If you would, you know, chapter 12 is going to be the chapter we're going to be in today, but I'm going to start with chapter 1.
So, just move your Bibles to Romans 1, please.
And as we're doing this, let me just say a couple of things here.
Let's not forget that Romans is a letter.
When it was originally written, it did not have chapters, it didn't have verses, it was just one letter.
And it was meant to be read in one sitting.
Okay, so we chop it up, we try to unpack the truth of just a few verses at a time,
but if we're not careful to kind of revisit what Paul's already been saying for the previous 11 chapters,
then the overall sweep and the momentum of the text can be lost.
So, think of it like watching five minutes of a movie.
You wouldn't really feel the force of the scene if you hadn't watched what led up to that point.
And this is kind of the same thing.
We have to go back and kind of just give you guys a brief overview of kind of where we've been,
so you guys can really feel the weight of the text that we're at today.
And this is also why I'm kind of a big advocate of reading a large portion of Scripture at one time.
I think it's good to just kind of get a sense of what the overall sweep of the text is saying.
So, just a footnote.
Okay.
So, prior to chapter 12, verse 2, if you had to pick one verse out of Romans to kind of sum up, I guess, what Paul is writing about,
I think you'd have to select Romans 1, verses 16 and 17.
So, let's read that together and see what he says.
And there are four kind of clear things that Paul begins to build on top of that verse through the next chapters leading up to chapter 12.
First, through chapters 1 through 3, he details kind of the need of every single man for salvation.
Every single person is in need of salvation.
Every single person starts off in a sinful state and in need of God's grace.
And I get that from chapter 3, verse 10, which is just one of many we could point to,
so we'll just keep flipping the pages here.
3.10 says this,
There is none righteous, there's not even one.
We're not going to go further than that.
We're just going to stop at that.
There's not one righteous, there's not even one.
That is a definitive statement about the fact that everybody is in need of salvation.
The second thing, kind of at the end of chapter 3 and then going into chapter 4 of Romans,
explains the way of salvation.
How you are saved.
And I get this from chapter 3, verses 23 and 24.
Let's read that.
He says,
For all have sinned, everybody sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
You haven't attained it.
Being justified or declared innocent or made right with God as a gift by God's grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.
So that's the way of salvation.
It's through Christ, His sacrifice on the cross, His death, burial and resurrection.
Us believing and embracing and trusting in that for our only hope is the way that you're saved.
Okay, so it starts with the need, it goes to the way.
And then thirdly, I think it goes from in chapters 5 through 8,
He begins to unpack the hope of our salvation.
Okay, we'll just read one verse.
Go to Romans 5, verse 1.
He says,
Therefore, so in light of the need, in light of the way,
Therefore, having been justified by faith,
made right with God by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
And that means a lot of things that He details in the next 3 to 4 chapters.
But that's kind of where He's been as well.
And then lastly, I think in chapters 9 through 11,
He reveals to us, Paul reveals to us,
the plan of salvation for all peoples.
All kinds of people, Jews and Gentiles alike.
Both the Jews and then all of us who are probably Gentiles.
God says, everyone's invited to the party.
Everybody gets a free shot.
Everyone's included in this plan of salvation.
It doesn't mean everybody's saved.
It just means everybody is included.
And I get this from Romans 10, verses 12 and 13.
He says this,
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek.
For the same Lord is Lord of all, or everybody,
abounding in riches for all who will call upon Him.
For whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.
Whoever, right?
Anybody.
Any kind of person.
And Paul, at the end of all this doctrine,
begins to just shout out and praise.
And he does a doxology.
It's called a doxology.
And he just begins to praise God at the end of chapter 11.
And that brings us kind of into chapter 12,
where we start today.
And so I'm just going to kind of briefly revisit for you guys verse 1.
And just talk about what that kind of meant.
And then we'll actually begin exploring verse 2 today.
And hopefully it'll be a nice segue for whoever's teaching next
into the rest of the chapter as well.
