Good evening. If you have your Bibles, turn with me to Romans chapter 12. Romans chapter 12. I've been looking at the series here in Romans, just kind of looking at these verses I want to read for context's sake, starting in verse 1, and we'll read through verse 2, and today we're going to be looking at the second portion of verse 2. Since that's the last time I was here, we talked about the beginning of verse 2, so we'll finish it up with looking at the second part. So, Romans chapter 12, starting in verse 1, it says, Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present 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. Father, as we look tonight at doing your will, proving your will, the will of God. Lord, as we try to figure out and unpack what that means, Lord, I pray that you'd give us wisdom to understand how the will of God is indeed good. It is indeed acceptable and it is indeed perfect. Lord, help us tonight as we consider how you are a God that we can trust, a God who's in control and a God who knows best. Father, help us tonight. For it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Have you ever wondered, God, what is your will in this? situation, this moment, this decision that needs to be made. Lord, what is your will for this? I don't know. Am I the only one that gets stuck, you know, kind of trying to figure that out sometimes? You know, it's hard sometimes, isn't it, to know what is God's will in my life in this moment or in this decision or in this kind of picture? And one of the, you know, I'm just very glad that as long as we have hearts that want to please God, Right? And we make decisions with the intent of honoring Him. He works out the rest. You know, because I don't always know exactly what the right options are, but I'm glad that he takes those decisions that I've made in the past and he uses them for good. Let me give you an example of a situation that the Lord was really, I had to wrestle through. What does God want me to do? And that was when I was in Ghana. When I was in Ghana, one of the things we were supposed to do is we were supposed to sign up for a two-year commitment in Ghana. And when I first heard about the job, I heard that, oh, it's a chaplain position. And I was excited to not be a Bible teacher anymore, but to try being a chaplain. So I was kind of excited about that. So I said, yeah, OK, I'll do this. And the director at the time was the one that kind of Well, I know now he just said anything he could to get me there, pretty much. So he told me everything that he thought I might have wanted to hear so that I would come, right? And so I got there and found out very quickly that this was not a chaplain position. This was another Bible teaching position. And, you know, here I am. I'm signed up for two years of this. If you really know the story, if you really want to know the in-depth story, there was a whole big, you know, coup that happened in our school, you know, the director tried to take over the school, and then he got kicked out of the school, and then the principal got kicked out of the school, and then it was just this awkward thing, and then the principal came back, and it was just, it was a very uncomfortable, awkward, difficult year, in multiple different facets, in multiple different ways. But the guy that hired me was the director, and he, once he was no longer at the school, he was no longer at the school. All this to say is that around November time we're supposed to tell the school, you know, are we coming back for not next year but the year after, trying to think ahead and it's kind of a difficult thing just in general to try to think, you know, two years in advance kind of thing. But I was kind of coming to that point where I was like, you know, This isn't what I expected. I expected to be doing this thing as a chaplain, and here I am a Bible teacher, and I'm going to be coming back for another year of this, and I really felt that the Lord had laid on my heart to ask the principal, who was not the one that hired me, but the principal there, if she would be willing to just let me stay the one year and then move on. But I didn't feel good about that. You know, I wanted to honor my commitment, and I'm sitting here trying to figure, God, what do you want me to do? Do you want me to bring this up with her? Should I not bring this up with her? Should I just commit to what I said I was going to do? Or, man, I was really wrestling, and finally I felt the Lord had called me to, you know, asked the principal, would it be possible to get off, you know, from the two-year commitment and just do this one year, especially because I'm not doing what I thought I was going to be doing. And she was gracious and she said yes, and that was okay. And so I only stayed in Ghana for one year. It was supposed to be two and it ended up being one year. It's very interesting to me because, you know, hey, at that point in time, if you asked me, Jay, do you think you're following the will of God? I would have said, I hope so. You know, I don't know. I'm doing the best I can. Right. But when it ended up happening that following year where I was in the States is it was the same year that Rachel and I started dating. And we got engaged. And it was the summer after what would have been my second year in Ghana that we ended up getting married. And honestly, if I was in Ghana, I don't know, I don't know if that would have happened. I don't know. Lord knows. I don't know. Right? And I look back on that and I say, you know, God, I thank you that you knew what was best and that you, that he led me to ask the principal, is it okay to just be here for one year? And the fact that she graciously said yes, because let me tell you, the whole course of my life might have looked a little bit different. I don't know. God