Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.And be not fashioned according to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
23 sermons cite this verse
… so watch this, okay, I'm going to help somebody Romans 12 2, I'm going to teach today I'm teaching today, okay, it says don't copy the behaviors and the customs of this world. Don't retreat in your thinking. Don't go backwards. But let God, everybody say this good word right here, transform. Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. It's your perspective. But you only get perspective from what you see. And a lot of us have not been seeing the promises of God fulfilled through Scripture and seeing the promises of God. That's why you got to put your eyes on the Bible. That's why more than scrolling, because that's the customs of the world. And now your faith is being built on something that has not lasted. God says the flowers wither, the grass withers and the flowers fade, but my word will stand forever. And this is why I'm calling you to a place of real devotion with God. Because the only thing you're going to have to stand on when obstacles come is what God has already said. …
… to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is. His good, pleasing, and perfect will. So he's saying to the Israelites, hey guys, before you step into this thing, it's gonna be amazing. I just wanna make sure we're on the same page, that your life is totally consecrated from sinful use. It is now used for godly use. I want to just remind you today that your life does not belong to you. Your life belongs to God. I want to remind you today that you were purchased at the high price of the blood of Jesus. Your body is where the Holy Spirit lives. God no longer lives in temples. God now lives in man. And your life is not yours. It belongs to somebody else. And God says, consecrate your life away from a life that lives for pleasure, away from a life that lives for sin, away from a life that lives for money, that lives for fame. …
… someone say reasonable, service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. And we know, Lord, that you want to bless your word, but we ask you to do it. We ask that you would open the eyes of our understanding that we may see your good plan for us and live it out with your help. We pray, God, for those listening today who don't know you, that you would draw them to you, that the lost would be found, and the found would find more of you. And we pray this all in Jesus' name. Amen. The sermon in a sentence today is that God's will is more present than it is future, but it's often invisible until it's in the past. Let me say that again. God's will, It's more present than it is some exotic thing in the future. But it often remains invisible until you get to look at it in the rearview mirror. …
… The next verse is this, before we dive into our section. A beloved passage, Romans chapter 12, verses one and two. Paul the apostle said to the church in Rome, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, watch this, that you present your bodies. Read it, watch closely. A dead sacrifice? A living sacrifice. God doesn't want you to blow yourself up. God doesn't want you to kill yourself for his kingdom. God wants you to live. He wants you to have life, and he wants you to take your life and your body here references your earthly existence, body, soul, and spirit, as a living sacrifice. What is that? Holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. The word service there is the word worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, which leads us to this study today for all in the family, that the way of wisdom is for all in the family. And I'm going to be challenging you throughout this message, are you in the family of God? You need to examine that. Number one, mark it down if you would. By the way, I think it's safe to say this is as far as we'll make it today, is the first point. I had three, listen, at three o'clock this morning, I had three points. And by the time I got done, I had one point. So we'll be in this section for a …
… culturally correct, they're what everybody else is doing. Here's what the Bible says, Romans 12, verse two. do not copy the behavior or values of this world. Instead, let God transform you, that means you're gonna be different, into a new person by changing the way you think. So you're not gonna think like everybody else does. Then you will know, notice, then you will know what God wants you to do. Now let me pause right here. The reason you don't know what God wants you to do is because you're too enculturated with this culture and you can't think like the world and think like God thinks. And so you have to decide in life. Do I want to be popular with the world or do I really want to do what God put me on this earth to do? Do I want to be who he made me to be, not try to be a poor carbon copy of somebody else? Don't copy the behaviors or values of this world. …
… conformed to the world, be transformed to the rear of your mind, that by testing. In the NIV, it says, then, then you will be able to test and approve. That by testing, so that you will be able to test and approve. In other words, how do we find out? Well, it's a stirring call, isn't it? It's a call to respond to the transforming power of the gospel. All of us in living our Christian lives understand that it is a whole series of new beginnings. We never know when we're going to come to one of those lampposts along the jog of life that just arrests us for a moment and we stop and we realize, God, you have brought me here to this moment and this time for this reason. You may be sitting out there today and you're saying to yourself, I don't know if this guy has been reading my journal. I don't know what's going on. But this stuff about my body, this is really getting to me. …