So let's just read verses 1 and 2 of chapter 12.
I urge you, therefore, brethren,
by the mercies of God,
to present your bodies
a living and holy sacrifice
acceptable to God,
which is your spiritual service of worship,
or your reasonable service of worship.
And do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that you may prove or discern
what the will of God is,
that which is good,
that which is well-pleasing,
that which is perfect.
So early on in Jesus' ministry,
he was actually asked by a Pharisee named Simon
to come over and to have dinner with him.
And he did.
And while he was there,
a woman approached Jesus at the dinner table,
and she was a very immoral woman.
Some scholars think this was Mary,
if you know your biblical characters.
She was known by all in the community to be so.
She was immoral.
Everyone knew it.
But when she learned that Jesus was eating
at the Pharisee's house,
she came to him,
and she brought this alabaster vial of perfume.
Really expensive.
Really costly.
And standing behind Jesus with the vial in hand,
she was weeping tears of sorrow,
and began to wet Jesus' feet with their tears,
and then wipe the tears off with their hair.
She kept wiping,
and she kept crying,
and she kept wiping.
And she would kiss his feet from time to time.
And then she would even anoint his feet
with this costly perfume.
Now the Pharisee saw this,
and he said to himself,
if this man were the prophet that everybody thinks that he is,
if he were really the prophet everyone thinks that Jesus actually is,
he would know what sort of person this is,
that this woman who was touching him
is an adulteress,
an immoral person,
is unclean,
is not worthy of his time.
But Jesus knew the scorn that was in Simon's heart,
and so he says to him,
I have something to say to you, Simon.
And he replied,
say it, teacher,
and I'm sure he kind of said it like,
say it, you know, teacher, prophet,
call yourself that.
Jesus spoke back,
a certain moneylender had two debtors.
He tells this story.
A certain moneylender had two debtors,
people indebted to him.
One owed him 500 denarii.
One denarii was equal to about one day's wage.
So, over a year's worth of salary, right?
Owed him that.
The other debtor owed him 50 denarii.
When they were unable to repay,
Jesus says,
he graciously forgave them both.
Which of them, therefore,
do you think will love him more?
Simon answered and said,
I suppose the one whom he forgave more.
And Jesus said,
you've answered correctly.
That's right.
The person that you forgave more
is the person that's going to love you more.
Jesus then turned towards the woman
and looking at her,
he was speaking to Simon still
and he says this,
do you see this woman?
I entered your house a while ago,
yet you gave me no water for my feet,
but she has wet my feet with her tears
and wiped them with her hair.
You gave me no kiss,
but she, since the time that I came in,
has not stopped kissing my feet.
You did not anoint my head with oil,
but she anointed my feet with perfume.
For this reason I tell you, Simon,
her sins, which are many,
have been forgiven.
For she has loved much,
but he who is forgiven little,
loves little.
And he said to her,
your sins have been forgiven.
And that's the end of the story.
It's in Luke 7.
It's a true story.
It really happened.
And I think this story really embodies
the truth of Romans 12.1.
Okay?
Who do you think we are in the story?
Which character do you think represents us?
You're the prostitute.
You're Mary, if that's Mary.
You're the sinner.
You're the fornicator.
You're the defiler.
You're the rebellious person.
The rebellious and disobedient fornicator,
who upon feeling deep conviction over her sin,
and the desperate need for forgiveness,
pursues Christ,
and offers Him her broken heart.
She doesn't cry in the corner.
Okay?
She doesn't wait until there's an opportune time
to go talk to Jesus.
She bursts onto the scene
with the same boldness
in her confession
that she typically had in her rebellion.
And she begins to
even offer Him
this costly perfume,
anointing His feet with it
as a sign of her sincerity.
There was nothing that this woman
would not do
to have the Savior.
Nothing she wouldn't give the Savior.
Right?
Nothing she would keep for herself.
No public humiliation
was going to keep her from Him.
No fear of others' disapproval
was going to keep her from Him.
