Sermon Highlights: Squeezed or Transformed? (Romans 12:1-9)

don't ask the question today squeezed or transformed that idea is is that it we live for God we have two options we can allow the world to shape us or we can allow the Word of God to shape us here it is again when we allow the world to shape us we are being shaped we are being molded we are being squeezed according to the world's idea when we allow God to change us then we are being transformed another way of saying that is your thoughts ought to be the thoughts of God and not the thoughts of the world your values are to not be the values of the world they ought to be the values of the Word of God another way to say that is that your attitude ought to reflect not the attitude of the world don't let the world shape you don't let the world squeeze you don't let the world determine how it is you will think how it is you will act how it is you will conduct yourself don't let the world squeeze you but then there is a positive command on top of the negative he comes with a positive but instead everybody say instead instead of letting the world squeeze you he says Paul the writer says that you ought to do something positive be transformed by the renewing of your mind when it comes down to it Paul is pretty well convinced that in life there are really only two options one option is to be squeezed the other option is to let God transform our lives we can live our lives our values our attitudes our convictions our relationships we can allow them to be shaped by outside forces I want you to get the mental picture if I said I'm going to squeeze you I must put my hands on you and I must apply pressure which means I am shaping you and Paul says don't let that happen don't let the world put his hands on you put its values on you put its attitudes on you but it's ideas on you don't let the world externally so grip your life that now when the world is finished you look like the world do not be conformed to the world but be transformed to be squeezed is to have the outside in other words it is to be shaped from the outside in but to be transformed is to be shaped from the inside out Paul takes these two options squeeze the transform and he hangs him out before us and with great passion he opens up chapter 12 verse 1 and he pleads he says I beg you that you choose transformation as opposed to confirmation he makes this appeal based on the mercy of God it is Paul's way of saying something like this I need you to let God transform you instead of lying the world to squeeze you based on your knowledge of who God is and what God has done I've told you now for 11 chapters God is a God of grace God is a God of what mercy and because now you know that God loves the loss now that you know that God loves the disoriented now that you know that God gives grace and kindness to broken people now that you know that God has not only saved Israel but he has made a way for Gentiles to be saved now that you know that everybody anybody regardless of their past regardless of what they've done or what they will do God has made and given room at the cross now that you know that if it had not been for God on your side now that you know that you wants one loss but now you are by the mercy of God that you was this present your bodies as a living sacrifice I need you to get something here Paul is saying that if you're going to be transformed instead of instead of being squeezed the first thing you must do the first thing that I must do is learn how to present myself in worship to God look at the language present your bodies as a living sacrifice this is simply pointing to what the Old Testament sacrificial worship system when they came to worship God they would bring a sacrifice however that sacrifice was a dead animal God says I don't want nothing dead 1 the New Covenant this worship system I don't need a dad sacrifice when you come to me if you're going to be transformed you must leave life was this one of the reasons that so many of us are not living the abundant life that price by the way came to give us one of the reasons that we have no fulfillment spiritually friends that Christ came to give us by the way it's because friends we are allowing the world to shape us because instead of what finding a place at the altar of God we are finding a place we presenting ourselves but is not at the altar of God we are presenting ourselves at every other place every other worldly venue and God's altar is left vacant God will not shape anything that has not presented itself yo y'all just missed me here before that can be any change you've got to make it to the altar it is that the altar where God will put his hands on you but God presented yourself friends the whole coming to the altar the whole presenting yourself that's an act of worship and he said when we come to worship this ain't about entertainment when we come to worship here are the words of our Christ Z that worship me must worship me in spirit and what in truth in other words that's another way of saying your worship ought to be authentic and yes your worship is authentic maybe you like the word genuine if you want your worship to be by heaven to be recognized by the master as genuine and our cynic and you got to come correct that is that is if I'm going to be shaped by God I must first present myself everybody got that they don't need me Tom but I'm trying to be more like Christ but you ain't never where Christ is working hello you you you you got to present yourself doctor can't do no surgery on you if you don't show up with your pre surgery appointment you gotta what present yourself did he says be not conformed so that must be presentation and then there must be no confirmation don't let the world squeeze you into its idea of what you ought to be and how we ought to live God created you for him and so since he did that he's saying look here let me shape you let me know you don't let somebody you weren't created for in the first place shape you you ought to be tired of being somebody's clone far too many of us who are believers or adapting world wills values attitudes and they aren't based on a biblical world--well they are based on a whirling world view that's conforming don't be conformed right but notice the positive all right there's presentation there's no confirmation here we go then there is transformation be transformed by the renewing of your mind watch this this is not an external change this is a change the caterpillar turns into a butterfly from the inside out the renewal of your mind really it's what's up here that shapes everything else your mind is renewed based on what you are now or don't allow to inform it Paul saying that there is within every one of us a propensity for evil that is within every one of us a what a do wrong spirit that's why Paul says what you are now to inform you there is no transformation of my mind without input from God's Word and so if I want to be renewed in my mind I've got to spend more time there it is allowing my mind to shape and inform my values to shape and inform my attitude to shape and inform my conduct to shape and inform my relationship they must be governed by the Word of God how do we measure whether or not you and I are really being renewed how do we measure that can I just give you one thing here's a question you can ask yourself am I more like Christ today then I was last year this time am I more like Christ in my values my attitude my conduct my relationships right now then I was six months ago friends hear me good if the answer is no there's no renewal taking place instead of transformation go ahead and admit it that's where you can get some help instead of being true if the answer is no you're not being transformed we're not being renewed we are being squeezed he is this passage renewing your mind that you may prove what is the acceptable and perfect will of God was this so there is presentation there is no confirmation there is what renewal and when those things happen he is by saying that's when you will have revelation you ever talk to somebody and they say I just want to know what the will of God is for my life friends you can't get to Revelation if there is no presentation if there is no confirmation if there is no renewal you'll never get to revelation think about it it is clear that if God's Word is informing my mind the will of God is clearer to me what does God want he wants us to be transformed by him some of us need to decide today we'll start something new for me today is the day I decide I am no longer going to allow the world to squeeze me into its mo today we'll go down in my life history as the day I finally decided that my attitudes my values my conduct my relations my worldview will be a biblical worldview as God transform renews my mind if you want that it's available to everyone in here who made it available everybody say Jesus sin has caused us to be separated from God but Jesus who the Bible says so loved Jesus came and gave his life and what Jesus did by approaching the cross by dying there and make no mistake about it they didn't take his life by giving his he paid us I'm free I'm free thank the Lord I'm free no longer bound no chains holding me gee I wish I had somebody know what I'm talking about friends if that's what you want today it's available to any and everybody [Music]

Channel: True Vine Ministries - Spencer, OK

Views: 726

Rating: 5 out of 5

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Id: 6wTNzxYEbPE

Length: 19min 22sec (1162 seconds)

Published: Sat Mar 02 2019