The scripture reading comes from Romans chapter 12.
Please follow along on the screen, the bulletin, or your own Bible.
Starting in verse 1, we read,
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.
This is the word of God.
Great. Thank you so much, Janet.
Well, once again, good morning.
It is wonderful to be back with you again.
And if you are new to Watermark, sorry, I didn't introduce myself earlier.
My name is Kevin, one of the elder pastors here.
It's great to be with you again today.
I wonder if you have ever had a big decision to make,
and you've been grappling with what is God's will in this decision.
If only God could give me a sign.
I've got two job offers on the table, A and B.
Or maybe you've got a job offer to move overseas.
And I just need a sign from God.
What is God's will?
If God will just give me a sign, I'll do it.
That sound familiar to anyone?
In the passage we're going to look at today,
it's going to tell us many things.
One of the things we're going to find out is why God so often
doesn't give us the signs that we want
and doesn't tell us what to do in moments like that.
First, we're working through one chapter of the Bible at the moment,
Romans chapter 12.
Recently we preached through the book of Daniel,
and each Sunday we looked at these long chapters.
Well, at the moment we're spending six weeks on this one chapter, Romans 12,
a couple of verses at a time.
Today we're just looking at one verse.
And the reason is because Romans chapter 12 is one of the best chapters in the Bible
to describe and explain what the gospel-centered life is all about and looks like.
If you've been at Watermark for a little while,
you would have heard this phrase, gospel-centered or gospel-shaped life.
But what does that actually mean?
Well, what it means is that the incredibly wonderful good news of the gospel,
that though the world was fallen and cut off from God,
God in His abundant mercy and grace,
because of His profound love for the world,
has made a way to reconcile and to redeem the world
by sending His Son Jesus to die on the cross for us.
So that sinners and sufferers like us,
who put our faith in Christ,
can be reconciled, can be redeemed, can be restored.
But the gospel actually has a storyline that has a shape to it.
Remember Philippians chapter 2 talks about how Jesus laid aside His glory,
took on the nature of a servant,
humbled Himself to the cross before He was exalted to glory.
And so the gospel, something we're discovering,
is not just a portion of the story Bible,
it is the story Bible.
The gospel is not just a way into the entrance into Christianity,
it is the Christian life.
And so the gospel shaped life is the life where every area of our life,
from our money to our sexuality to marriage to parenting,
work success and work failure,
COVID and cancer, political unrest,
every area of life is shaped and informed by the shape of the gospel.
And Romans chapter 12 is one of the best chapters in the Bible
to explain that and to describe that and to show what that looks like.
And so we're spending six weeks in this chapter.
And so Romans chapter 12 starts off like this,
by the mercies of God.
In view of God's incredible mercies,
this is how you are to live your life.
And last week Chris showed us that in view of God's mercy,
one of the things that God calls us to is,
the way that we don't waste our lives,
is by bringing our whole lives,
all that we are,
all that we have,
all that we do.
And so here it is,
God,
you are God and I am not,
you are glorious.
I am not,
you are infinite.
Here's my life.
Take it and have your way.
Now,
today,
we're going to look at the second part of that verse two,
and continue to look at what is this gospel shaped life all about.
And so Paul continues with Romans chapter 12 verse two.
What does it look like for us in 21st century Hong Kong,
with everything that's going on,
what does it look like for us not to waste our lives,
but to bring every area of our lives before God and say,
here it is,
have your way.
Well,
look at what Paul says in verse two.
Do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed into the image and the likeness of Jesus.
Okay,
that's what he means when he says be transformed.
And that's the big idea of this verse.
That's the big idea of the sermon today.
There it is.
It's not very complicated.
Do not be conformed to the patterns and the thinking and the ethos of this
world,
but be transformed into the image and the likeness of Christ Jesus.
The life that God calls us to,
for those of us that are Christians,
is one that is not shaped by the worldview,
the ethos,
or the thinking of our culture,
but one that is shaped and informed by the mercies of God and by the gospel into the likeness of Jesus.
