[0:00] This message was recorded at Vision Baptist Church in Alfred, Georgia. It is our prayer that you will be blessed by the preaching of God's Word. Take your Bible, if you would, and turn with me to the book of Romans, chapter 12.
[0:10] Romans, chapter 12, and verse 1. Romans, chapter 12, and verse 1. Boy, we ought to love Him. He is everything. He's what the Bible's about. He's what heaven's about. He is everything.
[0:21] He's the focus of our life. That's, as Christians, that ought to be our attitude. He's the focus of our life. If you would, go with me to Romans, chapter 12. And verse 1. We're going to read verses 1 and 2.
[0:32] And today, we'll only be really talking about Romans, chapter 12, and verse 2. We did Romans 12, 1 last week. Read what the Bible says to me, if you would. I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
[0:51] And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Now, there are three things in the two verses.
[1:04] I want you to notice and remember this. God wants your body. God wants your body. So what I do with my body is important to Him. Where I take my body is important to Him.
[1:14] But He wants my mind. In Romans, chapter 12, verse 2, He said, the transforming of your mind. He wants my mind. He wants my will. He wants all of me to serve Him.
[1:26] And so today, we're going to focus on Romans 12, 2. This is a famous verse. You've heard tons of messages from it. Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may present your bodies a living sacrifice, or excuse me, what does that say?
[1:41] That you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. And you've heard tons of messages on that. But just let me explain to you, here's what's going on. So God wants you to change your mind and the way you think.
[1:54] That's really what the passage is about. He wants you to get a hold of this. He is God. He's the center of everything. He deserves your allegiance. He's the God of all glory.
[2:05] He's the God of creation. He's your Savior. He's your Lord. And you should be focused on Him. And that's what Romans, chapter 12, and verse 2 is about. Let's have a word of prayer. Father, I pray that You would deal with the hearts of Your people.
[2:17] And I pray that You would draw us close to You. I thank You for the privilege I have of speaking to these wonderful people. And I thank You for the opportunity to open the Bible before them. And I know they come eager to hear from You.
[2:28] I know they love You. And they look to Your Word. And they want to hear what the Word of God says. So open it today. Help them to understand it. Help them to go deep into what it says. Let it become a reality in their life.
[2:38] And I'll give You praise and honor and glory for what You do. In Jesus' name, Amen. Romans, chapter 12, verse 2. There are going to be three things that I hope you'll mark. So if you have your Bible open, you can go ahead and mark them right now so you'll know exactly where we're going.
[2:51] Look at the first thing. It says this. Be not conformed. Put a circle around the word be. That's a command verb. That's an imperative verb. It's like, hey, be quiet. Be not conformed.
[3:01] So the first thing he's telling me, there's some things I ought not do or be. I ought not be conformed. The second thing he said was this. He said, be transformed. Put another circle around the second be.
[3:13] Be not conformed, but be transformed. Be not conformed, but be transformed. And then there's a result that comes from being not conformed and being transformed. You will prove what is the will of God and how good it is.
[3:26] So put a circle around the word prove. Be, be, prove. That's what you got in chapter 12 and verse 2. So let's start with chapter 12 and verse 2 and look what it says. Be not conformed to this world.
[3:38] Be not conformed to this world. What in the world does that mean? So we need a little bit of Bible study. We need a little bit of Bible background to understand what that means. What does that mean? That I ought not be conformed.
[3:49] I ought not be like the world. What does that mean? So if you have your Bible, look at 2 Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 4. You need to understand, when the Bible uses the word world, it's used in lots of different ways.
[4:03] But a lot of times it's used to talk about this present age. It's really used to talk about those in rebellion against God. Those in rebellion against God.
[4:15] Be not conformed to those that are in rebellion against God. If you're taking notes, this first thing I wish you'd write down would be this. Don't be rebellious against God. That's the first thing I want you to write down. Don't be rebellious against God.
[4:27] Be not conformed to this world. Don't be rebellious against God like everybody else is. 2 Corinthians chapter 4 verse 4 of the Bible says, In whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them.
