Transformed (2)

The Making of the Monarch Butterfly

Most of us, unless you are from the Seattle/Vancouver area or the southern tip of Florida, are familiar with the monarch butterfly. In the springtime the adult will lay eggs on the milkweed plant. It produces the caterpillar which transforms into a pupa and then finally emerges as a beautiful butterfly. This all occurs in a period of 4 weeks (great for classrooms). Until recently, the only way to study how a caterpillar changes into a butterfly was to cut open the chrysalis or x-ray it—both with fatal results. But a recent issue of National Geographic reported on new micro-CT scans that show how metamorphosis takes place.

Metamorphosis is a radical change in form and function. Many animals go through this process (frogs, sea urchins, wasps, beetles), but most of us know about metamorphosis from caterpillars that become butterflies. Yet scientists are only beginning to grasp the miracle of what goes on in a chrysalis. The article notes that, “Certain cells die, and body parts atrophy. Meanwhile, other cells, in place since birth, rapidly expand.” The adult emerges “completely remodeled, capable of flight” and possessing a completely rewired brain. New research shows that the insect’s makeover is a mix of destruction of old ways of being and thinking combined with brand new ways of being and thinking. I have been aware of the monarch but never understood the scope of the radical change that took place for the butterfly to reemerge and fly freely in the sky. Freedom is offered to humanity today, but freedom demands transformation.

Freedom Demands Transformation

As Christians we speak of this metamorphosis as transformation. Romans 12:1-2 tell us:

Romans 12:1–2 NIV

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Verse 1 recognizes the mercy of God as the generator of the desire to be transformed, to morph, into a new creation molded in the image of God. Although the caterpillar can look at a butterfly and want to be one, it isn’t one until an internal process takes place. This process is directed by the person of the Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:17–18 NIV

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

We can say that transformation then, takes place because of God’s mercy (Rom. 12:1) and the action of His Spirit (2 Cor. 3:17f.).[1]

Transformed - Coming Out of the World’s Cocoon

The enemy doesn’t like it when we start to find freedom, and so he tries to attack us. When he does this, we need to remember that greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world (! John 4:4). We also need to be prepared for his attacks by being transformed through the renewing of our mind (Romans 12:2).[2]

Recognize that You Are in a Spiritual Battle

Before I explain more about what this transformation is, we need to acknowledge that the devil does not want us transformed. He wants to disrupt your transformation. We’ve talked repeatedly about 1 Cor 3:17 and freedom but we also need to hear what Paul tells the church about the battle they are in. In just a couple verses he says:

2 Corinthians 4:4 NIV

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Unbelievers don’t understand their need for mercy and grace. They don’t see their need to be equipped with the Armor of God – the Gospel, salvation, righteousness, spiritual maturity, spiritual gifts, and prayer.

2 Corinthians 4:8–9 NIV

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

I was fortunate to have attended the CMN conference this past week. On the opening night our General Superintendent spoke and made these remarkable observations. We have seen, especially within the last 8 years, an increase in attacks on 5 institutions: Social Institution Political Institution Educational Institution Family Institution Religious Institution Our lives are rife with spiritual battlefields, it does us no good to ignore this fact.

Know Your Enemy

As we are being transformed not only do we need to be mindful of the spiritual battle, but we need to know the enemy. One of my favorite movies is We Were Soldiers. It is the story of the first Air Cav group that went into Vietnam. It was supposed to be a covert testing of the concept. It turned out that it was an insertion of forces into the hives nest of the same North Vietnamese who massacred the French a few years earlier. The American commander on the ground took time to study his enemy beforehand. As the nature of the battle shifted, the American commander massed troops in just the right spots to enable his unit of 400 men to defend themselves against 4,000 North Vietnamese. Ultimately, the Air Cav unit was credited with killing over 1,200 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong while losing 234 of our own. This remarkable success was, in part, due to the wisdom of Maj. Hal Moore’s preparation as he studied his enemy even before the battle.

1 Peter 5:8 NIV

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

James 4:7 NIV

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Renew Your Mind

I said earlier that the beautiful Monarch butterfly emerges after radical changes take place. We can compare it to a mix of destruction of old ways of being and thinking combined with brand new ways of being and thinking.