No embarrassment,
no earthly possessions.
Would stand in the way,
no crowd of eager onlookers
that were boxing her out
would keep her from Him.
No love of her sin
would keep her from Him.
Nothing would keep her from Him.
Because she was committed
to this idea
that if Jesus was the Savior,
if He was the one
that could truly forgive sin
and make her right with God
and cleanse her of all this filth
that she had upon herself,
she was committed to that idea
and she knew,
if this is the one
that I'm supposed to communicate with,
then no.
Then I'll do anything.
I'll die to anything
if it meant forgiveness of my sin.
And I think that's true
of a lot of you.
Some of you.
Right?
You can relate.
Those of you who are similarly
in a state of rebellion,
in a state of sinfulness,
in a state of rejection,
in a state of hate towards God,
in a state of selfish ambition,
but you heard Christ say
your sins are forgiven.
You were so moved by that.
That idea
that you could be forgiven
for the sin
that you know you were guilty of,
that you would do anything
to have Christ,
you would suffer anything
to have Christ,
you would confess it all
to have Christ,
you would,
it didn't matter.
And what other reaction
is there for a soul
who feels the weight
of judgment upon them?
Right?
But to forsake everything,
go to the Savior,
and do whatever must be done
in order to have Him.
And once you have Him,
is there any other reaction
but to worship Him
with your life,
to live in submission to Jesus
with all of your heart,
and all of your soul,
and all of your mind,
and all of your strength,
because He died for you.
And when you think of these things,
aren't you compelled
by love and by gratitude
for Christ
to serve Jesus, right?
Because of His merciful sacrifice.
I think that's exactly
what Romans 12, 1 says.
Listen to it.
I urge you, therefore, brethren,
by the mercies of God,
by that reality of Christ,
I urge you,
because you've been forgiven
of this great
infinite debt,
I urge you,
by that mercy,
to present your body
as a living and a holy sacrifice,
acceptable to God,
which is your reasonable service
and worship.
It's the reasonable conclusion of that.
What other reaction
can you possibly have
when you've been forgiven
like you've been forgiven?
There is no other action
or reaction.
So that's where Paul's been so far,
okay?
He's been kind of building
this case up against mankind
for many, many chapters
and then talking about,
hey,
now here's the answer
to your problem.
And now here's kind of
what happens to you
in light of that.
Here's your hope in God
in light of these truths,
in light of this way of salvation,
this acceptance in Christ
or through Christ
before God.
Okay?
So then,
now we come to verse 2.
With those truths in mind,
let's kind of explore this.
And just,
if verse 1 is kind of
the what,
you know,
how we're supposed to respond,
then verse 2 kind of tells us
actually how that happens.
How we actually do that.
How we respond
by actually offering a body to God
that's living and holy
and pleasing to Him.
Okay?
Let's just read 12-2 once more.
So it says,
And do not be conformed
to this world,
but be transformed
by the renewing of your mind
that you may prove
what the will of God is,
that which is good
and acceptable
and perfect.
If we can successfully answer,
I think,
three questions,
I think we'll have this passage.
The first question is,
what does it mean
to be conformed to this world?
The second question is,
what does it mean
to be transformed
by the renewing of your mind?
And then the third question is,
what does it mean
to prove the will of God?
Okay?
So we just take them
one at a time.
The first way
in which we offer our bodies
to God
in a well-pleasing way
is by not being conformed
to the world.
That's what the Scripture says.
So what's considered the world?
That's kind of the first question,
I think,
to ask underneath that.
A better rendering,
actually,
of that word,
world,
would actually be age.
Okay?
The age.
The Greek word here is
aeon,
and it literally means
this period of time.
Okay?
And I think that's a great rendering
because it doesn't limit the text
to a certain kind of world.
It refers to any world
in which any person
is living
at any time.
the spirit of whatever
that age is.
Whatever time
that you live in,
don't be conformed
to the generic age
or world
or world pattern.
