DEFYING UNGODLINESS-I—Romans 12:1-2
OR--DEFIANCE—Romans 12:1-2
Attention:
Supposedly a true story!:
Mark DeMoss, concerned about the increasingly harsh tone of public discourse, launched the Civility Project in January 2009.
The Republican businessman & political adviser enlisted Democratic lobbyist & former Clinton aide Lanny Davis to help him.
Together the two friends wrote to all 100 United States Senators, all 435 members of the House of Representatives, & all 50 state governors, asking each to sign a pledge promising, ....
"I will be civil in my public discourse & behavior. I will be respectful of others whether or not I agree with them. I will stand against incivility when I see it."
How many of the 585 recipients agreed to the pledge?...
Three members of Congress, & no governors(equaling 1/2 of a percentage point)!
The vast majority were unwilling to stand against incivility!
Need:
‘Defy’—“To openly resist or refuse to obey.” “To challenge to combat.”
The apostle Paul made it plain that defying/standing against the world was a defining characteristic of God’s people.
Defying ungodliness is expected of God’s people.
How do God’s people Defy Ungodliness?
7 ways God’s people Defy ungodliness.
*The following(#1-6) were briefly listed at the beginning of the sermon for the congregation, as I made—7.--TRANSFORMATION(:2) the focus for VBS.*
1. BROTHERHOOD(:1a)
2. MERCIES RECEIVED(:1b)
3. SACRIFICE(:1c)
4. HOLINESS(:1d)
5. ACCEPTABILITY(:1e)
6. SERVICE(:1f)
7—Christians defy ungodliness thru their...
TRANSFORMATION(:2)
Explanation:(:2)
:2—“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good & acceptable & perfect will of God.”
“And do not be conformed to this world,”...
“And”—Attaches the instruction of this verse, to the thought of the previous verse!
God’s people are instructed to “NOT” allow themselves to “be conformed to this world.”
•Regrettably, that means that each of even God’s people—saved people—each of us, has the potential to actually “BE CONFORMED to this world”!
And that should frighten you! That should give you cause to ponder & take stock of the ramifications of your current relationship with God.
*The result of such ponderings will be that:
•Some will become aware that they need to accept Jesus as their Savior.
•Others who belong to God, will become aware that they need to ‘firm up’ their relationship with God.
“This world” is severely limited by, & is driven by ideologies & abilities that the limitations of mere flesh provides.
•IRONICALLY, “this world” at large, rejects the God who Created it!...They reject God’s perfect knowledge, perfect love, perfect wisdom, perfect patience, & perfect power....The world at large sees itself as having become ‘too smart’ to believe in God, or to believe God!
•So, to allow yourself to be “conformed to this world”, is to actually PREFER ‘the limitations inherent to flesh’, instead of preferring the overcoming power of God!
God’s people are equipped for & meant to be ‘GOD’s people’ only! And the thinking & heart of God’s people is in direct contradistinction to those who are ‘the people of “this world’s” ’ thinking & heart!
•‘GOD’s people’ are expected to ‘Defy Ungodliness’!
There are those of us who live sacrificially holy lives, offering acceptable & logical or “reasonable service” to God(:1).
Each of God’s people is saved, only by the grace of God thru Jesus.
*Yet even though we may be saved & are living by that grace, each one of us is directly answerable to God for the ‘moment by moment’ choices we make in daily living.
•So there is a degree of ‘pressure’ placed upon each of God’s people, to offer themselves to God in a godly manner, or in a manner that pleases Him.
•But DO NOT allow that ‘pressure’ toward godliness to be answered with ‘empty works’ religion. Allow that ‘pressure’ to drive you to conversation(prayer) with God the Father, Son, & Holy Spirit, & then from prayer to God-ordained decision.
*This exhortation in verse :2, plainly re-enforces the truth...that the responsibility for ‘defying ungodliness’ by the mercies of God, rests upon the shoulders of each person!
•That is, there is no one besides yourself, who can be ‘blamed’, ‘charged’, or held accountable for any of YOUR OWN relational ‘shortcomings’ with God!...It’s on you alone. And YOU must ‘OWN’ your responsibilities.