[4:39] The God, little g God, the God of this world, Satan, the one who is the prince and the power of the air, the God of this world. So when it talks about this world, he said, hey, there's this world and there's that world.
[4:50] And in that world, he's king. But in this world, somebody else is king. And the God of this world is Satan. He is the God of the world. In Isaiah chapter 14, in Isaiah chapter 14 and verse 12, we find out how old Satan got his start.
[5:04] In Isaiah chapter 14, verse 12, we find out how Satan got his start. If you've got your Bible, and I hope you do, open your Bible to Isaiah chapter 14, Old Testament. You're going to want to mark some things. And here's the whole idea.
[5:17] Here's the whole feeling of the world. When you want to talk about what the world is, he says, be not conformed to the world. Don't be like everybody else. What he's talking about is this willful, presumptuous, I'm important.
[5:31] I'm number one. I don't need to obey God. I'm the big stuff here. That's where he's headed. If you go to Isaiah chapter 14 and verse 12, here's Lucifer, who is Satan.
[5:41] And look what caused his fall. Look at the words that I hope you'll underline in your Bible. It says, how art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning? How art thou cut down to the ground, which does weaken the nations?
[5:52] Verse 13. It says, for thou hast said in thine heart, I will. Would you circle that? I will ascend into heaven. Circle this. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God.
[6:04] I will set upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north. Verse 14. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will be like the most high. Circle, I will.
[6:15] That sums up what the world is. Look at this. Wait just a second. He said, be not conformed to this world. We see the truth is Jesus said something like this. Not my will be done, but thy will be done.
[6:27] Satan said this. I will. I will. I will. I will. I will. Jesus said, not my will. Satan said, yep, my will. I will. So, that's be not conformed to this world.
[6:40] Satan had set his heart as the heart of God. In Ezekiel chapter 28 and verse 6. He had set his heart as the heart of God. The Bible said, therefore, thus saith the Lord God, because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God.
[6:54] Satan was like, you know who the big shot is around here? You know who the big dog is around here? It's me. You know who everybody will be looking at? It's me. I'm the guy. I'm the guy. Check me out.
[7:04] That was Satan. He says, be not conformed to this world. Don't be like that. He's the God of this world. That's his attitude. He is, Satan is an open rebellion against God. He leads an open rebellion.
[7:17] First thing he does, he questions God and his word. If you go back to the Bible in Genesis chapter 3, when he starts all of his temptation, what does he do? The first thing he says is, sure, sure, God said.
[7:32] Not true, but sure, he said that. Yea, hath God said. The Bible said, he questions God and his word. He says, God said it. He's telling Eve that God was trying to keep her from having her eyes open and being like a God.
[7:46] He looks at Eve and he says, you know why he told you all not to eat that tree? Because he's trying to keep something from you. If you were to go eat something from that tree, you would be like God's and you would know what's right and wrong. And he said, hey, I like being like a God.
[7:59] You want to be like a God. I like to run things. I like to be the center of things. I like to know. I don't have to be listening to everything he wants me to do. And so they ran and they ate of the fruit to become like God's.
[8:09] He calls on man to do the opposite of what God wants him to do. The world represents the demonic human philosophy of life. The Bible says in 1 John 5, 19, and we know that we are of God and the whole world lies in wickedness.
[8:28] Two groups. We're of God, but the world lies in wickedness. It's a whole wicked philosophy. What's the philosophy? I will. What's the philosophy?
[8:39] I do what I want to do. What's the philosophy? I'm important. What's the philosophy? It's about me. It's a pride of not needing God and not thinking of God. It's being the center of the universe.
[8:50] It's me doing what makes me happy and what I think is right. It's me having my own personal set of values. You ever heard that? Well, I have my own values.
[9:00] I mean, I don't know what you think about that, but I have my own values. Before we were saved, we walked in the world. The Bible says in Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 2, and you should look this up.
[9:12] Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 2. The Bible says, when in time past, you walked. You used to walk according to the course of this world. You did what everybody else did who's in rebellion against God.
