Sacrificial Living Pt2

Romans chapter 12. We’ve begun
this incredible section, and the more I have the privilege
to take it and study it, the richer I find it to be. This
section that I’ve entitled Sacrificial Living, I think a fuller title,
and I think it will become more evident in the days and weeks
as they unfold, a more complete title would be sacrificial living
in the church. I think it will become plainly
evident to God’s people that what Paul is talking about here
is not just sacrifice for sacrifice sake. He’s not just talking about
topping it out and doing without something or things. What he’s
talking about is a totally different lifestyle that ends up as Essentially
serviceability to the church and effectiveness for the sake
of the church. If you would review with me chapter
12 verses one through eight as we prepare our hearts to begin
to receive at least verse two this morning. Chapter 12 beginning
in verse one where Paul writes I urge you therefore brethren
by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living and holy
sacrifice acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service
of worship. And do not be conformed to this
world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that
you may prove what the will of God is. That which is good and
acceptable and perfect. For through the grace given to
me, I say to every man 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. For just as we have many members
in one body and all the members do not have the same function,
so we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members
of one another. And since we have gifts that
differ according to the grace given to us, let each exercise
them accordingly. If prophecy according to the
proportion of his faith, if service in his serving or he who teaches
in his teaching or he who exhorts in his exhortation, he who gives
with liberality, he who leads with diligence, he who shows
mercy with cheerfulness. We’ll advance into those latter
verses, verses three through eight in the days and weeks to
come. There’s, as I said, there’s so
much there that you literally, I don’t know that we will do
that, but you could almost literally take each one of those gifts
and ponder them, meditate on them and study them through each
one individually. That’s why I say that A more
complete title for this particular section is sacrificial living
in the church, but it is sacrifice to which Paul has already mentioned. It’s sacrifice to which we’re
called. It’s sacrificial living, which Paul addresses to begin
with. He gave us a command to sacrifice
there in verse one. I urge you, therefore, brethren,
it was a passionate appeal to present our bodies as a living
and holy sacrifice. Well that was as stunning to
the first century Christians as it sounds to our modern day
years probably even more so to them because they saw likely
animal sacrifices occur all the time the pagan religions all
had them certainly the Jewish religion had them. There were
many sacrifices taking place on a regular basis and so to
the to the first century year to present your bodies a living
and holy sacrifice. That was a shocking statement. So there is a command to sacrifice
but Paul clarifies it by discussing the way that that sacrifice is
to be offered by the mercies of God based on everything that
God has already done for us. We didn’t deserve any of it.
All of the goodness that is poured out to us and upon us, all of
those blessings, not the least of which is salvation by faith
in our Lord Jesus. All of those blessings, all of
those mercies are what prompt us to respond in offering ourselves
as a sacrifice. Now, Paul talked about the nature
of this sacrifice. What kind of a sacrifice is it?
And we spent no little time looking at it. It’s a living sacrifice,
first of all, as opposed to a dead sacrifice. That’s not to say
that those offering sacrifices, especially on the Jewish altar,
would bring dead animals. But ultimately, those animals
would be put to death. That’s what a sacrifice was.
