Transformed-Part 1

Introduction-Romans 12:1-3

This morning we will begin a series of messages which will concentrate on the idea of sanctification.

This involves the transformation which God desires to produce in the life of every believer.

This transformation takes us from what we are to what God would have us to be as we move toward holiness and Christ-likeness.

Generic Meaning:To sanctify something is to make it holy or sacred, or to set it apart for a specific purpose. 

Theological Meaning:In Christianity, sanctification is the process by which God makes a believer holy and separates him from sin. 

Progressive Work:Sanctification is not a one-time event, but a continuous process of growth and transformation throughout a believer's life. 

Key Aspects:It involves a change of heart, a desire to please God, and a move towards holiness in thoughts, words, and actions. 

It has been rightly said that “The conversion of a soul is the miracle of a moment, but the manufacture of a saint is the task of a lifetime.”

This simply indicates that while salvation takes place instantaneously—sanctification is an ongoing process that will last a lifetime.

The scripture plainly indicates that this process is not confined only to certain individuals but involves every believer no matter the stage of spiritual growth they have attained to this point.

Sanctification is a continuous process in the life of every believer whereby we surrender our will to the will of God allowing Him to shape and to mold us to suit His own purposes for our lives.

We will begin today in Romans 12 and then we will spend several weeks in Ephesians 4 considering some of the details surrounding this process of sanctification.

A Fitting Presentation (Vs. 1)

This passage opens with a reference to what comes before—to this point in the epistle to the Roman church, Paul has given thorough explanation of the gospel and has described the love, the mercy, and the grace which God has shown to men.

The response which is called for in chapter 12 is the appropriate response to what has been communicated in chapters 1-11.

Here we have a simple phrase that serves as a reminder of all this—by the mercies of God—a phrase which point to the mercy that has been extended to us all. Romans 11:32 “For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.”

There is no denying that God has been merciful to us in holding back the judgment which we justly deserved.

This calls for a response—the audience which is addressed here have already believed on Christ—the first and most necessary step in our spiritual journey.

The believers in the church at Rome are now challenged to present their bodies to God—an idea which involves the surrender of one’s own will and submission to the will of God.

This is viewed as the appropriate response to the reception of mercy and salvation from God.

This is a call to absolute surrender—this is communicated clearly in the idea of presenting oneself as “a living sacrifice.”

This invokes the imagery of the sacrificial system in which the various animal sacrifices were brought and placed upon the altar where they would be slaughtered and offered up to God.

That which is sacrificed to God is characterized by the fact that it is wholly devoted to Him and is now dedicated to His purposes and it no longer belongs to the previous owner.

However God does not now desire for us to bring a sacrifice to be offered to Him—instead His desire is that we should be a sacrifice—He does not want what you have rather He wants you.

The distinction is that you and I are called to present ourselves as a LIVING sacrifice—this involves presenting ourselves to God as an offering which yet lives and yet is entirely yielded to His control.

We ought to present ourselves in such a manner that our life would be characterized in this same manner as being wholly devoted to God, dedicated to His purposes, having surrendered any right to ownership over to Him.

We are to give ourselves over to God allowing Him to produce holiness in us and to fit us for His purposes as we yield ourselves completely to His will.

So often we present only portions of our life to the Lord—rare is the believer who has simply yielded himself entirely over to God forsaking entirely his own will in favor of God’s.

Yet this is precisely what God calls for—we ought each to place our lives in His hands to do with them as it pleases Him.

Transformation Not Conformation (Vs. 2)

This then feeds into the process by which we shall be changed—not through being conformed to this world, but by being transformed by the renewing of our mind.

The reality is that we are constantly being shaped and changed either by the world around us or by the God which dwells within us.

Here we are challenged as believers—first not to be conformed to this world.

This involves resisting the pressures which would cause us to yield to the ideas and actions which define the sinful world around us.