The world,
ever since the fall of Adam,
has always been corrupt,
and the age
has always been evil.
Okay?
There has never been a time
in the world
that tended toward righteousness.
Ever.
It's always been a world
filled with selfishness
and greed
and pride
and lust
and idolatry
and a lot of other things
that were driving it on.
That's at the core
of our world,
the core of our age.
Those kinds of things.
That pride
and that selfish ambition
and that lust
that you feel,
those things at the core
of you even
define our age.
This idea
is that we are not
to become like the world
in which we presently live.
So think of the world
like a stream
that naturally flows
downhill, right?
We are in it
and for a long time
we ran with it
but God through Christ
has now saved us
and called us
to swim upstream.
That's essentially
what it is.
It's just a simple
illustration
to kind of depict that.
The best cross reference
I think in the scripture
is actually from Galatians.
So turn there real quick.
I just want to show you this.
It's the exact same word
but it kind of
just more clearly states
what exactly God
is asking of us
Galatians 1 verses 3 and 4 here.
Galatians 1, 3 and 4.
So here we go.
It says,
Grace to you
and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ
who gave himself
for our sins
that he might deliver us
out of this present
evil age
according to the will
of our God
and our Father.
God has saved us.
God has called us
out of this world.
God has called us
out of this present evil age
or at least living
in light of this present evil age
into some kind of new status
or some kind of new way of living.
God has saved us
and the last thing
I'll kind of say
about what the term world
really means
if you want to define it
it's very easily definable
by its goals.
The world is.
If you consider
what men and women
are actually living for
in this world
I think you'll clearly see
what God means
by the term world
in this passage.
For instance,
four obvious goals
of our world.
Fortune,
fame,
power,
and pleasure.
Just to name a few.
Fortune, fame,
power, and pleasure.
That's four obvious goals
of our world
and what they're striving after.
And these
fortune, fame,
power, and pleasure
are not in and of themselves
evil.
They're not wicked
by themselves
but
when a person without Christ
seeks these things
for themselves
and makes them
the primary objects
of their life
or their primary goals
in life
to obtain these things
instead of the byproducts
of living a life for God
then as one author put it
he actually says
life becomes warped
because mind and heart
and life
are turned
to the pursuit
of that
which can never glorify God
nor truly satisfy
the human heart.
When you turn
your mind towards that
and you actually focus
all of your efforts
and energies
on obtaining fortune
or fame
or power
or pleasure
it can be good
I mean
you can make a good thing
an ultimate thing
right?
That's a common phrase
you can make
even family
or girlfriend
or boyfriend
or school
an ultimate thing
and you can
so crave it
and so desire it
and so seek it
that it becomes
God to you
and when that happens
you warp yourself
it naturally
just warps
and kind of
it almost
internally combust
your own heart
and it just
inverts you
it turns you away
from the path
that you were meant
to go
it's a cool illustration
that C.S. Lewis
once actually coined
was
that the human machine
think of your body
as a machine
the human machine
was meant
to run on God
he created it that way
so when you don't do that
you'll find it's not
working very well
right?
So there's all kind of
I mean
you've heard another phrase
that's popular
the
you know
power corrupts
and
absolute
power corrupts
absolutely
right?
I mean
it's not necessarily
a one to one correlation
but I think that
you know
there is a sense
in which
we begin to pursue
these things as God
they begin to corrupt us
they begin to undo us
because we weren't created
to live like that
we weren't created
to operate like that
Paul says it this way
in Romans 1
in fact
professing to be wise
they became fools
and they exchanged
the glory
of the incorruptible God
for an image
in the form of
corruptible man
they begin to idolize
things of man
right?
this world
things in the world
they begin to idolize that
then he says
they exchanged
the truth of God
for a lie
and they worshipped
and served
the creature
rather than the creator
that's what happened
to you
that's what happened
to the world
in Romans 1
in fact
Paul is describing
for us
what exactly
has gone wrong
with the world
and what the wrath
of God
is going to be
coming down upon
what for?
