First Presbyterian Church                    August 22, 2004

Rev. James K. Teall              Romans 12:1-21

"A Spiritual Lobotomy"

What is God’s Will

“What is God’s will for my life?”  As a pastor, this is above all the question I am most asked.  “What is God’s will for me?”  Have you figured it out?  That is, God’s will for your life? 

When I was a teenager I would play games with God to try to understand what He wanted.  For instance, I would be watching TV and my mother would say, “Jimmy go clean up your room.”  OK, I would think to myself, but maybe God does not want me to clean up my room.  So I would be watching MTV and I would say a little prayer to God. “God if you want me to clean my room, show a video by Michael Jackson and I will go.”  Then the next video would come on and it would be a Madonna video and so I knew it was not God’s will that I clean my room.  My mother would see me still laying  in front of the TV and she would say,  “Jimmy I said go clean your room,” and I would  respond in full confidence, “Mom I would but it is not God’s will.”

This true and quite sad story illustrates how many of us try to discern God’s will for our lives.  In fact a lot of terrible things have happened in the name of God and His will because of our lack of understanding of God and His will  Often we look for signs or we make deals with God as though He is our genie whose lamp we can rub to grant us our wishes.  Some of us are more traditionally religious so we spend hours and hours in prayer, and yet there is still no clear answer on what God’s will is for our lives.

What is God’s will?  Is God concerned about when and how you clean your room?  Is He concerned about what job you take, where you live, or about what church you attend?  A man who made a fortune in the stock market in the ‘90s said it was God’s will that he became a millionaire, and on the same day a woman in Sarajevo, after losing her two children when her house was shelled, said is this God’s will?  What is God’s will for your life?

God’s Will Revealed

Like all of us, I too have struggled to understand and to discern God’s will for my life.  I used to think discovering God’s will was very difficult and it used to make me very angry.  I would think, God why do you hide from me, why don’t you just tell me what I should do and then I would do it.  However, my understanding of God’s will began to change once I read this passage out of Romans.  I realized that God’s will is actually very easy to know.   God made it very clear to me what His will was for me.  The difficult part is whether or not I was going to choose to do it. 

This morning’s text was written by the Apostle Paul to the church in Rome.  The first 11 chapters of the book of Romans are dedicated to a theological understanding of God.  Paul is teaching the followers of Jesus in Rome about the essence and character of God.  Beginning in Romans 12 and to the end of the book, Paul switches his focus from teaching about God to teaching on how to obey God.  Paul reminds us if we are to live a full life, a true life, a life of love and a life of integrity then we must not only know God’s will but follow it by practicing the principles of Jesus.  Before we can do God’s will we must understand it and in order to understand God’s will two things must take place.

God’s Will is to Receive

First- Receive.  In order to know the will of God you and I must decide everyday if we will allow ourselves to be fully loved by Jesus Christ.  Every moment of every day God offers us mercy, that is, He offers His love to us even though you and I continue to disobey Him.  Amazing, isn’t it?  God offers you unconditional love, love with no strings attached and all we have to do is open our hearts and say yes, Lord, come into my heart and love away all the fear, shame, anger, and brokenness in my life.  Paul tells us the beginning to understanding God’s will us receiving all of His mercy. God is merciful, God is peaceful, God is joyful and God is love.  God offers all of these to you as a gift.  You can do nothing to earn them.  The only thing you will do in your life is either receive the love of God or reject the love of God.  Open your heart and receive the infinite love of God and you will notice amazing changes in your life because without the love of God you cannot know nor do the will of God.

