SERMON OUTLINE:
(1). Introduction.
(2). Consecration (vs 1).
(3). Transformation (vs 2).
SERMON BODY:
Ill:
• Let me tell you the story of two women:
• They both lived in the late 1800’s and early 1890’s.
Story 1: Anne Sullivan:
• When Anne Sullivan was aged 5;
• She contracted trachoma, a highly contagious eye disease,
• Which left her blind and without reading or writing skills
• When she was eight, her mother died.
• And her father abandoned the children two years later;
• For fear he could not raise them on his own
• And so she was sent to an orphanage.
• In those days they didn’t have programs for her,
• So they fed her and literally left her sit and rot.
• But she longed to go to school and learn like the other children.
• Her persistence caught the attention of a visiting man, a state inspector.
• His heart was gripped,
• And he paid personally to send her to the Perkins Institute for the Blind, in Boston.
• She learned to read using Braille, and she graduated at the top of her class.
• A few months later she had a surgery which restored some of her sight,
• And a couple years later;
• She became the caretaker for little 6 year old girl called Helen Keller.
Story 2: Helen Keller:
• At age two Helen suffered a serious illness that left her completely blind and deaf.
• As a blind child in the late 1800’s Helen’s family had let her live like an animal,
• Walking around the family table just grabbing food off their plates
• And shoving it in her mouth.
• There was no discipline, no control, and no efforts to teach or train her.
• But one day Anne Sullivan took up the challenge to educate and nurture her;
• It was not easy, but Anne persisted in spite of:
• Temper tantrums, physical abuse, meal time madness & even thankless parents.
• In her heart she knew it was worth the pain, and it sure was:
• Within 2 years the girl was able to read and write in Braille.
• For all her education Anne Sullivan was next to her and had to spell;
• Each letter of every word and lecture into the hand of Helen Keller.
• As she grew older she would ultimately graduate from Radcliffe college,
• In fact she was the first deafblind person to earn a bachelor of arts degree,
• 'Helen Keller' then devoted the rest of her life to aiding the deaf and the blind.
• Where she was able to raise millions of dollars for the American Association for the Blind.
• TRANSITION:
• Those two ladies refused to let their past control their future!
• And the glorious news of the gospel;
• (and it is glorious – there is nothing that compares with it) is this;
• What we were before we came to faith in Jesus Christ;
• Need not hinder or hold us back;
• Like Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan we can refuse to let the past control our future!
Note: Let me tell you another important part of the story:
• One day Annie Sullivan sat Helen down and said to her;
• “I want to talk with you today about God, our Creator.”
• Question: Do you know what Helen said?
• Her answer was; “Good, I’ve been thinking about Him for some time, now!ยจ
• It is clear from Helen’s writing that her faith in Jesus Christ;
• Was core to who she was and that from it her life arose.
• TRANSITION: I wonder how many people we know;
• Are waiting for us to sit down over a cup of coffee and say;
• “I want to talk with you today about God, our Creator.”
• If that is you is you today;
• Then I am happy to sit down with you over a cup of coffee and share with you the gospel;
• Or try to answer any questions you may have – don’t be shy in asking!
WE ARE STARTING TODAY A SERIES OF 6 BIBLE STUDIES CALLED TRANSFORMED:
• You will get a sermon on the topic each Sunday morning;
• And additional discussion material to use in your mid-week house-groups.
• So if you are not part of a mid-week group see myself or martin afterwards.
• The six subjects are:
• Spiritual Health
• Physical Health
• Mental Health
• Emotional Health
• Relational Health
• Financial Health
Note: Please do not think of this negatively!
Ill:
Going on a diet;
• I like the story of the woman who after going on a diet,
• Was really feeling good about herself;
• Especially when she was able to fit into a pair of jeans she had outgrown long ago.
• "Look, look!" she shouted while running downstairs to show her husband.
• "I can wear my old jeans again!"
• Her husband looked at her for a long time,
• Obviously struggling with knowing what to say.
• Finally, he just had to say it,
• "Darling, I love you, but those are my jeans!"
• TRANSITION:
• Some folks embrace diets, because they want to fit into that new dress;
• Or look in reasonable shape on the beach etc.
• Others are forced to comply;
• I have a friend called Owen who was given the stark reality check by his doctor;
• “Owen, you are gonna have to lose some weight or you will die!”
• You will not be surprised that he lost a lot of weight!
