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ROM 237 - Be Transformed - Part 2 - Rom 12:1-2
 
We started last week's msg (Pt 1) - by being reminded
of a little survey we did not long ago
 
It was a One Question Survey
"What would help you grow in your relationship
with Jesus Christ right now"
 
& a full 2/3 (67%) of you said that something in your "SELF"
(your Life) needed to CHANGE - needed to be TRANSFORMED
 
& really - the other 1/3 who didn’t write down
the need for PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION
could have written it also
 
Because God's Word says - every one of us
MUST BE TRANSFORMED
 
SALVATION - & - TRANSFORMATION
are exclusively TIED together in God's Word
 
In fact - the point can easily be made from Scripture
 
IF there is NO Transformation in your life
from you making Jesus Christ your LORD
 
Then - Honestly, you probably need to be concerned
 
Because Jesus Christ came to TRANSFORM your life
both NOW - & for ETERNITY
 
& so today - we're going to finish looking at
just what it means - to BE TRANSFORMED
Let's Pray
 
 
Let's start today by Reading ALL Rom 12:1-2
 
Rom 12:1-2 - ESV
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
 
Today - we're going to break down these powerful Vs'
into 3 major AREAS of BEING TRANSFORMED
 
#1 - Giving yourself completely to God - as a Living Sacrifice
#2 - Renewing Your Mind
#3 - Conforming Your Will - to His
 
& the result - - You will BE TRANSFORMED
 
 
(area)
#1 Giving yourself completely to God - as a Living Sacrifice
 
Rom 12:1 - ESV
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
 
 
We looked last week at Presenting our Entire lives
to be consumed by God - for His Purpose - & for His Glory
 
This means making every part of our lives - WORSHIP to God
 
It's saying to God;
Lord, I offer myself wholly & completely to you I lay down my own control & plan for my life
I offer all of my life to you Lord - as WORSHIP
And - as the end of Vs. 1 says
as we do this - we are living in the highest form of Spiritual Worship possible
 
1Cor 3:16 - & - 2Cor 6:16 both say
WE are the Temple of God
 
& How we live our Lives every day (especially when no-one's looking)
is actually our TRUE WORSHIP to GOD
 
One Commentator said we could Paraphrase Rom 12:1;
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your;
TONGUES (how we speak),
your EYES (what we look at),
& your ACCELERATOR FOOT (how we drive)
as a living sacrifice to God, which is your spiritual worship.
 
Let's see if we can make this come alive with a few Cross ref's
 
Turn to - Eph 5:1-2 - ESV  
 
 
Turn to - Eph 5:1-2 - ESV
1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
 
Be Imitators of God - & Walk in Love
Now THAT is definitely being a Living Sacrifice
 
 
When the Philippian church sent Paul money
He described it as (in essence) a "LIVING SACRIFICE"
 
Turn over to - Phil 4:15-18 - ESV
15 . . . no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only.16 Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again.17 Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.18 I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.
 
The money they gave - for the work of the Gospel was:
1) The Fruit that increases to your credit
2) A Fragrant offering - a Sacrifice acceptable & pleasing to God
 
Which is the same way Paul describes
our "Living Sacrifice" in Rom 12:1
 
 
 
But maybe the best example is found in Heb Ch 13 ( turn there)
Heb 13:15-16 - ESV
15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
 
Here the "SACRIFICE OF PRAISE" is described as;
1) Acknowledging the Name of Jesus on your lips
2) Doing Good
3) Sharing what you have
 
& vs.16 says - these sacrifices are pleasing to God
Because they are giving yourself completely to God, as a Living Sacrifice
 
 
So - that is our First AREA of BEING TRANSFORMED
#1 Giving yourself completely to God - as a Living Sacrifice
 
The Second AREA is
 
#2 - Renewing Your MInd
 
 
Rom 12:2(A) - ESV  
 
 
Rom 12:2(A) - ESV
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
 
Because of the GREEK word used for "Conformed"
 