By the mercies of God,
present your bodies as living sacrifices,
holy and acceptable to him.
This is your spiritual act of worship.
Therefore,
do not be conformed to the patterns of this world,
but be transformed into the likeness and the image of Jesus.
Now,
straight away,
we need to think about this a little bit more.
Okay.
There's a couple of things we need to clarify.
The first one is this.
It is a Christian historian by the name of Andrew Walls from Liverpool Hope University.
He wrote a book in the 1990s called The Missionary Spirit,
I think.
And in it,
he describes the difference between what he calls the indigenous principle and the pilgrim principle.
Okay.
And this is what he says.
He says,
as Christians,
we are called to both simultaneously be both indigenous in our culture,
to make our home in our culture and the cities in which we live,
and at the same time,
see ourselves as pilgrims passing through the culture.
So remember Jeremiah 29?
We spoke about it a few weeks ago.
Jeremiah writes to the exiles in Babylon.
He says,
build houses,
plant roots,
make families,
have children,
engage in the city in which you live.
Don't see yourselves as foreigners.
Engage.
Make yourself as a home there.
But at the same time,
there's something that the Bible calls us to,
to be distinctive from the cities in which we live.
To not be so engaged that there's nothing distinctive about us.
Or in the language of Jesus in John 17,
Jesus says,
be in the world,
but not of the world.
Be engaged in the culture,
serving the culture,
rooted in the culture,
loving and serving your city,
and yet something separate or something distinctive about your engagement.
And Paul says the same thing here.
He says in 1 Corinthians,
we are to become all things to all men,
so that by all means we can win some.
And at the same time here,
he says,
do not conform to the patterns of the world.
And so there's this paradox at play in the Christian life.
We are both indigenous in our city,
making a home here,
loving and serving our city,
and yet there's something distinctive,
something pilgrim about the way that we engage in life here.
I think the greatest example of this is Daniel, right?
We just spent eight weeks looking at the life of Daniel.
He has this man who thoroughly engages in pagan Babylon,
serving in the palace,
serving their kings,
really involved in serving the city of Babylon,
and yet there's something so distinctive about him,
that at times it almost costs him his life.
And so when Paul says,
do not be conformed to the patterns of this world,
Paul is not saying,
let's just retreat from society,
and go build this Christian commune on Lama Island,
and we all just live in this nice Christian bubble.
No, no, engage in the world,
and yet as you do so,
be distinctive.
Here's a second clarification.
When Paul says,
don't be conformed to the patterns of this world,
but be transformed,
he's not talking about a new moral list of behaviors,
things to do.
So Paul isn't saying,
stop stealing,
go to church.
Stop gambling,
read your Bible.
Stop swearing,
talk nicely.
Okay?
When Paul talks about this,
he's not just talking about outward behavior,
even though it will include that,
he's talking about an inner transformation of our hearts.
Listen to how John Piper describes this.
He says,
non-conformity to the world
does not primarily mean
the avoidance of external behaviors.
It will include that, of course.
But you can avoid all kinds of immoral behavior
and still not be transformed in your hearts.
Transformation by the mercy of God
is not switching from the behavior of the world
to the behavior of religion.
The Christian alternative to immoral behavior
is not suddenly a new list of new moral behaviors.
It is the triumphant power
and the transformation of the Holy Spirit
through faith in Christ,
by God's mercy,
which transforms our inner being.
Do you see what he's saying?
When Paul describes the gospel-shaped,
mercy-informed life
and the transformation,
he's not saying,
stop that stuff
and now do a whole lot of these things,
A, B, C, D.
He's saying,
let your inner world,
your heart,
be transformed by who God is
and by the grace and the mercy of God.
And that's why when Scripture talks about
the evidence of a transformed life,
it's not go to church,
put money in the offering,
stop swearing.
It's Jesus is this,
by this will all men know
that you are my disciples,
that you have love for one another.
Well, think of the fruit of the Spirit
that Paul describes about.
Unbelievable patience,
kindness,
faithfulness,
tenderness,
gentleness.
This is the mark of the transformed life.