• TRANSITION:
• Please do not think of these studies negatively!
• Like a restrictive diet that you do not want to go on.
• But rather see them as positive steps to grow in your faith!
• This is your spiritual health check that will lead to a transformation!
Ill:
• i.e. We all have regular appointments with our dentist's and maybe our doctors.
• Those of us who are self-employed have to each year a financial check-up;
• i.e. We take our cars into the dealers for an M.O.T.
• We want to make sure it is performing right!
• i.e. To keep the taxman happy!
• Once a year we review our accounts and check our finances.
• i.e. And at work; Some of you will have to do a performance review;
• To keep your bosses happy.
• So it makes perfect sense that we take time out now and again;
• To do a review of our spiritual life!
• If we do not then we will stop growing and stagnate in our faith.
Ill:
• Not a lotta people know this;
• But there about a thousand satellites that are currently operational in space;
• One of the features they put into every satellite is called ‘Auto-correcting’;
• Because if a satellite is left to itself it will lose its way.
• TRANSITION: Christians who are left to themselves will lose their ways!
• I won’t but I could name you some people who have done just that!
• To change the metaphor, we are ‘all like sheep’ and we just naturally wander away.
• And as we have not got ‘Auto-correcting’ built into us;
• We are going to have to build in good habits and good disciplines to keep us on track.
• But these studies are designed to help us avoid limping into heaven;
• They are designed to help us run towards heaven!
• To help us learn, to evaluate, to grow, to move forward in our faith.
OK, INTRODUCTION OVER – LET’S LOOK AT OUR TEXT!
Ill:
• The book of Romans is very much like a crossword puzzle:
• For eleven chapters the apostle Paul has been filling in the doctrinal blanks for us.
• e.g. Down you have:
• (1). Humanity’s deprived state.
• (The apostle talks about how ‘All have sinned’)
• (2). GRACE - God’s unmerited favour.
• (How ‘Why we were still sinners Christ died for us’)
• (3). Our need to respond to God’s salvation in Jesus Christ.
• (‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved’)
• (5). The process of the Holy Spirit making us righteous.
• (‘The Holy Spirit of God living in you’)
• (8). Fact that we can never be separated from Christ’s love!
• (Nothing ‘will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’)
For a crossword to work:
• You have to work the two dimensions together,
• Both the vertical and the horizontal.
• Nobody can complete a crossword;
• If they only handle one dimension:
• The apostle Paul is about to deal with those aspects in his letter;
• And thus make the crossword complete:
• Note: The vertical is Romans chapters 1-11.
• Note: The horizontal is Chapters 12-16.
These chapters bring into balance the whole message of the gospel.
• Sadly some people just study the theological side,
• The theory contained in chapters 1-11.
• And they grow big heads full of information.
• And they never seem to get into the practical outworking of the gospel
• Chapters 12-16.
• And so they display very little of the ‘Fruit of the Spirit’ & Christian characteristics.
• Yet these last four chapters of the letter are so important:
• Because they deal with our interrelationships with one another,
• And our mutual responsibility to one another and to the world in which we live.
• If we stop at chapter 11 (the theory):
• We will soon be out of balance, when it comes to walking with God.
Quote:
“It is a healthy goal to ask God to keep you balanced:
Most of us are knower's, when we need to be both knower' and doers”.
ill:
• Many of you know that this week I have been involved on a Christian sailing Camp;
• My role on the Camp was as their guest speaker/Padre etc.
• Now each morning the kids start the day with instruction;
• They are told what to do by a qualified leader;
• They are shown diagrams and inter-act the theory.
• Well, most of them are experts when it comes to the theory;
• The problem is always in the application of that theory when you are on the water.
• TRANSITION: Most of us in Church know what we ought to do;
• But it is always when we are ‘in the world’ that we struggle to apply that theory!
• Now the Apostle Paul has NOT, just spent the first 11 chapters of this letter:
• Teaching the Christians in Rome how to be smarter sinners,
• Or how to be more informed, more intellectual believers.
• He wants his readers to be balanced;
• To allow their doctrine to affect their behaviour.
• We all (preacher included) need that balance between:
• Intake and outlet.
• Between time studying the Bible, and time applying what we have learnt.
• So to for Paul and his readers in these chapters 12-16 of this letter;
• Paul focuses on the practical outworking of the faith by showing his readers how to:
• See people with God’s eyes.
