- Several years ago George Barna did a survey on the religious attitudes of Americans and their level of commitment. Here’s what he found out. He started with a question for- non-Christians age 16-29. He asked, “Do you know at least one person who is a committed Christian?” 85% said they did. Then asked if these committed Christians lived any different, only 15% said yes. Only 15% of proclaimed Christians behaved differently than their non-Christian friends.
- So Barna did some more research. Here’s what he found.
- Barna started with this question: “Have you made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important?”
- Age 18-41: 65%
- Age 42+: 73%
- That’s encouraging. These are people who say, “I’ve made a commitment to Jesus and it’s still important to me.” Around 70% of the country says they’ve made a commitment to Jesus.
- Barna dug deeper to see if these “committed Christians” have a Christian world view. That’s a little difficult to measure, so they asked if they agreed to these eight statements. How would you answer them?
- 1. Jesus lived a sinless life.
- 2. God is the all-knowing and all-powerful creator of the universe and still rules today.
- 3. Salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned.
- 4. Satan is real.
- 5. The Bible is accurate in all of the principles it teaches.
- 6. Christians have a responsibility to share their faith
- 7. Unchanging moral truth exists.
- 8. Such truth is defined by the Bible.
- The results?
- Age 18-41: 3%
- Age 42+: 9%
- Here is what this means: Almost 70% of Americans say they’ve made a personal commitment to Jesus, but less than 10% say they believe what the Bible teaches.
- There has been an issue that many Christians have struggled with almost as soon as the Church began .When we accept Jesus Christ into our lives, does he come as Savior or as Savior and Lord? Everybody wants a Savior but it not everyone wants a Lord and Master. No wonder…Many followers of Jesus genuinely struggle in living out their Christian faith consistently and authentically. We can belief those 8 things but how are we living that out?
- Tonight we began chapter 12 of Romans this is where Paul begins getting very practical in living the Christian life.
- Romans 12:1
- Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship.
- What does the therefore tell us?
- It tells us to look back to what was written earlier.
- Everything Paul as written in those first 11 chapters… Everything God has done to bring about the saving of men and women all to bring about our justification by faith in Jesus by way of His grace and mercy.
- Based on all that here is how we should respond as followers of Jesus.
- What are we to keep in view to motivate us?
- God’s mercy, all that God has done in the gospel for our salvation.
- What does God want from us according to this verse?
- He wants our bodies…For the Christians the Lord has already redeemed our spirit. God wants to commit all we are to Him. He wants our worship and this means our bodies as well. It shows how important it is to use the body to the glory of God. But we are free to determine to which Master we will present our body to.
- What part of us has not been redeemed yet and is the source of many temptations?
- Thus our bodies must be constantly and consciously offered up to God as part of our sacrifice and worship.
- What is the difference and what is the same between the sacrifice today compared to the Old Testament sacrifices?
- We are to be living sacrifices that is the main difference the holy and pleasing is the same. O.T. sacrifices were to be without blemish we are to be holy. Not only are we set apart to God, but we are to be ethically and morally holy.
- Why would the sacrifice of our living bodies be pleasing to God?
- It is pleasing to him just because it is living and holy. Such a sacrifice is a delight to God’s heart.
- When we offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, what it considered?
- this is your spiritual act of worship. The word we translate “Spiritual” can also be translated reasonable put them together this is what we should do which is logical and smart in light of what God has done for us.
- The point is that all Christian living is worship offered up to God. Public, corporate worship is special and must not be neglected, but that is not the only part of the Christian life that may be called “worship.” Christians must do everything “for the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31), and whatever is done for his glory is an act of worship.
- What does the therefore tell us?
- Romans 12:2
- 2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.
- How do we go about offering our bodies as living sacrifices?
- To start with we offer our bodies by refusing to be conformed to this world, and instead allowing ourselves to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. The verb tense in the Greek tells us it is not one time act but an ongoing process. We need to keep this up continually.
- What does Paul means by the pattern of this world?
- He means living a worldly life of this age being affected by the ethics and spiritual aspects of the fallen world, this world that has been existing under the power of Satan when sin entered it. In the Galatian letter Paul says were are rescued by Christ from the present evil age. We are rescued from it but yet we still live in physically.
- How do we accomplish not conforming?
- By being transformed, “transform” would refer to a deep and abiding change the Greek word Morphe. Again this is an ongoing process.
- What must happen for us to continue to transform according to God’s will?
- The renewing of your mind…the Greek indicates that the change in view is not something we do or can do for ourselves, it is something that is done to us. The Lord is going to work on us. Also Paul is giving us a command which means we have a responsibility of desiring to change and consenting to this transformation.
- So how do we renew our minds?
- Consider That…
- Our mind is the faculty by which the soul perceives and discerns, it is the seat of intellectual and moral judgment. It makes a difference what we put in our minds and what we open our minds to. Paul writes in- Romans 8:5 5 For those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their minds set on the things of the Spirit. This is important for us to understand…Trying harder is not the key to spiritual growth and maturity. Making a list of Christian rules and trying to keep them is not the key to spiritual growth.
- The place to start may not be with our performance… but with our thinking. Paul writes in- Colossians 3:1-3 So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
- Renewing our mind is the work of the Holy Spirit but… we have a responsibility to set our minds on the things of God. The Lord will do His part. Philippians 2:13 13 For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose. But the Lord will not override our free will.
- What can help the renewing of our minds?
- At the heart of this renewing of our mind should be this desire to know, love and enjoy Jesus Christ.
- We need to avail ourselves to those things that set our hearts and minds before Him. This would include our intake of God’s Word thru reading, study, discussion, hearing it and seeking to apply it. It would also include our worship and prayers and interactions with other believers. We also need to understand that renewing our minds will always involve a battle. Satan will do all he can to discourage from renewing our minds but according to Paul we have the power in Christ to take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Cor. 10:4-5)
- What is the result of renewing of our mind?
- Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
- Are we confronted with several choices in life in regard to how to act and to live, how do we know what is God’s will?
- If we are being transformed by the renewing our minds we can take our options and test them against God’s Word and be able to discern the will of God from the false and the wrong.
- How is God’s will defined or described?
- his good, pleasing and perfect will.
- What do these words mean?
- Good- “good” in the sense of morally right sense God is Good. Pleasing- that which is acceptable or pleasing, … pleasing to God. The phrase “to God” does not appear here, but it is used in v. 1 with this same word and should be understood that way here too.
- Perfect-Carries the idea of completeness. The Lord want us to not have just part of His will but all of it… God’s will, will always honor Christ.
- How do we go about offering our bodies as living sacrifices?
- TAKE AWAY
- What does God want from us?
- According to this text A relationship The Lord wants our heart totally- 100%. He wants to love us and be loved back by us… worship. The Lord is looking for those who will trust Him with everything they are and everything they have. Including our very bodies.
- Is it possible to be conformed to this world and to present our body to God at the same time?
- No! So we need to stop being conformed to the world.
- Transforming begins where?
- In our minds… by the way the Holy Spirit is involved in this too
- Where does our behavior originate from?
- Our Mind so to change our behavior we need to renew our mind in our relationship to Jesus Christ and in His Word
- Are we willing to be transformed and renewed?
- What does God want from us?
Romans 12:1-2 (Wednesday Evening Bible Study)
Thoughts from a Crosseyed Jesus Freak 