[9:23] Before you got saved, you was just like everybody else. You were doing what you liked to do. You were going where you liked to go. You were making your own decisions. You were the big cheese. You were the big person. You made your own mind up.
[9:34] You walked according to the course of this world. You ran the same path they run. You did the same things they did. And then he said, and you did that according to the prince of the power of the air.
[9:46] He said, you did it according to the devil. You said, well, I didn't do no devil junk. Don't get me confused. I didn't do any devil junk. Because in your mind, you think devil junk is like pedophilia.
[9:58] You think devil junk is like pentagrams and worshiping the devil. You think devil junk is like 666. But no, devil junk is this. I make my own decisions. That's devil junk. See, devil junk isn't, I kill babies.
[10:12] Devil junk isn't, I run around in the night and I burn crosses in people's yards. That's not the devil junk. The devil junk is, I do what I want to do. I'm the big cheese. I'm the big person.
[10:22] I make my decisions. I'm in charge. He said, you did that according to the same way the devil does it. And the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience. And you, verse 3, he said, you fulfill the desires of your flesh.
[10:34] You did what you wanted to do. You did what you thought was right and you did what you wanted to do. With some of you, that was very moral. With some of you, that was joining every kind of, the Rotary Club and the Kiwanis Club and every other club you could think of.
[10:48] You were good to people, but you were doing what you thought was right. You see, you were, be not conformed to this for you, just like everybody else. Good people, doing good stuff, whatever they felt like was right.
[11:01] The mind, the world mindset is what's destroying everything around us. We were made to orbit around the Son of God.
[11:12] We were made to orbit around the Son of God. We were made to seek Him and His pleasure. Our lives find meaning in Him, the Lord Jesus.
[11:23] So when I become the center of the universe, the center of my universe, it destroys my marriage. It will ruin my children because they become my children and they're meant to live out my dreams and their dreams and not His dreams.
[11:39] It'll take my money. It will let my money take over because it loves me. It loves to be like a God to me. It'll let my money take over. It lets pleasure become the motivating force in my life.
[11:51] It interferes with my work and my social life because I am so focused on me. Let's talk about your marriage. You know what's going on?
[12:02] It's your house. There's conflicting orbits. It's your house. There's conflicting orbits. Husband's walking. He's sitting over there going, everything ought to revolve around me around here. I am the husband.
[12:13] You are supposed to serve me. Revolve around me. Get up. Do what I want to do. Everything's about me. Take care of me. Me, me, me, me, me, me. And she's singing a whole different song. She's over there saying, you should love me like Jesus loved the church.
[12:24] It's all about me, me, me. And they're sitting there arguing. His song is me, me, me, me, me, me. And hers is me, me, me, me, me, me. And they're sitting there fighting and arguing because they got the wrong God.
[12:36] They got the wrong God. It's you. It's the God of your house. You want it. Hey, it affects the way you raise your children. You got children and they're your children. And they're to make you happy. And they're to fulfill your dreams.
[12:48] They're to do what you want to do because, after all, they're your children. I brought you into this world and I can take you out. I'm in charge around here. It's me. It's me. Do you know who it is? It's me.
[12:58] Hey, that little punk. You're here for me. I brought you into this world, you little punk. Hey, by the way, it messes you up at where you work. Because when you walk into your work, it's about you. You walk into your workplace, it's like, hey, you're all lucky to have me.
[13:11] I mean, do you know who I am? I am God. Little G God, but I am the stuff. It's all about me. It's all about number one. Be not conformed to this world. We got a bunch of egomaniacs running around all trying to be number one.
[13:24] Everybody's fighting over who can be number one. Be not conformed to this world. So, in other words, Romans 12, 2 says something like this. Stop letting the world squeeze you into its mold.
[13:37] It's saying stop looking and acting like what you are not. We are not one of them. We are not one of them. We've been born again. We have a Lord.
[13:47] We have a Master. We have a King. We have somebody who's number one in our life. Jesus. So stop acting like they act. Live out who you are in Christ. Stop wearing makeup and trying to pretend you want to look like the world.
