Please turn in your Bibles this morning to Romans chapter 12 as we look at application for transformation or how we apply the things of God to our lives that then is working in us a transformation into the image of God. Starting here in Romans chapter 12 and continuing on through Romans 15:13 Paul is in his fifth and final main division of his letter to the Romans which deals with application, where the rubber meets the road you might say. You see, Paul has just finished 11 chapters dealing with all that God has given to us and now he is telling us to walk accordingly, to apply God’s Word to your life. It is as Paul said in Romans 13:13-14, “Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”
But there does seem to be a problem today among Christians, their moral behavior is no different than those that are not saved, than those that don’t know the Lord. What is the problem? It could be a lack of information as this story shows us. We are told:
The great 19th century British statesman and Prime Minister, William Gladstone, once said, “One thing I have against the clergy both of the country and in the towns. I think they are not severe enough on congregations. They do not sufficiently lay upon the souls and consciences of their hearers their moral obligations, and probe their hearts and bring up their whole lives and actions to the bar of conscience.”
“The class of sermons which I think are most needed, are of the class which once offended Lord Melbourne. He was seen coming from church in the country in a great fume. Finding a friend, he exclaimed, ‘It is too bad I have always been a supporter of the church, and I have always upheld the clergy, but it is really too bad to have to listen to a sermon like that we have heard this morning. Why, the preacher actually insisted upon applying religion to a man’s personal life!’” Gladstone concluded, “That is the kind of preaching I like best, the kind of preaching which men need most, but it is, also, the kind of which they get the least.”
- Morning Glory, Sept./Oct., 1997, p. 34
It is as we are told in Amos 8:11-12, “‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘That I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the LORD. They shall wander from sea to sea, And from north to east; They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD, But shall not find it.’” Yes, many today are starving to death spiritually speaking because they are not being fed the Word of God, but I don’t believe that is the only problem we have today! You see, I believe people have plenty of information today; they just don’t apply it to their lives.
Let me give you a few examples of what I mean and then we will get into our text this morning. The Surgeon General has warned us that cigarette smoking is dangerous to our health. It can cause all kinds of serious problems like; lung cancer, lung diseases, heart disease, low birth weight babies, it can kill us! Do we need more information regarding the dangers of cigarette smoking? Of course not, what we do need is the application of that knowledge to our lives so that we don’t smoke!
We know that being overweight can lead to all kinds of serious health problems like; diabetes, heart disease, circulatory problems, breathing problems, bone and joint disease, and it truly can kill us! Do we need more information about being overweight? Of course not, what we do need is the application of that knowledge to our lives so we lose weight!
One more example before we move on. We know that alcohol and drugs can lead to a variety of serious illnesses; from liver failure, to lung disease, to decreased mental capacity, to heart attacks, to destroyed families, to loss of jobs, and to death! Do we need more information telling us the dangers of alcohol and drugs in our lives? Of course not, what we do need is the application of that knowledge to our lives so we don’t start using alcohol or drugs or if we are that we would stop!
And so this morning we are going to be looking at the application of God’s Word to our lives, something I do with every study I have taught. You see, years ago, when I was teaching home Bible studies, I gave out a lot of Bible information, which there was nothing wrong with, but over the years God has shown me it is much more than information, you also need to show how these things apply to our lives here and now! That is what we will be doing this morning and so let’s begin reading in Romans chapter 12, starting in verse 1 and see what the Lord has for us this morning.
I truly believe that we can not apply God’s Word to our lives without first placing our entire lives on the altar of sacrifice, giving our lives to the Lord as a burnt sacrifice, to be totally consumed by the Lord as a sweet smelling sacrifice. If you are not willing then the application part will be tough because you will only do those things that YOU want and not what the Lord wants – you are holding back!
Let me show you what I mean with this story that is shocking and yet, it is an example of someone who was willing to place his life totally on the altar of sacrifice, no matter the cost. We are told:
The Most Valuable Player from the Super Bowl four years ago says his faith as a Christian was directly assaulted by his own NFL coaches who purportedly said his Bible reading was hurting his on-field performance.
Kurt Warner was a hero for the St. Louis Rams as he led his team to victory in Super Bowl XXXIV, becoming the only quarterback in championship history to complete more than 400 yards passing in the title game.
But when his performance started to suffer at the beginning of this past season, he was told his benching to backup service resulted – at least partially – from his belief in Jesus.
“I actually had [Rams] coaches say I was reading the Bible too much and it was taking away from my play,” Warner told the Baptist Press. “It was OK when we were winning, but now I was [messing] things up? People were saying I had lost my job because of my faith.”
Warner says the bias didn’t surface when the Rams defeated the Tennessee Titans 23-16 in the 2000 Super Bowl.