I keep saying that to you. Romans chapter 12, verse 2. Romans 12, verse 2 says, and do not become or do not be conformed. The words and do not, it means stop it. In the Greek, it means stop being conformed to this world. Stop being like this world. Oh my goodness, young people today, or maybe, isn't it, maybe all of us, huh? I feel like in the book of Proverbs, because I'm old, I want to bring a bunch of young people around and tell them. But then the reality is they could probably point right back at me. what things in the world try to creep in to give you some sort of value that's conforming to the world don't do that what things creep into your life in the way of thought or the way of appreciation or the way of direction that's of the world and you derive something out of it the bible says watch out but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove test what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Remarkable. So here we go. Number two is in verses 8 to 19. And that is the way of wisdom in getting God right in our lives is by leaving bad behind. Can you write that down? Leaving bad behind. We're going to let everybody who gets convicted run out of the house today with their hair on fire because God is going to speak to some of us today about leaving bad behind. …
… Verse two says, do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is, his good and pleasing and perfect will. So in view of God's mercy, do not conform to the pattern of this world. Last week, Pastor Chad, we talked about this. We talked about Hosea. Hosea goes after Gomer, his wife. His wife has committed adultery and has left their home, and God says, I want you to go after your wife. I want you to bring her back and restore the marriage, and that is a picture for us of what God does for you and I. It is a picture that in my worst place, God picked me up out of the miry clay. God picked me up out of my situation. God picked me up out of the mess that I had made. God picked me up out of my bad decisions. He picked me up out of my sin. He picked me out out of my shame. …
… It's an invitation to think and see from a different location. do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. If the mind wasn't important, if the mind wasn't valuable, it wouldn't be worth renewing. he focuses his energy, if you will, his purposes, his workings in our life, every moment of every day to teach us to think like he does. when I embrace worry, I intentionally war against the mind of Christ. When I entertain thoughts and ideas that are in conflict with God, I'm actually feeding that which wars against the mind of Christ. the mind of Christ is completely different. If I could illustrate, the mind of Christ is not just hopeful facing a problem. In other words, when Jesus feeds the multitude with loaves and fishes, a child's lunch, it's not because he can imagine the possibility of a miracle. it's because he lives aware of resources that are greater than the problem that he's facing. …
… That's where we're gonna be today. Grant looked at Romans 12, verse one and two. So he covered two verses. I'm gonna cover the rest of the chapter. Okay, so take that, Grant. Just kidding. We're gonna motor through a good bit of it. It's a wonderful chapter. But before we get even back to that, I wanna take us all the way back to the beginning because community is not a modern church strategy. It's not a response to this loneliness statistic. I do believe it's an answer, but community was not invented as a response to something. It's not something God created to fix a problem. Community is woven into the very nature of who God is and who he created the world to be. Genesis 126 says this. It's not gonna be up there. I'm just gonna read it for us. Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air. From the very beginning, God reveals himself, not as isolated, but as relational. …
… Romans chapter 12. The key verse is gonna be Romans chapter 12, verse two. And this is what it says. It says, do not, Paul speaking, do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is, his good, pleasing, and perfect will. Father, thank you for the opportunity to gather around your word together today. Nobody needs to hear any of my opinions today, but we all desperately need to hear from you today. My heart's heavy for the person today that's tried a million formulas, but somehow their heart is more restless than ever. for those who feel like they've strived and tried to do more and do more and try harder and yet the void seems to be getting wider and wider. And I pray that by your grace, we are living in a world that has a gravitational pull. There is a current that is pushing us away from the things that matter most. …