Now, here's one other clarification.
Here's a question for us.
This radical gospel-shaped,
mercy-empowered,
transformed life of the heart,
who do you think this is for?
Is this for Christians
or is this for non-Christians?
Okay?
Is this,
is Paul talking about
the transformation
for those who are dead in their sin
or those who are alive in Christ?
Because no doubt,
we have both with us this morning.
Many of us here
would be followers of Jesus.
We've put our faith and trust in Him.
He's changed us.
You're born again.
Some of us may be here this morning
and no doubt,
still on a spiritual journey.
You're not yet a follower of Jesus.
So who's Paul talking to?
The answer is both.
If you're here this morning
and you're not a follower of Jesus,
friends, can I tell you,
the God who made you,
who knit you together
in your mother's womb,
loves you infinitely more
than you could possibly imagine
or hope.
But the God who made you
and who loves you so much
is also the God
to whom you're one day
going to give an account
for the way that you've lived your life.
Have you loved and honored Him
or have you loved and honored yourself?
Have you treasured and served Him
or have you treasured and served yourself?
Have you lived for His glory
or have you lived for your own glory?
This God longs to break into your life
and to so transform your life
to cause you to be new from the inside out.
This God longs to transform you
to give you a new identity
and a new security.
One that's not built on your performance
or how people think about you,
but built on the fact
that you're a son or a daughter
of the living God.
And so if you're not a follower
of Jesus this morning,
God wants to transform you.
But at the same time,
for those of us
that are followers of Jesus,
Paul says that even the Christian life
is not one which has merely
put my faith in Jesus 30 years ago
and now I just ride it out to heaven.
The life of a follower of Jesus
is one of constant reformation,
transformation, and renewal.
500 years ago,
in the time of the Reformation,
remember Martin Luther,
John Calvin, Zwickley, those guys,
they had a Latin phrase.
It was this,
Sempe Reformanda.
Is that right?
Something like that, okay?
Do you appreciate my Latin?
That's about as far as it goes, right?
Sempe Reformanda.
And what it meant is this,
always being reformed.
And their concern was that
the church went through
this massive reformation
as it changed from Catholicism
and honoring the Pope
to honoring Jesus.
But their concern was this,
that people would think,
oh yeah, we reformed back then
in 1519 or 1526
or whenever it was
and thought that was a done deal.
And they said,
no, the life of a Christian
is always being transformed
into the newness
and the likeness of Jesus.
Friends, if you're a follower
of Jesus this morning,
Jesus looks at each one of us
in the eye and says,
do not conform to the patterns
of this world,
but be transformed
by the renewing of your mind.
Just this week,
on Tuesday evening,
Oscar and I had a really good
heart-to-heart conversation.
I was grappling and struggling
with a couple of things
and Oscar came around
and chatted
and we protested,
protested, not protested,
processed,
some of the ministry idolatries
in my heart.
Some of the things that I'm grappling,
my own insecurities,
and my fears.
Some of the rubbish
that's in my heart.
And we got to pray together
and talk through that.
Friends, you and I
need the transformative work
of the power of the Holy Spirit
by the mercy of God
in our hearts
and in our lives.
This is what God calls us to
by His mercy.
By the mercies of God.
Don't be conformed
to the patterns of this world,
but be transformed
into the image
and the likeness of Jesus.
Maybe a question
for those of us
that are followers of Jesus
this morning
to stop and think about.
Is our inner world,
the motivations of our hearts,
the deepest longings and fears,
or maybe our deepest fantasies,
do these look like
the inner world of Jesus Christ?
Or are they more shaped
by the longings,
the desires,
the fears,
and the ambitions
of our culture
and our world around us?
By the mercies of God,
do not be conformed
to the patterns of this world,
but be transformed
into the image
and the likeness of Jesus.
Okay, so that's the big idea.
Now the question is this,
how does that actually happen?
How do we go about that?
And there's lots of answers,
but today I want to look
at just three of them.
And they're three things
that all kind of happen
simultaneously
at the same time.
