Transformation

Introduction

Have you ever wondered what God’s will was for your life?

Is it even possible to know God’s will for your life?

One of the ways our culture tells us about finding God’s will is to ask a guru, ask a wise man, ask someone more knowledgeable than you.

And truthfully, it is good to ask for advice from wise people.

Illustration

Predicting The Weather

A film crew was on location deep in the desert. One day an Old Indian went up to the director and said, “Tomorrow rain.” The next day it rained. A week later, the Indian went up to the director and said, “Tomorrow storm.” The next day there was a hailstorm. “This Indian is incredible,” said the director. He told his secretary to hire the Indian to predict the weather. However, after several successful predictions, the old Indian didn’t show up for two weeks. Finally the director sent for him. “I have to shoot a big scene tomorrow,” said the director, “and I’m depending on you. What will the weather be like?” The Indian shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t know,” he said. “Radio is broken.”

For some of us, the idea of understanding God’s will is a lot like

trying to predict the weather.

We go to “experts” who try to tell us what is going to happen.

For some of us, we just feel like the radio is broken and we aren’t hearing anything.

Sermon Title : God’s Will Is a Transformed Life

Title Points: 3 Ways To Be Renewed

In chapter 12 we looked at the beginning thoughts of understanding God’s will:

(Rom 12:1 NKJV I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

Lesson

God’s will starts with a living sacrifice

Understanding what God wants for your life starts with being a

person who is on the altar. I need to let Him have my body to do

with as He wants.

It’s total commitment. Being a sacrifice involves total commitment.

Do you remember the difference between involvement and commitment?

“When you look at a plate of ham and eggs, you know the chicken was involved……..But the pig was committed.”

If you want to know God’s will,

He doesn’t want you “involved” in religion,

He wants you “committed” to Him.

Paul goes on to tell us the rest about how to get to God’s will.

:2 And do not be conformed to this world,

conformed – suschematizo – to conform one’s self (i.e. one’s mind and character) to another’s pattern

Paul’s painting a picture of clay being squished into a mold, a mold that is shaped by the world.

It’s keeping up with the current trends and fashions. It’s the pursuit of staying “cool”.

It’s learning to buy everything that Culture says you ought to buy.

More about this “world” –

1. Satan is called the “god of this world (aion)”

2Cor. 4:4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

2. It’s something that once was a part of our life before Jesus:

(Eph 2:2 NKJV) in which you once walked according to the course of this world…

3. The “world” will ruin your spiritual fruitfulness:

(Mat 13:22 NKJV) "Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world (aion) and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.

4. We still need to relate to the world.

It’s not that we should be irrelevant to our “world” around us. I don’t think we need to get rid of our cars and live on farms in the country. We need to be “all things to all people” for the sake of relating to them and reaching them for Jesus.

(1 Cor 9:22 NKJV) to the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

But we need to be careful that we don’t get shaped by the world and then caught in its trap.

“Stop allowing yourself to be in a place where the world shapes you into its mold.”

Lesson

What shapes me?

Q:How do we allow the world to shape us?

Fashion – how do you dress?Morality What constitutes marriage? Why even get married?

The Media scandals – cheating for success.

Information / news

Get two people in a room – one watches only NBC news, the other only FOX news.

Ask them what is happening in government. Stand back and watch the fireworks.

I’m not promoting either news channel.

My point is that we often form our opinions based on what our news sources tell us, and they may have a bit of a slant to their ideas.

The real issue is:

What shapes your life?

Is your life driven by wanting to look good on the outside? Is your life driven by wanting all the things that other people have? Are you drawing your values from what the world says is right and wrong?

:2 but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,

transformed – metamorphosis – to change into another form, to transform, to transfigure

“Transformers” – where cars and trucks are really robots in disguise.

Caterpillar into a butterfly

How does this change take place?

renewing – anakainosis (“again” + “new”) – a renewal, renovation, complete change for the better

We don’t have our minds replaced with a new brain, but our old minds are changed into something better.

ILLUSTRATION: OLD GROOVE NOW FILLING IN

It’s the way you think. God wants to change the way we think.

Lesson

How To Be Renewed

The New Testament gives us some great ways of how we can be renewed.

1. The Word

(Col 3:10 NKJV) and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,

How are we renewed through knowledge?

It happens through God’s Word.

Being “renewed” is a bit like having a beauty treatment, going to a spa, getting a face lift. Look how Jesus does those things for us:

(Eph 5:25-27 NKJV) Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, {26} that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, {27} that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

He uses His Word to wash us and make us new.

2. The Holy Spirit

(Titus 3:5 NKJV) not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,

We need to learn to be yielding our lives to the Holy Spirit – allowing Him to work in our hearts and minds.

3. Faith – trusting in the unseen

(2 Cor 4:16-18 NKJV) Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. {17} For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, {18} while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

We are renewed the more we learn to trust God for all our situations.

Lesson

Change your thinking.