[14:01] That's not who you are. Be not conformed to this world. Worldliness is talking more about the way you think. Than what you do or you don't.
[14:13] It's the idea of secularism. This is all it's about. It's me. It's humanism. It's materialism. It's like Daniel chapter 4 and verse 30. Old Nebuchadnezzar said this.
[14:24] The king, Nebuchadnezzar, spake and said, Is not this great Babylon that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power and for the honor of my majesty?
[14:35] Check this out. Y'all come look. I built all this and it's for me and it's about me and it's all about me. He was just as blatant and obvious. I heard one of the lawyers in one of the trials recently.
[14:47] He was on. He was on. They were interviewing him on one of the TV programs after the trial was over. And they said, the interviewer said, what do you think was the best part of the trial? He said, anytime I was talking, I like it when I talk.
[15:01] I'm good. I know I'm good. And I like it when I talk. You say, no, he didn't say that. I could pull that up for you. He said it. You know who he sounds like, don't you? You and me.
[15:12] Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed. Their idea is it's here and now. My idea is Jesus and there. It's what I see. My world, my universe, my family.
[15:24] It sees my world, not God's world. It all revolves around me. It is man's the measure. How do you determine things? You look at a man. You think about a man.
[15:36] You do for a man and mankind. It's get as rich as you can. Get all the things and activities that measure up success. It's me, mine, my life, my family.
[15:47] That's the way I evaluate everything. First thing I want you to look at. Look what it says in Romans 12 too. Go back and look at it with me one more time. Be not conformed to this world.
[15:58] Don't be like them. What's it really saying? Bring it right down to real simple stuff. Quit being rebellious like everybody else. Everybody's walking around thinking about themselves, and they don't want God to tell them what to do.
[16:10] Hey God, I like you as long as you bless what I do. I like you as long as you get involved and help me accomplish my goals. But God, it is about me. Don't forget that.
[16:21] I love religion as long as it helps me go forward. He said, no, no, no. Be not conformed to this world. Number two, he said, change your mind. Change the way you think.
[16:33] Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. In all honesty, what's going on in that passage of Scripture is God saying, hey, you are not who you used to be.
[16:47] You're not that little caterpillar that's a little worm. You have changed. And you are to become who you ought to be. Live out who you ought to be. And see, I used to be that other guy, but the idea here of transformation is a metamorphosis.
[17:01] It is, hey, I used to think and talk and act like the world, but that's not who I am anymore. I am a changed person. I have a different set of values now. Look at what the Bible says in 1 Peter 1.14.
[17:13] As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lust of your ignorance. Hey, you're Christians. All right, look just, wait a second. Just stop doing what you used to do before you got saved.
[17:26] Stop wanting the same things you used to want before you got saved. See, that's back when you were too dumb to know there was a great God who had a great plan for you. Back then you were too dumb to know that, but now you're not ignorant.
[17:37] Now you know Jesus, and He has a great plan for you. So don't be like everybody else. Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. It's the idea of a metamorphosis.
[17:48] It's a change. We don't think like we used to. We have a different way of thinking. Now we have a mind saturated with the Word of God. What we're going to do is we're going to be transformed.
[17:58] See, the world, they look at this and say, that's an old book. It's an antique book. It doesn't have a lot to do with my life. I don't have time to read that. But we're like, no, no, no. That's the mind of God, and I want that in my mind.
[18:10] I want that in my heart, and I want that in my life. The Bible says in Colossians chapter 3 and verse 2, set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
[18:20] As a Christian, look this way. Hey, be not conformed to the world, but be transformed. See, before you walked around going, look, man, I like that. I like this stuff. I like a piano like that.
[18:30] I like a guitar like that. I like a wife that looks like that girl I married to for 40 years back here. I like this stuff around here. I like that. I like a car. I like this. He said, no, no, no. Be not conformed to this world. Set your mind on things above, and not on things on the earth.
