(#396) Romans 12 - Being Transformed Means Waking Up to the New You

Class Outline:

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Welcome To

BARAH MINISTRIES

a Christian Church

Rory Clark

Pastor-Teacher

 

Good Morning!

 

Welcome to Barah Ministries…a Christian Church with worldwide impact based in Mesa, AZ…my name is Pastor Rory Clark.  At Barah Ministries, our God is the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Galatians, Chapter 3, Verse 13 says…

 

GALATIANS 3:13

The Lord Jesus Christ redeemed us (and us is a reference to all mankind) from the curse of the Mosaic Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree…(the Cross)…”—

 

To be redeemed means to be “bought out of slavery.”  The Lord Jesus Christ bought us out of slavery to sin and the law.  Sins are our transgressions against the will of God.  The law is our conscience…it holds a mirror before for us to show us what is right and what is wrong…but it doesn’t fix any of our problems.  The Lord Jesus Christ fixed our biggest problems at the Cross.  He fulfilled the law and He wiped out the power of sin.  If you want to hear what Christ did at the Cross, articulated in a short, and powerfully accurate summary…here is what the apostle Peter had to say in First Peter, Chapter 3, Verse 18…

 

FIRST PETER 3:18

For the Lord Jesus Christ died for sins once for all…the just (Jesus Christ) dying for the benefit of the unjust (all mankind)…so that Jesus might bring us (in reconciliation) to God the Father, having been put to death in the flesh, but having been made alive in the spirit…

 

Welcome to a place where you can worship the Sovereign God of the Universe, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and where you can borrow His mind as your own through the study of the Word of God.

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Being Transformed Means Waking Up to the New You

 

Perhaps Patti LaBelle said it best in her hit song…

 

I’VE GOT A NEW ATTITUDE

 

I’m feeling good from my head to my shoes

Know where I’m going and I know what to do

I’ve tidied up my point of view

I’ve got a new attitude

 

In this lesson, we’ll sum up what it means to “keep on being transformed by God thorough the renewing of your mind…”

 

MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

 

HOW DEEP THE FATHER’S LOVE FOR US

Phillips, Craig and Dean

 

There is only one thing in the world that has real transformative power…the Beatles were right…all we need is love…unconditional love…here are Phillips, Craig and Dean to sing about that deep transformative power in their song…HOW DEEP THE FATHER’S LOVE FOR US.

 

OPENING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

Almighty God and Father…thank you for the light the Word of God shines on every situation…thank you for its illuminating power…give us the courage to keep coming to the light and to be changed by what it shows us…help us to understand that God the Holy Spirit will not allow us to wallow in the darkness of our dead old selves…encourage us to wake up to the newness of life that will be ours for all eternity.

 

We ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Being Transformed Means Waking Up to the New You

 

The year of our Lord 2018 has officially begun.  The end of 2017 walked our ministry into the study of Romans Chapter 12.  As I’ve said to you many times in the last six months, Romans, Chapters 12 to 16 is our transition into the action portion of the apostle Paul’s letter to the believers in Christ at first century Rome…these chapters reveal the do’s and don’ts of The Christian Way of Living.  These do’s and don’ts are introduced, not as a way of keeping you stuck in the totally uninspiring “right and wrong” life of the law…with an over focus on sins and rules, as Satan wishes to conform your mind…turning you into a winner with a loser’s mindset.  Instead, do’s and don’ts are encouragements to your volition…your freedom to choose… and they are designed to inspire you to make choices, in each and every decision, to voluntarily do what the Lord prefers tyou do.  Simply obey.

 

Let’s begin the new year by reviewing Romans, Chapter 12, and then let’s finish the first part of the second passage…Romans, Chapter 12, Verse 2.  As you listen to all of Romans, Chapter 12, just imagine this is the Lord speaking this wisdom directly into your soul…because that’s just what He is doing…

 

ROMANS 12:1

Therefore…I (Paul)…urge (beseech) you…brethren (believers in Christ)… as you keep on being persuaded because of the many mercies of God…TO PRESENT YOUR BODIES (by choice, not by command…as) A LIVING AND HOLY SACRIFICE…acceptable to God the Father…which is your spiritual service…worship.

