When you hear the word commitment, what comes to your mind?
It may depend upon the situation.
Some of you athletes in here, we have athletes of various kinds in this room right now.
You might describe your commitment to your sport or your team by saying things like,
you've got to go to practice every day.
You've got to give 100% effort every time you step on the field.
You've got to stay positive.
And especially in today's sports world, you might say or should say, don't get into trouble off the field.
We've got a lot of married men in this room.
If I ask you to describe commitment, you might say something like,
I try to tell her and show her that I love her every day.
You might describe commitment in terms of,
I am committed to always being faithful in thought as well as action.
You might even say that your commitment involves,
I will only speak nice things about her parents.
Or you might even tell her that you like her casseroles.
Now strike that last one.
That's just going too far.
Let's just don't put that one in there.
Now as a Christian,
how would you describe what it means to be committed to God?
How would you describe, how would you summarize what it means for you to be committed to Jesus Christ
as the Savior and Lord of your life?
Well, I'm going to help you here.
I think one of the best descriptions of what it means to be committed to our Lord
is found in Romans chapter 12, verses 1 and 2.
I want to put it on the screen now, but I hope you'll open your Bibles to this
because we're going to be looking at both 1 and 2 today, really for the entire time.
We're going to look at only maybe a couple of other Scripture verses.
So turn in your Bible to Romans chapter 12, verses 1 and 2.
But here, look at it now on the screen.
One of the best explanations of what it means to be committed to God.
I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God,
to present your bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and acceptable to God,
which is your spiritual worship.
Do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that by testing you may discern what is the will of God,
what is good and acceptable and perfect.
We looked at these verses last week
as we started a new series of studies from Romans chapter 12.
The goal is we're going to go through the book of Romans chapter 12 only now
under the heading, Living Like a Christian.
Last week and today, we're talking about living like a Christian
in our relationship with God.
Next week, we're going to talk about living or thinking like a Christian
in our understanding of ourselves.
And then we'll move on throughout the rest of the chapter
and think about what it means to live like a Christian
as we relate to other people.
Now, in that message last week,
we began looking at what it means to live like a Christian
in relationship with God
and found that the first requirement
is to make a wholehearted commitment to God.
Not just a wholehearted commitment to doing good
or to going to church or doing something like that,
but the focus was commitment to God himself,
which includes commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ as well.
I want us to go back to these verses
and look more closely now
at how God wants us to live in a relationship with him
as his children.
Number one is a review from last week.
We start by making a wholehearted commitment to God.
If you are serious about wanting to live
like a Christian in this world,
I mean, if you're serious about who you are as a child of God
and you really want to live
and let everybody see,
I'm a true believer,
I'm a true follower of Jesus,
then you must, as it says there,
make a wholehearted commitment to God.
You'll never live that kind of life
without a total wholehearted commitment.
Look at verse one, the first phrase.
You can see what he's talking about.
He says,
I appeal to you therefore, brothers,
by the mercies of God.
The word therefore recalls
what he's been talking about up to this point.
He summarizes all that he's been talking about
as God's merciful actions toward us
in sending his son into this world
to die on a cross and pay the penalty for our sins,
something we did not deserve.
See, when God shows us mercy,
he's showing us, granting to us
that which we do not deserve.
And that is salvation, forgiveness of sin,
being made right with him through his son, Jesus.
Now, we also saw last week
that wholehearted commitment
requires a total life commitment.
Notice the next phrase.
Present your bodies as a living sacrifice,
holy and acceptable to God.
God calls us to give ourselves
completely and exclusively to him,
who we are.
I mean, our mouth, the way we speak,
our hands, what we do,
our feet, where we go.
You can't compartmentalize your Christian faith
if you're a Christian.
You can't be a Christian on Sunday
or around certain people
and then act a different way when you go to work,
the way you do your job,
or around your friends.
Real heartfelt commitment
is whole life commitment.
He tells us it is a holy sacrifice.
It means we're set apart.
We're consciously making this commitment,
setting ourselves apart.