… What do you do about it? Well, the Bible tells us in Romans chapter 12, verse two, that we could be transformed by the renewing of our mind. So it's a mind issue. And please don't take this message out of context. This message is not, don't cuss. If you think that's this message, you're totally missing it. This is a heart issue. We're going to discover as we continue out of the heart, out of our heart. So it's a transformation in our hearts, our minds, our souls, our spirits that can help us with this regard. And obviously God forgives and he's a God of grace and mercy. But God wants us, you and me, to honor him. the tongue is funny though when you think about it it's petite and powerful it's just a five ounce slab of membrane I think but man the tongue is powerful isn't it it's just it's unbelievable I think it's ironic you never hear someone say Buddha damn O Allah Thought I'd throw that in You know why you don't hear that? …
… but it's ways of thinking like the world. but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve. I love that. Test and approve what God's will is, his good, his pleasing, and his perfect will. I don't know about you, but I need God to renew my mind, to transform me from the inside out, to reprogram the ways that I have limited God's grace, that I have decided on my own merit that I need to earn love or I need to earn acceptance. But God say, no, we need to reprogram by renewing our mind to say, God, your ways are higher. Your thoughts are higher. I trust you. That's how good his grace is. the world says, earn your place. Grace says, you already have a one. The world says, prove your worth. And grace says, you are loved. And that's it. The world says, don't show weakness. And grace says, my strength shows up in that space and in that place. …
… So I just signed. And then I awkwardly wrote Romans chapter 12, verses one and two, which is our text today. I call it the autograph section of scripture. These two verses are some of the most powerful verses in the Bible. And I think if we ever could ask God right now for his autograph, I really believe he would autograph these texts on our heart, soul, and mind and body. They're that powerful. You have to understand, we've been studying the book of Romans and the book of Romans was written to Romans and also was written to Jews and non-Jews. It's written to the church. The first 11 chapters, when the apostle Paul writes, is about orthodoxy, about belief. The second part of the book of Romans, beginning in Romans chapter 12, is orthopraxy. That's the practice. That's the application of behavior. Does that make sense? So we've got belief in chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. And then we have behavior beginning with Romans chapter 12. …
… You have to change your input. be you transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove put romans 12 that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect if you want to prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect you want that to be your output then i gotta be transformed by the renewing of my mind that means i gotta change what's coming into my mind so that what my output looks like looks like God. God help me. God told me that some of us in this room, we have an input problem. That we don't have an outcome problem. That we're beating ourselves up for the outcome. But what we really need to be focused on is what type of input do I need to have? What type of environment do I need to create in order to produce the outcome connected to my life? I feel my help coming. So in Scripture, when we talk about taking every thought captivity in 2 Corinthians 10, verse 5 through 6, can I read you the message version of it? I like the message version. …
… Have values that honor Christ. Do not be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. The more you get to know God's heart, the more you live his will. By the renewing of your mind, then, watch this, when you're set apart, then, when you're not transformed to this world, then, when you are different, then, do not be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed, be set apart, be holy, live a sacred life. Then, you will be able to test and approve what God's will is. His good, pleasing, and perfect will. Before you worry about his will for the future, worry about his moral will for how you live today. Be set apart. Be holy. Now, I don't like this sermon, Craig. You might say that. Hopefully it's only two of you, but you might say that. But Craig, I always thought like God was going to have this calling for my life. And he does. But you're like, isn't he calling me to be a missionary? Isn't he calling me to be an influencer? Isn't he calling me to be a pastor? …
… Let's read our scripture together real quick before you sit down. I want to preach today from Romans chapter 12, verses 1 and 2, one of the most iconic passages of Scripture. And I'm excited that God is allowing me to preach from it today. It says this, Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. This is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is, his good, pleasing, and perfect will. The title of my sermon today is God Wants to Show You. Let's pray one more time. Father, would you bless the reading of your word today? Holy Spirit, we welcome you in this place. We welcome you in this room, in all of our campuses, wherever anybody is watching, Holy Spirit, come, come into our hearts, speak to us today. We are listening, Lord, in Jesus' name, amen. You can have a seat. …