That’s what makes this whole image so fascinating is a living
sacrifice is almost a contradiction of terms. But that’s what Paul
calls us to. He calls us to present our lives
as a living in ongoing, a perpetual sacrifice to God. He also called
it a holy sacrifice, something that is not only set apart for
God, but is by God’s assessment, holy. That is, growing in holiness
and sinlessness. We don’t come before God with
any idea in our minds to purify ourselves to the point where
we can come and say, OK, God, let me set before you a holy
sacrifice. It’s God, the one that is sanctifying
us. It’s God, the one that is separating
us apart to himself. And when we come to God and respond
to this command to sacrifice based on all the things that
he has done, we come before him to present a living and a holy
sacrifice that God himself deems acceptable. It’s pleasing to
him. That’s what sacrifices were supposed
to be. And a blemished sheep or certainly
a dead animal. There were sacrifices that were
flatly displeasing to God. Paul contrasts that Old Testament
imagery with bringing forth that which was pleasing to God, and
he brings it into this particular illustration that that’s what
we’re called to. Why all this talk about sacrifice? Why all this talk about, you
know, this living sacrifice? Well, Paul makes it absolutely
clear at the conclusion of that verse. Not only is there a command,
and the way of the sacrifice laid out before us the nature
of the sacrifice presented clearly to us. But the purpose of the
sacrifice is given right in that verse. It’s worship. It’s our spiritual service of
worship when when we stand back and assess. It’s a fascinating
thing that word worship really is an anglicized version of. It’s a funny word worth ship. Where essentially what we do
is we estimate, we esteem God for who he is and what he has
done, and we respond accordingly. That’s what worship is. So, I
mean, it’s very fascinating the way my brother sometimes will
prompt us. Are you really thankful? Are
you really here to worship God? Because the first, you know,
you hear the first couple of songs, we kind of mutter our
way through. Is that a reflection of what we think about God? Sometimes
it is. Sometimes we’re really just not
all that thankful. Sometimes we’re really not all
that joyful. Sometimes we’re really not all that worshipful. Well, Paul says. When you stand
back and you look at all that God has done in your life and
all the blessings that he has poured out upon you, how can
you not respond? It’s your spiritual service of
worship. It is your opportunity to look
up to God and to say, God, thank you. And it’s not just a moment
in a worship service. It’s not just a one hour deal
on Sunday. It’s your life. That’s what he
means as well by living sacrifice. It’s everything that we do. Tozer
was the one I think that I first gleaned that point from that
we have this tendency to separate everything in the sacred and
secular. We go to church and that’s sacred and we maybe have
our quiet time and that’s sacred. We’re reading our Bible. That’s
sacred. We gather with a brother for prayer. That’s sacred. But
going to work, taking out the trash, meeting up with my neighbor. That’s all secular stuff, not
to God. Everything, everything that we
do as a Christian. If we’re supposed to do all that
we do to the glory of God, then everything that we do becomes
an act of worship, doesn’t it? That’s what Paul’s saying. That’s
exactly what Paul’s saying. Well, Paul has called us to sacrificial
living, and I have suggested that he’s pointing to sacrificial
living in the church, and we’ll get to that part of it as this
verse unfolds. But the particular focus this
morning is is our heart readiness, our heart readiness to offer
sacrifice, essentially a an expansion on what he’s already said that
this sacrifice that we bring is to be holy. And there’s only
one way that that’s going to be accomplished. And it’s the
work of God working through our lives and making us into what
we’re called to be. The particular verse before us,
verse two, Essentially takes that thought of presenting our
bodies, a living and holy sacrifice, and it expands upon it and really
explains what is involved. In presenting a holy sacrifice. This. Positive attitude that
Paul gives us in verse one, present your bodies, a living sacrifice.
Now he comes in another way with essentially a negative admonition,
a warning, if you will. If you would turn to verse two.
And just meditate upon that for a
moment. Where Paul says, and do not be
conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing
of your mind that you may prove what the will of God is, that
which is good and acceptable. and perfect. Paul wants to talk
to us about our heart readiness. Paul wants to talk to us about
that element of the sacrifice that he’s already pointed to
as holiness. And what he calls us to hear
in verse two is transformation, real change. We’ll talk about
that particular word in a moment. But what Paul first calls us
to is what I would call preparation for transformation. We need to
be changed as Christians. When we come to God, when we
first place our faith in Christ, when we first identify ourselves
as Christians by God’s good grace at work in our lives, we don’t
announce ourselves. We don’t go about announcing
ourselves as having been transformed. It’s a process that Paul is pointing
to, and what he points to first is the preparation for that process. We haven’t even begun yet, is
essentially what he’s saying. And the preparation for transformation
is flatly avoiding the world’s influence. We need to stop the
influence of the world before we can even begin to be transformed,
before we can even begin to enjoy spiritual transformation, we’ve
got to stop the influence of the world. Look at verse two,
Paul says, do not be conformed to this world now. You’ve heard this before. The
word world can be translated in many different or can have
many different meanings in Scripture. And it’s compounded by the fact
that that isn’t even the word that is used here in this particular
verse. It isn’t the word for globe.