And this kind of commitment
is acceptable or pleasing to God.
You know, we talked about last week,
and for the benefit of those
who were not here last week,
sometimes when you think about
making a commitment,
or at least some people,
they don't like that word.
Because to them,
commitment means I've got to do something
I don't really want to do
to achieve the results
that I really want,
like maybe losing weight,
especially for health reasons.
Well, we're not talking about
a grit your teeth and bear it
kind of commitment here.
We're talking about a commitment
that is based on
having a real, loving relationship with God.
He has shown us His mercy.
We're talking about a commitment.
Because of that,
we just give Him our lives.
We don't hold anything back.
That kind of commitment
pleases God.
And so again,
the motivation for making
this kind of commitment,
this wholehearted commitment,
it's all positive.
Do it because of what God's done for you.
But do it,
or when you do it,
that will please God.
He will be pleased
with that kind of commitment in you.
One other thing is found in verse 1
about wholehearted commitment.
It makes sense.
It just makes sense.
Look at the last phrase,
which is your spiritual worship,
or some translations will say
it's your rational service.
Or some translations say
it's your reasonable service of worship.
It makes sense
to serve God this way.
It makes sense to worship God
as a way of life this way.
This last phrase drives home
the point of the entire verse.
Look at it.
Summarize it one more time.
In light of God's mercy,
in light of God's grace and love as well,
it is clearly reasonable and rational
for us to make a wholehearted,
total life commitment
to serve and worship
our Heavenly Father.
Now,
living like a Christian
in our relationship with God,
that's how it begins.
But if it's going to really grow
and mature and develop,
if it's going to make progress,
we've got certain things we've got to do.
Number two,
we make progress
by consistently choosing
to adopt the worldview of God
and reject all others.
That's what he's talking about
in verse 2,
especially the first part.
Look at it with me.
Paul is contrasting two ways to live.
Verse 2 says,
Do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed
by the renewal of your mind.
Two ways
you can conform to the pattern of the world.
You can be like the world.
You can adopt the world's mindset,
philosophy,
values.
Or,
you can look to God
and cooperate with Him
as He transforms you,
as He renews your mind,
makes you different
from the way you think
all the way out
into the way that you live.
Paul is pointing out here
to make progress
in living like a Christian.
We've got two choices
to make every day.
We've got two things
we need to do.
One is negative.
Do not be conformed to the world.
But the other one is positive.
Be transformed
by the renewal of your mind.
Let's look now
at what each involves.
First,
the negative one.
We must make a consistent effort
to not allow the world
to shape us.
We must make a consistent effort
to not allow the world
to shape us.
He says it.
Do not be conformed
to this world.
Or,
probably the most well-known
paraphrase of this phrase
comes from the Phillips
translation of the New Testament.
It says,
Do not be conformed
to this world.
It says,
Don't let the world
squeeze you into its mold.
Don't let the world
squeeze you
into its mold.
Another way to say that.
Don't let the world
pressure you
into adopting
its worldview.
Everybody has a worldview.
It's the way
that you look at life.
Your worldview
is the lens
or the filter
through which you look at life.
I'm looking at life
right now
through these glasses
that make some of you
look clearer.
Could be good.
Could not be.
It certainly makes
what I'm trying to read
look clearer.
If you,
some of you,
when you walk out the door,
you're going to put on sunglasses.
That's going to,
it's got a certain tint to it.
That's going to affect
how you look at life
literally.
Our worldview
is the lens
or the filter
through which we
look at life.
It affects what we believe.
And what we believe
determines
how we live.
When Paul says
do not be conformed
to this world,
he's saying
don't look at life
from the perspective
of people
who don't care about God.
You know,
the word world
is used in different ways
in the New Testament.
The word world
sometimes talks about
this big old world
we live in.
The world revolves around
the sun.
Sometimes the scripture
uses the world
in a negative way.
He uses it in terms of
this age
as opposed
to the age to come.
Temporal things.
Just a temporary way
of looking at life
versus an eternal way
of looking at life.