It happens by the mercy of God,
by the renewal of our minds,
and thirdly,
by seeing and savoring Jesus.
Okay, so let's dive into that.
Firstly,
by the mercies of God.
I don't know if you noticed this,
but look at the way
that Paul writes the sentence.
Paul doesn't say,
don't conform to this world,
but transform yourself
to look like Jesus.
Okay, he almost says that,
but he doesn't quite.
He says,
don't be conformed,
rather,
be transformed
into the image
and the likeness of Christ.
What's Paul saying here?
He's saying,
this radical transformation
that takes place
as a result of the gospel
is not something
that is done by us,
it's primarily something
that is done to us.
Okay,
do you see the distinction there?
Do not be conformed,
but be transformed
outside of yourself
by the mercy
and the grace of God.
This is one of the key distinctions
between the gospel
and formal religion.
Every religion of the world
will tell you,
you need to change,
you need to transform,
you need to improve yourself.
I remember a few years ago,
someone came to our community group
and she was in the process
of becoming a Christian
and her friends couldn't believe
that she'd go to a Bible study
on a Thursday night.
And so I said,
what on earth are you doing
going to a Bible study
on a Thursday night?
And she said to them,
well, you know,
kind of see it as a self-improvement project.
She was early on
in the process
of understanding the gospel.
But friends,
that's not what the gospel is.
The gospel is not
a self-improvement project.
Paul doesn't say,
don't conform,
but improve yourself,
transform yourself.
Paul says,
by the mercies of God,
let your own heart
be transformed.
Every religion will tell you,
seek to improve yourself,
to transform yourself,
to fix yourself.
Moral religion will tell us,
see Jesus as an example
and then sort yourself out
until you can be like him.
The gospel tells us
that transformation
is not something you achieve,
it's a gift that you receive
by the mercies of God.
Transformation of our hearts
and our minds,
our identities
and our joys
is not something
that comes from within us,
it's something that comes
from outside of us
and changes us
on the inside out.
And so listen to how
Paul says the same thing
in 2 Corinthians.
He says,
we all,
those of us
that are followers of Jesus,
beholding the glory
of the Lord Jesus
are being transformed
by him
into the image of Christ
by one degree of glory
to the next.
This comes from the Lord
who is the Spirit.
This happens
as we yield ourselves
and give ourselves
to God.
So here is my life
and offering of worship.
Friends,
every religion of the world
will give you instructions
how to save yourself,
improve yourself,
fix yourself.
Jesus says,
come to me
and let me change you,
let me transform you,
let me fix you.
Jesus says,
the problem is far more fundamental
than self-improvement.
Jesus says,
you need to be rescued,
saved,
transformed and renewed.
And that's what
the gospel does.
Okay,
so the first thing is this,
by the mercies of God.
Second thing is this,
by the renewal
of our minds.
Now we're going to spend
the most time on this.
This is a little theological,
so you're going to need
to follow with me,
okay?
So,
look at what Paul says
in our passage here.
He says,
do not be conformed
to the patterns
of this world,
but be transformed
by the renewal
of your minds.
By the renewal
of your minds.
Now why does Paul say that?
What's wrong with our minds
that our minds
need to be renewed?
Well,
we tend to think
that the problem
with our world
and the problem
with ourselves
is generally
that we don't
understand enough.
We don't have enough
education
or enough information.
And that if we can
just fill our minds
with the right information
or the right education,
we will be able
to solve the problems
of the world.
When we were living
in South Africa
before Hong Kong,
this was the great argument
to be the problem
to racism.
Everyone said,
listen,
South Africa,
we are a racist society.
The problem is
we don't have enough education.
We don't know enough.
But friends,
you and I know
that education
is not going to solve
the racism of our hearts,
right?
The Bible says,
the Bible has a far
deeper analysis
of the problem
of our minds.
Scripture says
the problem
with our minds
is not just
that they're finite,
it's that they are fallen.
Okay?
It's not just
that our minds
are dull,
it's that they have
been darkened
as a consequence
of sin
in our heart
and in our world.