It’s the mind that needs to be renewed. It’s the way we think about things.

The battle is all over your mind. What will it spend it's time processing?

(Phil 4:8-9 NKJV) Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy; meditate on these things. {9} The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

When you are in your car, who decides what station to listen to? Who decides what CD to play? You do.

You have a choice of what you’re going to put into your mind.

God wants you transformed by having your mind made new, by playing His “CDs”.

Sometimes we can get so preoccupied with a certain situation that it’s all we think about.

We work ourselves into a panic, we get depressed, we lose hope.

It wouldn’t hurt every once in a while to “change the channel”, to get your mind off your problem and think about something good.

One way we can do this is through not only reading, but memorizing Scripture.

So many of you do this when creating an I Will Statement

Illustration

Charles Swindoll writes,

“Why is the expenditure of time and energy so worth the effort entailed in memorizing Scripture? Because our life is lived in our mind. More than 10,000 thoughts a day pass through that gray matter neatly tucked between our ears. Theologian A.W. Tozer once said, “Our thoughts not only reveal what we are, they predict what we will become. We will soon be the sum total of our thoughts.” The Holy Spirit feeds on the spiritual nourishment of the Word to rewire our mental computer, thereby effectively changing our attitudes and actions.”

– Charles R. Swindoll, The Christian Life, (Vision House, 1994), p. 79.

:2 that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

If you translate this strictly by word order, you get something like what the NASB has:

(Rom 12:2 NASB) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

It’s when you’ve presented your body to God, shunned the mold of the world, and have allowed Him to renew your mind, that you are now in a position to “prove” or “test” what God’s will is.

prove – dokimazo – to test, examine, prove, scrutinize (to see whether a thing is genuine or not), as metals; to recognize as genuine after examination

ILLIUSTARTION:

To know counterfeit we are to hang around the real thing

will – thelema – what one wishes or has determined shall be done; will, choice, inclination, desire, pleasure

This is more the idea of what God desires, what God wishes for us.

Paul has been telling us how to “test” to see if something is God’s will or not.

When you do these things (living sacrifice, not conformed to the world, transformed by renewing the mind), you are entering into the process of testing to see what God’s will is.

Lesson

You are more important than the answer

Sometimes we get consumed with certain issues regarding God’s will.

We want some kind of guidance as to the specific decisions we face in life.

We want to know who to marry, what job to take, where to live, etc.

But if you pay attention to what Paul says is the key to testing God’s will, it’s all about what kind of person you are becoming, not the specific answer to your question.

I believe God isn’t as much concerned about specific decisions as He is about what we’re becoming.

Don’t get me wrong, I believe God is very concerned about which specific decisions we make.

But I believe He is even more concerned about what kind of person we’re becoming.

When you get to the point where you’ve

1)presented your body to God,

2) you’ve refused to be molded by the world,

3) and you’ve been letting Him renew your mind, then you’re in a position to know God’s will.

Chuck Smith writes,

“Too often we assume that God only reveals His will in exotic ways such as tinglings down the spine or fiery letters in the sky. When I entered Bible college, I learned that some students had seen visions or messages in the sky calling them into the ministry. I didn't have any such experiences. Actually, I had the least spectacular call to the ministry of anyone in school. All I had was a desire to serve God by learning more of His Word. After all these years I'm one of the few from my class still in the ministry. Many former classmates are selling cars or working in some such occupation. I sometimes wonder what happened to those fiery letters in the sky. When we expect the will or call of God to come in dramatic ways, we don't anticipate the natural ways by which He so often leads us. Many times during the day God's hand is leading me, but I'm not even aware of it. Some people expect a divine signal system to give them directions. "Turn left! Beep! Beep! Go forward..." They're looking for the spectacular, so they bemoan the fact that they've never been led by God. In looking over my life's situations, I realize that God has worked out things with perfect timing. My hindsight shows me that my promptings to do a particular thing had come from God. God leads us in natural ways. He said that He would write His Law on the tablets of our hearts.”

Focus on the character that God is building in you, and you will be learning to walk in the will of God.

When you find God’s will, you will find out three things about it:

good – agathos – of good constitution or nature; useful; agreeable, joyful; excellent

There is nothing bad or evil about God’s will.

(1 John 1:5 NKJV) This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

We all know people who try to trick us and manipulate us to do their “will”, and it’s something that is not a good thing.

But God’s will for us is pure and good.

acceptable – euarestos – well pleasing, acceptable

God’s will is wonderful. This is the same word used to describe the living sacrifices we are to make to the Lord

(Rom. 12:1). We are a sweet aroma to the Lord as a living sacrifice, and His will for us is a sweet aroma for us.

perfect – teleios – finished; lacking nothing necessary to completeness

God’s will is all we need. We don’t need to be seeking things outside of God’s will to be complete people.

Lesson

Don’t be afraid of His will.

I think that sometimes we get the idea that God is out to ruin our lives.

He’s always doing “good” things for us, but they’re always the yucky, kind of “good”.