But the world also,
here's what we need
to think about now.
When Paul uses the world
like he's using it here,
he's describing
a way of looking at life
that leaves God out.
He's talking about
a way of life
that either hates God
or doesn't care about God.
And both come out
to the same thing.
They're ignoring God.
They're leaving Him out.
They're leaving His ways,
His will,
His truth
out of their thinking
and as a result
out of their living.
Paul tells us
to not be conformed.
Don't let the world
teach you
to look at life this way.
Let me give you an example.
Go home
and turn on the TV today.
Go home
and turn on the TV
to any of your favorite shows,
any of my favorite shows.
And nine times out of ten,
God will never be mentioned.
No individual,
no family,
no group
will ever mention
mention God
in any kind of real,
personal,
believing kind of way.
See, that's what the world
has done.
Some of the good shows,
your favorite shows,
nothing immoral,
no trashy language.
It's just all about life
as we see it
and feel it
and taste it.
And it's as if
God does not exist
in that world
of your show.
And that's the way
many people live life today.
It's as if
there was no God.
A lot of people
live today
as practical atheists.
Now,
this world mindset,
this world view
that leaves God out
says that we can choose
what we want to believe
and how we want to live
just like you can choose
the food
that you want
as you go through
the cafeteria line.
This world says
you pick and choose
because there's no real
ultimate value.
There's no absolute truth.
The world tells us today
there's no such thing
as something being
always right
or always wrong.
It's all relative.
The world gives you
the freedom.
This world view,
this mindset
that we're talking about
says you have the freedom
to decide
what you want to believe
about God,
about Jesus,
about heaven and hell,
about ethical issues
like abortion,
homosexuality,
about marriage,
about parenting.
See,
the world's mindset,
this world system,
this way of looking at life
says that you
are to be the final judge
for what you believe
and how you live.
It's up to you
because God is not,
He's either not in the picture
at all according
to the way they think
or God's got it all wrong.
We've got to be hostile.
We've got to reject
the teachings of His Word.
Now this world view
that I'm talking about
is how most people
in our country today think.
And unfortunately,
that means there's a lot
of church members
think that same way.
World Magazine
pointed this out
with a quote
that they said
was typical
of how most people
think today
just in general
in our country.
Look at the quote.
Sometimes my personal beliefs
contradict those
taught by the church.
I make my decisions
based on what I feel
is right.
A lot of people
in this world today,
in this country today,
my personal beliefs
contradict those
taught by the church
and hopefully
those taught by the church
are found in Scripture.
We're going to hope
that's what it is.
But I make my decisions
based on what I feel
is right.
What about you?
Could that be something
you think
never would say
but as you actually
live your life
in your home
with your family members
as you carry out
the role
that you have
as a husband
or wife
or child
or parent
when it comes
to making hard
decisions
in relationships
with people
when it comes
to making hard choices?
What prevails?
What you've been taught
as being the actual
Word of God
because it's clear
black and white
or what you prefer?
Your personal opinion?
You know,
what this guy says,
that's an example
of someone
who has adopted
the worldview
of the world.
That's an example
of someone
who's become
a friend
of the world
and the book
of James
in the New Testament.
It warns us
that's a scary,
dangerous place to be.
I want you to look
at what it says.
James is writing
to church members.
James is writing
to professing Christians.
And evidently
he has heard
that some of them
are living more like
people of the world,
people who don't know God,
than they are people
who are followers
of Jesus.
And here's what
he says to them.
You adulterous people.
He considers
their being unfaithful
to God
as spiritual adultery.
You adulterous people.
Do you not know
that friendship
with the world
is enmity?
It's hostility
with God.
Therefore,
whoever wishes
to be a friend
of the world
makes himself
an enemy of God.
It can't be any clearer
than that,
can it?
We cannot,
you cannot be
a friend of the world,
a man of the world,
a woman of the world,
and be a friend
or woman
or man of God.
They are polar opposites.
You may want to be both,
but you can't be both.