Our minds
don't see the world
as God has designed them.
We don't think accurately.
Okay?
So,
listen to how Paul
describes it
in Ephesians chapter 4.
Paul says this,
Now I say to you
and I testify on the Lord
that you must no longer walk
as the Gentiles do.
So that's another way
of saying
don't be conformed
to the patterns
of this world.
In the futility
of their minds,
they are darkened
in their understanding,
alienated from the life
of God
because of the ignorance
that is in them
due to the hardness
of their hearts.
So look at what
Paul says there.
He describes our thinking
as becoming futile,
darkened,
ignorant,
not just because
of lack of education
but because of the
fallen world,
the state of our hearts
has corrupted our thinking.
We don't see the world
as God wants us
to see it.
Rather,
he says,
verse 21,
be renewed
in the spirit
of your minds.
Now that's almost
identical to Romans 12.
Be transformed
by the renewal
of your mind.
Paul says in Ephesians,
be renewed
in the spirit
of your minds.
Now what does Paul mean
by the spirit
of our minds?
What he means is this,
that our minds,
our thinking,
has a worldview.
It has a posture.
It has a mindset
or an attitude
about it
which conforms
to the way
of our hearts.
Romans 1
says the same thing,
that our minds
as a result
of our fallen nature
has become darkened,
foolish,
and futile.
And Romans 1
says this,
one of the consequences
of this
is that we have
exchanged
what is true
for what is false.
We honor
and exalt
things that are false
and we diminish
things that are true.
We are confused
about the way
that the world works.
And Paul says
the same things here.
Our minds
aren't just computers
processing information.
They have a worldview,
an attitude,
a posture
that needs to be renewed
and redeemed,
that needs to be transformed
and come into line
with what is true.
Okay,
are you tracking with me?
I said this was
a little complicated.
Are you following it?
Okay.
Do not be conformed,
be transformed.
How does this happen?
One way
is through the renewal
of our minds.
Now,
we're going to go
one step deeper,
okay?
You're going to have
to follow here.
How does that happen?
Well,
there's two ways,
two things
that happen simultaneously.
Look at what Paul
says here.
Do not be conformed
to this world,
be transformed
by the renewal
of your mind
so that
by testing
or discovering
you may discern
or know for yourself
what is the will of God
is good,
acceptable,
and perfect will.
Okay?
So let's come back
to the question
we said in the beginning.
How many of us here
have faced a situation
where you've got
a decision to make?
Job A or job B,
job C?
God,
what is your will?
If only you'll tell me
your will.
How do we know
what God's will is?
As a pastor,
that's one of the
most frequent requests
I get,
okay?
Please come and pray for me.
I need to know God's will.
Give me a sign,
okay?
Look at what Paul says here.
Paul says,
the normal way
that the Christian
discovers God's will
is not normally
through a supernatural sign,
writing on the wall,
a prophecy,
a dream,
a vision,
or a revelation,
even though
all those things
do happen,
and they do happen,
and I've had them happen.
Okay,
not the writing on the wall.
That hasn't happened to me.
But those other things
have happened.
Those are good.
But the way,
the main way
that we know God's will
is not through
some supernatural revelation,
but rather,
the usual way
we know God's will
is having our minds
and our thinking
and our worldview
renewed by the gospel,
and then as we live that out
and act it out,
we discover God's will
in the process.
Okay?
So this is actually
how we discover
and walk in God's will.
Not by supernatural revelation
primarily,
but through testing
or discovering God's will
as we allow our thinking
and our worldview
to be renewed
and shaped by Him
and the gospel,
and as we live that out
and take a step of faith
trying to live
the gospel-centered life.
Okay?
So,
hopefully this will make sense
in a few minutes.
Now, just by the way,
I am a charismatic.
I do pray in tongues.
I do believe in prophecy
and visions and dreams
and all those things.
Those are good things.
They're in the Bible
and we should pursue them.
But here's the key.
Many Christians
want a crystal ball.
And God often,
we want a Christian ball
so that God will tell us
what to do.
Take path A,
not path B.