It isn’t the word for earth. There were words that Paul could
have used if he had intended to use that particular thing.
And so there is real significance here when the translators have
taken this and and used this word world. We’ll get to that
in a moment. The literal word is age. And it’s distinguished here when
Paul says, do not be conformed to this age, he’s distinguishing
that from the age to come. And Paul uses this word frequently
in his writings, the gospel writers use it. In Matthew 12, for instance,
I’ll give you a few examples. Matthew 12, 32. Whoever speaks
a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him. Whoever
speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him,
either in this age or in the age to come. See, when you identify
this particular age, what you’re also doing is identifying that
there is another age. Luke 16 does the same thing. His master praised the unrighteous
manager because he had acted shrewdly for the sons of this
age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons
of light. He points to the fact that the people of this age or
this world are shrewd in their dealings with people. They’re
wise as in their wise with regards to
their dealings with people and money and opportunity. But Paul,
as I said, also uses this little word and he uses it to speak
not only of this particular time period, but in reference to another
time period that is coming. In First Corinthians 120, where
is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is
the debater of this age? 1 Corinthians 2.6. We speak wisdom among those who
are mature, a wisdom, however, not of this age, which has reference
to the fact that there is a kind of wisdom. There is a kind of
knowledge. There is a system that is currently
in place that Paul says is fading, it’s obsolete, and that there
is another one coming that is better and purer. We’ll get to
that. First Corinthians 318, let no
man deceive himself, if any man among you thinks he is wise in
this age, he must become foolish so that he may be wise. What
he’s pointing to ultimately here is the gospel. He’s pointing
to the fact that, you know what, there is wisdom far beyond what
people would refer to here in this day and age as homespun
wisdom. The wisdom of the world. Galatians 1 4 Paul addresses
it again. He says he speaks of Christ as
one who gave himself for our sins so that he might rescue
us from this present evil age. And now he begins to characterize
it not. It’s not just a time period that
is locked in the here and now as opposed to what’s coming.
But now he characterizes it as being positively evil. It’s sinful. It’s a sinful age in which he
refers to. who go on in Timothy to refer
to it as the present world. To Timothy, he speaks of Demas
having loved this present world. To Titus, he calls us to live
sensibly, righteously and godly in this present age. And so that’s
the sense in which Paul is using this word. It’s not world, not
in the sense of globe. Do not be conformed to the earth’s
ways as maybe even contemporary appropriateness would have us
take that. Do not be conformed to the world. One identified that as those
things that stand on what on the side of what we would call
On the opposite side, rather, of what we would call eternity
in the here and now, there’s a way of thinking in the here
and now there’s a system of the world in the here and now there
is a temporary and transient mindset. Now. I appreciated the way one
clarified it. Rarely is this word used in a
purely temporal fashion. In other words, rarely does it
just mean this day and age like it’s the Golden Age. Rarely is
the word ever used like that. It almost always has reference,
even as we just reviewed Paul’s use of it. It almost always has
reference to a moral climate as well. It’s not just temporary. It’s not just the here and now,
but it’s not a good thing. It’s not a good time period. The present. Condition of things,
the present. Mindset is a period of sin, it’s
a period of death, it’s a period of unchecked evil. One referred
to it as that floating mass of thoughts, opinions, maxims, speculations,
hopes, impulses, aims, aspirations at any time current in the world. And so at any time in the history
of this earth, Christians could have been able to identify the
spirit of the age, as can we. At any time current in the world
in which it may be impossible to seize and accurately define,
but which constitute a most real and effective power being the
moral or immoral atmosphere which at every moment of our lives
in which we inhale and again inevitably exhale. In other words,
it’s impossible to completely remove yourselves from this age,
from the spirit of this age. And what it includes is everything
that the world generates entertainment, thoughts, opinions, fashions.
The music, the attitudes, the behaviors, The priorities, all
of those things are influenced by the age in which we live.