James says,
Jesus talked about
the same thing.
We can only be
a friend of God
if we reject
the influence
of the world
that opposes God.
So this is the first choice
that we're called
to make every day
if we're serious
about living
the Christian life.
Now I'm talking to you,
if you're serious
about living
the Christian life,
if you're in elementary school,
middle school,
high school,
college,
if you're a young adult,
middle adult,
or an old adult
like Grace out there,
you've got to make
this choice
every day.
I am not,
with the help
that God gives me,
I am not
going to allow
the world
to squeeze me
into its mold.
But there's another choice.
Equally,
we've got to choose
every day,
and that is
we must make
a consistent effort
to allow God
to shape us.
Look at the phrase.
Next phrase,
be transformed
by the renewal
of your mind.
Transform means
to be changed
into another form.
How many people
in here
have played
with transformers
at some point
in your life?
Lots of people.
You know what it's like
to be transformed
from maybe a car
to an action figure.
You know what it's like.
You've studied
about how a caterpillar
turns into a butterfly.
Transformation.
Notice that it says
be transformed.
That means
that this transformation
is something
that's got to be done
to us.
What it's doing
is referring
to the way
God works
in the life
of every person
who is His child.
God works
through His Spirit
to change us
gradually
throughout our life
here on earth
once we become
a Christian.
I mean,
God puts His Spirit
in us.
He works
to shape
and mold
our character
to be that
like Jesus's.
What we've got
to do
to be transformed
like this,
we've got to learn
to be sensitive
to the Holy Spirit's
presence.
He lives within us.
The Spirit of Christ,
the Spirit of God.
We need to be sensitive
to His presence
and we need to learn
to be
obedient
to His leadership.
For an example,
you're a Christian.
You're serious
about living
the Christian life.
The Spirit of God
prompts you
to say
an encouraging
word
to somebody
that you're in class
with
or that you work
with.
You don't know
what's going on
in their life,
but you know
God is prompting
you to do that.
Well,
to be obedient
to Him,
you need to do that.
You need to offer
that word
of encouragement.
You need to be seen
as that encouraging
Christian who's there
to make a difference,
a positive difference
in someone's life
like that.
The Holy Spirit
will convict us
along the same line
of talking.
Haven't you
as a Christian
felt you wanted
to say something
negative about somebody?
You just wanted
to blast them.
You just wanted
to make fun of them.
Not to their face.
You just wanted
to talk about them
at home
or to your friend.
But before you
got it out of your mouth,
the Holy Spirit
convicted you
and sort of like
saying,
don't say it.
Don't let it come out.
And you've got
to make a choice.
Are you going
to be obedient
to His leadership?
Because gossip
and slander,
that's contrary
to God's word,
isn't it?
We've got to be
sensitive to His presence
and obedient
to His leadership,
submissive to His power.
We're dependent
upon Him.
We can't do this
on our own.
We can't change ourselves.
He can change us.
But we've got to
cooperate with Him
and it'll be
a lifelong process.
The next phrase
in verse 2
tells us how
this transformation
takes place.
By the renewal
of your mind.
The primary battleground
in what all
we're talking about.
The primary battleground
in spiritual warfare,
we'll call it,
is in our minds.
We need to be careful
of what we allow
to enter into our minds.
Now,
what we're talking about here
is what we dwell on.
We're supposed
to live in the world.
We're supposed to,
as Christians,
be in this world,
this world system
that leaves God out,
that hates God.
We're supposed
to be out here
not allowing the world
to influence us.
We're supposed
to be influencers,
influencing the world,
influencing people.
Jesus said we're
to be salt and light.
And as we're out
in the world,
as we interact
with people,
as we do a lot
of different things,
all kinds of thoughts
come into our mind.
As we read,
as we observe,
as we study,
as we do what all,
all kinds of thoughts
come into our mind
and you can't help that.
If in the course
of doing what you need
to do to live your life
as a faithful Christian,
things come into your mind,
don't worry about that.
We're talking about
what you dwell on,
what you sort of
mull over in your mind,
what you think about.