We’re afraid that if we give ourselves totally to the Lord, then He’ll send us to Africa.

We’re afraid that if we really stop worrying about who we’re going to marry, and put it in God’s hands, that God is going to pick out some really ugly and not my style.

(Psa 37:4 NKJV) Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

We often look at that verse and focus on the “promise” at the end and say, “Gosh, I can get whatever I want from God!” But God’s focus on that verse is to for us to become people who find their delight in Him. The issue isn’t the “getting of stuff”. The issue is whether or not I’m becoming a person who is falling more and more in love with God. And in fact, when I find myself delighting in Him, I find that all the “stuff” fades away and isn’t all that important any more. I find that when I’m delighting in Him, all that’s left in my heart, all the “desires” that are left are only the kinds of things that He desires for me. I’m not so sure this verse is a promise about getting “things”, it’s a promise about getting “desires”.

REMEMBER: When you get to the point where you’ve

presented your body to God,

you’ve refused to be molded by the world,

and you’ve been letting Him renew your mind, then you’re in a position to know God’s will.

CLOSING

3 Ways For Us to Continue to Renewing of Our Minds

1. The Word

(Col 3:10 NKJV) and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,

How are we renewed through knowledge?

It happens through God’s Word.

Being “renewed” is a bit like having a beauty treatment, going to a spa, getting a face lift. Look how Jesus does those things for us:

(Eph 5:25-27 NKJV) Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, {26} that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, {27} that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

He uses His Word to wash us and make us new.

2. The Holy Spirit

(Titus 3:5 NKJV) not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,

We need to learn to be yielding our lives to the Holy Spirit – allowing Him to work in our hearts and minds.

3. Faith – trusting in the unseen

(2 Cor 4:16-18 NKJV) Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. {17} For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, {18} while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

We are renewed the more we learn to trust God for all our situations.

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Gospel Presentation

Tonight you can experience Gods love

We must first admit that we have sinned and need Jesus to forgiveness

Romans 3:23

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

We have all sinned

If we broken one of Gods laws we have sinned

lied once

cheated once

hated once

this makes us imperfect and we can’t get to Heaven

`

If you hated someone in your heart you have murdered them

THAT IS THE Bad News

For the sake of justice there has to be hell

THIS IS THE GOOD NEWS

This is what distinguishes Jesus from everyone else …

Jesus is PERFECT

Jesus lived a sinless life……a perfect life

1 Peter 2:22

22 “Who committed no sin,

Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;

because of that, Jesus is the only one who could die in place of a sinner like you &I.

2000 years ago He came and lived a perfect life and died on the cross so that we might be forgiven!

John 15:13

13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

The bible says “there is No greater love than one laying down His life for His friend”

There are three major events in everyones life

1. Birth - Have No control over

2. Death - No control over

3. When we ask God to forgive us! Trading in our imperfect for His perfect

There are some misconceptions of us being forgiven, but in the bible it is clear!

We have not been forgiven by

being christened

baptized

or confirmed

praying occasionally

going to church

or trying to be good

These are all good things but non of these give us forgiveness

Jesus said there are two things that we must do to be forgiven

1. Must be WILLING tot urn away from all that is wrong in our life!

WILLING - there may be things that you feel powerless to give up

addictions

habits

or complicated things

That’s ok as long as we are willing…..God will help us

2. Surrender to Jesus

If God made you don’t you think He deserves to be center

acknowledge Him as savior

humble our lives to Him in service

Story Of Gods Book

When we were born God created this book of our lives

When ever we broke His law it was written in there (every sin)

Say you don’t surrender your life

God will say sorry I can’t let you into Heaven!u

You never asked me to forgive you!

I loved you so much I tried many ways to get your attention

A. I died on the Cross to take your punishment

B. Someone explained to you in a simple way that you could be forgiven

C. There were churches throughout the world

D. I gave you a conscious to tell right from wrong

E. I created a world that was so awesome how could you not wonder!

F. Finally I rose from the dead to prove that I was God

You still did not surrender!

JOHN 14:6

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

So how about you?

If you die tonight were would you go?

Remember to get to heaven you need a perfect record!

You can only find this in Jesus

Ephesians 2:8-9

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

To receive this FREE Gift you only have to do two things

1. Be willling to turn from the wrong in your life

2. Surrendr to Jesus

unless you do these two things it is impossible to be forgiven

impossible to get into Heaven

This is so sad because this is the reason Jesus died for you &I:)

Romans 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

The bible says “when we receive Christ we become a new creation!

The old has gone and the new has come!

I cant give you the words but I cant say them for you

I admit I am a sinner

I fall short of your perfection

I acknowledge that my sin will keep me out of your presents

I believe you sent your son to die on the cross to pay the penalty of my sin

I believe you died, were buried, and rose again, and waiting in Heaven for me

I ask you into my heart Jesus, to be my Lord,Savior, and King forevermore

In Jesus name Amen!