DONALD BARNHOUSE says we could translate this phrase
"Do not go along with this world's schemes"
 
& last week - I asked every person here
to make a confession to God
 
Whether we are Being Conformed to this World
Or whether we are Being Transformed by God
 
But today we want to talk about THE PROCESS
of being transformed - BY THE RENEWAL of our minds
 
& we need to make one thing clear - before we start
 
The phrase "BE Transformed" is PASSIVE
which means this Transformation is done TO US
 
We can’t earn it or create it - We only Receive it or Reject it
 
& if we WILL Receive it
then it is completely GOD Who Transforms US
 
 
This GREEK Word for "Renewal"
is actually only used TWICE in the N.T.
 
 
The other time is in Titus 3:5 - ESV (after 1st & 2nd TIM)
5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration (salvation) and renewal of the Holy Spirit (transformation),
 
There's Salvation - & - Transformation
Exclusively Linked Together
 
But notice - Our Transformation is called
the Renewal of the Holy Spirit
 
We said last week - the Best Verse to show
this PROCESS of RENEWAL - is 2Cor 3:18
 
2Cor 3:18 - ESV
18 And we all, with unveiled face (salvation), beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
 
Our Salvation "UNVEILS" our face (eyes)
 
Then - we "BEHOLD" - meaning to GAZE INTENTLY
at the Glory of the Lord
 
& that Gazing Intently at the Glory of the Lord
 
Causes us to be Transformed INTO the SAME Image
from one degree of Glory to another
 
& this Miracle occurs - BY the Lord who is the Spirit (Holy Spirit)
 
 
 
The Process seems pretty simple - doesn’t it ?
 
1) Unveil your face - Get Saved
2) Gaze Intently at the Glory of the Lord
3) Be Transformed into his image - BY the Holy Spirit
 
It might seem SIMPLE . . . But it's NOT so EASY - is it?
 
Let's focus a minute on the
"Gazing Intently at the Glory of the Lord" step
 
Which is what the word "Behold" means
 
 
What percentage of Christians would you say
REALLY spend time Gazing Intently at the Glory of the Lord ??
 
I promise you, it's a pretty shockingly LOW percentage
 
& what percentage of Christians do you see
that've been REALLY, Radically, Miraculously TRANSFORMED ?
 
In my observation - it's about the same percentage
as those Christians who REALLY spend time
Gazing Intently at the Glory of the Lord
 
IN FACT - I think it's not only the same percentage
I think it's THE SAME EXACT PEOPLE !!
 
Which is exactly how God's Word says it will be
 
 
 
So - HOW do we become - a Christian who really
"BEHOLDS" the Glory of the Lord ??
 
Well - the FIRST Requirement
for "Beholding" (Gazing Intently) at the Glory of the Lord . . .
 
is - TIME !!
 
You can’t really Gaze Intently
in a Fast-Food, Microwave, High-Speed, World
 
Which is One Reason WHY - Rom 12:2 tells us
NOT to get caught up in the schemes of this world
 
Because one of the World's Primary Schemes
is to KEEP YOU from Gazing Intently at the Glory of the Lord
 
 
So - The First (OVERRIDDING) requirement is - TIME
& THEN (recognizing the Over-ridding requirement of TIME) . . .
 
There are THREE Major AREAS
that we can Behold (Gaze Intently) at the Glory of the Lord
 
I believe - Gazing Intently at the Glory of the Lord
involves Three DAILY DISCIPLINES
 
I believe these THREE DAILY DISCIPLINES
are what the Holy Spirit uses - to TRANSFORM us,
by the Renewing of our Minds
 
 
So - what are the THREE AREAS
we can Behold the Glory of the Lord in - DAILY ??
 
#1) DAILY WORSHIP
 
Psa 150:1-2, 6
1 Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens!2 Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!. . .
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! . . .
 