One defined it as the whole world of the ungodly, the temporary
order of things in which sin predominates. As opposed to the
age to come, which is the kingdom of God, that’s what we look forward
to. It is essentially. This life,
this thought of life being completely outside of God. You imagine what
the people of the world would compile into a world system that
is completely devoid of God. And that’s what Paul is essentially
pointing to. It is a system that is controlled
by the devil himself. We know that because scripture
tells us the devil and the forces of evil are already pervasive,
they’re throughout the world, they’re influencing everything
that we see and much that we don’t see. Second Corinthians
four, just think through it in your mind, even if our gospel
is veiled, Paul said. In the context there, he’s talking
about the gospel going forth and the gospel seeing success
and the gospel seeing failure. And Paul says, even if our gospel
is veiled. It is veiled to those who are
perishing, in other words, they can’t see even though they’re
headed for disaster. It is veiled to those who are
perishing, in whose case the God of this world has blinded
the minds of the unbelieving. What an astounding thought. The
devil has that kind of an influence that he can literally drape the
eyes of people? It’s the God of this world. Paul
said in Ephesians, you were dead in your trespasses and sins.
Ephesians 2, in which you formerly walked according to the course
of this world. There was a way of conducting
yourselves as an unbeliever. There was a standard operating
procedure for sinners. You formally walked according
to the course of this world, according to the prince of the
power of the air of the spirit that is now working in the sons
of disobedience. I mean, this is powerful. This
is amazing stuff that the devil and all of his minions are affecting
everything that goes on in the world and people just happily
lap it up. What about Ephesians 612? Ephesians
612 says our struggle is not against flesh and blood. That’s
that’s our tendency. We tend to think that our struggle
is against flesh and blood against people, not against people. Our
struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers,
against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness.
He’s not talking about China or Russia. Against the powers,
world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces
of wickedness, in the heavenly places. I mean, how do you fight
that? Except by prayer to Almighty God. It’s this whole ugly, sinful
world system and its thoughts and its priorities in its affections. All of those things rolled together
is what Paul says. Paul says are part of this age,
this world in which we live. Probably not unlike you, Pilgrim’s
Progress is one of my favorites, one of the classics. But in that
book, there is a section that well describes what Paul is pointing
to here when he says, do not be conformed to this world, do
not be conformed to this age and its influences. Points to
a little town called Vanity Fair. Bunyan writes, in this town of
vanity, they contrive to set up a fair, a fair wherein should
be sold all sorts of vanity and that it should last all the year
long. At this fair are such merchandise
sold as houses, lands, trades, places, honors, preferments,
titles, countries, kingdoms, lusts, pleasures and delights
of all sorts. Moreover, at this fair, there
is at all times to be seen jugglers, cheats, games, plays, fools,
mimics, knaves and rogues and that of every kind. It is precisely
that kind of scene that Paul is referring to here that is
inconsistent with the life that has been touched by the grace
of God. You see, if all of your plans
If all of your purposes and calculations of how you want to live your
life, if they’re all built on only upon what lies here and
what we see. Then. It could very easily be
said that we’re children of this age, we’re letting this world
dictate how we’re supposed to live and what our priorities
are, what our affections are. Paul says, do not be conformed
to this world. Let’s examine that portion of
the sentence. Do not be conformed to this world. Here. This word conformed speaks
of. An individual that is assuming
some kind of an outward expression, and it’s used in a positive way
in Scripture, and I’ll tell you in a moment. In other words,
this conforming is something that someone dawns, he puts on
and takes the outward form, even though inwardly it doesn’t represent
his inward life. As one said, it is an outward
expression that does not reflect what is within. It is used of
the term or the term is used of those who masquerade or put
on an act specifically by following a prescribed pattern or scheme. Now, before we get too far afield
and think that the word is only used in a bad way, it’s not. In fact, one of the most profound
ways that it’s used is of Christ himself. Philippians 2,8 says
that Being found in appearance. As a man, Christ wasn’t just
masquerading, not in an evil sense, for sure. But being found
in appearance as a man, he took on flesh, he put on flesh and
cloaked over. His deity. Being found in appearance as
a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point
of death, even death on a cross, it’s used in a positive way.