Because what we think
is what determines
what we do.
That's why we've got
to guard against
what comes to our minds.
we've got to learn
to think like a Christian.
We've got to learn
to think
like God wants us
to think
as revealed
in His Word.
How discerning
are you about what
you are allowing
to enter your mind
that you dwell on,
that you think about,
that really is having
an effect on
what you think
and how you live?
How discerning are you
if you have children
at home?
How discerning are you
of what you allow
your children
to be exposed to?
TV, movies,
internet,
music,
whatever.
What are you doing
to try to filter out
as best you can
the garbage from this world
from your mind
and from the minds
of your children?
This is part of
our commitment to God.
Don't be conformed
to the world.
This is one way.
Be transformed
by the renewing
of our mind.
If we're going
to be able to resist
the pressure
to conform,
if we're going
to resist
the influences
of this world,
we've got to go
on the offensive.
We've got to
fill our minds
with the kinds
of things
the Holy Spirit
can use
to renew us,
to transform
our thinking.
And the place
begins with
the truth
of God's Word.
You know that.
We cannot,
no matter what
passage of Scripture
you come to,
when it comes
to application,
the final word is
if we're serious
about living
the Christian life
in this world,
we have got to be
people who know
the Word of God.
We've got to know
how God thinks,
how God feels,
how God has acted
and promises to act.
We've got to know
how we can live
our lives
in a way
that pleases Him
and the way
that will serve
His purpose
for why we are
here in this world.
We need to learn
to read the Bible
just so we understand
God's mind,
God's heart,
God's ways
so that that can
become our mind
and our heart
and our ways.
And then as we
come to know
God's Word,
we need to filter
everything that comes
into our minds
with that truth.
Everything that comes
into our minds,
is, you know,
how should I go
about being
a committed
husband,
a committed wife?
What does the
Scripture say?
Well, it has
very specific things
in Ephesians 5
and Colossians 3,
1 Peter 3.
There's a lot of
just general
characteristics
of what it means
to be a Christian
and live and interact
with people
in the right kind of way.
Look just for an example,
verse 9,
and we're here
in Romans chapter 12,
let love be genuine.
Our love for people
needs to be genuine.
We don't need to be
phony and fake,
put up fronts.
We need to learn
to filter everything
that comes into our mind
with the truth
of God's Word,
every temptation,
every idle thought.
That's how we develop
a Christian worldview.
Now,
let's look at
one more thing,
the benefits
of living
like a committed
Christian
in our relationship
with God.
That's the last part
of verse 2.
We are rewarded
with a positive experience
and desirable benefits
of doing God's will.
If we are faithful
to the Lord,
committed to Him
like we've been
talking about,
we're going to be rewarded
with positive experiences
and desirable benefits
of doing God's will.
Look at verse 2,
the last part.
That by testing,
you may discern
what is the will of God,
what is good
and acceptable
and perfect.
As we obey God's call
to be totally committed,
as we cooperate
with the Spirit of God
who works in us,
we're going to find
that we get a lot of joy
and pleasure
from doing God's will.
It's going to mean
something to us.
We're going to find
satisfaction in living
God's way
as God's people
if we do the kind
of things Paul
is talking about here,
cooperating with the Holy Spirit
who lives within us.
Paul is talking about,
not talking about
finding God's will
about such things as,
such things as,
who should I marry?
Where should I work?
That's not what he's
talking about.
He's talking about
God's desired will
which He reveals to us
in His Word.
The Bible reveals
God's will
in a general way
in terms of
what we should believe
and how we should live.
We test God's will.
That's what it says there
in the latter part
of verse 2.
That by testing,
you may discern
what is the will of God.
We test God's will
by doing it.
If you bought a car,
new or used,
what did you do?
Did you do a test drive
to see if it was
what you thought
it was going to be?
Going to prove
this is really
what I want to have,
to drive?
That's how we discover
a lot of things.
Some of you are
into one sport
in particular
where you probably
tested various sports
before you decided
that's the one
that I'm going
to really focus on.
