Renewing the Christian Mind

Introduction

Dirty window Illustration

When I was 16 years old and a young high school student, I got my very first car, a 2006 ford Mustang Gt. It was bright yellow, it was sporty, and it had all the bells and whistles I could ask for!

except....... for remote start..

the reason that’s significant is because as a young teenager I loved my sleep. I lived a few blocks from the school and would often wake up with just enough time to get ready and get to school before first bell.

I had one major problem though, in Oklahoma I dealt with this thing called winter! The winter would ice up my windows and that created an issue.

See I didn’t want to wake up earlier, I also didn’t have remote start and I didn’t want to run out into the cold to start my car.

So the conclusion I came to in my mind was...... I’m going to wing it.

“I only live a few blocks from the school”

I would load into my car, get off any ice that I could and often with a very distorted view of the road and things around me I would make my way to school.

Thankfully, I made it to school safely and on time, and I get to be here with you guys today to tell the story.

but, I don’t tell you this story to tell you about some of my poor teenage decisions, but rather what I believe to be a more common than it ought to be trait in Christianity today.

We often walk through this life with a distorted view of God and His will for the Christian life.

God is calling believers today, to have a renewed mind.

A mind that is not distorted, but knows clearly the God of the universe and his will for the life of the believer.

A renewed mind gives Christians the vision to live life intentionally for Christ

Is your mind renewed today?

Are you seeing things through the blurry lens of a worldly view or have you been renewed to see things clearly through a biblical lense?

I love reading through the book of Romans, which was written by the apostle Paul. Just to give each of you a rough outline of Romans, in Romans chapter 1 through chapter 11, Paul explains the framework of Christianity, from our human sin nature all the way to the need for salvation in Christ.

Some theologians and other Christian thinkers say that this breakdown by Paul is the most complete representation of Christianity in all of scripture. It tells us all that Christ has done for us and our desperate need for him.

I want to briefly take you to the portion of scripture immediately following that break down in Romans 1-11

Romans 12 is exciting because it is essentially Paul transitioning from “this is what a Christian is” to “this is what a Christian does”

it reveals how a Christian ought to live.

read with me today:

Body

Romans 12:2 CSB

2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

God is calling us to a renewed mind.

A mind that seeks the Lord and his will in our day to day lives

Paul’s vision, to which he calls us, is of Christians whose minds are so thoroughly renewed that we know from within, almost instinctively, what we are to do to please God in any given situation.

Douglas J. Moo

A renewed mind shapes everything we do as believers.

It changes the way we treat others

It changes the way we treat ourselves

It shapes everything we do

Is your mind renewed today?

are you conformed to this age?

or

are you transformed in Christ?

Conclusion

Wherever you are at today, I want to leave you with one piece of advice.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.

or in other words..

In all that you are, seek to be all about Jesus.

1 Corinthians 10:31 CSB

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.

A renewed mind starts with a desire to be all about Jesus.

Is your mind renewed today?