Sunday April 5, 2009

What does the Transformed Life Look Like?
Romans 12:1-2

I. Introduction

Last week I spoke about the blessings and hindrances to transformation.

In summary, most of know that we need to changed, but find it difficult to let go of certain things or to submit ourselves
fully to God and others.

I mentioned a document I put together a number of years ago where I stated our values and commitments as a church.

One of the statements reads as follows: We are committed to being a transformation community.

Today, I would like to look at what this really means and how we go about doing it.

II. What Does the Transformed Life Look Like?

We are committed to being a transformation community.

I would like to read Romans 12 again from The Message translation.

“So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life — your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life — and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does
for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out . Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging
you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” (Romans 12:1-2, The Message)

A. Personal Transformation

This passage highlights the first phase of transformation, and that is our personal transformation.

Last week I spoke about why we would even want to experience personal transformation and I mentioned a few reasons as to why it is so difficult for us to fully experience the transforming work of God in our lives.

What does the transformed life look like?

Lately, I keep returning to Isaiah 61 – listen carefully to what it says.

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will
be freed. 2 He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord's favor has come, and with it, the
day of God's anger against their enemies. 3 To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory. 4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins, repairing cities destroyed long ago. They will revive them, though they have been deserted for many generations.” (Isaiah 61:1-4, NLT)

Look at what God wants to do in your life (go over the passage).

This speaks of transformation! This is what God wants to do in your life and mine.

If you have spent more than a few minutes with Tonie Gatlin, you have heard her talk about transformation.

She calls it by a few different names (living from the inside out, knowing and living out of who I am in Christ, and living
from the new nature), but it all boils down to being transformed.

Can someone quote the verse she bases all this on?

“So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has
become new!” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NRSV)

Being transformed begins when we really believe that Jesus Christ has already done the transforming work, and we just need to learn how to walk in that new creation He has already made us to be!

What does the transformed life look like?

“What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We died to sin;
how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we
believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore
do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. 14 For sin shall not be your
master, because you are not under law, but under grace.” (Romans 6:1-14, NIV)

What does the transformed life look like?

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the
right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
11 Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ
is all, and is in all. 12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which
binds them all together in perfect unity. 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. 18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them. 20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.” (Colossians 3:1-21, NIV)

What does the transformed life look like?

Jesus spells out what the transformed life looks like in the most famous sermon of all time recorded for us
in Matthew chapters 5-7.

Let me quickly summarize the various ideas Jesus sets forth in this sermon.

We are to:

1. acknowledge our spiritual need (5:3)
2. repent of our sins (5:4)
3. be humble (5:5)
4. hunger and thirst for justice/righteousness (5:6)
5. be merciful (5:7)
6. have pure hearts (5:8)
7. work for peace (5:9)
8. persevere joyfully in the face of being persecuted for our faith ( 5:10 -12)
9. be salt and light to those round us ( 5:13 -16)
10. obey the law of God and teach it to others ( 5:17 -20)
11. control our anger ( 5:21 -22)
12. be reconciled in all our relationships; work out and settle our differences ( 5:23 -26)
13. stop lusting ( 5:27 -28)
14. deal radically with our sin ( 5:29 -30)
15. do all we can to avoid divorce ( 5:31 -32)
16. be honest in all our conversation ( 5:33 -37)
17. avoid the desire to take revenge into our own hands; love goes the extra mile ( 5:38 -41)
18. be giving to others in need ( 5:42 )
19. love our enemies ( 5:43 -47)
20. be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect ( 5:48 )
21. give humbly to those in need (6:1-4)
22. pray and fast faithfully and with humility (6:5-13, 16-18)
23. forgive those who have hurt us ( 6:14 -15)
24. give our money freely; you cannot serve both God and money ( 6:19 -24)
25. stop worrying about our material needs, possessions, and the future, and seek to put God first in
    everything ( 6:25 -34)
26. stop judging others (7:1-6)
27. be persistent in prayer (7:7-11)
28. do to others as we would like them to do to us ( 7:12 )
29. enter the kingdom of God through the narrow gate (Jesus) ( 7:13 -14)
30. understand that our words and actions tell the true story of our hearts ( 7:15 -20)
31. know God personally, not just do stuff in His name ( 7:21 -23)
32. listen to and obey the teachings of Scripture ( 7:24 -29)

III. Application

Our application for all this will come in two weeks (Easter is next Sunday) when we talk about how to enter into the transformed life God has for each of us.

But let us conclude by looking at the final words of Jesus in His sermon on the mount.

“These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit — but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don't work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.” (Matthew 7:24-27, The Message)