A Transformed Life

Romans 12:1-2 “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. 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.”

Martin Luther states, “These words [of Romans 12:1-2] are overflowingly rich in consolation; for just then when afflictions come over us, we should be of good courage, because that is the good will of God. Therefore we should be greatly pleased when things happen to us which displease us. The "good" will of God creates good out of evil. The "acceptable" will of God moves us cheerfully to love such good. It makes this good acceptable to us, and causes us to agree with it, even if it is evil. The "perfect" will of God will eternally perfect and bring to a[n] end all who are glad.”

People are always changing things …

They are changing things from houses,cars, boats, clothes, or even jobs...

The great news is that God wants to change you!!!!

2 Cor 3:18 “And we all, with unveiled face, 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.”

Romans 2:1-2 “Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things.”

There are six things to see in this passage of Romans.

1) The Plea

Romans 12:1 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers ...”

This is a Parakaleo - Paul is begging us, imploring us to see the transformation that is needed.

Looking at:

The Centurion

Jairus

The Father of the Prodigal Son.

Paul’s plea is based off something that has already taken place prior to what we see here.

Before this plea, we see in Romans 11 that God rejection the Jewish nation because they rejected Christ.

Paul is pleading for us to accept Christ and not reject him.

2) The Logic

Romans 12:1, “by the mercies of God ...”

Because of God’s Mercy ...

Ephesians 2:4-7 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

Because of his mercy, we have been to sit the grace that you and I do not deserve. Rather what we deserve is seen the following passages:

John 3:36 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”

Rom 2:5-9 “But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek,”

It is the right thing to do.

1 John 3:1 “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”

Paul’s place is logical in the light of God’s mercy.

3) The Offering

Roman 12:1 “ to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God …”

With this offering we rehearse the sacrificial system, bring our lives to the altar. Because of this, Paul is pleading with each of us because of the great mercy of God, and what he has shown to us. Friends, considering what God has done, it is only right that we should worship him through giving our lives as a daily sacrifice, and this makes set apart and acceptable.

The following passages show us this:

Acts 10:35 “but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.”

Hebrews 12:28 “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe,”

1 Peter 2:5 “you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

4) The transformation

Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed”

Does Paul tell us that we are to conform to this world?

NO!!!! He tells not to be conformed to this world, and we are to be transformed.

James 4:4 “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

2 Peter 2:20 -22 “For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.””

WE ARE called to transform to Christ not to confirm to this world.

2 Cor 3:18 “And we all, with unveiled face, 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.”

As the church, we are CALLED OUT.

Friends, today I ask you, are you being transformed by Christ? Or are you being conformed to this world?

5) The Means

We are called to be transformed by ..

Romans 12:2 “renewal of your mind,”

How do you expect God to change you today?

Faith is key … How does faith come?

Rom 10:17 “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

Scritpure is the top of the list.

Hos 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”

2 Tim 2:15 “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”

2 Tim 3:16-17 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

This is how we renew our mind through digging into the word.

6) The reason

Romans 12:2 “that by testing you may discern what is the will of God,”

We are to be pleasing to God. We are to shine in a world of darkness, leave a legacy and get home to our FATHER.

CONCLUSION

Has your life been transformed? God will take you where you are! God is happy to take you where you are when you become a Christian. BUT, friends, God is NOT happy to leave you where you are when you become a Christian. HE WANTS TO CHANGE YOU!!!

YOU CAN START THE CHANGE TODAY.