“We were talking in our [team] Bible study about how we were going to honor God if we got to that final game,” he told BP. “When I was on the stage after the game and I was asked first about a touchdown pass, I just said first things first, ‘Thank you Jesus.’”
According to the report, Warner says his lackluster performance this season has taught him more about his faith than any of his Super Bowl highs.
“You want to say, ‘God, how could You allow this to happen?’” he said. “I thought I was over the fact of being a backup. It was a shock, but God has allowed me to use this greater platform for Him.”
“If you can stand up for your faith when you’re on top, you can stand up for it now that you’re at the bottom.”
- Super bowl MVP told Bible is harmful, World Net Daily, February 5, 2004
You see folks; the Scriptures were not given for our information, but our transformation! It is easy to be conformed to this world, just sit there and allow the world to mold and shape you into their image, a world that is in opposition to God whose leader is the Devil! On the other hand, it is a lot harder to resist the world’s influences and allow the transformation of God to take place in our lives.
I like the way Jon Courson put it as he said:
Are you a thermometer – adjusting to the temperature of the culture, or are you a thermostat – changing the climate of the culture? If you are a conformer, a thermometer, you’re in for perpetual frustration because by the time you take the temperature and figure out what’s hot, by the time you change your look, or buy the car, or redo your house – the world will have moved on, leaving you out of style. Truly, this is a great mystery to a lot of Christians. They try to make their ministries relatable by analyzing what the world is doing in order to emulate it. But by the time they figure it out and implement it, the world has moved on. That’s why Christians are known for being out of style.
What’s the key? Don’t be a thermometer. Be a thermostat. Don’t be a conformer. Be a transformer. Say, “I’m in a whole different place than you are, world. I’m living for eternity. I’m preparing for heaven.”
- Jon Courson’s Application Commentary, p. 970
You have a choice, to be conformed to this world or be transformed by renewing your mind to the things of God and applying those things to your life. The Greek word for “transformed” is METAMORPHOO (met-am-or-of’-o), which speaks of a metamorphosis or a change. This Greek word is only used two other places in the New Testament, first in Mark 9:2-3, where we are told, “Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them.” (We see the same story and word used in Matthew 17:1-2). This word is used of the transformation of Jesus into glory before Peter, James and John.
Interestingly enough, the other place it is used is in II Corinthians 3:18 which says, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” Here we see what happens to us as we see the Lord – we are transformed into the image of Jesus – a process that begins the moment we are saved and continues on until we go to be with the Lord, when we receive our glorified bodies! Paul spoke of this in Romans 8:29-30 as he said, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”
How can this happen, this transformation process? As we keep our eyes upon Jesus, as we apply those things He has shown us to our lives! If we don’t, then the unused truth, the unapplied truth becomes as useless as an unused muscle. But as we do submit to His Word, by the power of God’s Spirit, we will live lives that are holy unto Him and we will prove by our conduct, what God’s good, acceptable and perfect will is for our lives and that truth can then be seen by others!
With the remainder of our time this morning I would like to look at four areas that I believe will help us to apply the truths of God’s Word to our lives. They are as follows:
Admit God’s Word to be His message to you.
Submit to the authority of the Bible.
Commit the Words of Scripture to your memory.
Transmit the message to someone else.
1. ADMIT GOD’S WORD TO BE HIS MESSAGE TO YOU
That sounds pretty basic, very simple and yet how often do we say after a Bible study, “I wish so-and-so was here to hear this, it was perfect for him!” That may be very true, but you miss the point, they are not here and you are and thus, what is God saying to you regarding the message, how are you to apply this message to your life?
It is as James tells us in James 1:22-24, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.” How do we look at ourselves in the mirror? We suck in our gut, flex our muscles, and maybe say “Looking good” but then we walk away from the mirror and our gut hangs out, the muscles are no longer flexed, and you are not looking good anymore! You see, the mirror causes us to forget what we are really like and as we walk away, we still think we are looking good, and we are not! The solution is to be doers of the Word, not just listen to it, and by God’s grace you will walk in the way He desires! Don’t just listen to God’s Word – APPLY IT!
2. SUBMIT TO THE AUTHORITY OF THE BIBLE
People today love to pick and chose what they like and dislike from the Bible, kind of a smorgasbord mentality, a have it your way theology! But you can’t do that, it is all of God’s Word and thus, we must submit to the authority in what God says, not what we like.
Paul told Timothy in II Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Do you see that, all of Scripture is from the lips of God, breathed out of the mouth of God, and it is there to tell us what is right – doctrine; what is wrong – reproof; how to get right when we have gone astray – correction; and how to stay right – instruction in righteousness. The purpose is simple, to make us complete, thoroughly equipped for service unto Him! The authority of God’s Word!