Jelena was 11 when she fled her home in Vukovar, Croatia, in 1991.  Her mother and father made the right choice to leave for in doing so it saved their lives from militia forces.  Jelena spent the next 10 years as a refugee in Germany dreaming of the day she could return home and play her piano.  She felt as though God gave her a gift to play music and for 10 years she did not play because her family could not afford to buy a piano.  The time eventually came when she was allowed to return to Croatia.  She and her family did not know what they would find upon their return but nothing could have prepared Jelena for what she saw.  When she walked up to her old home, she heard music.  Yes, it was her piano, it sounded so lovely but when she looked into the window she realized her “enemy” --- the ones that overtook her home were still living there --- and a young teenage girl was playing her piano.  She was so close to the thing she loved the most, yet still unable to attain it.  For two years Jelena’s heart grew more bitter.  The family lived in a small apartment in her old town but the government would not allow them to be back in their home.  Jelena’s anger led her far from God and family and into drugs to ease the pain of her lost hope.  Jelena, once a sweet young girl, had fallen victim to hatred until this year when she heard about the love of God.  Jelena could not believe that God could love her since she felt so dirty and ashamed inside.  Jelena’s hatred and anger ruled her life until she opened her heart to receive the love of God and this is exactly what she did.  I met Jelena one month ago.  When I first met her she was so closed and hard.  After three weeks of hearing about the God of love she opened her heart and God’s infinite love poured inside.  She was a different person they day she left the ROM gathering than she was the day she came.  Her cold heart was warm with joy and her face radiated like a candle giving off light to all in her presence. 

God’s Will is to Relinquish

Second- Relinquish.  Paul tells us that we are to offer ourselves to God, relinquishing our rights, our dreams, our wants, our wills to Him.  Growing up in my house the saying, “Father knows best,” was an understatement.  What my pop said was law, and why was it the law?  Because he knew best - well at least he thought so.  The truth is my father being human did not always know best.  He tried his best but he failed often in loving his wife and raising his kids.  He made at times very poor decisions even when in his own mind he thought he was doing best.  So if our earthly fathers do not know best, who can we turn to know what to do?  Our Abba, our heavenly Father.  God made you.  God created you.  He gave you your talents and your passions.  He knows exactly what is best for you and this is why we would be wise to relinquish our rights, our wants our wills to Him for Our Heavenly Father does know best and He only wants the best for His children.  God loves us so much that he gave us a great gift, the gift of choice.  God will never ever make you do His will, for God is love and love is always a choice.  God loves you too much to force you to do anything and he loves you too much to leave you in your pain, so He never stops pursuing you.  But once again, it is our choice to receive His love and then relinquish our stubborn --- and most often ignorant --- wills to his loving and perfect will.

A Spiritual Lobotomy

Now comes the hard part!  Paul says if you want to know God’s will then this what you must do.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind; then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is- His good, pleasing and perfect will.  Do not conform to the pattern of the world but instead be transformed by renewing your mind.  The gathering we have in Croatia is called ROM.  In order for there to be peace in world, whether it be the Balkans, Northern Ireland, the Middle East, or even your own home or workplace (actually especially in our own homes and workplaces) we must ROM, that is we must renew our minds by not giving in to the ways of the world and instead follow the principles of Jesus.

I know all of you would agree with one another.  You are all happy that I am not God.  But if I were God, I would do it different.  Maybe you would to.  If I were God I would perform surgery on all of those who received my love and surrendered their will to me.  I would say, ok you have done it, you accept my love you want to do my will thus I will give you a spiritual lobotomy.  I will cut out your old brain with all of it prejudices, with all of its ideologies, with all of its greed, with all of its fears and anger and I will give you a new brain that only thinks kind things, that only can allow you to do good things.  Wouldn’t that be great?  A new mind would be better than a remolded mind, right?  I mean when you buy a home we want a new one, when we buy a car we want a new one, we don’t like fixer uppers, but this is how God has chosen to do it.  A life of faith is not a spiritual lobotomy but a spiritual transformation that takes place in the mind.  A spiritual lobotomy would take away our freedom to choose love, but spiritual transformation allows us each day to use our freedom to spread seeds of love or seeds of hate.  The decision is up to us.

Do Not Conform

So how do we sow seeds of love in the world?  Only one way, by not allowing the world to influence our mind but to allow the love of God to transform our minds so we can do God’s will.  God’s will is exactly the opposite of what the world teaches.  The world says competition is better that cooperation.  The world says love your own kind and separate from those who are not like you.  The world says revenge is sweeter than forgiveness. 

Listen to the will of God.  Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought.  In the body of Christ we are all one and each member belongs to one another.  Honor one another above your self.  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.  Share with God’s people who are in need.  Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse.  Live in harmony with one another.  Do not be proud but be willing to associate with the marginalized people of society.  Do not repay evil for evil.  Do not take revenge.  Do not overcome evil by evil but overcome evil with good.