This means that we are not to conform to the opinions of the culture around us—especially when they conflict with the principles which God has set forth in His word.

We often think about being conformed to the world in the areas of moral standards alone and yet there are many other way in which we may find ourselves being conformed to the world.

We sometimes fail to recognize the various ways in which the world has influenced our thinking and our behavior.

There are so many areas (marriage, parenting, finances, work life balance, church, etc…) where our thinking is more aligned with the world than with that of God and His Word.

God’s desire is to transform our thinking so that we are aligned with Him and with His will for our lives.

This transformation takes place as we yield to Him allowing the combination of His Spirit and His Word to influence our thoughts.

This is the renewing of the mind which the scripture here makes reference to.

Ephesians 4:22–24 “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”

Colossians 3:9–10 “Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:”

It is only by this process of continual transformation that we shall discover the will of God and be enabled to actually pursue it by His power at work within us.

There is a real danger that we shall be conformed to this world through a simple failure to yield to God so that He may transform us instead.

There is not neutral position for the believer—either we shall be conformed to this world or we will allow God to transform us so that we may be what He would have us to be so that we can then do what He would have us to do.

Accurate Assessment (Vs. 3)

This final point in the passage is a critical one which we all ought to carefully take note of.

As Paul concludes this thought and begins to transition toward another, under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, he challenges the believers in the church at Rome to accurately assess themselves.

There is a real danger that we shall have a sort of spiritual arrogance—believing ourselves to be much further along in this process than we actually are.

We need look no further than the Pharisees of Jesus day to see this spiritual arrogance exemplified.

Luke 18:10-14-the Pharisee and the Publican

The Pharisee wrongly assessed himself as spiritual and as superior to the publican—all the while the publican had a right assessment of himself, understanding that he was a sinner in need of mercy from God.

We are living in a generation where genuine spirituality has for some time been in steep decline and this has led to an improper sense of pride in some who view themselves as spiritual in comparison to the generally carnal and apathetic Christians of the day.

Yet it is important to recognize that our spirituality and need for sanctification are not judged on the basis of a sliding scale which moves with the culture.

The true basis for self-assessment is the Word of God and the will of God—am I adhering to the principles of the Word of God and am I doing the will of God.

We ought each to ask ourselves the difficult questions which arise from passages such as this—am I entirely yielded to God—have I presented myself to God as a living sacrifice?

Am I allowing myself to be conformed to this world, or have I invited God to transform me through the renewing of my mind such that I may be able both to know and to do His will?

It is not difficult to bear the appearance of genuine spirituality and yet we must look beyond the outward appearance to determine our actual progress in the process of sanctification.

No matter where we are in our spiritual journey—we can be sure that there is still much that God desires to do in our lives to continue the process of transformation which would make us holy and would enable us to know and to do His will.

We ought each to recognize today that God still wants to work in our lives to sanctify us in order that we may be holy and thus usable instruments in service to Him.

Conclusion

Today we ought each to ask ourselves—have I ever genuinely presented myself to the Lord as a living sacrifice?

This is the only rational response to all that He has done for you. If you have never surrendered your life to God—would you come today and take this initial step to begin in earnest the process of sanctification?

We ought also to ask “Am I in this moment in the process of being conformed to this world or being transformed by God?”

God’s desire is that we would resist conformity to the world and instead yield ourselves to Him so that He may transform us through the renewing of our minds that we may then know and do His will not our own.

Have you been guilty of spiritual arrogance—overestimating your own progress in the process of sanctification?

Maybe today you would admit to the Lord—I am not as far along as I thought myself to be and maybe today you would invite the Lord to continue the process of sanctification in your life.

There is not one of us today who is everything that God would have him/her to be-God’s desire is to continue the process of sanctification in our lives if we will only yield ourselves to Him.

You may not be able to say today that you are everything God would have you to be—but if you will let God work you can say I am not what I once was because of the transformation that He has wrought in me!