But it’s also used to speak of those who put on what they are
not. They pretend to be something
they’re not. In both ways that that’s done
is sinful. If a Christian begins to act
like the world in doing something that he is not. That’s just sinful. If a unbeliever begins to Put
on the guise of a Christian, that’s hypocrisy. The word is
a. It’s a compound word soon schematism
is the word. And there are differences between
this word conformed and the word conformed. This particular word
talks about an an outward conformity and a conformity that appeals
to the outward perspective. Transformation, on the other
hand, and we’ll get to that in a moment, transformation talks
about change that does reflect what is inward, that it starts
from the inside and ultimately reveals itself on the outside.
This conformity just merely refers to a posture or an attitude or
a particular attire that can be changed with a whim. Transformation, on the other
hand, refers to what starts inside and ultimately erupts on the
outside and is seen for what it is. One is just a form. The other one is reality. One
is solid and lasting, the other one is fleeting. Hodge said it
this way, he expresses strongly the idea of similarity in character
and in manners. In other words, the man who is
conformed to the world is just putting on a show. He’s just
going with the crowd. He’s not really that way. He
wasn’t designed to be that way. Even sinners weren’t designed
for this, but they’ve taken it on. They’ve taken on all of the
world’s attitudes, all of the world’s priorities, all of the
ways of thinking that are designed or rather described as worldly. This conformity is capricious
following, it is following something that is constantly changing and
fleeting, and doesn’t that describe our world? When even the pope
himself stands suddenly and declares that he is no judge of the homosexual,
when God himself has already judged that sin, that’s the world
blowing and drifting and changing. God doesn’t change. One pastor. Accurately referred
to this whole process of referring to the act of assuming an outward
appearance pattern after some certain thing. We want to be
like the world so often. Sinners want to be like the rest
of them. They not only sin, but they give
hearty approval to those. Who follow after them. It’s an
appearance or expression which does not come from and is not
representative of one’s innermost true nature. It refers to the
act of a child assuming as an outward expression the habits,
mannerisms, dress, speech, expressions, behavior out of the world, out
of which God saved him. I mean, do you get his point?
God rescued you from that cesspool. And you’re going to go dip back
in and put on some of those garments? It says, do not be conformed
to the world. Don’t put on what’s outward.
Don’t try to pretend to be what you’re not. You’re no longer
that person. You know what’s fascinating to
note, too, that this verb is passive. Indicating that confirmation
is not something that we do to ourselves, it’s something that
is done to us. We just kind of go along for
the ride. It’s like we’re on some conveyor belt in some factory. And all we got to do is process
our way through the factory and we will look and feel and sound
and be just like the world. And God says, don’t do that. J.B. Phillips has a classic translation
in this particular passage. J.B. Phillips said of this passage,
don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold. Don’t do it. Don’t let the world
project its ideas and its patterns and its priorities upon you. Our way of thinking, our way
of doing everything that we do should be so different at almost
every turn that people think that we’re odd. We should look
odd. We’re aliens and strangers. Lloyd-Jones said, when as Christians
we live in this world as a worldly manner, we are like actors masquerading
as something that we are really not. We are not giving expression
to our true nature and being, but are acting as if we were
men and women of the world. The apostle is really saying,
be what you are. You’re a Christian, live like
it is essentially what he’s saying. This worldliness. The worldliness
that we’re to break from is essentially what we commonly refer to as
a worldview. We’re to break with the secular
worldview. We’re to have a completely different
understanding of the way that the world works. We’re to have
a heavenly perspective. We’re to realize that this world,
this earth, this life is not all there is. That there is not
only glory coming, but judgment as well. And we’re to live like
it. Peter took up the same cause.
Peter essentially said the same thing. 1 Peter 1 as obedient children,
he doesn’t mince any words. A Christian is called to obedience. He is called to obey the God
that he professes to love. As obedient children, do not
be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in ignorance.