But God wants to give us
a renewed mind
and a transformed heart,
not just a crystal ball answer.
Does that make sense?
And so we come and say,
God, I've got a job A, job B.
You just tell me
and I'll know your will
and then I'll walk in it.
Your good, pleasing,
and perfect will.
But God doesn't want to give us
a crystal ball answer.
He wants to give us
a renewed mind
and a transformed heart.
And so that's why he says,
I want you to trust me.
And here's the reason why.
If God gave us
a crystal ball,
something that would just
magically tell us
His will in each
and every situation,
that wouldn't require
a transformed heart at all.
In fact,
so deceitful is the human heart
that what we would end up doing
is we would use God
for our own glory.
Say, okay, God,
what is the answer?
Take path A.
Great.
Now I can take this job
and I'll be more happy,
more comfortable for my glory.
We will use God
rather than serve Him.
But God wants a transformed heart
and a renewed mind.
God wants us to know His will.
He's not trying to hide it from us,
but He wants us to discover it
as our hearts and minds
are renewed
according to the gospel
as we come to Him
and trust Him.
So let's look at this verse
once again.
Do not be conformed
to the patterns of this world.
Be transformed
in the image
and the likeness of Jesus
by the renewal of your mind
so that by testing
or discovering
you may discern for yourself
what is the will of God,
His good, acceptable,
and pleasing will.
So,
here's one more question
and I'm going to give us an example.
The transformed life,
does it primarily happen
through theology
or pragmatics?
Some of us,
and I'm one of these people,
I just want the theology, right?
Just tell me what to believe
and I'll sort out
the practicalities.
Some of us
don't really care
about the theology,
just tell me what to do, right?
Tell me what God's will is
so I can walk in it.
The answer is
it happens through both.
As our minds are renewed
according to the gospel
and as we practically
live that out,
we discover God's will,
our minds get renewed
and our hearts
get transformed.
It's kind of like a bicycle, right?
You've got these two things
at the same time.
Renewed theology,
renewed mind,
living according to God's will.
Renewed mind,
living according to God's will.
So let me give you
a practical example
of how I think
this works out.
Let's say,
for instance,
my marriage to Claire
is characterized
by defensiveness,
outbursts of anger,
and frustration
on my behalf, okay?
So I'm a husband
that Claire's always
walking on eggshells
because whenever
something happens,
I freak out
and I'm defensive
and I'm always angry
with her
and I'm always convinced
it's her fault, right?
I have a friend like this.
This week he told me
I've been married twice,
both to the same person.
The first half of our marriage
was horrible.
God changed my life.
The second half of the marriage
has been glorious, right?
The first half of my marriage,
he said,
well, I was always angry,
I was always defensive,
always frustrated,
and I was convinced
it was always my wife's fault.
So let's imagine
that's our situation.
Now, hopefully,
you can ask Claire later.
Hopefully that's not the case
in our home.
If it is,
Jesus changed me, okay?
So let's say my home
characterized by anger,
outbursts of frustration,
defensiveness,
and I'm convinced
it's her fault.
And one day I'm reading
my Bible
and I read Ephesians chapter 5
and the penny drops.
Husbands,
love your wives
as Christ loved the church.
And suddenly I realize,
oh my goodness,
Christ's love for me
is so tender
He's so patient.
He's so gentle.
Jesus is so long-suffering
with all the rubbish
in my heart.
Jesus doesn't point
His finger at me
and tell me
I'm a dirty,
rotten scoundrel.
He welcomes me
with arms.
Jesus floods me
with unbelievable grace.
How selfless
and tender
is His love for me.
How great
is the mercy of Jesus.
And then I think
about how selfish
and self-centered
I've been
in my relationship
to Claire.
And so my thinking,
my worldview
gets renewed
according to the gospel.
And I realize
I've been a rubbish husband.
And I say,
I don't want to be
that kind of husband.
And so
some kind of transformation
takes place
in my heart
according to the renewal
of my mind
by the mercies of God.
And so then
the next time
I mess up
and Claire says,
hey,
you said you were
going to do this
rather than saying,
well,
do you know
what you did wrong?
