Renewing Your Mind

ROM. 12:1-2

SUBJECT: CHRISTIAN DEVOTION AND SERVICE

THEME:  Dedicate Yourself More Completely to His Glory and Service.

For the Christian, the Foremost Priority must Be to Live for Christ and to Seek First His Kingdom (Matthew 6:33). That Does Not Line up with All the Talk We Hear Today about Self-realization. The Christian, However, Knows That We Were Created by God That We Might Glorify Him. Therefore, We Should Not Live to Please Ourselves, but, Rather to Exalt and Serve Our Lord.  Our Dearest Treasure Should be the Light of His Smile and Approval—this is the Ultimate Goal of Our Lives.

Many Believers get saved, and never discover what God has saved them for.  Others get saved and spend their entire Christian life pretending from Sunday to Sunday.  Some even get saved and spend their new life living for themselves primarily.  Then there are those who get saved and live for God with fervor, joy, excitement, sacrifice, and great heart-felt devotion. They are few, and they are real!  May the Lord help us through this series to become such Living Sacrifices.  The work of God can only move forward as individual believer began to take seriously their commitments to Christ.  Accepting the church covenant without seeking to live out that covenant is merely a ritual, not devotion.  Making a trip to the altar without ever seeking to live out the decisions made there is purely superficial if it is not life altering and character shaping.  

Note once again our key passage of consideration:

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.[2] 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. (Rom 12:1-2)

  Present Your Mind to God as an Offering.  Vs. 2, “your mind”

Ephes. 5:17,  Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

  

“Understanding” means Knowing the facts, Thinking Through them and putting them together, and then Yielding to God’s Expressed Will in accordance with your discovery.    

   

       A. To Think About God’s Will.  

“Understanding” has the idea that our thinking apparatus must be engaged to discover the will of God.  

           1.  Discovering God’s Will is Not Mystical.

Too often we get the idea that God’s will is mystical and completely rules out clear thinking processes.  Don’t reduce discovering God’s will to some mystical experience that can’t be tracked intelligently!  This is not only wrong but extremely dangerous.  Becoming a living sacrifice means that we must not only “Know” God’s will but also “Understand” what He expects of us individually and then set out to do it.  This doesn’t mean that we understand everything that He requires, but we will at least know what He requires is always reasonable and never too much!

ILLUSTRATION:   Our move to the Ansbach area to pastor Berean Baptist Church was not a mystical experience.  We had talked with the church and candidate for the pastorate.   I had met many of the church members which truly was a joy.   We had talked extensively about doctrine and practice, there was some confusion, but they were willing to follow the Word of God.   When they extended the call, I felt compelled to respond favorably.  It was clear thinking, meditation on the Scriptures, prayer and yielding to God.  Just walking through the open door of opportunity He clearly and obviously had opened unto us (Rev. 3:7-8; Acts 16:5-12; Numb. 13:25-33). Often it takes faith to seize the opportunity God gives you; this was certainly the case with us.  There were no flashing lights, no hand writing on the walls, no signs, dreams, and visions.  There were no voices without bodies speaking to me.  No, just scripture, prayer, clear thinking, careful examination of my motives, and correct circumstances.

           2.  Discovering God’s Will Requires Thinking.

                A.  Do Not Resort to Guessing.  Guessing will confuse you and is a sign of laziness.

Proverbs 21:5,  The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want.

                B.  Do Not Listen to Your Heart.  Your heart will mislead you.   Jeremiah 17:9,  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

                C.  Decide God’s Will by Thinking Biblically. Ephes. 5:17

God has given us the capacity to think and we need to employ it by Thinking, Gathering Facts, Examining the Facts, and Weighing the Facts and Praying for Wisdom (Js. 1:5) to make decisions which express “Understanding” (Eph. 5:17).

APPLICATION #1:  Gather the information, think through applicable Bible verses, and consider your circumstances.  Frequently and sincerely ask the Lord in prayer for a wise and understanding heart regarding specific decisions and responsibilities (1Kg. 3:7-12).   Does it allow you to be or remain completely dedicated to God?  Does it Facilitate serving Christ through my church?  Will I have to forsake the Lord in some way to do this?  Will my commitment to Christ be weakened or compromised?  Will my intentions be misunderstood or misread?   These are good questions to think on when making decisions.  Matthew 22:37, Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

   

APPLICATION #2.  Understanding God’s Will Leads to Braking With Sin.

Job 28:28,  And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

APPLICATION #3.  Understanding God’s Will Leads to Obeying His Statements.

 Psalm 111:10, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

APPLICATION #4: Obedience is a sign that we do understand His will very well.  The most intelligent believer is the most obedient one.  Those who make God's word their rule, understand themselves and their best interest!  It is of some understanding to know God's commandments and be able to discuss them insightfully, but a “good understanding” is reserved for those who actually “do” them and walk according to them.