A) We've need to start each day WITH WORSHIP of God
B) We've got to live each day AS WORSHIP to God
 
THAT is what being a Living Sacrifice is
 
But pls let me strongly encourage you in this
 
We need to Specifically Worship God with our MOUTH
(at least in your mind) every day (preferably at the beginning)
 
There are many resources to help you do this
But my All-Time Favorite is:
 
Face To Face - Praying the Scriptures for Intimate Worship
Kenneth Boa - www.christianbook.com
 
Start each morning Worshipping God
& then - dedicate your entire day - as Worship to God
 
 
 
Now Remember - we're talking about THREE Daily Disciplines
For RENEWING OUR MIND
 
#1 - is DAILY WORSHIP
 
#2) THE DAILY WORD
 
Heb 4:12 says - ESV
12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
 
We have got to give the Word of God its rightful place in our lives
(which is Absolute Top Priority)
 
To Renew our Minds we MUST
begin Each Day with WORSHIP - & GOD'S WORD
 
We've Got to ALIGN & REALIGN our minds
with God - EVERY DAY
 
& this takes . . . TIME In God's Word
 
So we've got to MAKE the time (cause we can’t FIND any)
to REALIGN our Minds with the Lord - EVERY day
 
Again - there are a ton of helpful resources out there
But MY FAVORITE is;
 
DAILY LIGHT - originally by Samuel Bagster (redone by others)
find it at - www.christianbook.com
 
Guys - I Promise you - We Renew - & - Realign our Minds with;
1) DAILY WORSHIP
2) THE DAILY WORD . . .
 
 
AND - the Last Requirement
for Beholding the Glory of the Lord - - is
 
#3) DAILY PRAYER
 
Eph 6:18 - ESV
18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. . . .
 
Not JUST the I NEED prayers
but Prayers that come from the FIRST TWO Requirements
 
Prayer that come out of your DAILY WORSHIP
Prayer the come out of your DAILY WORD
 
As you WORSHIP God - &
As you CONSUME His WORD
your RESPONSE is DIVINE COMMUNION in Prayer
 
And IN that Supernatural "BEHOLDING" of
Worship - Word - & Prayer
 
I promise you - the Holy Spirit Will Renew Your Mind
 
& YOU WILL BE - TRANSFORMED !
 
 
The Holy Spirit will RENEW your Mind - as you;
DAILY Worship Him
DAILY Consume His Word
DAILY Respond to Him in Prayer
 
He will RENEW your MIND - & you WILL be TRANSFORMED
 
 
SOooo - - If it's really THAT simple
Why don’t more Christians do it ??
 
Because we are so easily CONFORMED to this World
 
& we must Fight the Good Fight of Faith
to be TRANSFORMED by the Renewing of our mind
 
But NOW you know the PROCESS
for the Holy Spirit to RENEW your Mind
 
so that you will BE TRANSFORMED
 
Worship Him - DAILY - as a Living Sacrifice
Consume His Word - DAILY - to Renew your Mind
Commune with Him in Prayer - DAILY - to Be Transformed
 
 
BUT WAIT - There's MORE !
 
We've only covered TWO of the THREE areas
of God TRANSFORMING your Life
 
 
We've looked at;
#1) Giving Yourself Completely to the Lord - Living Sacrifice
#2) Renewing Your Mind
 
But in these 2 msg's
we still haven’t got to the BIG THIRD AREA
 
#3) Conform Your Will - to His
 
For the Holy Spirit to Truly TRANSFORM us - we’ve got to;
 
1) Give ourselves completely to the Lord - (Living Sacrifice)
2) Renew Your Mind - (Daily Worship, Word, Prayer)
3) Conform our Will to His
 
Rom 12:1-2 - ESV
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
 
We've got to first look at the word - THAT
 
Give yourselves to the Lord (as a Living Sacrifice)
Do not be Conformed to this world
Be Transformed by the Renewal of your mind . . .
 