The Principles of Jesus, here is Paul simply rewording what Jesus already said in his sermon on the mount…Jesus said, Do make harsh judgments about others.  When someone asks you to do a task you don’t like or you think is degrading, do it and ask if there is something else to do.  When some one hurts you go to them and seek reconciliation.  When you are persecuted, pray for those people and do good things to your enemy.  Do not store up money on earth and invest it fancy things but give it away to those in need and when you do give it away do not draw attention to yourself. 

Be Transformed

Remember when I said here comes the hard part?  You see, knowing God’s will is very easy.  He made it very clear to us.  The hard part is doing it.  I have wasted lots of time worrying about what to do.  I have squandered precious moments in prayer asking God to show me where to go.  I have missed opportunities to do God’s will because I was too busy trying figure out in my Bible study what Jesus really must of meant by saying love your enemy.  God has given me the gift of free will.  I can choose where to live, whom to marry, where to work.  In the sovereignty of God does He have plan…of course, but my life will not be judged by whether or not I took the right wife, the right job and lived in the right town, but my life will be judge by how did I treat my wife and I did I behave at work what did I contribute to my community. 

Let’s get practical.  What is God’s will for me when my friends betray me?  Pray for them and offer to them forgiveness.  What is God’s will when my boss hurts me?  Serve her and do kind things for her.  What is God’s will when my employee disappoints me?  Do not judge them and be patient with them.  What is God’s will when people gossip about me and say unkind things?  Do not repay evil for evil by saying bad things about them. 

It is easy, right?  Well easy to say these things but difficult to do them, would you not agree?  Why are they so difficult?  The answer is in the mind.  This world, whether it be Africa, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, everywhere in the world the systems of world in one form or fashion are all based on the very things God opposes.  Jesus said that his Kingdom was not of this world and the Kingdoms of the world are based primarily on fear, greed, and hatred.   In one way or another all cultures and systems teach us, plant the seeds in our mind, that our particular system is the best and that we need to fear other systems and cultures, we need to hold on to our culture at all cost and discriminate against those whom disagree with us and our different than us.  This is the teaching of the world and it is in you and it is in me.  It is in us so much that as Christians we end up defending earthly kingdoms instead of striving through our actions and prayers to actually bring about God’s Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven and that indeed His will would be done.

The world tells me that when I wronged, I should get even…Jesus tells me be reconciled.  The world tells me what I earn in wages is mine and that I have the freedom to buy whatever I want…Jesus tells me to sell all that I have and give it to the poor.  The world tells me who is my enemy and if I try to embrace them then I am a traitor…Jesus says this one whom is your enemy is actually your brother - love him and you will be my disciple. 

Doing the Will of God

Delphine lives in Burundi.  She is a Tutsi.  She has two beautiful children and she lives to bring peace to her country for the Tutsi and the Hutu tribes have been at war for years.  Burundi and Rwanda are two countries in Africa where horrible crimes against humanity have been committed.  In fact a few years back, 1 million people were killed in 100 days.  It is hard to grasp 1 million people.  1 million people is just a number, but not to Delphine.  Delphine’s husband, a Tutsi, worked to distribute aide to both the Tutsi and Hutu people.  One day he left Delphine and his two children to make a mission to deliver food, only to be found shot to death in his car.  The very people he was trying to help took his life.  Delphine was devastated.  She didn’t eat for almost two weeks, she stayed in bed and cried all day, family members had to come and take care of the children.  One night Delphine had a dream and in her dream she saw Jesus, and Jesus said to her, the very people I came to help took my life.  I died at young as your husband died young.  I died because my mission was over and now I have your husband with me for his mission is over but yours is not.

Delphine told us this story at ROM.  As she told us this story sitting next to her was a Hutu and while she was telling her story, Joseph the Hutu got up to get a tissue and gave it to her so she could wipe her tears.  Delphine grabbed Joseph’s hand and said I have forgiven the Hutu people who have made me a widow and now the only thing I can do is love and serve them this is what Jesus would do.

What will we do?  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.