If we'll seek to know
and do God's will
from experience,
we'll find
that's the best way
to live.
Our experience
will say,
will prove
to ourselves
that God's will
is good,
it says.
God's will
is just good.
It's the right thing
and it leads
to good in our lives.
God's will
is acceptable
or some translations
will say pleasing.
Think about it.
Knowing that you're
pleasing God,
isn't that one
of the greatest feelings
that you can possibly
have?
Knowing that I'm
not just right with God,
I'm pleasing to him.
I'm bringing a smile
to his face
by the way
that I am living.
Honoring him,
loving him,
serving him.
And then God's will
is perfect.
You can't improve on it.
We'll find
from experience
by living it
that it's the best life
we can possibly live.
Now one way to know
if you totally,
if you,
we,
if we're totally
committed to God
this morning,
I want you to ask
yourself,
do I desire
to know
and do
the will of God
as revealed
in Scripture
in the details
of my life?
I mean,
just as you do
what you do
Monday through Saturday,
are you conscious of,
do you pray about,
do you seek
to know
and do God's will
because you want
to please him,
you want to live life
the way that he
designed?
Or are you more
concerned about
just doing what
you want to do,
the way you want
to do it?
Or are you really
and truly just,
you don't care.
You're just sort of
out there,
just doing what
comes naturally
with not much
thought about
who gets pleased.
A missionary
by the name
of Jim Elliott
was killed
by the very
Indian tribe
in South America.
he was trying
to build
a relationship
with
and be able
to share
the gospel with.
But he made
a memorable statement
about Christian
commitment
that you've probably
seen
that is so powerful.
He says,
he is no fool
who gives up
that which
he cannot
keep
to gain
that which
he cannot
lose.
He is no fool
who gives up
that which
he cannot
keep
to gain
that which
he cannot
lose.
You are
no fool
by turning
your back
on this world
and the things
that this world
offers
in place
of God
and his will
and his ways.
You are wise
to commit
yourself
wholeheartedly
to living
like a child
of God
who loves
you,
who is your
heavenly father,
who enjoys
the pleasure
of having
a close
relationship
with you.
That's wisdom.
But the choice
is yours.
The choice
is yours.
You can
conform
to this world
or you can
be transformed
by the renewing
of your mind.
But understand,
the choices
that we make
every day
result in
consequences
that we have
to live
with
and one
day
die
with.
Are you
prepared
to continue
living
and then
die
with the choices
you've made
up to this
point?
If you're
not,
if God's
spoken to you
this morning,
convicted you
that you are
separated from
him because
you're more
of a person
of the world,
you're more
concerned about
your way
than his way,
if God's
convicted you
this morning
of your sin
and it's
humbled you,
it's broken
you,
it bothers
you,
you're willing
to turn
from that,
to let God
change you,
I want to
encourage you
to do that
and put your
trust in Jesus
Christ,
that when he
died on the
cross,
he actually
died for
you to take
your punishment
for your
sins.
He arose
from the grave
because God
accepted his
sacrifice.
Well,
the last thing
Jesus said was,
it is finished.
He paid the
penalty for our
sins.
He arose
victoriously
proving he
has conquered
sin and death
and defeated
the devil.
And the
scripture,
the good news,
the gospel is,
whoever will
call upon the
name of the
Lord will be
saved.
That means
you.
Listen to
the Lord.
Respond to
him as he
speaks right
now.
Would you
pray with me?
Dear God,
help us to
see right now
how we should
respond to
you, to
what you've
been saying
to us about
commitment.
Committing our
lives to
Christ as
Lord and
Savior.
Or committing
ourselves and
you in
afresh to
really and
truly living
like your
people, like
your child in
every realm of
life.
Show us how we
should respond.
Help us to do
it now,
obediently.
And then in
an attitude of
prayer, let's just
listen to the
Lord and respond to
him.
I'd be happy to
pray with you here
at the front if
you want to step
out during this
time.
Amen.