Transforming Your Mind
Romans 12:1-2
Last time we met together, we found that God wants to make us into a NEW CREATION. He desires to TRANSFORM us into His image. That we can grow to be more like Him each and every day.
This week, we are looking at Transforming our Minds. Let’s see what the apostle Paul has to say about it.
Ro 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.
Ro 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.
Now Paul doesn’t say anything about feelings when it comes to being a living sacrifice. It is the renewing of our minds where we find the transformation. Our minds are used to make choices. Such as whether to conform to the world and its pattern or to be living sacrifices sold out to Jesus.
If we allow ourselves to be directed by our feelings and emotions then we will go back & forth. Paul simply says that we must make a choice. We must decide, not feel, whether or not we will choose God’s way or the world’s way.
Let’s look at this a bit deeper. Let’s go to 1 John chap. 2.
1Jn 2:15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1Jn 2:16 For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world.
1Jn 2:17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
Reread verse 15
1Jn 2:15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
The “World” John writes about here is not what you may think.
Not physical earth
Not created universe
Not the human race
No, it is the “World” or “realm” of sin that John speaks of.
This “world” is ruled by the devil.
In John 12:31, Jesus refers to the devil as:
“ruler of this world.”
In Ephesians 2:2, Paul uses another description:
“ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit which causes some to be disobedient.”
This “world” or “realm” has been set up against the Kingdom of God. The devil has had his nasty little clutches in this for a long time.
Let’s take a trip back to Genesis.
We find Adam & Eve
Living in Paradise
Conversing with God
Total Freedom
One Rule – Don’t eat from that one tree/ Or you will die
Life is good, until one day…
The devil appears, in the form of a serpent, asking questions of Eve.
Did God really say you can’t eat from any of the trees in the garden?
No we can eat of any tree but the big one there in the middle, for if we touch it or eat of it, we will die
Serpent, surely you won’t die if you eat of it. God is afraid you will become like Him, that’s why He told you not to eat of it.
Eve looks at it, and it was pleasing to the eye, looked good for food, and the desire for wisdom was strong.
Well, you know the rest of the story.
We have seen temptation at it’s finest.
But temptation is not in and of itself, a sin. James writes:
Jas 1:13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;
Jas 1:14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.
Jas 1:15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
We can’t use the old common phrase, the devil made me do it.
He doesn’t make us do anything, but dangles temptation before us, in the areas where we are most likely to stumble.
I always think of the Tom & Jerry Cartoon:
Jerry the mouse on the back of a big bulldog holding a dog bone out on a fishing line. The dog runs after it because it desires to dig into that scrumpscious bone.
We will either stand strong and resist the temptation, or we will give into it, and allow sin to be prevalent in our lives.
Yet, there is a way out. What is it? Paul gives us insight into that answer in 1 Corinthians 10:13.
1Co 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
God has given us the freedom to choose. When faced with temptation, we have a CHOICE to make. Give in or Stand Up against it. When you give into temptation and allow sin to be victorious in your life, then we must remember that we are being lovers of this “world”. Therefore the love of the Father will not be found within us.
Which now brings us to verse 16:
1Jn 2:16 For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world.
All of these things come NOT FROM GOD, but from the “world”.
This realm of sin = the devils playground.
Even as Christians, we allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by sin. The sad thing is, that some sins are enjoyable, but only on a temporary basis. They fill desires and meet needs only for a moment, but then the consequence of that sin sets in.
Guilt, shame, depression, sadness, grief… so in order to get rid of those feelings, people tend to return to the sinful desire so as to put the bad, empty feelings behind. But it never goes away.
Let’s see how easy the downward stairway of sin is.
We will illustrate this with the topic of pizza.
Let’s pretend there is an 11th commandment Moses forgot to write down. That commandment would be:
Thou shall not eat pizza or thou shall die and go to hell.
THINK IT
RATIONALIZE IT
DO IT
DEFEND IT
You can follow the stairway in ALL sin. No matter what excuses you give, or how you cover it up trying to disguise it, or even calling it something else. It is still S-I-N! Call it what it is. Confront it, repent of it, and get it out of your life once & for all.
WHY?
Read verse 17
1Jn 2:17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
Does God’s will mean anything to you? Do you care what God thinks about you or have you put so much garbage between you & Him that it doesn’t seem to matter anymore?
If you are feeling bad or guilty about the sin in your life,
then GOOD! You should!
But the next step is to give it up to the Lord and let Him deal with it. Make the choice that brings glory to Him, and will allow you to enjoy the Joy that comes from God. To allow your mind to be purified, renewed and transformed.
Lets here one final word of challenge, from the apostle Paul, as he writes to the believers at Ephesus.
Eph 4:17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.
Eph 4:18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.
Eph 4:19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.
Eph 4:20 You, however, did not come to know Christ that way.
Eph 4:21 Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.
Eph 4:22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;
Eph 4:23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds;
Eph 4:24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Again, this is a theme in the writings of Paul:
a) He tells us here in Ephesians that non-Christian thinking is “futile”. It lacks understanding and is separated from God. The result is impurity, indulgence and lust that is never satisfied. Christians, however, are made new in the attitude of their minds, which leads to seeking righteousness and holy living.
b) He encourages us in Colossians 3:2, to “Set {our} minds on things above, not on earthly things”
c) He urges the Philippians to “think on these things “ – truth, nobility, loveliness, excellence, purity (Phil 4:8f)
Conclusion:
All of these passages teach us that the renewed and transformed mind focuses on godly things; on God’s standards of behavior; on God’s priorities.
They teach us that the renewed mind looks for God’s will. The renewed mind approves of God’s will; and it sets out to obey God’s will. It asks of each decision in life: does this conform to the ways of God or the ways of the world? And then it chooses the ways of God.
The renewed mind recognizes failure. It repents of sin and calls on God for mercy and help. It trusts in God and is not arrogant. It LISTENS to God, recognizing that as Isaiah said, “God’s thoughts are not our thoughts; God’s ways are not our ways.” (Isaiah 55:11)