[18:44] So you're changing your mindset. In Colossians 3, 16, he said, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. You were a worm, lost and on your way to hell, but he changed you.
[18:59] You are to become who you are made to be. It is like God hiding his word in my heart that I might not sin against God. It is bringing our thoughts into captivity to Christ.
[19:13] The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 10, verse 5, casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought through the obedience of Christ.
[19:26] Before I walk around thinking this, what's best for me? Let me think about that. Let me calculate that. Let me add that up. Let me calculate. Let me put down my yellow pad. Let me say what's good and what's bad. Let me figure out what's best.
[19:37] Now I go, wait a minute. What does the Lord think about that? What does Jesus think about that? How does He handle that? What would the Bible say about that? What does God say about that?
[19:48] There's a different way of thinking now. I'm a different guy. Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. That doesn't mean you walk around thinking Christian thoughts all day.
[19:59] By the way, it's not about you going to church tomorrow, or school tomorrow, or work tomorrow, and you walk into work, and when you come in, everybody looks at you, and you're going, what are you doing? I'm repeating John 3, 16, for God so loved the world, He gives us all the God's Son.
[20:10] That's what I'm doing all day long. I will quote Bible verses all day long. That's not what it's talking about. It's a different mindset. It's a different worldview. The worldview you had before was, I'm the center of the universe.
[20:23] The worldview you have now is, Jesus is the center of the universe. The worldview you had before was, what's in it for me? The worldview you have now is, what brings glory to my Jesus?
[20:34] What can I do? It's a different mindset. It's seeing man for what he is, and God for what he is, and who he is. It's realizing that life doesn't revolve around me.
[20:45] It's thinking, in everything that I do, is this going to bring honor and glory, to the Lord Jesus Christ? So tomorrow when you go to work, it's not about you walking around, quoting Bible verses all day.
[20:59] It's not about you walking around, saying, excuse me, I'm listening to my pastor preach, because all day long, I've got to be not transformed, I've got to be not conformed to this world, I've got to be transformed. Listen, I've got Christian music going in this year, and a Bible message going in this year.
[21:09] No, no, no, it's changing your heart. It says, I want to do what pleases Jesus. I want honor. Yeah, you're going to be the best you can at the job you have. You're going to do the most you can. But the difference is, your life's changing.
[21:21] You've got a different mindset. Now your mindset is full of worship. You really need to get this. You see, before it was, the world worships, but they worship themselves. They worship things.
[21:34] They worship materialism. But we worship Jesus. Our problem has been our worship of ourselves. You'd never admit that. But the truth is, if we get on to the bottom side of the marriage problem you've got, is you've got two people worshiping themselves.
[21:50] You want to get right down to it, you've got two people revolving around themselves. You've got two egomaniacs fighting to be number one in a marriage. But now it's changed. I'm no longer number one.
[22:02] It's not about me, but it's about Him. We line up our priorities to magnify and glorify Him every day. In everything. That's going to solve a lot of problems.
[22:13] We'll have a better marriage if we realize that my behavior in my marriage is to glorify Christ. Watch this. You go home and you say, well, me and my wife aren't getting along. Okay. See, they're not getting along anywhere else.
[22:27] Marriages are full of problems everywhere. Christian marriages and carnal marriages. Lost people's marriages. Everybody's got problems. And your thoughts are, I'm going to go to a psychologist.
[22:37] I need somebody to counsel my wife about how important I am. We're going to go somewhere. I need somebody to sit her down and say, now Austin's the head of the home, bless God. You do what Austin says.
[22:49] See, that's the whole focus, isn't it? But here's what the Bible is saying right here. So don't be like everybody else in rebellion. He goes, God, stop the way you think. Change the way you think. And now you're going to think this. It's about Jesus.
[23:00] And so how I treat my wife at home, how I treat my husband at home, is about, will it glorify Jesus? Will he be pleased with the way I'm a husband? Because I'm honoring Jesus in my marriage.
[23:11] And when I go in, in the words I say, it's not to please my wife, and it's not to get a favor from her later on in the evening. It's to please Jesus, who's listening to everything I'm saying. It is.