THAT - - THAT by testing you may discern what is the will of God
 
The highest level of Transformation
is when our WILL conforms to the WILL of God
 
& the REASON it comes last in these Vs's
is because it is the RESULT of the other 2 steps
 
 
Here's what I mean
 
The phrase "BY TESTING YOU MAY DISCERN"
(NKJ translates PROVE)
 
Actually means
To know the truth of something by experience - or -
To recognize as genuine by examination
 
& again - the highest level of being TRANSFORMED
is to KNOW (& live) God's genuine will for our lives
 
That is the ULTIMATE TRANSFORMATION of our lives
To live out God's Genuine Will for us personally
 
But guys - Knowing God's Will - is not a magic NEON SIGN
that gets lowered down from heaven to you
 
Knowing God's Will is the RESULT of
1) Giving Ourselves Completely to God
2) Allowing Him to Renew our Minds
 
It's the Natural Outcome
of what these Vs's have said so far
 
 
 
Now - there is so much that can be said
about "KNOWING GOD'S WILL"
 
& HOW to Know God's Will
 
In fact - 7 years ago when I taught this text
I Titled it How To Know God's Will
 
SO you can ask W-B-M for that message on this same text
 
 
But today - I want to give you a PICTURE
of what it looks like when a Person is BEING TRANSFORMED
 
The HOW to do it is;
#1 - Give yourself completely to God
#2 - Renew Your Mind
#3 - Conform Your Will . . .
 
BUT - what does it LOOK LIKE - when someone
is BEING TRANSFORMED
 
Is there a Picture of this TRANSFORMED PERSON in the Bible ?
as a matter of fact - there is
 
There are 2 wonderful O.T. texts - that really "Paint a Picture"
of what this TRANSFORMATION Looks Like
 
& in both these scriptures
we see how this TRANSFORMED PERSON can "KNOW" (discern) God's Will - by experiencing it
 
I'm about to use 2 scriptures
to paint a picture of a TRANSFORMED PERSON
Let turn over to PSA 37 - (I'm going to read from NLT)
 
BTW - in both these texts - we see;
A Command - followed by A Promise - then repeated
 
Psa 37:3-5 & 7- NLT
3 Trust in the Lord and do good.
Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you your heart’s desires.5 Commit everything you do to the Lord.
Trust him, and he will help you.. . .
7 Be still in the presence of the Lord,
and wait patiently for him to act . . .
 
BEING TRANSFORMED - Looks Like;
We're Trusting the Lord & Doing what's right
We're Delighting in the Lord
Committing everything we do to Him
We're Waiting patiently for Him
 
& then - God's Promises to us are;
He will protect us & prosper us
He will give us our heart's desires (that He puts there)
He will Help us
He WILL ACT on our behalf
 
THAT sounds pretty Transformed - doesn’t it ?
 
 
Let's look at one more great scripture
turn over to PROV 3:5-10
 
Same style - A COMMAND - followed by - A PROMISE
 
Now - as we read Pro 3:5-10
there are SIX signs - of a TRANSFORMED LIFE
 
I don’t have time to review them
so I'm going to point them out as we go
 
Pro 3:5-10 - NLT
5 (1) Trust in the Lord with all your heart; (2) do not depend on your own understanding.6 (3) Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
7 (4) Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, (5) fear the Lord and turn away from evil.8 Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.
9 (6) Honor the Lord with your wealth
and with the best part of everything you produce.10 Then he will fill your barns with grain,
and your vats will overflow with good wine.
 
SIX signs of a TRANSFORMED LIFE
& THREE Great Promises in response to that life
 
 
Guys - If we will;
#1 - Present ourselves as a living sacrifice to God
by giving ourselves completely to Him
#2 - Renew our Minds
thru Worship, the Word, Prayer
Then we will be able to;
#3 - Conform our Will to God's Good & Perfect Will
 
& we will be - Radically, Miraculously, TRANSFORMED
 
WE WILL BE TRANSFORMED !
 
Let's Pray