The Holy Spirit Transforms Us!

Our passage for this week is, Romans 12.1-2.

As we have established the Holy Spirit is alive and working in the hearts and minds of people and has been since the beginning of time.

Note that I did not say just Christians or followers of Jesus have the benefit of the Holy Spirit.

WE know the Spirit is alive and active in the Old and New Testaments, in unbelievers as well as believers.

The Bible tells us that the

Matthew 5:45 (ESV)

45”For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”

Yes, believe it. Before sin entered the world in Genesis 3.

God created humans, He created them in His image, in the “imago de” and with many of the “gifts” that we have been given coming directly from God.

As such, The Holy Spirit works in every life that has ever existed on the planet earth.

All 117 Billion people that have lived on earth have been led and guided towards Transformation in some way by The Holy Spirit.

How can God and The Spirit keep up with the 7.7 Billion total people and 3.2 Billion Christians, on earth today?

I’m not exactly sure how that happens...

But I know that it happens…

I want to talk a bit about a rain analogy. Scripture uses and that’s good enough for me.

Hebrews 6:7 ESV

7 For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God.

That plant or that calf is transformed into a crop and a cow.

This blessing goes to the just and unjust.

Think about our Valley.

There are farmers who prosper and those who are also struggling.

The next crop is the next thing, it fills up the bank account, it may fill the shelves in the kitchen.

That “rain” if you will... rains on everyone. For some it is useful and encouraging for others it’s just water.

If believers are blessed we should be returning that blessing to God.

Each and every day we should be preaching the Gospel to ourselves, giving God the Glory, thanking Him for everything that he has done!

There is an alternate ending if you will...

God’s blessings, when they are rejected by an unbelieving heart, eventually are turned into a curse.

And the unbeliever stands condemned.

IT’s pretty clear here to me… God sent His Son, Jesus to reach out and connect with the Jews, until they wouldn’t.

Offering them the Transformation that only happens in Jesus Christ. Then he reached out to everyone else with the Gospel.

Paul and Peter was tasked with reaching the whole world with the Gospel.

The Spirit’s job with un-believers is different than that with a believer.

For the unbeliever, The Spirit, rains Blessings on them.

The end game, is having ALL reach out to Christ, with a willingness to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and live out the Gospel of Jesus in the world around us.

IF you are an unbeliever here today know that there is a decision point that will come in your life. Maybe today is that day?

IF you are a believer, The Spirit enlightens, encourages, rains blessings all over you. Why does He do that?

Because He Loves us and sends His Spirit to Transform us! To make us into something different.

QUESTION FOR TODAY: What does a “Transformed” life look like?

TRANSFORMATION Is an inward renewal and reshaping of the mind through which a Christian’s inner person is changed into the likeness of Christ.

Notice the importance of one phrase, “a Christian’s inner person is changed”

IT is changed into what?

“the Likeness of Christ.”

Well, what is the “Likeness” of Christ and what does that look like… Well I’m glad you asked.

Let’s pull out the proverbial mirror that we look at from time to time.

The unbeliever looks into the mirror and sees a reflection of themselves… That’s it.

The new believer looks at that same mirror and in the background see’s Jesus face… It’s distant

Through the process of “Transformation” what the seasoned believer sees is much less of ourselves and must more of Jesus.

Eventually, when all believers die or we go to Heaven in a great rapture.

WE WILL BE TRANSFORMED, THE MIRROR WILL BE FILLED WITH A PICTURE OF JESUS!

And the memory and image of our “old” self will be GONE!

OK, OK, OK I get it… Be transformed how? Where is the instruction book, where is the website, what is the number of the helpline.

Your looking at the instruction manual… This manual is for everyone, for all time. Anyone that comes with a completely open mind will be enlightened by the creator and snatched from the grip of sin, shame, embarrassment, all of those things will fade away.

In the Bible, characters are transformed through their own choices.

The conditions of human life in this world are transformed by Adam and Eve’s choice to disobey.

But we are commanded...

Romans 12:1–3 ESV

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

WARNING::WARNING!! Do not be conformed to this world, but be “Transformed by the renewal of your mind.”

This renewal happens happens, gradually and God has a part and we have a part.

The God part is that He has left us with His Holy Word that is contained in the Bible.

He has also given us the Holy Spirit that will act in accordance with what God began.

Bringing people to a decision point in their lives.

Our part is this…

Micah 6:8 ESV

8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Love people, treat them correctly. That may be at work, church, home, neighborhood.

Seek out those that need some care and compassion along with a big dose of The Holy Spirit.

OK… So I’m walking along treating people the way that EVERYONE wants to be treated. This has become a purpose in my life.

Oh, just wait a minute… There is another demand from the verse

WALK HUMBLY WITH YOUR GOD!

In the Old Testament the characters transformed gradually through life experiences.

Joseph moved from being the outcast, “little brother” to a world leader.

Moses did not want to lead… God had other plans.

He moved from a reluctant leader to an unusually strong leader.

Job is prosperous citizen, becomes an outcast and embarrassment to his family and friends.

Then God transforms him again and returns him to a better place than he came from.

THIS IS TRANSFORMATION!

An ordinary person… It might be you or I.

If you are a Christ follower you have a story. You might think that your story has no meaning or that absolutely no one would commit to Transformation after hearing it.

Your story will resonate with someone. The one that happens to me frequently is my history in the Roman Catholic church.

Many current and former Roman Catholics need to be evangelized.

They need to hear The Gospel.

Not in an old “stodgy” fashion. But in a new fresh way.

This experience shouldn’t be viewed as any of us picking any other faith or allegiance.

Or as a way to be “upity,” consumed by yourself and your own stories. Of course it has to be about, God and what He has done in in your life.

This is plain from His declaration concerning the Comforter:

John 16:14 ESV

14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

The Holy Spirit is here to interpret and vindicate Christ, to administer for Christ in His Church and Kingdom.

He is here to accomplish His redeeming purpose in the world.

He fills the Body of Christ, directing its movements, controlling its members, inspiring its wisdom, supplying its strength.

The Holy spirit becomes to the believer individually and the church, all that Christ would have been had He remained on earth.

Moreover, He seeks out each one of those for whom

— Christ died, which is for All!!

— Quickens them into newness of life,

— Convicts them of sin,

— Gives them faith to lay hold of Christ,

— and causes them to grow in grace and become fruitful.

This Holy Spirit, He is terribly misunderstood. We don’t know him except to use him as a means to an end.

If I pray for the new Lincoln Navigator, roughly $112 Thousand dollars, The Holy Spirit will hear me and provide that for me.

That seems to be forgetting something, some element. Ah yes...

As the Lord wills...

We have this ability to draw from this heavenly rezivor of blessings, honor, and courage. Anything in this resivior we can have and we can use.

Somewhere in there is my 2022 Lincoln Navigator.

But it all has to be as the “Lord wills.”

We have a Heavenly Father that is willing and able to make virtually anything come to pass that He wants.

Unfortunately, He doesn’t think I need a Lincoln Navigator.

What he knows that I need is to grow up enough that now is NOT the time for the Lincoln Navigator. And to accept that.

But there are people in our Valley who need to hear about the real Jesus and the real God.

As important to that is

From our efforts God will acknowledge and make fruitful our time and efforts.

Let’s look at our Main Question again

QUESTION FOR TODAY: What does a “Transformed” life look like?

I pray that all of us here are in a transformative relationship with Christ.

I pray that we can use His Word to guide our steps in becoming more and more like him.

Lets Pray

Communion