 

ROMANS 12:2a

And do not be conformed to this world (by Satan, by his cosmic system of thought, and by the flesh resident in you)…instead, keep on being transformed by (God the Holy Spirit)…through the renewing of your mind (by studying the Word of God)…

 

ROMANS 12:2b

…so that you may see clearly…through testing (experience)…what the will of God is…and the will of God is that which is good and that which is acceptable and that which is perfect.

 

ROMANS 12:3

For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think

more highly of himself than he ought to think…but to think so as to have

sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

 

ROMANS 12:4

For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function…

 

ROMANS 12:5

…so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.

 

ROMANS 12:6

Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly…if he has the gift prophecy, exercise it according to the proportion of his faith…

 

ROMANS 12:7

…if service, in his serving…or he who teaches, in his teaching…

 

ROMANS 12:8

…or he who exhorts, in his exhortation…he who gives, with liberality…he who leads, with diligence…he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

 

ROMANS 12:9

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil…cling to what is good.

 

ROMANS 12:10

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love…give preference to one another in honor…

ROMANS 12:11

…not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord…

 

ROMANS 12:12

…rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer…

 

ROMANS 12:13

…contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.

 

ROMANS 12:14

Bless those who persecute you…bless and do not curse.

 

ROMANS 12:15

Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.

 

ROMANS 12:16

Be of the same mind toward one another…do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.

 

ROMANS 12:17

Never pay back evil for evil to anyone.  Respect what is right in the sight of all men.

 

ROMANS 12:18

If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.

 

ROMANS 12:19

Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

 

ROMANS 12:20

“But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink…for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”

 

ROMANS 12:21

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

 

A code of honor, summed up by the first part of a single verse…Ephesians, Chapter 4, Verse 1…

EPHESIANS 4:1a

Therefore I (Paul), the prisoner of the Lord, implore you believers in Christ to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called…

 

From a Roman jail, Paul calls himself a prisoner…and he doesn’t mind being in captivity for the Lord.  As a Pastor, I don’t mind the captivity either. 

 

Now in the passage under study, let’s take a look at a few insights about the first part of the passage…Romans, Chapter 12, Verse 2…

 

ROMANS 12:2a

And do not be conformed to this world (by Satan, by his cosmic system of thought, and by the flesh resident in you)…instead, keep on being transformed by (God the Holy Spirit)…through the renewing of your mind (by studying the Word of God)…

 

What does it mean to be transformed?  For believers in Christ, it means you are TEFLON.  Your soul, and the mind in it, is a non-stick surface, and God the Holy Spirit will not allow any scheme of the kingdom of death to stick to you.  Their schemes may hurt you, but they will not stick to you.

 

Satan, his dead world system of power, and his dead agent inside each believer in Christ…the flesh…are abundant in power and they are much more powerful than the will of creatures.  When this passage says, “Don’t be conformed” … the verb “conformed” is in the passive voice…which means the subject of the sentence is being acted upon…the kingdom of death keeps on working to conform you.  They want a pattern of pain, guilt, failures, mistakes, faults, and betrayals to stick to you…to ruin your focus. 

 

Fortunately for you, God the Holy Spirit is just as interested in working on and protecting you, and He keeps on transforming you through the renewing of your mind, as you come to the Word of God.  This verb “transformed” is in the passive voice as well.  As a believer in Christ you are a possession of God.  It is God the Holy Spirit who leads your transformation.  The kingdom of heaven looks to keep on transforming its possession. 

 

What is being transformed?  It is not our bodies…it is not our spirit…it is

our soul…which includes your mind…that’s what is being transformed.

Ephesians, Chapter 4, Verses 22 to 24…

 

EPHESIANS 4:22

…in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self… which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit…

 

A past action…

 

EPHESIANS 4:23

…and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind…

 

A present action…

 

We are still wrapped in this old self…the body…the flesh…it is dead…and one day it will grow cold and it will die…and like an egg on a Teflon skillet it will simply slide off of us and encumber us no more with its deceit and betrayal and pain…and when this body of corruption slides off, what will be left is the new creature that resides under it right now…and that new creature will be ready for its imperishable…a resurrection body recognizable to family and friends…that will be absent from the corrupt body and face-to-face with the Lord forever in the resurrection body.  O Happy Day!!!!!  Continuing, Ephesians, Chapter 4, Verse 24…

 

EPHESIANS 4:24

…and pick up and put on the new self…which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and in the holiness of the truth.