You used to live like that. You used to be ignorant to the
fact that it was sinful and wrong. Why would you go back? Why would
you go back to that? Do not be conformed to the former
lusts which were yours and ignorance, but like the Holy One who called
you, be holy yourselves in all your behavior because it is written,
you shall be holy for I am holy. Paul says, keep these things
at arm’s length, keep them at a distance. Don’t let them come
close, don’t let them come near, don’t adopt the world’s views,
don’t adopt the world’s ways and perspectives. Paul said it
like this to the Ephesians have nothing to do with the fruitless
deeds of darkness. But instead, even expose them
in your discussions, in your dialogue with others, point out
the fact that that is a worldly perspective that is not biblical,
that goes completely contrary to what God’s word says. Dear Pastor John Rogers Puritan
said it this way, we must forsake evil before we can do good. You notice here that Paul doesn’t
start with be transformed. He starts with do not be conformed. We must forsake evil before we
can do good. He sets the renouncing of our
lusts first before the embracing of holiness. Men must put off
their old rags before they can put on new apparel, dig up the
weeds before they sow or set herbs where there remains any
love of any lust or sin. There is no true grace in the
heart. Neither will any grow till it
be rooted out. Paul says. Do not be conformed. To this world. Don’t be conformed
to the spirit of this age. Paul is warning Christians in
this particular case, Roman Christians, but also to us and to every Christian
who’s ever read these world’s words. He’s warning us of all
the various ways that worldliness can manifest itself. Foul language,
dirty, foolish talk, reading of filthy books, Movies, TV shows. And this is where we have to
caution ourselves, lest we become the judges. I love the way it’s
attributed to Calvin. I’ve never found it where the
Bible speaks, we speak. If the Bible says it’s wrong,
it’s wrong. Where the Bible is silent, we,
too, are silent. We’re not going to go too far.
We’re not going to overstate or overstep. Here’s what Paul said to the
Galatians. Grace to you and peace from God, our Father and the
Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins so that he might
rescue us from this present evil age. God is purposing to rescue
us and will we dip back in? Are we going to dip back in and
conformity to the world? You know it well. First John
says it just as equally clearly in the second chapter, do not
love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves
the world, the love of the father is not in him. It’s one or the
other. For all that is in the world,
the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the boastful pride
of life is not from the father, but is of the world. The world
is passing away and also its lust, but the one who does the
will of the of God lives forever. So when Paul says. Do not be
conformed to this world, he points to another world, he points to
the world of heaven, he points to the world of eternity, he
points to the world of holiness where God dwells, and he points
to the fact that we have a vested interest in this. That we who
are called to Christ, who have named the name of Christ, have
a purpose to fulfill. And that we cannot fulfill that
purpose by being pressed into the world’s mold and allowed
to live and look like them. We should look radically different.
And it isn’t just a funny hat that we wear or the way that
we shave our face. We should look radically different
in what we love, In what we do, we should be different in every
way. What madness, said one pastor,
what madness it is to join in this puppet show, which is displayed
on a tottering stage. Christians have been introduced
to the life of the world to come. What a tragedy, then, if they
conform to the perishing world. The poll isn’t finished. Paul says. You need to prepare
to be transformed, and the only way to prepare to be transformed
is to avoid the world’s influence, that’s what he means when he
says, do not be conformed to this world, he says, be ready,
get ready. Get ready to be changed from
the inside out. God is doing it. God will do
it. God will complete the work that
he has begun. And that’s what he points to
in the second point. And we’ll start that this morning. The
second point is not only a preparation for transformation, but a call
to transformation. Glance down at the passage. Do
not be conformed to this world, but be transformed. By the renewing
of your mind. The word here is one that you’ll
you’ll hear as I say the Greek. Metamorphosis, where we get our
word metamorphosis, right? This is real change. This is
durable change. This is God given change. This is change that starts from
within and wells up and changes everything about us. The way
that we live, the way that we talk, the way that we think,
the way that we love, the way that we express ourselves. One
faithful pastor said the transformation to which Christians are exhorted
is not a mere external change, but one which results from a
change of heart, an entire alteration of the state of mind. This is
the kind of change we want, not a mere conformity to the world’s
standards where we literally set our minds aside and just
merely adopt what the world feeds us. This change As one said, is expressive
of the man’s inner being. You see, this service, the sacrifice
of service to which we’re called in this particular passage demands
change. It demands a different person.