•Likewise, there is no one besides yourself, who can be held accountable for YOUR OWN good & godly relationship with & in God!...It’s on you alone. And YOU must ‘OWN’ your responsibilities.
“Conformed”—suschmatizw—Present Passive Imperative—1) To conform one's self(i.e. one's mind & character) to another's pattern, (fashion one's self according to). To shape one thing like another & describes what is transitory, changeable, & unstable. Strong—To fashion alike, i.e. Conform to the same pattern(figuratively). Used 2X.?From—sun—a primary preposition denoting union; With or together.—&—schma—A figure(as a mode or circumstance), i.e. by implication--External condition.
...“But be transformed”...
Instead of being “conformed to this world” God’s people are to “be transformed.”
That is, We--God’s people—are to be “transformed” into the likeness of Christ.
•In the early days of the Church, God’s people--disciples of Christ, came to be called ‘Christians’(Acts 11:26)--meaning that they are ‘Little Christs’, thus signifying the gravity of their importance in the lives of all men, women, & children!
“Transformed”—metamorfow—Present Passive Imperative—1) To change into another form, to transform, to transfigure. Refers to the permanent state to which a change takes place. Strong—To transform(literally or figuratively--“metamorphose”). Used 4X.
...“by the renewing of your mind,”...
As a Christian, your “mind” is inseparably connected with the “transformation” that CAN & is expected to take place.
Your “mind” must be “renewed”, or the “transformation” will not take place!
•Some of you are NOT strong Christians because you SUPPOSE that by merely showing up on any given Sunday(a good & noble thing), is all the exposure to Christ that YOU need!
Keep in mind that in order to “renew” anything, the thing to be “renewed” must have, at some time, been put there in the first place! So you cannot “renew” something that was never there to be renewed!
?What is YOUR attitude toward receiving the word of God?
In order to be effective as God’s people, His children are in a CONSTANT & STEADY state of learning, remembering, refurbishing, & prioritizing God.
•God’s people continuously increase in their knowledge of God in Christ(2Pet. 1:1-4). That’s why Bible Study is so important...What we call, ’Sunday School’, is Bible Study, & YOU should be part of it!
•Thru increasing our knowledge of God in Christ, we are constantly replacing & refurbishing fleshly knowledge with godly knowledge, & applying it properly.
“Renewing”—anakainwsiv—Noun Dative Sing. Fem.—1) A renewal, renovation, complete change for the better. Anakainowsiv is renewal or renovation, denoting a continuous process through which man becomes more fully Christ-like, in which process he is a worker together with God. Strong—Renovation. Used 2X--Rom. 12:2; Titus 3:5.?From—ana—properly--Up; but by extension, used distributively--Severally, or locally--At(etc.); a primary preposition & adverb.—& a derivative of—kainov—New(especially in freshness; while neov/newterov is properly so with respect to age).
“Mind”(See :11:34)—nouv—Noun Genitive Sing. Masc.—1) The mind, comprising alike the faculties of perceiving & understanding & those of feeling, judging, determining—1a) the intellectual faculty, the understanding, 1b) Reason in the narrower sense, as the capacity for spiritual truth, the higher powers of the soul, the faculty of perceiving divine things, of recognizing goodness & of hating evil, 1c) the power of considering & judging soberly, calmly & impartially; 2) A particular mode of thinking & judging, i.e Thoughts, feelings, purposes, desires. Nouv is distinctly the reflective consciousness, “the organ of moral thinking & knowing, the intellectual organ of moral sentiment.”(Cremer). Strong—The intellect, i.e. Mind(divine or human; in thought, feeling, or will); by implication--Meaning; probably from the base of ginwskw[to know].
*There is a ‘major purpose’ behind being “transformed by the renewing of your mind.”...
...And that ‘purpose’ is so...
...“that you may prove what is that good & acceptable & perfect will of God.”
When you daily live out God’s perfect “will”(‘desire’), then your entire life becomes a “living sacrificial”(:1) “proof” of God’s “will”, for the sake of yourself & for the world.