Because I've been transformed,
I catch myself
and I say,
Jesus help me.
And I say,
you know what,
love,
you're right.
I said I was going
to do that
and I didn't.
I'm sorry.
Please forgive me.
And Claire falls off
her chair
because she's never
experienced a husband
like this.
And suddenly
over the next few weeks
and months
my heart starts to change
because actually
it's nicer living
in a home like that.
And Claire starts
to transform
because she's not
so defensive
wondering about her
husband that's always
going to lash out at her.
And suddenly
I actually realize
it's quite nice
to be a nice husband.
And actually
sometimes
we learn to laugh
about the mistakes
that I make
rather than accusing her.
What's happened
there?
By the mercies
of God
my thinking
has been renewed
my heart
has been transformed
okay it's the bicycle
as I start
to live that out
my thinking
gets renewed
I start to live
that out more
my thinking
gets renewed
and my heart
gets transformed
by the gospel.
Does that make sense?
So here's what
Paul's saying
as our thinking
is renewed
by the gospel
by the mercy
of God
we start to believe
that
we live it out
we walk it out
we test it
we discern
for ourselves
what is God's will
we discover
the beauty
and the pleasure
of God's will
which then renews
and revitalizes
our mind
and our thinking
we walk that out
we discover
the beauty
and the pleasure
of God's will
that renews
our thinking
we then walk it out
and our hearts
get transformed.
Friends
God's will
for our marriages
and our parenting
for the way
we handle money
and sexuality
and work
for our attitude
to the poor
and the way
we handle
and steward
the environment
every aspect
of our life
God wants
our thinking
renewed
according to
his will
to be shaped
by the gospel
by the mercies
of God
do not be conformed
be transformed
by the renewal
of your mind.
Okay
practically
let me give us
two very practical
applications of this
okay
the first one
is this
if you're a Christian
this morning
even if you're not
a Christian
okay
you must
get into scripture
every single day
don't let a day
go by
without getting
into memorizing
knowing
feasting
on God's word
and here's why
because every day
our minds
are being renewed
according to the
worldview
of our culture
you go to the office
your colleagues
the news
Bloomberg
the boss
they are all
conforming
our thinking
to our culture
saying invest
in this fund
more money
you'll be happier
rah rah rah rah
and unless
we are day by day
being transformed
by the truth
of God's word
we'll be conformed
by the patterns
of this world
friends
can I say this
if we think
that one hour
a week
on a Sunday morning
coming to church
is going to be enough
to transform
our minds
and to transform
our hearts
we've lost
the battle
there's no way
that one hour
a week
on a Sunday
morning
is going to
stand up
to 80 hours
a week
in the marketplace
friends
every day
get into
God's word
let God's word
renew your thinking
according to the
mercies of God
and transform
your heart
so that we're not
conformed to the
patterns of this
world
but transformed
to the likeness
of Jesus
I had a whole
lot of examples
of that
but I'm going
to leave that
here's the second
one
parents
and especially
Chris and Sam
and Nando
and Emmanuel
and who else
am I leaving out
Peter
parents
don't just focus
on your kids
education
is a wonderful
thing
it's a great
gift from God
I'm busy
trying to grind
out
theology
degree
at the moment
education
is a good
thing
but what Paul
is telling us
here
is education
is not going
to be the tool
to redeem
our world
we don't just
need
our minds
aren't just
computers
that need
more information
our minds
need to be
renewed
according
to the gospel
and so parents
can I plead
with you
teach your
children
the gospel
make sure
that you're
praying the gospel
for them
that you're
washing them
with the gospel
you're flooding
them with the gospel
parents
demonstrate the gospel
live out the gospel
let your kids
see
and experience
and taste
what it lives
what it feels
like
to live in a home
that is shaped
by the mercy
of God
let them see