We don’t come to God and bring him just whatever. Remember last
week we said we don’t bring him roadkill. We bring a living and
holy sacrifice that is acceptable to God. This change that he speaks
of. This has to begin on the inside. It has to start with the heart
and it has to be a work of God. Let me tell you how powerful
this word is. This word transformed. It’s used in chapter 17 of Matthew’s
Gospel. Don’t turn. It’s one sentence.
It’s Matthew 17, 2. And in Matthew 17, 2, it’s Matthew
records, and he, that is the Lord Jesus Christ, and he was
transfigured before them. And his face shone like the sun
and his garments became as white. It’s the same word. And what
God, in a sense, says is we need to be transformed, we need to
be transfigured, we need to be seen for what we are, truly are
in Christ and not for what the world would have us to be. Paul
uses this word frequently, and it’s never in other places translated
as transfigured, but You get the idea here that something
dramatic is taking place. Philippians 310, that I may know
him, that is Christ, that I may know him and the power of his
resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being conformed
to his death, transformed. I’m taking on his death. Philippians
321, who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity
with the body of His glory. We are being changed. We’re being
changed little by little every day, but it’s a dramatic change.
It’s a powerful change. It’s a change that begins from
within and takes over our entire life.
It’s a change in attitude. It’s a steady renewal of our
entire nature. And note this that Paul says
he uses the present tense here. What he points to there is that
this is a continual process, this is a perpetual undertaking
on God’s part and that it’s also being done to us. That it’s a
real and permanent and lasting change that God is working into
us. Paul is talking about transformation,
the deepest kind of transformation, the most powerful kind of transformation,
God given, divine transformation. And Paul, in a sense, doesn’t
tell us to do anything. He doesn’t tell us to transform
ourselves. He doesn’t tell us to announce
ourselves as having been transformed. He uses the passive voice here,
which says essentially he’s not telling us transform yourselves,
but let God do the work. Get out of the way, stop fighting
him at every turn, stop adopting the world’s ways and let God
do his rich and mighty work in your life. There’s an echo in Scripture
of this particular thought, 2nd Corinthians 318 will close with
this. Paul says there. But we all with unveiled face
and what he says is, look, the sin has been taken away and now
we see face to face with God, as it were. But we all with unveiled
face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord are being
transformed in the same image from glory to glory, just as
from the Lord, the Spirit. God is changing us. God is taking
each one of us who professed faith in the Lord Jesus Christ
and little by little. God is taking us and he is making
us and molding us. After the face of glory itself,
the face of the Lord Jesus Christ, he’s taking us and he’s changing
us people. And it’s a great thing. It’s
a powerful thing. Paul. wants to go on and he wants
to tell us that there is a means to accomplishing that great thing.
There are ways that we can help and not hinder this process of
transformation. The first, we’ve already looked
at it. The first is we’ve got to deal with sin. We’ve got to
stop conforming ourselves to the world and start yielding
ourselves to Almighty God. But Paul will give us the great
means of that. And we’ll take that up next Lord’s Day. Would
you go before our Almighty God in prayer? O merciful God, just as we don’t save ourselves,
neither do we sanctify ourselves. We rejoice in that rich promise
that you gave to Paul. We thank You, Father, that You
are the One who has begun the work and You will complete it.
Lord, we thank You for the reminder that worldliness presses us in
at every turn, that worldliness would have us to comply, that
this world would love it if we were only more like them. Father God, we thank You that
by Your grace You saved us. We didn’t deserve it. We thank
You that You called us to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and
by that faith we were saved. Lord, we know that as we stand
before You now, we stand in the righteousness of Christ. But
we also know that we are called to bear a living sacrifice before
You, a holy sacrifice. We know that it’s You that will
do the work And so we plead and pray with you. Continue that
work in us. God, show us where and how we
stand in the way. Show us those things in our lives. That stand as mighty impediments
to our growth and grace. Those thoughts, those habits,
those actions, those behaviors. Father, bring us to repentance
for those things. before we can be transformed. We have to fight away the temptation
to be conformed to the world and to its ways. Grant us that
grace, Father. It’s in Jesus’ name that we pray.