[23:22] It is. Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. It's changing who you worship. We line up our priorities to magnify and glorify Him every day and everything.
[23:36] We have a better marriage. It changes the way I raise my kids. Because they're not for my pleasure, or their pleasure, their rather for pleasing God.
[23:48] See, God's like, hey, raise those kids for me. Now what you're going to say to them, and where you're going to take them, and what you're going to do, is going to be about this. Be not conformed to this world.
[23:59] Don't do it like everybody else does it. But be transformed by the renewing of your mind. It changes how you handle your money. Because I know that my money belongs to Him. And I should spend it, and use it, and manage it for His honor and His glory.
[24:14] It changes the way I work. Because my job will be about, not about me, or about the company, but about honoring Jesus. So I'm probably going to show up early when I come in there and go say, you're trying to brown nose the boss.
[24:28] You're trying to get into a higher job. You're just trying to work the system. I am trying to please somebody, but it ain't him. And I'm going to do my job better than anybody else can do it. Because I don't do it like the world does it.
[24:39] I didn't come to work to be a good employee. I came to work to love Jesus. And everything I do revolves around, be not conformed to this world, but be transformed.
[24:50] It'll change the way I work. It'll change my life from being about my pleasure to His pleasure. Everybody's going this way, but I'm going that way. Be not conformed. Don't let the world squeeze you into its mold.
[25:02] Change directions. Decide that Jesus is first in your life. Now look at the third thing that says in the first. Number one, be not conformed to this world. Number two, be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
[25:14] Number three, look at what it says in number three. In number three, it says so that you can prove, you can test, you can check out how great the will of God is. You see, when you find out, when you stop thinking, when you stop thinking the wrong thoughts, you'll find out how good God's will is.
[25:29] Find out how good God's will is. Verse two, be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. I will surrender my will for His will.
[25:43] Only a yielded will can desire, discover, or choose God's will. I say, not my will, but thine be done. His will includes my body, my mind, and my will.
[25:55] It includes all of me. 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 23, and the very God of peace sanctify you wholly. I pray God for your whole spirit, soul, and body.
[26:10] Spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless. I find out how good His will is. The verb He uses here, this transformed idea, is I once was a worm, but I was meant to fly.
[26:23] I once was a worm and not so pretty enough. Most of you probably aren't going to take little, little, what's that little worm before he's a, caterpillar.
[26:34] You're probably not going to take caterpillars to your house. I got a collection of caterpillars at my house. But you know what? Here's a beautiful butterfly, all He was designed to be. He said, hey, don't be like them.
[26:46] It's a mess of your life. Be not conformed to the world, but be transformed so you can find out just how good God's will is. Most of us fear God's will.
[26:57] We think He'll send us to the other side of the world. You're sitting here saying, I don't want God's will. He'll make a missionary out of me. I don't want God's will to have to give all my money. I don't want God's will. I won't ever get to have no fun.
[27:09] That's what you're thinking. But this is not what it says. It says in the verse, it says, hey, don't be like everybody else for a base. It says, I don't want God's will. It says, change the way you think and you'll find out. You'll find out how sweet it is to serve God.
[27:23] We fear He'll take our children from us. We fear He'll take our money and our comfort and our pleasure. Actually, He wants me to see how good He is and how good His will is and how good He makes things.
[27:34] His will is acceptable or pleasing. It says in the verse, be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the ruining of your mind that you may prove how good and acceptable. His will is good. His will is acceptable.
[27:46] Ephesians 5, 8, the Bible says, you were sometimes children of darkness or sometimes darkness, but now you're children, now you are light in the world. Walk as children of light. For the fruit of the Spirit is all goodness and righteousness and you find out what is acceptable, pleasing to the Lord.
[28:02] What is acceptable, what is pleasing to the Lord. God's will is pleasing God and is pleasing to God. God's will is pleasing to me. It brings me joy and peace and goodness and satisfaction.