 

It is God’s intent that others see your new self reflected through the body of corruption…you are authentic imperfection…and that they see the real you in spite of the imperfection.  Colossians, Chapter 3, Verses 9 and 10…

 

COLOSSIANS 3:9

Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices…

 

COLOSSIANS 3:10

…and since you have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him—

At a point in our lives, we make a decision through experience.  We realize that the old-self life just doesn’t cut it.  I used to be a candy junkie…at a point, I just realized candy is not nourishing, and I put it down.  I was bored with it.  That’s what’s so beautiful about Satan’s entrapments.  When they have victimized you enough times, as you succumb to their temptations, you realize that they are never fulfilling.  Instead, Ephesians, Chapter 3, Verse 19 describes the believer in Christ’s fate…

 

EPHESIANS 3:19

…to know the unconditional love of Christ which surpasses knowledge…that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

 

God wants us to experience the reality of His unconditional love now and not just in eternity.

 

The blood of Christ…shed at the Cross…changed everything.  One of the functions of human blood is to cleanse…it removes waste from tissues.  The blood of Christ cleansed us from all our sins with one propitiatory sacrifice.  The only way to be cleansed from sins is to be cleansed by the one whose sacrifice is completely acceptable to God the Father…the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ at the Cross.

 

Through His transformative power, God the Holy Spirit’s mission for you is clear…Second Corinthians, Chapter 10, Verse 5…

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 10:5

We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ…

 

Teflon.  God the Holy Spirit wants nothing unclean to stick to you.  Colossians, Chapter 1, Verse 28…

 

COLOSSIANS 1:28

We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ.

 

God the Holy Spirit will not fail.  He is working day and night to keep on

perfecting us.  You will be presented complete in the end.  Second

 Corinthians, Chapter 6, Verses 17 and 18…

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 6:17

“Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord.

“And do not touch what is unclean…and I will welcome you.”

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 6:18

“And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me,”

says the Lord Almighty.

 

God the Father has adopted us as adult sons and daughters…and He does not want us to be soiled.  Teflon.  Let the filth of the kingdom of death bounce off of you.  Second Corinthians, Chapter 7, Verse 1…

 

SECOND CORINTHIANS 7:1

Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear (respect) of God.

 

How do we cleanse ourselves?  By separating ourselves from anything and anyone that seeks to pervert us and to drain us of our unconditional love.  Teflon.  First Thessalonians, Chapter 5, Verse 23…

 

FIRST THESSALONIANS 5:23

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely…and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete…without blame…at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

The God of peace gives us the peace of God…and we rest in His love and we enjoy His blessings, both adversity and prosperity, as He keeps on transforming us so that we are conformed to the image of the Son.

 

Let’s take a music break and when we come back we’ll take an offering and we’ll celebrate the Lord’s Supper.

 

MUSIC BREAK

JESUS...HE LOVES ME

Chris Tomlin

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Being Transformed Means Waking Up to the New You

 

Let’s begin the next portion of our lesson by giving you a chance to make an offering.  If you are benefiting from the work of this ministry, then we ask you to contribute to the continuation of the ministry with any gift, large or small, helping us to keep on providing the truth to those who might not otherwise be able to hear it.   Please welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall for one of his always excellent offering messages.

 

THE OFFERING

Deacon Denny Goodall

 

OFFERING VERSE

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:57

…but thanks be to God the Father, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

OFFERING

FLIGHT OF THE EAGLE

Dave McClure, Instrumental

 

THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION

The Cross Delivered Us from the Desert of Development

 

What did the Lord Jesus Christ accomplish at the Cross?

 

Today…just as we do every month…we celebrate the Lord’s Supper…a meal of remembrance.  It’s a way for Christians to show their love for the Lord Jesus Christ.  We eat, by breaking bread…we drink, by tasting the fruit of the vine…and we look back to the Cross.  In this celebration we obey the Lord as outlined in First Corinthians, Chapter 11, Verse 26…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 11:26

For as often as you believers in Christ eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim (to the whole world) the significance of the Lord’s death until He comes again.

 

As believers in Christ we ask ourselves…what did the Lord Jesus Christ accomplish at the Cross?  Perhaps more importantly, what do the Lord’s accomplishments at the Cross means to each of us personally?