• To love people with God’s heart.
• To speak to people with God’s lips.
• To serve people with God’s hands.
2 THINGS REGARDING TRANSFORMATION OF THE MIND:
(#1). Consecration (vs 1).
• Verse 1: "I urge you".
• Notice this is an urgent plea, and not a proposal,
• He never says: "I have a good suggestion for you" or "Here's a good idea".
• Consecration is much more than a good idea.
• Look again at how he puts it (verse 1):
• "Therefore, I urge you brothers".
Note: There are 4 major "Therefore’s" in the book of Romans:
(1). Chapter 3 verse 20: “Therefore” of condemnation – we are all guilty.
Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.
(2). Chapter 5 Verse 1. "Therefore" of Salvation.
“Therefore since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ”
(3).
• Chapter 8 Verse 1. "Therefore" of our security.
• “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”.
(4). Chapter 12 Vs 1. "Therefore" of our walk. (Life-style).
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God”.
Paul says in view of:
• God's greatness and God's plan of salvation,
• In view of the security you know and enjoy in Christ,
• In other words:
• Because of all that God has done for you, can you now do something for him?
Question: What does God want us to do?
Answer: Consecrate yourselves.
• Or as verse 1 puts it:
• "Therefore offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God"
Consecration simply means ‘set apart’ or ‘reserved’ for God.
ill:
• When I go to watch my team at a football game;
• There may be 75,000 people at the game.
• But I know that one seat has been consecrated, ‘set apart’ just for me.
• It's been consecrated or reserved and that's what the word means.
• We are to be those who are reserved & set apart for God.
Notice:
• You do not find a day of the week mentioned!
• This is to be more than Sunday and Thursday night.
• There is no age group mentioned.
• Or any let out clause!
• This is for all Christians at all times,
• And this is our spiritual service, our worship, this is what God requires of us.
The emphasis in verse 1:
• Is that we must choose God “I urge you”.
• Each Christian is only as holy as he or she wants to be!
• Question: Do we have the desire to want to put Christ first in our lives?
Notice also that little word, ‘sacrifice’,
Ill:
• Last week on the sailing Camp in my lunchtime talks;
• I took the kids through John chapter 1.
• We finished our studies with the words of John the Baptist who said;
• “Look, there is the lamb of God”
• And I told the kids that they might not like what they are about to hear;
• And they might respond; “Well, that’s not fair!” – and it wasn’t!
• But at the time of Jesus, lambs were taken and offered as sacrifices.
• The guilty man allowed the innocent lamb to be slaughtered;
• As a sacrifice for his sins.
• TRANSITION: Whenever we read that word ‘sacrifice’;
• We are programmed to think of death!
• You kill something and then you lay it on the alter and it is consumed by fire.
• But notice here the phrase is different, it is a ‘living sacrifice’,
• Quote: "Trouble with a living sacrifice is they crawl off the altar".
• So on a regular basis, we need to examine our lives;
• And see what we gave the Lord and then took back,
• And try to bring it back once again to the altar.
So the emphasis in verse 1:
• Is that we must choose God “I urge you”.
• The proof of our choice is not what we say but by what we do!
• And that will involve sacrifice.
• So if you are looking for a comfortable, easy life then DON’T follow Jesus;
• Because he will not give you one;
• Unless you follow him badly!
Quote:
• The great missionary and explorer David Livingstone;
• Who on one occasion wrote in his journal concerning his “selfless” life:
• “People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa.
• Can that be called a sacrifice
• Which is simply paying back a small part of the great debt owing to our God,
• Which we can never repay?
• Is that a sacrifice which brings its own blest reward in healthful activity,
• The consciousness of doing good,
• peace of mind and a bright hope of glorious destiny hereafter?
• Away with the word in such a view and with such a thought!
• It is emphatically no sacrifice. Say rather it is a privilege”.
(#2). Transformation (vs 2).
Quote: J.B. Phillips translation:
"Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within,
So that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity".
Ill:
• If you are of a certain generation you will remember Power Rangers;
• They were just ordinary people.
• But they could transform themselves into martial arts experts.
• At the moment there was a sign of trouble they would say: “It’s morphing time”.
• That’s all good and well for the Power Rangers;
• But for you and me life is not that easy!
So Paul gives us two commands to help us:
(1). Do not be Conformed (vs 2a).