because everybody
in creation
has been corrupted
by this one
central theme
they took God
and they displaced him
and they put themselves
on his throne
and they said
you know what
I'm going to follow me
I'm going to do my thing
and they stopped
listening to God
and everything
has been crumbling
ever since
so we should not
and we shall not
be conformed
to these things
these ways
right?
we should pursue
Christ
secondly
that's what I think
it kind of means
to be conformed
to the world
that idea
I mean if you really
get the idea of world
and you get the
definition down
I think it makes it
very clear what it says
to not be conformed to
don't pursue these
things as ultimate
pursue Christ
as ultimate
let him be what
you are living for
now if he blesses
you with fame
blesses you with
fortune
blesses you with
pleasure
blesses you with
power
those things are
not inherently evil
I'm not saying
that millionaires
cannot be Christians
okay
I'm just saying
that those kinds
of things
when pursued
ultimately
result in corruption
and destruction
and evil
and all kinds
of other things
second way
by which we offer
our bodies to God
in a well pleasing
way
is by being
transformed
by the renewing
of your mind
okay
the second way
in which we offer
our bodies to God
in an acceptable
or well pleasing
way
is by being
transformed
by the renewing
of your mind
I think two
questions
underneath that
main heading
there
will help us
really see the
truth of this
portion of our
verse
the first one
is what are we
being transformed
into
what are we
being transformed
into
and I think
secondly
how do we
renew our minds
okay
so let's just
deal with those
two questions
what are we
being transformed
into
firstly
the word
is
it's not
conformed
right
it's actually
transformed
and there's
a very important
distinction in the
Greek between
those two words
that I want to
just point out
to you
we are not
being conformed
to the world
or going along
with their schemes
or pursuing their
goals any longer
right
like we've
just discussed
that
but we
have the word
transformed
which is
actually
metamorphome
in the Greek
metamorphome
right
which sounds
just like
metamorphosis
or morph
okay
meaning to
change into
an entirely
new thing
entirely new
thing
2nd Corinthians
517
right
if any man
is in
Christ
he is
a
new
creation
a new
creature
altogether
an entirely
new
entity
a new
thing
the old
man has
passed away
behold new
things have
come
okay
the idea
here is
literally
it's kind
of that
of a tadpole
changing
into a frog
okay
or a grub
changing
into a butterfly
of some sort
it's that
I mean
it's that
different
okay
it's a
morphing
into something
that you
once were
not
it's a
creature
that you
once were
not
God
is not
merely
making
additions
and
subtractions
to you
he's not
just trying
to make
you more
moral
or make
you more
sweet
or make
you more
kind
to be around
or make
you more
humble
he's not
just trying
to make
you less
angry
it's not
just additions
and subtractions
here
but is
in the
business
of transforming
you
into an
entirely
new
creation
eventually
with a
body
and a
mind
like that
of the
risen
Christ
with a
mind
that's
identical
or not
identical
but a
mind
that's
like
Christ
in a
body
that's
like
the
risen
Christ
unlike
anything
you know
right now
think about
it this way
the seed
is the
Holy Spirit
the growth
is your
sanctification
and then
the bloom
is your
glorification
think of it
that way
okay
the seed
is the
Holy Spirit
he's been
planted
inside of
you
for the
purpose
of creating
life
and growing
the growth
you actually
becoming
what you
already
are
that's
sanctification
that's
you becoming
set apart
for God
that's
you actually
offering your
body to God
in a living
sacrificial way
that's pleasing
and smelling
good to him
and then lastly
the bloom
right when you
actually come to
full fruition
in heaven
that's your
glorification
it's a simple
little illustration
to kind of think
about what's
happening here
so transformation
transformation
in our text
refers to
God's purpose
and God's
means
of transforming
us
more and more
into the image
and the likeness
of the risen
Christ
that's exactly
what that means
okay
what are we
being transformed
into
again
I'm going to
read some
text here
in a second
we are
through the
text
okay
God's purpose
and God's
means
of transforming
us more
and more
into the image
and likeness
of the risen
Christ
is what he
means by that
word
transformation
all right
so let's
just kind of
deal with it
again back
into that
the seed
the growth
and the
bloom
analogy here
so the seed
or the Holy Spirit
let's look at
Romans 8
just so you know
what God's doing
kind of in order