you confessing
your sin
and saying sorry
to your wife
or your husband
or to your kids
and can I just
say
while I'm on this
men
especially you
men
you the head
of your home
you the leader
of your family
you take the
initiative
to shape
your home
and your family
according to the gospel
and the mercy
of God
make sure your kids
don't just fill their minds
with a great education
let their minds
be renewed
according
to the mercies
of God
so that our kids
will want to see
and know
and taste
the will of God
his good pleasing
and perfect will
all the days
of their lives
okay
is that alright
okay
so
how
our hearts
transformed
by the mercies
of God
by a renewed
mind
thirdly
by seeing
and savoring
Jesus
and this is
really quick
we write at the end
look again
at 2 Corinthians
chapter 3
with me
this is the
corollary verse
to Romans chapter 12
Paul writes this
and says
we
beholding
the glory
of the Lord Jesus
beholding means
to see
and to savor
to see
with the eyes
of our heart
we
beholding
Jesus
are being
transformed
into the same
image
from one degree
of glory
to the next
so how does
transformation
happen
by seeing
and savoring
Jesus
friends
can I ask you
are you
beholding
are you
beholding
the wonder
of Jesus
friends
are we
as a church
shaped
are we
a church
that is
seeing
the
infinite
glory
of who
Jesus
is
are we
beholding
how wonderful
he is
are we
delighting
and rejoicing
in the mercy
of God
in the work
of Christ
are we
day by day
morning by
morning
in the
busyness
of life
in the rush
of life
in the
pressures
of life
are we
beholding
and being
mesmerized
by the
wonder
of Jesus
Paul says
that as we
see Jesus
and what he
did on the
cross
as we
understand
the mercies
and the grace
of God
Christ will
transform our
hearts
more and more
to become
more and more
like Jesus
friends in view
of his mercies
in view of
Christ's
unceasing
grace
in view
of his
never
ending
mercy
to us
in view
of his
unfathomable
tenderness
and his
astounding
sacrifice
on the
cross
do not
be conformed
to the
patterns
of this
world
to the
decaying
suicidal
death
patterns
of this
world
no friends
be transformed
into the
image of
Jesus
by the
renewing
of your
minds
by the
spirit
so that
by testing
and living
the gospel
shaped life
you may
discover
for yourself
what is
the will
of God
his good
pleasing
and perfect
will
let's pray
together
in fact
maybe we can
just take a few
moments
just to
respond
in our own
hearts
in prayer
what does it
look like
for us to
respond to
God's word
this morning
for some
of us
it might be
praise
and adoration
God
thank you
for your
incredible
mercy
I can't
believe it
a sinner
like me
that you
would die
for me
Jesus
your mercy
is amazing
praise you
God
for some
of us
it's going
to be
reflection
confession
repentance
for some
of us
we need
to say
God
actually
my life
looks more
like the
world
than you
my thinking
my world
view
is conformed
to the
ethos
of this
world
more
than the
gospel
Jesus
I'm
sorry
come and
change
me
come and
transform
me
from the
inside
out
for some
of us
friends
it's
trust
and
obedience
we just
need to
live out
what he's
told us
to do
we need
to say
no to
that sin
and yes
to Christ
what does
response
look like
for you
Lord
Jesus
Christ
Lord
Jesus
Christ
heavenly
father
holy
spirit
three
in
one
God
we
are
astounded
at who
you are
and your
incredible
mercy
thank you
for your
unceasing
grace
love
your
indescribable
love
for us
God
thank you
for the
gospel
Jesus
thank you
that you
don't just
save us
and then you
leave us
to our
own
devices
you
continually
work on
us
reforming
us
shaping
us
helping
us
renewing
us
ransomed
healed
restored
forgiven
thank you
Jesus
come and
continue
to transform
our hearts
God
won't you
shape us
individually
and as a
church
to be more
like you
Jesus
may we
be transformed
more and
more to the
image and
the likeness
of Christ
Holy Spirit
I pray
come and
work on
our hearts
now
lead us
to repentance
lead us
to faith
in you
help us
to trust
you
to love
you
to obey
you
to have
our lives
shaped by
you
and by
the mercies
of God
we pray
in your
awesome
and your
wonderful
name
amen