Transformational Thinking

Transformation

Romans 12:1-2

"The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending, then having the two as close together as possible." –George Burns

Romans 12 (Living Version)

12:1

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask?

12:2

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.

OUTLINE

Illustrate: It is said that no person will give up anything (and change) until they realize that the reward is worth the cost. That is, what they are giving up is far less than what they are gaining. Sometimes we have to move on faith, that God will provide a better reward than our current cost of change.

WHO IS IN CONTROL?

1. The Make Up of Man

a. Spirit, Soul, Body

i. Spirit – where man communes with God.

1. Is born dead

2. Everyone has one

3. Dead doesn’t mean non-existant – just not able to access God.

a. Occultists, “Crossing Over”, Witches,

4. Dead –broken relationship, separated

a. Body dies when it is separated from its source of life, the spirit.

b. We are spiritually dead b/c we are separated from our source of life, God.

5. God’s desire is to for the Spirit to control our Soul

ii. Soul – mind, will and emotions.

1. Soul wars with the Spirit (Rom 7)

2. Soul must be transformed, to transfigure the person.

3. MIND – will be discussed in detail in a few minutes.

iii. Body – the outer man, is in charge of the unregenerated person. This is what we are urged to give to God first.

iv. Romans 8:5-8, “Those who living according to the sinful nature have their MINDS set upon what that nature desires, but those who live in accordance with the Spirit, have their minds on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but he mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.”

b. The Spirit Filled Person is actually the Spirit Controlled Person.

i. You will never get more of Jesus than you God when He first saved you Romans.8:9-11

However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. IfChrist is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

1. You got all of Him…but does he have all of you? That is one of the questions for today!

2. Are you more married now than 10 years ago? But you are more alike. You look alike, act alike, finish each other’s sentences and each others meals when you go out to eat. Why? You are giving more and more of yourselves to each other.

WHY AND HOW DO WE GIVE GOD CONTROL?

(Truth is, are you REALLY in control of your life?)

2. Sacrifice – No worship without sacrifice

a. Ie. OT giving the first and best

i. Eg. Your best breeders (cattle, rabbits)

ii. Offering – in churches – no offering, reduces act of worship.

b. Our Lord is declared (1 Peter 1:20) "to have been foreordained" as a sacrifice "before the foundation of the world," (Revelation 13:8) "slain from the foundation of the world."

c. Just as Christ offered his body for us, now we must offer ours.)

3. Reasonable Service

a. When you think of what he has done for you!

b. Examine what He has done for you. Max Lucado’s Easter reading.

4. Renew the Mind

a. nous [nou’"] (meaning mind, reason, intellect, understanding, "worldview").

b. Mind/Reason That part of the human being in which thought takes place and perception and decisions to do good, evil, and the like come to expression.

c. Renewal of the Mind.

i. Ephesians 4:23 ("be made new in the attitude of your minds")

ii. Col 3:10), is the prerequisite for reaching an understanding of God’s will

“and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him—“