knows. But I tell you, I'm glad he knows what he's doing because I don't know what's going on, you know. I'm glad that he is the one that's in control. And I got to say that God worked amazing things in that year. And I'm thankful for the opportunity that I had to follow the Lord. I felt like I was in a really tough position trying to figure out what God wanted for me. And now I can look back and say, Lord, you knew what you're doing. You knew what you were doing. You gotta remember, as we look at this passage, that this is in the context of sacrificial worship and the idea of not being conformed to this world, but being transformed by the renewing of our minds. We have to understand our context. And for this purpose, for the purpose of transformation and renewing of the mind, this is the purpose for proving the will of God. Notice in verse two, it says, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that so that you may prove what the will of God is. I don't know if you've ever struggled like me with what is the will of God in my life. I know many of us do struggle with this and wrestle with this, and we try to, you know, go to the Lord and ask for help, because honestly, sometimes we just don't know. Thanks to the Lord, He knows, and that's why I think He wants us dependent on Him, to go to Him, because He does know. And listen, there are general aspects of God's will, right? Is God's will for us to love one another? And I think we would say, yes, I think that's what God wants from us, is that we love one another. In fact, that's His commandments. He tells us that we are called to love one another. But then there's the specific things, as I'm making mention of, a decision that needs to be made. There are different aspects to understanding and knowing the will of God. In fact, Uh, uh, Piper, uh, kind of goes along the lines of there's, there's the will of God as in, if he wants something to happen, he'll make it happen. That's his will. Right. But then there's also the will of God in the sense that he commands something from you and I, and we're called to obey because that's what God wants. And so there's two aspects to, to the will of God, and he might break down even more, but. When we look at this passage right here, and it says, so that you may prove the will of God, I think Piper would say that this is regarding his command, right? The will that he wants us to fulfill or do. And that's the idea here. The word prove in our text, that you may prove what the will of God is, Barnes says this, this word prove is commonly applied to metals. to the operation of testing or trying them by the severity of fire. Hence, it also means to explore, investigate, and ascertain. That's what Barnes says. This word goes back to the idea of testing metals and how hot that fire is that will change the metal or whatever. If you want good metal, you don't want it to melt in the face of fire, right? And so that's the idea. You test the metal. Word study says that this word means to show something that is acceptable, real, and approved. To put to the test, to reveal what is good or genuine. That's what word study says. See, as we are being transformed by God, Remember, that's God's work, right? He's the one that transformed us. We can't transform ourselves. We need something outside of ourselves to change the inside of us, because the inside of us, we can't change in and of ourselves. So God is the one who does that. He's the one that does the transforming power and work in our lives. But as we are being transformed, the idea is that the more we are being transformed and the more we are renewing our minds, the more we become in line with God's will and what He wants for us. And then we have the opportunities. God gives the opportunities to live out God's will and show ultimately that it is best. We see here that there is a clear connection to the heart and the mind that is renewed and understanding of the will of God. Barnes also says a renewed mind is essential to successfully inquire after the will of God. John 7, 17, Jesus is speaking, and he says something along those very lines. He says the idea that, listen, all you got to do is understand God's teachings and you're going to know that what I'm telling you is right. So if you want to know the will of God, know the teachings of God. That's pretty much what Jesus says in John 7, 17. And sometimes we struggle with understanding God's will. Maybe it's because we're not being renewed in our minds. I know there are many believers, many people, many people of the world even that would say, I want to know the will of God. Well, how much are you spending, spending time with God? How much time are you spending in devoting to prayer? How much time are you spending in His word? Many times for many people out there is very little. It's one of the things I always want to challenge someone when they say, Jay, I need to know what the will of God is in regards to this. Because I want to challenge them and encourage them, we'll spend time in the Word of God. How do you expect to know the will of God if you're not in the Word of God? We need to be in the Word of God in order to understand what His will is. There are many that say, I want to know the will of God, but ultimately they're not seeking after the kingdom of God, they're seeking after their own kingdom. So it would be very understandable that we would be confused as to the will of God when we're not seeking after God. Barnes says this, the heart that is renewed is best suited to appreciate and understand His will. You see, we need to wrestle with our minds and the word first. That's why I think we have the beginning of verse two. I think this is all in context and it's very clear. If you wanna be transformed, it's about renewing your mind. And once you renew your