• Conformed means:
• Your outward expression is different from what you really are inwardly.
ill:
• If I turned up this morning dressed in a Gorilla costume (notice any difference!),
• I would be conforming myself to the image of an ape,
• Now obviously I would not be a Gorilla.
• Outwardly I would look like one, but inwardly I would still be human.
God says don't you be like that:
• Conformed to an image which is false and not you.
• We so easily do that as Christians.
• We do that whenever we wrap ourselves up and around in the things of the world.
• We are conforming.
Ill:
• Have you ever noticed when you go to the cinema;
• If you are a few minutes late and the trailers or the film has started.
• When we walked into the dark theatre;
• You cannot see a thing, it was almost pitch black (apart from the projection)
• But if you wait for a few minutes;
• Maybe waiting the usher to come and show us to your seats.
• Amazingly within a few minutes of waiting in the dark;
• The darkness seems to lighten off & you are able to see again.
• Your eyes adjust to the situation you are in;
• And they conform, they adjust to the darkness.
• TRANSITION: As Christians we are in the same predicament.
• If you spend enough time in the world conforming to it,
• Then you shall become so accustomed to it darkness,
• That you think it is normal and you will conform to it’s wrong standards and patterns.
• So the first command in verse 2: “Do not be conformed”:
• ill: Don't be like a chameleon which takes its colour from its surroundings.
• i.e. Joke: Place a chameleon on a piece of tartan – it will have a nervous breakdown!
• And if a Christians conforms to the world they will have a spiritual breakdown!
The 2nd command: “Be Transformed” (vs 2b):
ill:
• Biscuits are all cut the same way – they are made by being conformed,
• Break open a packet of custard creams and bourbons etc.
• And they all look exactly the same.
• Butterflies however are different;
• They are made by being transformed.
• The Greek word used here translated as “transformed” is ‘metamorphoustai’,
• From which we get the word, ‘metamorphosis’.
• Most of us remember enough from our school days, our science class:
• To remember what the process of metamorphosis is.
• The process by which a caterpillar is turned into a butterfly;
• Or a tadpole is changed into a frog.
• It a change from the inside out;
• And it is not just a physical change but a change of nature.
• What God wants for us is not outward conformity (all trying to look & be the same).
• i.e. see that with Mormons or Amish or Exclusive Brethren etc.
• What God wants for us is an inward change of nature;
• That will produce something beautiful outwardly.
Question: What is that change?
Answer:
• Left to ourselves we live a life dominated by human nature, and desires.
• According to the pattern of this worlds system.
• But in Christ we have a new life,
• "Renewing of our minds" verse 2.
• Now we are to be dominated by Christ.
• He has transformed us, made us new, different, so we are to live his way.
Quote:
• There are three important things about the Greek verb;
• That is translated into our New Testaments as “be transformed.”
(1). IT IS A PRESENT TENSE VERB:
• This means that it something that is to be continuously happening.
• This is not a one off experience that sets us up for life.
• It is not a once for all time action,
• In this verb Paul is describing is a process, a gradual transformation.
• Quote: We all know the saying: “Every day I get better and better”
• For the Christian it should be: “Every day I get more like Jesus!”
(2). IT IS A PASSIVE VERB.
• Paul is not saying that we should transform ourselves;
• That is impossible – many of us have tried and tried and failed miserably!
• But rather we should yield ourselves so that the Holy Spirit;
• So that he may transform us.
(3). IT IS AN IMPERATIVE.
• This means that this is not just a good suggestion; “Here’s a good idea”
• But a command “Do not conform but be transformed”.
• To be more like Christ involves us using:
• The body, the mind and the will that God has given to you.
• Your mind controls your body, and your will controls your mind.
• If we will change our Attitude, God Will Change our Minds.
So don't forget the order:
(1). CONSECRATION.
• One special particular use.
• A deliberate choice to reserve yourself for him, that is our spiritual act of worship,
• And in the process of working that through we go through the second stage.
(2). TRANSFORMATION.
Quote Warren Wiersbe:
“If the world controls your mind you are a conformer,
if God controls your mind you are transformed”.
• We see his plan and his arrangement for our lives,
• That plan is to be lived out in the fellowship of other Christians, his church.
• And that is the next four chapters of this book called Romans.
SERMON AUDIO:
https://surf.pxwave.com/wl/?id=IeADzkvbwsJWBnhiYlWFI0LpYu7ObyV9&forceSave