•Everything that is truly “good”,
•Everything that is truly “acceptable”,
•Everything that is truly “perfect”,
Is determined by “God”!
By ACTIVELY “proving” or ‘testing’ or ‘scrutinizing’ “what is that good & acceptable & perfect will of God”, you increase your power/ability to walk more closely with Him.
•Thereby, you become a ‘stronger’ Christian.
•Thereby, you become a more level-headed, & a more level-hearted Christian...Instead of being a ‘hit-or-miss’ Christian, or a ‘day-on-day-off’ Christian.
•Your typically fleshly, emotional, & knee-jerk decisions, become surrendered to the perfect reasonableness or logic of God’s desire.
*ACTIVELY “proving” the “will of God”, is evidence that the desired “transformation” is taking place in yourself.
•That “transformation” is noticeable & noteworthy.
•That “transformation” is becoming characteristic of you.
As a child of God in the process of actively “proving” the “will of God”, you will soon find that you are ‘Defying Ungodliness’ without conscious intent, without flinching, & without hesitation, without concern for the opinions of others....
BECAUSE your “being transformed” puts you in a state of constancy with God....
And there in that constancy with God, you do not fret over what God’s “will” is, because you are living it!
Argumentation:
1Pet. 1:13-14—“Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, & rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming[suschmatizw] yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;”
Jn. 12:24—““Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground & dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.”
*The “grain of wheat” “dying” in “the ground” pictures transformation!
Illustration:
Picture the Transformation or ‘metamorphosis’ of a caterpillar.
It begins life as an egg. That tiny egg is laid by a butterfly, in an appropriate place--where the caterpillar that hatches from the egg will find a ready source of food. The caterpillar that emerges from the egg, is a tiny a worm-like creature, with feet capable of grasping onto leaves & stems of certain plants. It has mouth parts that the caterpillar uses to eat the leaves. It voraciously eats those leaves for about two weeks. During that time the caterpillar grows significantly larger, to the tune of about 2000%. When it gets that large it can completely denude a plant!(not good for farmers & home gardeners). The caterpillar then reaches a stage where it stops eating, permanently attaches itself to a plant stem, & produces a hardened ‘chrysalis’ around itself from it’s outer skin. The ‘chrysalis’ will protect the caterpillar for anywhere from a few days, to a year! While inside the protective ‘chrysalis’, the caterpillar ‘transforms’ or undergoes ‘metamorphosis.’ When the ‘metamorphosis’ is complete, a completely different looking & acting animal emerges from the chrysalis!...It’s no longer a plant-bound caterpillar, It’s a butterfly with the capability of flying to other plants! TRANSFORMATION
As a kid I remember finding a praying mantis egg case attached to a stick. I took it home put it in a jar with holes in the lid & put it on the shelf in our finished basement. Nothing happened for quite a while(the eggs are supposed to weather the winter) & I forgot about it. One day after school, I saw that the eggs had hatched! Hundreds of babies had crawled thru the holes & were all over the basement. The eggs protected by the egg case had transformed into hundreds of praying mantises! TRANSFORMATION
From dull & lifeless to life.
Application:
?Is the world’s Ungodliness, Defied thru YOUR TRANSFORMATION?
?Do YOU Defy ungodliness thru Jesus Christ?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
The civility pledge unappreciated by senators, governors, & the vast majority of congressmen.
?Do we—the Church—defy ungodliness?
Action:
Christians defy ungodliness in the world, thru their...
7. TRANSFORMATION(:2)
Pt# 7 only! Presented 06/09/2024am(VBS week) to:
Salem Baptist Church
1618 Salem Rd.
Bennettsville, SC 29512
*The following were briefly listed for the congregation, as I made—7.--TRANSFORMATION(:2) the focus for VBS.*
1. BROTHERHOOD(:1a)
2. MERCIES RECEIVED(:1b)
3. SACRIFICE(:1c)
4. HOLINESS(:1d)
5. ACCEPTABILITY(:1e)
6. SERVICE(:1f)