mind, then you can prove what the will of God is. But if we're not renewing our minds, we're not gonna be able to prove the will of God. If we're not being transformed, we're not gonna be able to prove the word of God. The will of God, sorry, not the word of God. We need to wrestle with our minds and the Word. This is an essential thing and it needs to happen first. We can't know or understand God's will until you know and understand what God says. And why would anyone expect to know or understand the will of God if you're not walking with Him? I think we sometimes want to jump to, just tell me what I need to do. Give me a black and white answer as to what's the right thing and what's the wrong thing, and I'll just do it. As opposed to what God really wants is intimacy with you. He wants you to walk with Him. He wants you to be close to Him. And out of that relational aspect of God and your relationship, He wants to show you what He wants for your life. But sometimes we just want to say, well, I want to know the answer. Give me the answer to the test, teacher. God wants relationship with you. He wants you to go to Him and be dependent on Him. He wants to transform your heart and your mind so that you are walking with Him. I don't know if knowing the will of God is about what is the right way. What I really believe is this is just about seeking after Him. We should seek after God with all our hearts. I think that's the point of what James is trying to say, right? In James chapter 1. Yep, Proverbs 3, 5, and 6, trust the Lord. I'm gonna get, yeah, yeah, I'm gonna get to trusting and, yeah. No, that's good, that's good, that's good stuff, right? If we're gonna, if we're going to know the will of God, it is about trusting Him, isn't it? We have to trust that what God says is right, and if we're going to follow after His way, or our own way, and obviously God's way is best, but sometimes we struggle with trusting that. If we want to know the will of God, part of it goes back to what you're saying, Pat, about trusting. But as I was saying in James chapter 1, verse 5 specifically, James says, listen, if you want wisdom, or if we want to know the will of God, right? If you lack wisdom, what are you to do? Ask of God, go to Him, be dependent upon Him, do it in faith, right? That's what we're called to, and it's about turning and seeking Him in faith. You see, the key in our text about God's will is also in regards to this idea of testing or proving, right? See, I believe that the idea that we have here is that as we are transformed and changed on the inside, that we begin to align with what God wants us to do, and then we ultimately do it. The change happens from within, and it ultimately is proof on the outside, as God truly changes our inside. That's exactly what Guzik says. He says, as we are transformed on the inside, the proof is evident on the outside. Listen, it's not always about figuring it out. It's about the change that's in our hearts as we walk with Him, as we spend time with Him, as we commune with Him, as we have fellowship with Him. And it's about how He changes our hearts and our lives. It's about following His lead. We see that the will of God here in our text is good. It is acceptable. and it is perfect. And I want to break those three down and talk about the will of God in regards to those three aspects. The fact that it is good, it is acceptable, and it is perfect. Barnes ultimately said, I'm sorry, not Barnes, Strong's ultimately says that these three words here are adjectives describing the noun, which is God's will. So we start seeing from Strong's perspective, That each of these words describe an aspect of God's will. That it's good, it's acceptable, and it's perfect. So let's look at this idea of God's will being good. God is good. He is good all the time. And we can trust that His will is indeed good. You know, I think it's, throughout history, including now, I think that our people, our culture, the world, people are struggling with the goodness of God. And that's even amongst believers. We struggle with this idea of God being good. We may say that we believe it, but when it comes down to it, we start questioning. Do we truly believe that God is good? For some circumstances and expectations and disappointments have caused people to question the goodness of God. Why is there evil in the world if God is good? Why is there this thing that happened in my life if God is good? Couldn't God have prevented this? Isn't He all-powerful? If He's all-powerful and good, why would He allow this? Many of the questions that we experience today. And I believe, and I would tell anyone that wrestles with this, because I think it is a big issue for so many people. Maybe God's good for other people, but He doesn't feel good to me, right? That's what people experience. And I would say to that person, you're thinking of it all wrong. Consider the gospel. Consider the fact that you are a sinner, completely separated from God, and God sent His Son to die on the cross for you because He loved you so much, and He saved you from your biggest problem you ever had, the sin problem that separates you from God. Isn't God good? Consider the gifts that we have from God. I'm assuming that we all ate food today. That was a gift from God. The bed that you slept in, the air that you breathe, everything that you have, the very car that you drove to get here, it's a gift from God. Sometimes we're not thankful for the gifts that God gives us. When you consider the gifts that come from God, don't you see that God is good? Consider Our hope, our future, that one day we'll be with Jesus. He'll wipe away every tear. That we'll have glorified bodies. We're going to talk about that in a little bit. We'll have glorified bodies that can serve God without the strain of sin in