ILLUSTRATION:   I can go back to one evening in October 1991 and recall a period at the altar in Grace Ind. Bapt. Church when I dedicated my entire life to God.  I took my hands off my life and decided to go all the way with God in His plan for me.  Many of the decisions in my Christian growth and progress were made in advance that night because I had made that one decision to live for God.  When I begin to hear the importance of going to Sunday School, and through the day light savings time change I ended up in Sunday School and I have been faithful every sense then.  Through preaching and teaching I learned about the importance of Sharing my Faith with the lost and sense I had dedicated my life, I became more serious and faithful to this privilege.  Then I heard about Tithing through my local church and I stopped giving to TV Evangelist and begin to give 10 % of my income to the church.  I begin to understand the importance of Missions, so I begin to give to missions and pray for our missionaries, after all I had dedicated my life to God.  I read in the Bible about being Holy and Separated in my Lifestyle, Language, and Appearance so I begin to trust God to cleanse my life of poor habits, language, and even my companions.  On the list goes concerning my personal experience of consecrating my life to the Lord’s Will and Service personally.  It did not happen automatically or over night, but God showed me first the need to dedicated my entire life to Him and His service!  Everything else was natural to living the Christian life by faith!

       B.  To Examine God’s Will. 

There is an important phrase in Rom 12:2 that relates to understanding the will of God and it is “That ye may prove.”  I think it would be good to examine this closer.  These words were commonly applied to the operation of testing metals, or trying them by the severity of fire.  Hence, it also means to explore, investigate, and ascertain.

               1.  Examine & Renew the Mind by Revelation.  (The Word).  (Heb. 4:12-13)

We Discover the Will of God from the Word of God and by allowing our minds to be renewed and our lives transformed to conform to His will. (Rom. 12:1-2).

The sense is, that such a “renewed mind” is essential to a successful inquiry for the will of God.  Having a disposition to obey Him, the mind will be prepared to understand His precepts and requirements.  The reason why the mind is renewed is that we may continue to do the will of God: the mind that is renewed is most prepared to appreciate and understand His will.

               2.  Examine & Renew the Mind by Dedication.  Rom. 12:2, “that ye may prove”

Therefore we must prove--- test and approve, refusing the normal conduct of the sinful world and reaffirming for ourselves the spiritual norms appropriate for the redeemed. Aiding this process is "the renewing of your mind," which mean that the believer is to keep going back in his thought to the original commitment– the “Living Sacrifice.”  Thus, dedication leads to discernment!

APPLICATION: You must obey what you know!  Dedication to obedience is the way to understand God’s will better and more completely.  All who dedicate themselves to do His will demonstrate conclusively that they have a good understanding  (Eph. 5:17).  Obedience is the key to receiving more direction from the Lord. If any believer will obey His blessed revealed will, he can expect to know more and more clearly the doctrine of Christ (John 7:17).  Obey what you know and He will more clearly show!  The more you obey the more you will receive from the Lord.  This is a wonderful promise for everyone who is earnestly seeking the truth.  If a person is sincere, and truly wants to know what is the truth, God will reveal it to him.  “Obedience is the organ of spiritual knowledge.” 

APPLICATION:   “Good success” and spiritual prosperity is reserved exclusively for those who do God’s will, according to what was promised to Joshua regarding obedience to the law (Josh. 1:8).  It is at this point we make our way prosperous and enjoy good success. We have every reason to praise God, to praise Him forever, because he has placed us into such a wonder way to blessed living.  Too often we want to know all the details of a matter before we take the first step of faith, this is not the way God work.  You most obey what you know and He will more clearly show!  He will reward the obedient with more blessing, opportunities, insight, progress, promotion, and service (Matt. 25:20-30; Lk. 12:40-48; Lk. 19:14-27).

ILLUSTRATION:   Nathanael beautifully illustrates the truth of obeying what you know in order to receive more instruction and insight from the Lord.   John 1:45-51,  Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. [46] And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. [47] Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! [48] Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. [49] Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. [50] Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. [51] And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.  The language referring to Jesus as the one Moses wrote about indicates that Philip was also a thoughtful seeker -- one who read the Old Testament Scriptures and was looking for the Messiah. Moses had written about the Messiah in the Law (see Deut 18:15-18), and the prophets had foretold his coming.  Instantaneously, Nathanael realizes that Jesus is “the Son of God” (Ps 2:7) and “the King of Israel” (Ps 2:6; Zeph 3:15).  Unlike many of the studied religious leaders of the day, these simple men understood the Scriptures, and knew what to look for. So when the Messiah came, they recognized Him!  Jesus foretells that the Disciples would hereafter see the angels ascending and descending upon Him, “the Son of Man” (a messianic title, see Dan 7:13). As students of the Old Testament, his disciples would have realized that Jesus was alluding to Jacob's vision of the ladder connecting Heaven to earth (Gen 28:12).  Jacob had left home, having lied to his father and cheated his brother of the birthright. Yet in his dream Jacob saw a vision of angels ministering to him. If God could reveal himself to a sinner like Jacob, surely he could reveal himself in an even greater way to Nathanael. To Nathanael and the others, the Heavens would be opened -- i.e., they would be given insight into the things of Heaven [(Acts 10:11 (Evangelization); Rev 4:1 (Expectations); 19:11 (Revelation)]. Furthermore, they would realize that Jesus, as the “Son of Man,” was the vehicle of communication between Heaven and earth. Just as God had appointed Jacob to be the father of the twelve tribes (under the new name Israel), God had appointed Jesus to be the founder of the new spiritual kingdom. The point is clear, Nathanael was ready to receive more insight from the Lord because he immediately believed what the Lord had said and his heart was free of guile, thus honest, transparent, and sincere.  He could secure more insight because he responded in faith to the first and more basic truths.