[28:16] I will find that I enjoy what He has for me. I will not be embarrassed by my stupidity. I will not hurt or be hurt. I'm not saying you couldn't get hurt doing the will of God, but the whole point is this.
[28:27] You know what's ruining your marriage, don't you? You have hurt her so badly. She has hurt you so badly. You know why? Because you're two selfish people just like everybody else. Turn the TV on and they make programs about you every day.
[28:40] The whole world is about, look how important I am. Everybody ought to revolve around me. And He's saying, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Revolve around Jesus. Change the way you act as a husband. You won't be hurting people so much.
[28:51] His will is perfect. It doesn't lack anything I need in my life or my family. God said, I made you. I know how to do the best for you.
[29:02] I mean, I got the manual on how to make your life as wonderful as it could possibly be. I know how to make every morning worth getting up. I know how to do it. I'm your creator. I'm your savior.
[29:14] Prove, check out how good my will is. Works in every part of my life. It's not about ministry. So many of you are afraid. Well, I don't want to know about the will of God. Man, every time y'all talk about that, everybody's got to be a missionary.
[29:27] Not even a mention here of that. Not about being a missionary. Not about being a pastor. Not about going, it says this, don't be like everybody else that rebels against God. God, I don't like you. I don't want you to tell me what to do. Hey, but be transformed.
[29:38] Change the way you think so you can find out just how good God is and how good God's will is. It's about every area of your life. It's about building a strong family and working my job and taking care of my personal life and my needs.
[29:53] His will is that he be glorified in every part of my life. I acknowledge my sinfulness and my weakness and my failure but I see his strength and his greatness and his success.
[30:07] I live my life for a purpose bigger than I. Too long. We have sought God's will meaning ministry or church when he meant it's to be all of my life. Now you listen to this.
[30:18] Everybody in this room based on what you've read in Romans chapter 1 through Romans chapter 11 you have found out what a wonderfully great God you have. Who loved you when you were a dirty sinner who deserved hell and came down and saved you in spite of you.
[30:33] And gave you a new life in spite of you. And saved you because he's good and great. And he says and by the way based on my mercy and based on my goodness and based on how good I am I'm calling on you to give your body.
[30:48] I'm calling on you not to be conformed to the word. Don't. You shouldn't be like the rest of them. I rescued you. I saved you. I gave you a new life. Don't be like them. Change the way you think.
[31:01] Some of you think man I like God's grace getting saved. I just don't like it after that. I'm afraid if I I don't mind not going to hell I want fire insurance but I don't want to have to change my life. And he said well if you would you'd find out something.
[31:13] You'd find out how good it is. You'd find out how good it is. You'd find out how good God is. How perfect His will is. How it meets every need. How it works in every area. How it meets every area. Because you'd find it out.
[31:25] Here's what it is. Glorify Jesus. So tomorrow when you go to work you don't walk in there demanding a raise because do you not know who I am? You walk in there saying I'll be the best worker I can be for Jesus.
[31:37] And when you go home today you don't walk in your house and say that Bible says in Ephesians chapter 5 verse 22 you've got to submit to me. You walk into the house and say I have submitted to Jesus so it's going to change the way I treat you.
[31:50] It'll change your marriage. It'll change the way you raise your kids. It comes right down to where you live. Here it is. Everybody else is shaking their fists in the face of our great God.
[32:01] But we have changed our way of thinking. We don't think like they think. We don't want our will. We want His will. And by the way we are finding out how sweet it is to serve God.
[32:14] How it works in every area of my life. I serve a great God. And it is good all the time. When I put Jesus first and I glorify Jesus it just works.
[32:25] Father in heaven I ask you to work in the lives of your people. I pray you deal with their hearts Lord and I pray that they would not be conformed to this world but be transformed and find out how good your will is. I give you praise for what you do.
[32:36] Work in hearts today. Bring glory to your name. Magnify yourself and I'll praise you. This message was recorded at Vision Baptist Church in Alfred, Georgia. For more information log on to www.visionbaptist.com where you can find our service times, location, contact information and more audio and video recordings.