our lives. That we will get to be with God, the one who has loved us more than anyone else has ever loved us in all our lives. We will get to be with Him forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and so on. Man, God is good. Consider the blessings that God has given you. Consider what he has done for you. you start saying, God is good. Consider how God is working all these things together for good. Listen, pain has a purpose. I'm not saying it's fun to go through. It certainly is not. But guess what? When you have a God who's working all things together for good to those that love Him, you know that whatever you're going through has purpose because God is in the one, that He's the one behind the scenes working it all together for good. So even my pain has purpose. When you consider The love of God, the forgiveness of God, the mercy of God, the grace of God. When you consider, man, you can just keep going, can't you? When you start seeing those things, you see very clearly, very quickly that we serve a good God. And yes, maybe in this moment it's difficult and we question God, why? But just because you're questioning and dealing with the why doesn't mean he's not still good. Just because you can't see the bigger picture of what actually is happening the way that God can, doesn't mean he's no longer good. Just means that he sees more than us, he knows more than us, and he is someone that ultimately is trustworthy. He has proved it again and again and again. God is good. He is good. His will is good. His will for you and I is good. Turn with me to first Peter very quickly. First Peter chapter two. First Peter chapter two and I want to look at verse 13 through 15. Mainly want to focus there on verse 15. But I just thought that there was this interesting aspect where God's will is that you and I do that which is right. And there's a reason in 1 Peter that we see that God wants us to do that which is right, according to His will. It's talking specifically about submitting to authority, kings and governors. It says in verse 13, for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether to a king as to one in authority or to the governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right." Verse 15 now, "'For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.'" Isn't that interesting? For such is the will of God, that by doing right, you may silence the ignorance." Part of what God wants us to do, He wants us to do that which is right. That is part of His will for your heart, for your life. It's what He wants you to do. And ultimately it should have an effect on the world, on those that see you, those that are foolish people who have ignorance in them. They should see someone, you and I, living out God's good will for our lives. That should have an impact. So one of the things that God ultimately, God is good. His will is good. What He wants for you is good and is right and has a purpose. And we see it just in this verse in 1 Peter. It has an effect. To do that which is right should have an impact on our world. God is good. And we have the privilege of honoring Him to do what is right, to do what is good. We have the privilege to prove the goodness of God and His will through our transformation. Isn't that exciting? That's an exciting thing. It should excite us that we can do that which God wants in our hearts and our lives. We can do that which is good. And I just have two questions and applications in regards to this and to the fact that God's will is good. His will for you, He is good. I wanna wrestle with the question, how do I trust the goodness of God? How do I trust the goodness of God? And that's where we see Proverbs, right? Proverbs, they trust in the Lord with all your heart. All your heart. Listen, I know that it's something that we talk about. We talk about trusting in God, but in the specific situations of our lives, I find that so often, at least in my life, that even though I say I trust God in this moment, I don't find myself trusting God the way I should. And I think we need to understand and evaluate, how do we trust God? How do we trust God for the future of this church? Right? How do we trust God for the specific things in our lives that are going on? How do I trust God in reference to my job? Maybe you have a job with difficult people. How do I trust God in the midst of difficulty, of pain, of suffering? I don't know what it is for you, but sometimes we struggle with trusting the goodness of God. Let's remember that He is good. And even if you're in a situation, you can sit there and say, it doesn't feel very good. I've been there, by the way. God, this doesn't feel very good. I also know that He's still good. So how do I trust the goodness of God? Second question I want us to wrestle with is how does God want me to prove His goodness today? Remember, our text is about proving the will of God, which is good, right? Is there somewhere in my life today that God wants me to prove His goodness by obeying His will in my life? I don't know what that would look like, but maybe there's something in your life, in your own heart, that you know to obey God's will will prove the goodness of God in this way. So be faithful to what God has called you. God's will is good. It's also acceptable. It is also acceptable. You see, God's will is not only just good, it's also acceptable. There are many things that our world says is unacceptable, but God's will is acceptable. doesn't always feel like it in the moments from a worldly perspective. But guess what? When we know that we can trust God, it is acceptable. Oh, but it's hard sometimes. It's hard to trust in the things that God is saying, especially when it's counter-cultural to our world. Well, let's just thank the Lord that the world is not God, right? God is God and we can