 

At the Cross, the Lord delivered us from the desert of development.

 

Early in my Pastoral journey, after lessons from another Pastor’s pulpit, members of his congregation would come up to me with what they thought were compliments.  “You have an interesting ‘spin’ on the Word of God.  I like it.  I like it.  You’re not my right Pastor-Teacher…but I like it.  You’re a good speaker.”  They may as well have spit in my face, which is the most degrading thing you can do to another person.   They’d finish up the “compliment” with this idiocy… “I wish my mother was here.  She really needed to hear this.”  The reason we come to the Word of God is not to vet the Word of God for others…it is for ourselves.

 

In his time, Ernest Hemingway would hear funeral bells tolling…and he said, “I never send to find out for whom the bell tolls…it tolls for thee.”  He meant he knew the funeral bells were tolling for him.  The Word of God is such a set of bells…tolling for thee…not for others.

 

What did the Lord Jesus Christ accomplish at the Cross? 

 

He obliterated Satan’s authority and soundly defeated his pathetic attempt at strategy.  Now, all Satan has is schemes designed to blind the minds of unbelievers so they do not see the light of the gospel of Christ…and schemes to put believers through a gauntlet.  What is a gauntlet?

 

GAUNTLET

A journey through an intimidating, dangerous, and often painful experience designed to keep you from reaching a goal.

 

The gauntlet of Satanic thought encourages us to think negatively of others…even though sometimes our negative thoughts toward others are justified.  Simply stated, Satan seeks to ruin relationships so that He can isolate us…so that he can make us like him…conforming us…to being “on our own.”  You’ve heard the demented lament…“I want to do this on my own!”

 

The gauntlet of Satanic thought encourages us to think negatively about God…asking Him, as we encounter adversity… “Lord, why me?”  Satan wants us to doubt that God loves us…to doubt that God is caring for us…and to doubt that a billion years ago God made perfect provision for us which will surface at the exact right time.

 

The gauntlet of Satanic thought encourages us to think negatively about ourselves…it asks us to evaluate an unfinished product as if it is finished.  All of us are at various stages of spiritual development…none of us is completely mature.  The end of our days is the right time to assess the house that has been built in us…and we will find it completely satisfactory.

 

What did the Lord Jesus Christ accomplish at the Cross?

 

The Lord gave us an unchangeable victory at the Cross.

 

So in the matter of others…Matthew, Chapter 5, Verses 43 and 44…

 

MATTHEW 5:43

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’”

 

MATTHEW 5:44

“But I (the Lord Jesus Christ) say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…”

 

As it relates to God…Deuteronomy, Chapter 31, Verse 8…

 

DEUTERONOMY 31:8

The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you…He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

 

In the matter of yourself…Matthew, Chapter 22, Verses 37 to 39…

 

MATTHEW 22:37

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.”

 

MATTHEW 22:38

“This is the great and foremost commandment.”

 

MATTHEW 22:39

“The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor unconditionally as you love yourself unconditionally’”

 

At the Cross, the Lord provided you with the freedom to win every battle in this life, just as He won the battle against sin.  Take advantage of your victory and rest in His love.  Hebrews, Chapter 4, Verse 1 says…

 

HEBREWS 4:1

Therefore, let us believers in Christ fear, if we fear anything, that while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of entering His rest.

 

Let go.  Let God.  And watch His amazing deliverance and the desert of development.

 

THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION:

Enjoying the Elements

 

Obeying God’s command, we keep on celebrating CHRIST and His Cross on a regular basis…we eat to remember who He is as a PERSON…we drink to remember His WORK on the Cross…the voluntary sacrifice He made at on our behalf as our sin substitute.  We are grateful for what God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ have done for us.  First Corinthians, Chapter 11, Verses 23 and 24 say…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 11:23

For I, Paul, received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you…that the Lord Jesus Christ on the night in which He was betrayed took bread…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 11:24

…and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is, and keeps

 on being My body, which is broken for you…keep on doing this celebration

 for the purpose of remembering Me.”

 

When we eat the bread during the Lord’s Supper Celebration, we remember the Lord Jesus Christ AS A PERSON. 

