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Romans 12, 1 and 2, that's as far as we're getting and we won't get nearly as far into it as I wish we could.

Therefore I urge you brothers and I thought it was an interesting word urge. I exhort you. I encourage you strongly.

It is a word that falls in the Greek between a command and a simple encouragement.

It is as strong as a secondary source can get. In other words, say for instance that someone knew that my Melissa was having a particular problem

and someone came to her perhaps an older adult in the Wheaton area and said to her, I really think you should I urge you to mind your parents on this.

That would be as strong as we could get to I urge you. The only thing strong would be for me to get in her face and go, I'm telling you I urge you to mind me on this.

This is as strong as a secondary source can get in the Greek. The only thing that would be stronger is if God himself stood right in front and said, I urge you.

And he's saying it under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. I just want you to get the grasp of the kind of word that's being used here in the original language.

Therefore I urge you brothers and sisters for us. In view of God's mercy to offer your bodies as living sacrifices holy and pleasing to God.

This is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Then, or by say then, say it again, one more time. Then, no other time. Just then, see you might hear what I'm saying to him. Say it again.

You will be able to test and approve what God's will is. His good pleasing and perfect will. You and I are living in a non-static condition, a pilgrimage on this planet.

Blessed is he whose mind, whose heart is set on pilgrimage. Psalm 84 says, who understands we're walking this thing out until we appear before God in Mount Zion. I mean, that is us on pilgrimage constantly moving, constantly taking that next step.

Seeing what the word has to say, we can know that we can see, according to God's word, about as far as you could hold a lamp out in front of your sweet little feet on your path. Your word will be a lamp into my feet and a light into my path.

So, we are constantly looking to see if we can get this much light for what the next decision is we need to make. The next step we need to take, and yes, there is a decisive will of God for that step for your life and for my life.

Translation, you and I need to know the will of God. We have got to know the will of God because that's where your satisfaction is. I'm not saying that's where your ease is, nor that that's where my ease is, but I'm going to tell you this, we can do something a whole lot harder in the will of God and enjoy ourselves 10 times more than being a far easier place that is not the will of God and will be driven crazy there and unfulfilled and we will lack peace of mind.

It's what we want. It's what we need. It's what makes us, since the day in, day out, significance of God who says, next step here, thoroughly involved, manipulating the doors that open before us and the doors that shut before us, you and I need to know the will of God.

Now, the terminology that Paul is using here, he is never more Hebrew than this. He is constantly drawing off of terminology in his epistles. I'm thinking of a couple of different places in the book of Philippians where he talks about pouring our lives out of drink offerings.

He talks about giving things to God as a fragrant offering. He's talking about giving sacrifices. He's talking continually about a new testament priesthood just like Peter talked about when Peter talks about spiritual sacrifices instead of physical sacrifices, that what was true in the sacrificial system for Israel in the tangible realm is true of us in the spiritual realm.

We offer things like the book of Hebrew says, and we don't know who wrote the book of Hebrews under the inspiration of the Spirit, but I can tell you, I'll be a monkey's uncle if they weren't trained by the Apostle Paul.

The terminology is so strong that half the time I'm in it, I have to remind myself, you do not know that Paul wrote this. It could be a Paulist. It could be somebody that was in under his tutelage, but the expressions are so similar that it's hard to get over.

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