Romans 12:2
“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.”
Let’s take the first phrase of that verse -
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world …”
We are born into this world conformed to this world
This world reinforces this conformity
#6 Pop song 2013 - Just Give Me A Reason
Now you've been talking in your sleep, oh, oh
Things you never say to me, oh, oh
Tell me that you've had enough
Of our love, our love
Conformed to this world - broken relationships, implied infidelity
#6 pop song 2003 - Unwell - about someone who is on the edge of a nervous breakdown - no solution
#6 country song 2013 - Little Red Rodeo - a woman leaves the guy she’s living with
#6 country song 2003 - I Love This Bar - hanging out at a bar and drinking with an odd collection of people
#6 country song 1993 - Easy Come Easy Go
Says she's had enough of me, I've had enough of her too.
I might as well go on and set her free,
she's already turned me loose.
No fault, no blame, nobody done no wrong-
That's just the way it sometimes goes.
Sometimes two people just don't get along, it's time to hit the road.
#6 Rap song 2013 - The Jig is Up - can’t quote two lines without cursing or saying something brutal or offensive
#6 R&B song 2013 - Thrift Shop - vulgar and sexually explicit
“It’s Now or Never” - perhaps the most blatant expression of “give me sex or I’m out of here” ever put to music!
Conformity to the world - But what about that next phrase of today’s Scripture - “but be transformed by the renewing of your mind?”
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#7 Southern Gospel song 2013 - Voice in the Desert (Freemans)
People need to hear a voice in the desert (witnessing)
#7 Southern Gospel song 2003 - I Can, I Have, I Will (Perrys)
God helping us through struggles
#7 Christian Pop song 2013 - Whom Shall I Fear (Tomlin)
My strength is in Your name - For You alone can save
You will deliver me - Yours is the victory
Whom shall I fear - Whom shall I fear
#7 Christian Pop song 2003 - You Are a Child of Mine (Schultz)
No matter where you go, Oh, you will always know
You have been made free in Christ. You are a child of Mine
#7 Christian Rock song 2013 - Darkness Disappears (Awaken)
Difficult to understand but is generally about God delivering a person from suicidal depression although God is only referred to as an Embrace and the Light.
#7 Christian Rock song 2003 - Sleeping Awake (POD)
Seems to be about day-dreaming about Heaven
#7 Christian Hip Hop song 2013 - We Can Be More - (Sho Baraka)
Seems to be about “we can be more” than what modern relationships are implying marriage
Transformation
Saying - Garbage in, garbage out
Conformed - Garbage in, garbage in
Transformation - Christ in - new creation
- Truth in, transformation
Have you ever heard someone say to a new believer, “OK, now that you have come to Christ for salvation just continue doing what you’ve been doing, listen to the same music, watch the same shows, hang out with the people who caused you to sin in the first place. You don’t really need to change anything.” Have you ever heard someone say that? Of course not!
Have you even ever been around when someone got saved?
I mean really close and in there with them?
Philippians 4:8
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things.”
Psalm 119:105
“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.”
So, what do we have if we are saved but still living mostly with a mindset that is conformed to the ways of this world?
Saved and attending church once a week
Not reading the Bible or praying
Listening to music promoting sin
Watching TV that glorifies sinful behavior
We will have a muddied, ineffective life and witness
We need to be transformed!
Are you conformed or transformed???
What are the benefits of this transformation?
Romans 12:2b
“Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will.”
“Then.” That’s a HUGE word! “Then you will be able to …”
If you practice the piano THEN you will be able to play well …
If you do all of your homework THEN you will have some free time before you go to bed.
If you know the laws governing traffic THEN you will not accidentally break one of them.
If you have been transformed by the renewing of your mind THEN you will be able to test and approve what the will of God is …”
If I walked up to you and pointed to a stranger on the other side of the street and asked you what he would like for supper you would not be able to tell me. You don’t know him. You don’t know what he likes to eat. At best you could guess. But, you would probably guess something you like to eat because that sounds good to you.
If we don’t know God, or, if we met Him years ago but never bothered to spend time with Him we probably wouldn’t be able to guess what He wants for your life either. We need to know Him and that is what transforms our minds.
Does anyone know who these two guys are? (the Keno brothers from Antique Road Show)
What do they do? (They evaluate people’s furniture to see if they are genuine antiques or just fakes.)
Why don’t they just pick someone off the street to do what they do?
The Keno brothers have studied and studied and studied antique furniture. Their father collected and restored vintage sports cars, and both their parents specialized in folk art and country furniture. Their mother would take them out of school on Fridays to regional flea markets and antiques shows. The brothers took interest, were earning $200 or $300 a weekend by the time they were in the fourth grade, and by age twelve had entered in their joint diary "We are Antique Dealers."
They were not born with this natural ability to identify and appraise antiques but their minds were transformed by their love for antiques and the study born out of that love. (By the way, study driven by love is not study at all, but pleasure.)
People will bring in a piece of furniture; is it a treasure or is it trash?
They will look it over …
Is it made of the proper materials for that time period?
Is the hardware authentic?
Have any of the parts been replaced?
Is the wood properly aged for a piece from that time period?
Does it have the natural patina or has it been refinished?
Very, very, very few fakes or knockoff’s will get past them?
Why? Their minds have been transformed by their love of and study of antiques. Therefore, they are able to test and approve whether the article is genuine or not.
This is what spiritually mature Christians can do. They can do this because their minds have been transformed by the Holy Spirit.
We KNOW this from God’s Holy Word!
Ephesians 5:10 (NLT) says,
“Carefully determine what pleases the Lord.”
Ephesians 5:17 (NKJV) says,
“Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
Colossians 1:9b-10a says,
“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way …”
How do we do this? Scripture, prayer, godly counsel …
“Then … you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is …”
So, a decision needs to be made … How do you do that?
When we were in Costa Rica on a Work and Witness trip I wanted to pick up a pan flute. There were the tourist pan flutes which look pretty but have no musical value and then there are ones that are a genuine instrument.
God had given me an ear for knowing what a major scale sounds like and because of this I was able to test the various pan flutes, prove which one was a real instrument and approve the purchase of the flute.
The notes and music are sweet from this instrument even though I cannot play it well.
When your mind has been transformed by God and you are able to test and prove His good pleasing and perfect will, then, following Him will be sweet.
A person has three choices:
Remain conformed to this world
Live a façade of a Christian life
Be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you can know God’s good, pleasing and perfect will.
Where are you? Which will you choose?
Jude 1:24-25
“To Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy -
“To the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”
