okay.

Scott Keffer [: 00:41:16

So he's saying, in order to get your heart to where it actually approves, God's will means I have to surrender to it. Right. And so the. The question is, right, who do I surrender to? Myself? My thinking, My will? Yes. Why? Because I feel like I can trust myself. I can't trust God. I can't trust God. So it reminds us in Psalm 16, Path of Life.

Scott Keffer [: 00:41:48

How do I know the path of life? How do I know what to do? How do I know what to do? Well, I have to. I have to believe. He says, in thy presence is. Think about that. Fullness of joy. Do I really believe following God is fullness of joy? That's really the question. You're saying eternally, that's what you'll get. Fullness of joy eternally.

Scott Keffer [: 00:42:15

And you will have pleasures forever. But that's the question, isn't it? Can I trust God? Can I surrender to his will? Is it going to make sense to me? No. It's renovation. How did it look after the renovation? Different than it did before. Different than it did before. So it requires a total renovation. So he says, when you have issues, problems, situations, you cannot discern the will of God. So there's this present age, right? In terms of its thinking, its value system, right? And then there's God's will.

Scott Keffer [: 00:42:54

They're not the same. One, you're conformed. The other is you are renovated. You're transformed. Recognizing that the present age has fallen and distorted, and we are fallen and distorted with it, right? Because we're breathing in the carbon monoxide. So God's will is good and perfect. And I go from confusion to confidence, which would suggest that when I'm. When I find myself in confusion, it's not.

Scott Keffer [: 00:43:29

It's not because God's will is not clear. It's because I'm unwilling to surrender to his will. Discernment comes after devotion. Discernment comes after devotion. I don't like that. Lord, show me your. Send me your plans. Let me see if I'm okay with that.

Scott Keffer [: 00:43:54

So to sum up, I put in light of the mercies of God. So that's the question. The mercies of God, what are they? Prove to me. God's mercy is many, massive, undeserved and relentless. There's only one rational spiritual right response. Surrender. Not total. I don't read that note.

Scott Keffer [: 00:44:19

Not partial, not delayed, not negotiated. A living sacrifice. The moment that surrender happens, neutrality dies. So Scripture says, it's either way. It is clearer than you think. You either be pressed into the mold of the present age or transformed by the renewing of your mind. Notice, renewing of your mind. That's a present verb.

Scott Keffer [: 00:44:51

Means it's required on a. On a regular basis, right? One leads to distortion and confusion. The other leads to clarity and confidence. And then we're often right. If we find ourselves blinded to God's will, we say, well, maybe. Maybe I'm in the smoke of my own will. And that is fundamentally driven by the age. The age is the value system, the thinking of the world.

Scott Keffer [: 00:45:24

The other enables you to finally see, approve and delight in what is good, acceptable and perfect. Can't ride two horses, at least not for long. Can't chase two rabbits. So choose you this day. Choose you this day. And so I put choose you this day because there's two choices. One is a surrender. Come to a place where you say, you know what, Lord, you're right.

Scott Keffer [: 00:45:57

Then there's the daily in there. There's the daily in what? In decisions that we make, in choices that we make and how we respond and what we do, those kind of things. Let's choose you this day. It's a daily. There's a daily surrender. So in Joshua says, if it's disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, you don't want to do that saying doesn't make sense to you if it's not rational, right? It's not reasonable. He said, okay, choose for yourself today whom you serve. So choose.

Scott Keffer [: 00:46:35

He said, you can choose the gods of your fathers, right? Those who came before you, check out their life says, go back in. In the history of the world and see what that looks like. Or he's saying, the gods of the Amorites, that's those in whom you're living. So he's saying you can. You can take the thinking from the past, the world history, and get your right. Get your understanding. You can do it in the. The.

Scott Keffer [: 00:47:03

The gods around us right now, right now, this present age. But he says, me and my house, we will serve the Lord, which means we will surrender to his will, seek to be renovated, transfigured on a regular basis, surrendering to his will, which requires. Because you cannot surrender of your own power. What do you need to surrender to God? The mercies of God. The mercies are the reason you surrender. But his mercy, his grace, his favor requires what we need. We cannot surrender on our own. We can't surrender on our own.

Scott Keffer [: 00:47:51

It's not like I'm gonna. Lord, you know, we need the mercies of God. What's that mean? I believe. Help my unbelief. I want to surrender. I can. I won't. I don't.

Scott Keffer [: 00:48:05

Help me. Help me. Help me. Help me with the core. That's decision. Okay. I've. I've done my way.

Scott Keffer [: 00:48:16

I may have done your way. I've done my way. I've done the world's way. Question is, whose way? Whose way? Whose way? All right. Light of the mercies of God. So write down an application, a question, an issue. So question thought. May the Father of all mercies, may he bless you.

Scott Keffer [: 00:48:43

May he keep you. May he cause his face to shine upon you. May he lift up his countenance and grant you His Shalom. Peace, peace, peace deep in your soul. May he bless you and keep you always. Amen. Thanks for listening. I hope you have greater hope, assurance and confidence in your life and a deeper trust in the God of the Bible, in His Son, Jesus Christ.

Scott Keffer [: 00:49:11

Until next time. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. And may the Lord lift up his countenance and on you and give you his peace, his shalom in your soul and in your life. Until next time. May God bless you and keep you.