45 Preaching/Teaching: Romans 12:2-

Transformer for Jesus!

EOT - Paul tells the Romans to be transformed so that they can experience the will of God.

EOS-We must choose to be transformers

DDS-Memorize Romans 12:2

Romans 12:2 (NIV84)

Do not conform any longer 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.

Transformers

When I was a kid this was a cartoon. it was all of these cars that could transform and take out the really bad guys.

The Movie Transformers the cars don’t look old school they look legitimate.

Megatron was the 18 wheeler, Bumble bee was the sports car. And they would transform into these incredible things and save the world.

God wants you and me to be transformers.

As followers of Jesus he wants to transform us from the inside out so that we can be his instruments or agents who transform this world.

Are you a transformer for Jesus?

Today I want to ask you a question-

Is there a transformation going on in your life?

Do you look more like Jesus than you did last year?

What about when you first became a Christian?

1. (WHAT)-We must daily choose to be transformer for Jesus.

If you are a follower of Jesus you have a choice. You can be a world changer (transformer) or you can live a mediocre life.

a. Negative part of the command = conform to the world.

Romans 12:2 (NIV84)

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world,

The Epistle to the Romans A. The Heart of the Matter: Total Transformation (12:1–2)

but, perhaps most likely, whether middle or passive in form, it has a simple (“intransitive”) active significance—“do not conform” (NIV; REB; NJB).63

You will not be healthy without eating healthy.

You will not be good with your money without having a budget and a plan.

You will not grow into looking like Jesus without being intentional.

Earlier in Romans it told us what we are to conform into.

Romans 8:29 (NASB95)

For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;

Remember this is called sanctification.

One preacher said sanctification is the process of God beating the hell out of you to make you look like Jesus.

You will either be conformed to Jesus or to the patterns of this world, you cannot sit on the fence.

If you sit on the fence the one gurantee is that you will be like the pattern of this world.

You will become that which you worship.

Don’t we learn to conform at an early age. It is probably happens at a young age. You want to fit in so you do what everyone else does. You conform. We conform and it’s easy and everyone else is doing it.

Many times we thing of big and bad things we conforming to:

Someone is introduced to a drug and now they are an addict

In high school someone starts drinking and now they are an alcoholic.

Isn’t the way of the world when something goes wrong to blame other people.

But don’t we also conform in the small things as well.

Conforming is being okay with the status quo.

I love America, I don’t think I will truly ever know how lucky I am and the privileges I have because I am an American. But can’t this great country, the American dream be what we become all about.

We conform into the American dream instead of into Jesus.

1 John 2:15–16 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.”

Conforming to the world is not hard-

It is not hard to love the world.

Lust of the flesh-It is not hard to have little discipline and cut corners and lust in our flesh. It is hard to love God. It is hard to have a marriage that lasts for a lifetime.

Conforming to the world is easy.

Lust of the eyes-Lust of the eyes is easy. We live in a society that spends …. on pornography a year. Could you picture if we spent that much on missions.

Boastful pride of life-It’s not hard to brag about how much you have and how awesome you are. It is hard to live humbly before the lord and to point others to him.

1 Peter 1:14 NASB95

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance,

How are you conforming to the patterns of the world right now?

It could be something small, like being on your phone all day.

It could be something huge, if you are believer in Jesus it says do not conform to the patterns of this world.

This is the negative part, if that is all it said this would be a pretty negative verse.

We see the word

BUT

Whenever you see a but in the Bible we know it is a comparison or a contrast.

What is this here-

It is a contrast-Here is what you do not do-Here is what you do:

Be a TRANSFORMER

b. Positive part of the command = (HOW) Renew your mind.

Romans 12:2 (NIV84)

but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Highlight the word BUT

Whenever you see this word it is either a comparison or a contrast.

Here we are seeing the positive side of the coin. We are not supposed to conform we are supposed to be transformed.

This word comes from the greek word metaphorphis-

The Epistle to the Romans A. The Heart of the Matter: Total Transformation (12:1–2)

They argue that the verb translated “conform” connotes a superficial resemblance, whereas the verb translated “be transformed”65 refers to an inward and genuine resemblance.

We all know that butterflies go through metamorphosis.

My favorite are butterflies.

When I went to New Orleans for Seminary my family would come up to me and we would get these year long passes and we could go to a bunch of museums and zoos. One of the passes we would get was to the butterfly museum. Butterflies go through metamorphosis. They go to these caterpillars which are gross to this beautiful butterfly. The process is hard and if you shortchange it you will never become a beautiful butterfly. In the last room at the museum it was just full of butterfly’s and you would be in this room with hundreds of butterfly’s that had just been transformed because they went through this metamorphosis process. In this room if you were still butterfly’s would even come and land on you.

Isn’t this what Jesus has done for us when he has believed the gospel he has transformed us from death to life.

Now we have the opportunity to live out this transformed life!

It’s not enough to just not conform. You can’t just hear the negative command, we need to hear the positive command as well.

Transformation is powerful we see it two other places in the N.T.

Mark 9:2 (NASB95)

Six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and brought them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them;

Think about how powerful this scene is we see the glory of God.

And God is saying we have access to be his ambassadors, we have the opportunity to be transformers for him.

2 Corinthians 3:18 (NASB95)

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

Romans 1. Among Believers (12:1–21)

The p 233 transformation of which Paul spoke in Rom 12:2 is not a change effected from without but a radical reorientation that begins deep within the human heart.

Application:

How are you renewing your mind:

Last week Danni talked about the PBJ-

In a culture where americans spend 100’s of billions of dollars on entertainment, (entertainment is not bad in itself). We must make sure that our main souce of renewal is God’s word.

Do you carve out time to

PRAY

Bible

Just sit with Jesus?

When I became a new believer I began reading the year Bible. I have read through the Bible 15 times plus.

Then a couple of years ago I switched it up and stopped and my Bible reading got a little more inconsistent.

I got back on the Year Bible plan this year.

Now my point is not that you have to read the year Bible as your plan but my point is you have to have a plan to renew your mind.

Today my goal is that you would memorize this scripture. What will that do. It will help you renew your mind.

What is your plan.

This next year as a church we are going to be reading the year Bible.

Embrace this opportunity.

2. (Why)-We must daily choose to be transformer for Jesus because God has a plan for us.

Romans 12:2 (NIV84)

Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—

God has a plan for you. Don’t you want to walk in that plan and experience that plan to the full.

Give ways we need to see God’s plan unfolding today!

3. (Why)-We must daily choose to be transformer for Jesus because God’s plan is glorious.

Romans 12:2 (NIV84)

his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Illustrations: Lea

APPLICATION

TRANSFORMERS SAVED THE WORLD against the DECEPTICONS

There were some epic battles

GOAL TODAY IS THAT EVERYONE MEMORIZES THIS VERSE

Will you be a transformer

Hand illustration

Reading

Hearing

Studying

Memorizing

Meditating

We litereally have the privlege of being God’s transformers!