trust Him over what the world says. And even when it feels counter-cultural, it might be hard, but it's acceptable. No, the world will say, no, that's not acceptable. How can you say that there is only one way to God? Well, we say it because Jesus said it, don't we? And that's acceptable. The world says, no, that's not acceptable. Oh no, it's acceptable because it's from God. God's will in your life is acceptable. It may not always experience that from the world's perspective, but God's will is acceptable. And we must remember that we are limited to what we can see. How do we know what is acceptable from our perspective, from our own perspective? We don't. God sees the bigger picture. So when he tells us to move, we move. When he tells us to trust, we trust. And we can accept God's will because he is in control. Barron says this, This word acceptable means that which will be pleasing to God or which He will approve. You see, as believers, we should have a strong desire to do that which would please God, to please Him more than we would please ourselves. You see, our desires that are of this world are fleeting and they are unsatisfying. To do God's will should bring great joy and satisfaction. Rachel and I have known each other for a very long time, as most of you know. And I've gotten to know her very much over the years that we've been dating and engaged and married. But when I knew her when she was nine, I didn't have the best understanding of what she desired in her life. But now as her husband, the more I grow in my relationship with her, I start seeing more what she needs, what she wants, what she desires, what she hopes for, right? Well, the same is true in relation to God. The more we spend time and know God, the more we start seeing the desires of God, and that should put in us a desire to do that what He wants, what His will is. Micah chapter 6 verse 8 tells us, He's shown the old man what the Lord requires of thee, right? to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God. Listen, if I'm walking with God, isn't my desire going to be, I want to accomplish what God desires for me, what He requires of me? If I care about pleasing God, aren't I going to want to do those things that please Him? The scripture tells us what is acceptable and pleasing to God through multiple different scriptures. We don't have time to look at them all today, but man, I'll just do a study on, you know, the things that please God, right? So many things that the scripture tells us. And if we are transformed, then we should desire that which God desires for us. God tells us what pleases Him and what He requires us to do. So should we want to do them? Turn with me to Hebrews chapter 13. Hebrews chapter 13. Hebrews chapter 13, verse 20 through 21. Specifically verse 21, but for context sake, verse 20. Hebrews chapter 13, verse 20, it says, Now the God of peace who brought up from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord. Now verse 21. equip you in every good thing to do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to him, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Please notice again in verse 21, God equips you in every good thing to do his will, working in us that which is pleasing. Here you see the very thing that we're talking about, that God's will is acceptable, it's pleasing. God equips us to do His will, which pleases God, and then we do the will of God and it pleases Him. We should desire to be transformed so that we can do the will of God and please Him. Doing God's will not only pleases God, but it should also please us, shouldn't it? Sometimes I think we're more focused on what pleases me more than what pleases God. That's something we have to be careful of. Because if I care what pleases God, then doing what pleases Him should please me. Because all I want to do is please God. How I wish that I would live more like that. I wish that I would continue to live more with a mindset of, God, I want to please you. So two questions in application to the will of God, which is acceptable. How does God want me to please him today? How does God want me to please him today? I don't know if you've thought about this question today, but I encourage us, Russell, God, how can I please you today? Again, I told you, there's all kinds of scripture that talks about what pleases Him. So how does God want you to please Him today? Second question, am I desiring God to be pleased in me? Again, I think this is important because sometimes there's a battle that goes on in our flesh that says, I want to please myself. And we need to wrestle with that because ultimately it should never be about you and I. It should be about pleasing the great one who loved us so much that he gave his son for us. Am I desiring that God be pleased in me? Not am I desiring, am I pleased in myself and what I want, what I get? Am I pleased in what, am I desiring God to be pleased in me? That's the question I want us to wrestle with. And finally, We see that the will of God is good, we see that it is acceptable, and then we see this concept that it is perfect, right? It's perfect. We should recognize pretty quickly that God's will is perfect. He is perfect and holy. So how is God, you know, obviously just knowing that God's will is from God and God is perfect should suggest that God's will is perfect, right? God's will then perfected. How is God's will then perfected in believers who struggle with the flesh? Have you ever thought about this? Isn't it amazing that God uses us sinners, when He is God and He is perfect, to carry out His perfect will when I'm still struggling with the flesh? Clark says this, this word perfect means finished and complete. When the mind is renewed and the whole life changed, then the will of God is perfectly fulfilled. Guys, it is astonishing