here
the seed
is the first
thing
the Holy Spirit
is implanted
inside you
this is Romans 8
verse 11
but if the spirit
of him
who raised
Jesus from
the dead
dwells
inside of you
he who raised
Christ Jesus
from the dead
will also give
life to your
mortal bodies
through his
spirit who
indwells you
okay
see that
the Holy Spirit
was given to you
to breathe
life in
there's potential
now for life
inside of you
the life of God
unlike anything
that we've known
secondly
the growth
let's go to
Romans 8
29
look at this
this is again
what it looks like
in your life
Romans 8
29
for whom
whom he foreknew
he also
predestined
to become
what
conformed
to the image
of his son
conformed
to the image
of his son
that's what it
looks like
the way that it
looks to everybody
else
the way that it
should eventually
begin
you know
being look
or looking
to you
is that you'll
be becoming
conformed
to the image
of Christ
you'll be
growing into
Christ likeness
and then lastly
the bloom
1st John
3 verse 2
1st John
3 verse 2
listen to this
beloved
now we are
children of God
and it is not
appeared as yet
but we shall be
we know that
when he appears
when Jesus
appears
when he comes
back
or when we
see him
we shall be
like him
because we
shall see him
as he is
so that's what
is ahead of you
if you're a Christian
to be like
Jesus
to see him
as he is
to reflect him
without all this
sin and
the filth
in our life
ok
so that's kind
of the first
point there
what are we
being transformed
into
Christ likeness
and eventually
very much
Christ likeness
a lot of
Christ likeness
alright
secondly
how does this
transformation
take place
the verse
tells us
by the renewal
of your mind
which leads us
to the second
question
how do we
renew our minds
how do we
renew our minds
this is a huge
question
huge
the first thing
that I kind of
thought about
when I read
that portion
of the text
again let's
just read it
together
so we really
are clear
it says
and do not
be conformed
to this world
but be
transformed
how
by the renewing
of your mind
the first thing
that came to
my mind
was
why the mind
why
what about
the mind
is going
to transform
me
that was
my first
thought
okay
and I think
it is because
your thoughts
dwell there
it's because
that's where
your thoughts
dwell
and your
will
or your
ability
to choose
things
acts
according
to your
thoughts
okay
did you guys
get that
I'm going to
give you an
illustration
here
so you
got to
understand
those two
concepts
I think
the reason
why he says
the mind
is because
your thoughts
dwell there
that's where
you think
in your
mind
and then
your will
what you
choose to
do
if you
choose to
do this
versus
choosing to
do that
that is
dictated by
what's in
your mind
it acts
on the
thoughts
in there
okay
think of
your thoughts
as ingredients
and your
will as a
cook
okay
follow this
illustration
think of
your thoughts
as ingredients
and your
will as a
cook
you can
make from
the same
ingredients
something that
tastes
or something
that smells
sweet
and tastes
good
or you
can make
something that
smells awful
and tastes
terrible
okay
it just
depends on
the cook
we all
have a mixture
of thoughts
in our
minds
right
some good
thoughts
and some
bad
thoughts
it's just
the reality
everybody
does
depending
on which
thoughts
we choose
to act
on
will
determine
what
kind
of
body
we
offer
to
God
holy
or
unholy
just
depends
on the
cook
depends
on your
will
which
you
choose
to
do
now
take
the
illustration
further
imagine
the
holy
spirit
within
you
as
a
master
chef
okay
there
to
guide
you
through
your
cooking
and
the
bible
as
the
cookbook
okay
the
cookbook
informs
the
cook
how
to
create
a
tasty
meal
so
the
bible
informs
the
christian
how
to
please
god
however
and
there
is
and here
this
is my
main
point
okay
so
get
this
is
the
however
statement
the
master
chef
can
only
help
you
cook
with
the
ingredients
that
you
provide
him
right
if
you
give
him
raw
squid
and
celery
there's
only
so
much
that
a
master
chef
can
do
with
that
okay
the
holy
spirit
likewise
can
only
help
you
according
to
the
thoughts
that
you
provide
him
see
that
so
a lot
of you
are
wondering
why
is
there
no
power
in
my
life
why
do
I
see
no
change
in
my
life
why
do
I
see
no
growth
in
my
life
because
your
holy
spirit
cannot
use
there's
no
meditation
there's
no
consideration
of
christ
there's
no
memorizing
scripture
there's
no
reading
there's
no
considering
there's
no
praying
through
the
bible
to
come
to
an
understanding
that
changes
your
life
every
person
that you
admire
in
the
christian
realm
is
a
student
and
a
theologian
of
the
word
of
god
they
know
what
god's
word
says
they
memorize
it
mathan
quotes
george
!