… to Him is a spiritual act of worship. Verse 2 says, Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove, that you may demonstrate what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. So worship is not only how you feel about God, not only the passion of your heart toward the One whom you know by revelation, but worship is what you do with your life, what you do with your faculties. It's everything about you. Now in Romans 1-9, this would add another little dimension to this. Paul makes an interesting statement. He says, "'For God, whom I serve in my spirit,' Romans 1-9." The word serve is latrou in the Greek, and really is a word for worship. So he's telling you this, "'Here's how I worship. For God, whom I worship in my spirit,' that's what God wants, to be worshiped in spirit And in truth, I worship God in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, so that for Paul, preaching the gospel is an act of worship. …
… I ain't even making that up. Go to Romans chapter 12, verses 1 and 2. It says what? Romans 12, 1 and 2 said, it says, it says, it says, present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will discover and prove that which is good and perfect, which is the acceptable will of God for your life. I got to give y'all the Freddie Haynes remix of Romans 12, 1, 2, and give you time to shout. It simply says, here's what you do. Present all that you are. Don't half-step with God, but give all that you are to God. And once you give all that you are to God, you'll discover that's when you're really worshiping. Worshiping ain't just what you do on Sunday. Worshiping is what you do all week long. And when you present all of yourself in worship to God, then you won't be conformed. …
… Another great place where the will of God is spoken of and represented well is in Romans 12, verse 2, where it says, Don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed in the renewing of your mind that you may prove the will of God, that which is good, acceptable, and perfect. The will of God takes a renewed mind to continuously and consistently manifest or demonstrate. I don't want to present this as a burdensome law. I just want to make a distinction. The will of God is heaven on earth. If there's cancer, his will is no cancer. If there's migraines, his will is no migraines. If there's torment in the night and you can't sleep, his will is no torment. If there's sin, if there's addiction, his answer is forgiveness. He has solutions for every situation. This verse says, not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, enters the kingdom, but it's those who do the will of God, which is what? Bringing heaven to earth. …
… YOUR REASONABLE SERVICE, NOW LISTEN TO THIS, AND BE NOT CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD. THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HE'S SAYING IN TITUS TWO, VERSES 11 AND 12. THAT'S JUST A, UH, TITUS TWO, 11 AND 12, JUST A SHORTENED VERSION OF THE BOOK OF ROMANS. BE NOT CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD, BUT BE TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND, WHAT, THAT YOU MAY PROVE WHAT IS THAT GOOD AND ACCEPTABLE AND PERFECT WILL OF GOD. NOW THE VERY WORD FOR THE WORLD, THE, THE VERY WORD, UH, FOR THE WORD CHURCH IN THE BIBLE IS EKKLASIA, WHICH MEANS A GROUP OF PEOPLE CALLED OUT. THE CHURCH IS CALLED OUT. WE'RE TO BE DIFFERENT. WE'RE TO BE SEPARATE. A CHRISTIAN OUGHT TO STAND OUT IN THIS WORLD SYSTEM LIKE A DIAMOND IN A COAL MINE, LIKE A GARDENIA IN A GARBAGE CAN. WE ARE DIFFERENT. DIFFERENT. AGAIN, PUT THIS VERSE DOWN, JOHN 15 VERSE 19, JESUS SAID, IF YOU WERE OF THE WORLD, THE WORLD WOULD LOVE HIS OWN. BUT BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT OF THE WORLD, AND I HAVE CHOSEN YOU OUT OF THE WORLD, THEREFORE THE WORLD HATETH YOU. QUIT TRYING TO WIN POPULARITY CONTESTS WITH THE WORLD. A DEAR SWEET LADY SAID TO ME THE OTHER DAY, OH, BROTHER ROGERS, YOU'RE SO WONDERFUL, EVERYBODY LOVES YOU." I THOUGHT, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA. SHE OUGHT TO READ MY MAIL BACK. EVERYBODY LOVES YOU. NO, THEY DON'T. NOW, I DON'T WANT TO UNNECESSARILY MAKE ENEMIES, BUT FRIEND, I DON'T WANT TO BETRAY JESUS. I DON'T WANT TO BETRAY …
… a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. This is the beginning of Paul's summation for his magnum opus, his great treatise on the gospel that we have been studying throughout the book of Romans. And I pray that God would give us ears to hear this petition that the apostle sets before us this evening. Please be seated. let us pray Once again, O Lord, we come into Your presence in a spirit of sheer delight that we can gather and hear Your Word. I pray now that as we contemplate these practical applications set forth by the Apostle, that indeed we will take them to heart. We ask it in the name of Christ. Amen. You know, in the English language, we have all different kinds of word forms. We have nouns and verbs and adverbs and adjectives and prepositions and that sort of thing. …
… Lord, Why Can't I Change? Romans chapter 12, verses 1 and 2. And Paul begins by saying, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service, and be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Now, more than likely, all of us at some time or the other have felt like, since we were saved, there were times when we wanted to do right, but something inside of us we felt wouldn't allow us to do right. We were tempted with the same old temptations. We had the same old thoughts we'd had before we were saved. Maybe even wanted to do the same old things we wanted to do before we became a Christian. So maybe you have become a little discouraged because even after you're saved, you think, well, now, wait a minute. …