Romans 12:2 NIV

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Bruce Barton, the general editor of the Life Application Study Bible, makes this point… “Believers are to experience a complete transformation from the inside out. And the change must begin in the mind, where all thoughts and actions begin. Paul wrote to the Ephesians

Ephesians 4:22–24 (NIV) 22You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. One of the keys, then, to the Christian life is to be involved in activities that renew the mind. Renewing (anakainosei) refers to a new way of thinking, a mind desiring to be conformed to God rather than to the world. We will never be truly transformed without this renewing of our mind. Much of the work is done by God’s Spirit in us, and the tool most frequently used is God’s Word. The Bible claims the ability to judge “the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12 niv). As we memorize and meditate upon God’s Word, our way of thinking changes. Our minds become first informed, and then conformed to the pattern of God, the pattern for which we were originally designed.”[3] I can hear some objections to a message like this. Pastor, His grace is sufficient. I have all I need in Christ. Those things are true, but my experience has been, and the lives of OT and NT believers have shown me that freedom in righteousness is not only imputed but it is exercised through faithful living. It is true that the thief on the cross met Jesus that day, what we don’t see is the man’s inevitable life change that would have followed. Don’t let his story justify a failure to walk in obedience in Christ.

It is easier to die once for God than to live always the surrendered life. But nothing so pleases God as daily surrender, the sacrificed and yielded will tied by cords to his altar.[4]– F. B. Meyer

“God can deliver in a day, no doubt. But you’ve got to back up that deliverance with daily habits that fortify your newfound freedom. If you don’t, it’ll be short lived. You’ll end up right back where you started” – Mark Batterson, Win the Day[5]

Make Wise Choices

In the same way of thinking, we have to make wise choices about how we are living. Andy Stanley, probably a decade ago, preached a series of messages called Guardrails. It wasn’t a list of do’s and don’ts about entertainment, sex, alcohol, money, and morals. It simply asked the question, “Is this the wise thing to do?”

Ephesians 5:15–16 NIV

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

2 Timothy 2:22 NIV

Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Ephesians 4:26–27 NIV

“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.

Don’t Jeopardize Your Transformation

As transformed believers we ought to be asking ourselves some questions:

“What bait does Satan use in my life?”

What things are not wise for me to have in my life?

2 Corinthians 4:4 NIV

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

2 Corinthians 4:4 NIV

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Know where the enemy can exploit your weaknesses.

· Rejection · Self-hatred/unworthiness · Pride · Guilt/shame · Anger · Abuse · Depression · Greed · Lust/sexual impurity · Fear

“Am I compromising in areas of my life?”

- Don’t minimize or rationalize small compromises. If your compass is off only a fraction, it produces greater and greater error the further you travel.

“Have I given the devil a foothold in my life?”

- Don’t give the devil a foothold because a foothold can become a stronghold.

Get help and support. Don’t try to fight the enemy alone. This is one of the many reasons that our community groups are so valuable. These groups create community and strengthen us. When one is down, the others can pick them up.

Prepare for spiritual battle. Find your passion for worship. Read the Word of God. Hang out with encouraging friends. Create new pathways in your mind. What are you feeding your mind?

Transformation is Worth It!

As I was writing this message I thought about the difficulties of transformation. Science tells us that the monarch does not emerge without radical transformation in the pupa stage. I have to admit that I constantly feel the process going on in my life. But I wouldn’t turn back.

“Worldly Wiseman: … Hear me; I am older than thou: thou art like to meet with, in the way which thou goest, wearisomeness, painfulness, hunger, perils, nakedness, sword, lions, dragons, darkness, and, in a word, death, and what not. These things are certainly true, having been confirmed by many testimonies …”

“Christian: Why, sir, this burden upon my back is more terrible to me than are all these things which you have mentioned: nay, me thinks I care not what I meet with in the way, if so be I can also meet with deliverance from my burden.” - John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress (Collins, 1953), 34.[6]

Oh, we don’t care what we must go through, so long as we can be the butterfly – the spirit-filled, powerful, and contagious Christian that God has called us to be.

[1]J. W. Simpson Jr., “Transform,”ed. Geoffrey W. Bromiley, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988), 889. [2] Christ Fellowship. “Freedom”. [3]Bruce B. Barton, David Veerman, and Neil S. Wilson, Romans, Life Application Bible Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1992), 231. [4]F. B. Meyer, Through the Bible Day by Day: A Devotional Commentary, vol. 6 (Philadelphia: American Sunday-School Union, 1914–1918), 93. [5] Mark Batterson, Win the Day: 7 Daily Habits to Help You Stress Less & Accomplish More [6]John Stott, The Preacher’s Notebook: The Collected Quotes, Illustrations, and Prayers of John Stott, ed. Mark Meynell (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2018).