to me that God would use a sinner like me in the context of his perfect plan. The more that I am being transformed, the more I am being perfected. It is a process. I'm still working on it. Hopefully you are too. We're growing. We need to keep growing. It's a process. Barnes says this, this idea of perfect is free from deficit, strain or injury, that which has all its parts complete or which is not disproportionate. And listen, the thing is, we might not be perfect today, but God's will is that we would grow in our sanctification. He is growing us more and more into the image of His Son. This is the picture that we can see in regards to this concept of transformation in regards to fulfilling His will. You know, one of the greatest men, there are many great men in my life that have impacted me, but one of them was my grandfather. He and I, he worked very closely with my dad in the church that I'm now pastoring with my dad in. And my grandfather, he was a missionary to Japan for 39 some years. And when he came back, he decided to help my dad with the church. And I'll never forget, I would sit on, on this side of the, of the pews and my grandfather would sit on this side, right in the front row. And my dad would be preaching, his son would be preaching. And every now and then I'd look over and I would see tears streaming down his face as he was convicted by something from the word of God, as he was touched by something from the word of God. When I was young, I would go into, stay over the night at their house sometimes, and this is true of Nina and Pappy as well, but I would wake up in the middle of the night around five, five in the morning, go downstairs, and there would be my grandfather in his office reading the Word. He told me, Jay, you need to go back to bed. So I'd go back to bed. and wake up around eight o'clock, come back downstairs. You know where he was? He was in his office, reading his word. And then he'd sit down with me and we would read the Bible together. He was a man that knew he needed to grow. And though he was older, even when he was in his 80s, even to the very end, he was a man that desired to grow. And he knew he was not done. He's one of the most wisest men I can think of in my own personal life. And yet, what I saw from him was, I still need to grow. I'm not there yet. Powerful example to me as I looked at my grandfather. There is this aspect where God wants us to continue to grow. We should never stop growing. If we've stopped growing, then something's the problem, right? Turn with me to 1 Thessalonians 4. 1 Thessalonians 4. 1 Thessalonians 4, starting in verse 1. I want to read the whole thing for context sake, but I think it's important here. 1 Thessalonians 4, starting in verse 1, it says, Finally then, brethren, we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that as you receive from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God, right? There's that idea of pleasing God, right? Just as you actually do walk, that you excel still more. For you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification, that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality, that each of you know to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know God. And that no man transgresses and defrauds his brother in the matter, in the matter, because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. So he who rejects this is not rejecting man, but the God who gives his Holy Spirit to you. Notice, please, in verse 3, it says, Right? Now, obviously, this is dealing with sexual immorality as well, but you see this concept in there very clearly, that God is concerned. His will is that you grow in sanctification. You see it again in verse 7, God wants you and I to grow. Here's what pleases God, is that we continue to grow in our sanctification. This is an important part of the Christian life. Have you ever wondered why am I still here? Like, I've become a believer. Why doesn't God just take me home? But I'm still here on this earth and wrestling and dealing with all kinds of issues and problems in the world, right? I don't always know why God has you still here, but I do know one thing, He's not done with you yet. He wants to grow you. He has plans for you. He wants to use you and grow you today. He is not done with you. One day, one day, we'll be glorified. One day we will be with Him. One day, this aspect of transformation will be fulfilled and completed. Never to sin again. To be able to walk and talk and be with Jesus forever and ever and ever. Never to sin again. So there's this idea of this transformation that one day it will completely and fully be fulfilled when we are with Jesus. But until that day, Let's keep growing. Let's keep growing in our sanctification. It's God's will for you. God's will for you is good, it is acceptable, and it is perfect. And even if you don't experience the perfect now, we have the hope of when it's coming. So two questions for us to close in application. How is God wanting me to grow in my sanctification today? How is God wanting me to grow in my sanctification today? It's a question I think we need to wrestle with consistently, right? How does God want me to keep growing? And finally, how does God want me to prove His perfect will? How does God want me to prove His perfect will? Let's pray. Father, I just want to thank you so much That you are a God that we can trust and depend on. That you are a God who is in control. Father, I pray that you would help us to desire to walk closely with you. That you would help us to depend solely on you and trust you in all things. Lord, I pray that you would help us to prove the will of God, the will of you that is good and acceptable and perfect. Help us with these things today. For it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.