muller
all
the
time
he
prayed
through
the
bible
they
say
200
times
is
there
any
wonder
why
his
life
was
so
powerful
why
the
holy
spirit
did
so
much
through
him
it's
not
because
he
was
that
kind
of
guy
he
devoted
himself
to
the
word
of
god
so
what
kind
of
thoughts
are
you
providing
him
is
it
pornography
is
it
movies
that
are
just
filled
with
!
is
it
music
that's
filled
with
sin
and
evil
and
corruption
what's
the
holy
spirit
going to
do
with
that
nothing
he
can't
he
won't
but
if
you
fill
your
mind
with
the
word
of
god
then
he
will
there
is
a
purging
process
let
me
just
give
you
some
verses
Jesus
said
this
in
john
17
sanctify
them
my
disciples
in
truth
your
word
is
truth
it
could
not
be
clearer
your
sanctification
your
growth
in
holiness
your
power
in
your
life
is
dictated
by
truth
not
just
knowing
it
but
believing
in
it
and
entrusting
yourself
to
it
and
acting
!
according
to
it
and
your
word
is
truth
he
says
to
god
2nd
timothy
3
16
and
17
all
scripture
is
god
breathed
and
profitable
for
teaching
and
for
reproof
and
for
correction
and
for
training
and
righteousness
that
the
man
of
god
may
be
adequate
equipped
for
some
good
works
no
every
good
work
every
good
work
the
word
of
god
is
adequate
for
everything
in
your
life
you
don't
need
some
special
premonition
the
word
of god
is
adequate
okay
to
guide
you
to
give
you
a
sense
of
where
to
go
to
give
you
a
sense
of
how
to
glorify
god
in
every
decision
you
make
the
bible
even
goes
as
far
as
saying
you
can
eat
and drink
to
the
glory
of
god
because
your
heart
is
right
it's
been
changed
by
the
scripture
and
lastly
!