 

When we drink the cup, we remember THE WORK the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished on the Cross.  First Corinthians, Chapter 11, Verses 25 and 26 say…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 11:25

In the same way the Lord Jesus Christ took the cup after supper, representing His death on the Cross, saying, “This cup is a new testament… forged with My blood…keep on doing this celebration…and as often as you drink it…do so for the purpose of remembering Me.”

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 11:26

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup (as part of the Lord’s Supper Celebration), you proclaim (as a reality and you announce the significance of) the Lord Jesus Christ’s death (on the Cross and His resurrection from the dead) until He comes (again in the second coming).

 

As you enjoy the bread and the cup, enjoy the memory of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as well. Now and always, let us keep on giving thanks that we are loved unconditionally and accepted fully by THE LORD WHO IS ALWAYS THERE…the One we can depend on…and let’s keep on being transformed by His life and His death and His resurrection and His Word… and let’s enjoy His unconditional love Day by Day…and that’s the name of our Lord’s Supper song.

 

LORD’S SUPPER SONG

DAY BY DAY

Godspell

 

GOD WANTS YOU!

Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life

 

The closing moments of our study are for anyone who does not have a personal relationship with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  We want you to know that GOD WANTS YOU. 

 

What is going to happen to you when you close your eyes in this life?  Is there an “afterlife?”  And if there is, how can you get to heaven?

 

Many people believe the answer to the question, “How can I get to heaven?” is to be a good person.  In fact, most people think they are, and I quote, “…basically good people.”  For some, being good means not being bad. Here’s what I have heard many people say over the years…“I haven’t murdered anyone. I don’t steal. I don’t curse. I don’t lie. I’m not a drug addict.  My conscience is clear because I’m not nearly as bad as the people I read about in the newspapers or the ones I see on television.  I’m just like everyone else, and I know everybody can’t be going to hell.”

 

And then they’re unlucky, they open the bible and obliterate the delusion…

Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 23…

 

ROMANS 3:23

…for all creatures have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…

 

Romans, Chapter 3, Verse 10…

 

ROMANS 3:10

…as it is written “There is no creature who is righteous, not even one…”

 

First Corinthians, Chapter 15, Verse 22…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 15:22a

For all in union Adam at physical birth (and that is every human who comes to earth) are set to die the second death in the Lake of Fire…

 

The good news is that the Lord has an interesting attitude toward His creatures…Second Peter, Chapter 3, Verse 9…

 

SECOND PETER 3:9

The Lord is not slow about His promise of salvation, as some accuse Him of, but instead He is patient toward you unbelievers…not wishing for any of you to perish (in the Lake of Fire) but for all of you to come to repentance (a change of mind about having a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ).

 

The apostle John makes clear the function of the bible…John, Chapter 20, Verses 30 and 31…

 

JOHN 20:30

Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book (the bible)…

 

JOHN 20:31

…but these things written here have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah)…the Son of God (in human form)… and that by believing in Him you may have the resurrection life in His name.

 

How can you get to heaven?  Right where you sit, RIGHT NOW, you can tell God the Father that you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and that is the moment of eternal life for you.  Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31…

 

ACTS 16:31

“Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and everyone in your household who also believes.”

 

Believing in Jesus Christ is your acknowledgement that you can’t do a thing to get to heaven on your own.   Romans, Chapter 11, Verse 6 says…

 

ROMANS 11:6

But if salvation is by grace (a free gift from God), and of course it is, salvation is no longer on the basis of works…otherwise grace is no longer grace.

 

God’s grace makes your salvation a free gift to you…if you have to work for a gift then the work makes you deserve the gift.  In salvation, there is no way for you to impress God enough that He would allow you to save yourself.  It’s very wise to let God save you, because once God does something He never changes His mind.  So heed the Lord’s warning in John, Chapter 3, Verse 36…

 

JOHN 3:36

“He who believes in the Son has the resurrection life right at that moment… but he who does not obey the command to believe in the Son will not see the resurrection life…instead the wrath of God (the Lake of Fire) abides on him.”

 

The apostle Peter reminds us of the words of the prophet Joel in the Old Testament…in Acts, Chapter 2, Verse 21…

 

ACTS 2:21

‘And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved.’

 

Join me in heaven!

 

CLOSING SONG

YOU DON'T HAVE TO BEG

June Murphy

 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

          THANKS - INTERCESSION - PETITION

 

Thanks for coming!

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for listening!

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