john
15
no
longer
do
i
call
you
slaves
for
the
slave
does
not
know
what
his
master
is
doing
but
i
called
you
friends
for
all
things
that
i
have
heard
from
my
father
i
have
made
known
to
you
and
then
he
goes
on
the
very
next
words
to
talk
about
how
the
fact
that
you
know
what
my
father
likes
and
what
my
father
approves
of
is
meant
to
bear
fruit
within
you
how
incredible
right
Charles
Spurgeon
once said
ignorance
is not
bliss
in
Christianity
it's
misery
it's
misery
we
are
transformed
by
renewing
our
mind
that
is
by
knowing
truth
and
acting
according
to
it
it's
not
anything
deeper
than that
it's
not
anything
deeper
than that
and
the
Holy
Spirit
it's
not
going to
be like
you
have
to
not
only
memorize
but
then
actually
just
work
yourself
into
this
frenzy
of
activity
to
actually
glorify
God
it's
when
your
mind
is
changed
and the
things
within
you
begin
to
change
the
desires
within
you
begin
to
be
perfected
your
life
will
just
naturally
become
pleasing
life
it's
so
much
richer
that
way
the
third
way
that
we
offer
our
bodies
to
God
in
a
well
pleasing
way
is
by
proving
the
will
of
God
with
our
life
this
is
a
really
short
one
it's
very
simple
I think
in light
of
what
we've
already
talked
about
so
what
does
it
mean
to
prove
the
will
of
God
let's
read
the
verse
once
more
do
not
be
conformed
to
this
world
will
be
transformed
by
the
renewing
of
your
mind
why
would
I
care
about
a
renewed
mind
that
you
may
prove
what
the
will
of
God
is
that
which
is
good
and
well
pleasing
and
perfect
and
again
if you
understand
what
has
been
said
so
far
okay
that
we
have
been
saved
out
of
conformity
to
this
world
saved
out
of
that
conformity
to
this
world
and
into
Christ
likeness
which
comes
by
way
of
knowing
the
truth
and
entrusting
our
lives
to
him
then
this
last
point
is
very
simple
proving
the
will
of
God
is
simply
proving
through
your
life
that
God
is
better
that's
it
proving
some
of your
Bibles
may say
discerning
or
by testing
discern
what the
will
of
God
is
essentially
it's
getting
at
the
idea
of
proving
by
testing
okay
proving
that
the
will
of
God
is
good
and
acceptable
and
well
pleasing
and
perfect
so
you
will
then
prove
through
your
life
through
that
renewed
mind
life
that
God's
will
all along
was
good
and
well
pleasing
and
perfect
that
his
will
for
us
is
actually
good
and
it's
not
destructive
like
the
world
what
the
world
wills
okay
even
though
it
doesn't
it
doesn't
title
it
like
this
what
the
world
I was
going
to
talk
about
how
the
world
is
in
Satan's
hands
1 John
I think
it's
3
19
I can't
remember
but
exactly
he
basically
says
that
Satan
is
the
ruler
of
this
world
there's
many
other
passages
just
like
that
the
world
is
in
the
power
of
the
evil
one
the
Bible
says
that
many
times
John
13
says
that
okay
so
the
idea
here
is
that
if
you
follow
the
will
of
the
world
you
will
find
yourself
destroyed
by
the
devil
but
if
you
follow
the
will
of
God
which
is
actually
good
for
you
won't
find
that
same
destruction
you'll
find
blessing
you'll
find
abundance
secondly
another
thing
that
is
kind
of
speaking
to
is
that
is
will
for
us
as
well
pleasing
or
complimenting
to
God
okay
don't
overcomplicate
this
it's
just
like
a
husband
from
pleasing
her
that's
what
it
means
by
the
well
pleasing
part
right
it's
just
like
a
husband
desires
to
please
his
wife
and
then
out
of
that
gets
a lot
of
joy
when
she's
happy
it's
the
same
exact
thing
with
God
and
then
lastly
that
his
will
for
us
is
perfect
or
without
defilement
God
purely
desires
to
display
through
his
people
his
perfect
plan
of
redemption
and
that
he
will
do
that
more
and
more
as
we
resist
the
temptation
of
the
world
to
go
its
way
and
submit
ourselves
joyfully
to
him
as
a
holy
and
living
sacrifice
does that
make sense
I hope
that's
clear
that's
essentially
what
verse
two
says
after
this
we'll
be
getting
into
what
that
specifically
means
literally
the rest
of the
book
leading
into
16
is
just
kind
of
about
how
what
the
specific
will
of
God
is
for
us
in
terms
of
our
life
and
relationship
with
other
people
to
government
to
conscience
to
others
just
everything
so
that's
kind
of
what
the
rest
of
the
book
is
about
specifically
how
we can
actually
live our
lives
to the
glory
of
God
okay
so
let's
pray