In Ezekiel chapter 33, we see the people coming to Ezekiel to hear what he has to say, why? Because before, when they mocked what he said, the warnings he gave, now they see what he warned has come to pass, he is a prophet of God! He was the man and people gathered to hear him speak. He was very entertaining! It was a huge social event; bring the entire family out to hear this prophet of God! Now it sounds great but listen to what really transpired, what it was really all about!
In Ezekiel 33:30-33 we are told, “As for you, son of man, the children of your people are talking about you beside the walls and in the doors of the houses; and they speak to one another, everyone saying to his brother, ‘Please come and hear what the word is that comes from the LORD.’ So they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain. Indeed you are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they do not do them. And when this comes to pass — surely it will come — then they will know that a prophet has been among them.” You see, they loved to hear him speak, but they did not apply it to their lives, it did nothing for them!
During the time of Wesley and Whitefield, they had huge gatherings. They would set up their soapbox or whatever, and begin to speak and crowds would gather from all around. And you read stuff like that and you wonder why we don’t see that today? Interestingly enough, during that period of time, the people loved to hear people speak. They loved the way people would articulate a message. Tragically, many of those same people never let the message sink deep down into their heart. There was no transformation-taking place, only a building up of knowledge, which only puffs up and eventually explodes! That is what we see here in Ezekiel, information but no transformation!
Today churches are filled with people who like to hear what is being spoken. Week after week they come in and they go out but nothing changes in their lives. They may say, “Great message!” but the reality is, they should be saying, “God spoke to me, He pierced my heart, I must do something about it!” May God’s Word go forth in power and change peoples lives. If you don’t allow it to, you will be swept away by the winds of doctrine that come blowing through the church. You will not grow in the faith, but remain a spiritual infant! God’s Word is going forth, what are you doing with it?
And I guess, as a pastor, you can say that I have come to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable! Thus, wherever you are at, let God’s Word touch and transform your life as the Lord said in Isaiah 55:11, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” May you allow God, by His Spirit, to transform your life! The authority of God’s Word!
3. COMMIT THE WORDS OF SCRIPTURE TO MEMORY
I believe it is important for us to memorize Scripture, for as David tells us in Psalm 119:9-11, “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.” Or as The Living Bible puts it, “How can a young man stay pure? By reading your Word and following its rules. I have tried my best to find you-don't let me wander off from your instructions. I have thought much about your words and stored them in my heart so that they would hold me back from sin.”
As we treasure God’s Word in our heart, when we start going astray, down the wrong path, the Holy Spirit will redirect us by showing us our error according to God’s Word! I am always amazed at what I do memorize, songs from the past that I haven’t heard in years and all of a sudden I am singing them word for word! What are you storing in your mind, treasuring in your mind? May it be the Word of God!
4. TRANSMIT THE MESSAGE TO SOMEONE ELSE
If God is real in your life, if you are being transformed into His image, you are going to stir people up, sometimes that will be good, they will realize what you are saying and sometimes it will be bad, they will reject the message, but don’t ever let that stop you from speaking forth. I received this E-mail from Gospel For Asia a few weeks back and listen to what they said:
Imagine being chained up in a cemetery for your faith in Christ. What would you do?
Munna grew up in a Muslim family but heard the Gospel and gladly gave her heart to Jesus. No longer practicing the rituals of her childhood years, she now had freedom in Christ.
But Munna’s family rejected her for her Christian faith and chained her up in a cemetery for a month. This experience only deepened Munna’s faith. When she was freed, she enrolled at a GFA Bible college to prepare for a lifetime of Gospel outreach.
Praise God that He is working in the hearts of people like Munna, who are willing to pay any price for His sake.
For those who have never heard,
John Schwartz
How powerful that is as this woman was willing to sacrifice
all she had, placing her life on the altar of sacrifice so others
may see Jesus! Paul, in II Corinthians
5:17-21 tells us, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,
he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all
things have become new.
Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself
through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,
that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself,
not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us
the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as
though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's
behalf, be reconciled to God.
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that
we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
You see, we have been reconciled to God through Jesus Christ and now we are ambassadors for Christ brining the message of reconciliation to a world that is separated from God! What a glorious message to transmit!
Also, in II Corinthians 2:14-16 Paul tells us, “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?”
You see, as we spend time with Jesus His fragrance, His nature rubs off on us and we are bringing that fragrance, that aroma of life to those who are lost in sin. Some will receive that message and to them it will be the aroma of life as they receive Jesus Christ into their lives. Others will reject the message and to them it will be the aroma of death as they reject Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives. Either way, God will sustain us in the work of transmitting the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
Maybe you heard the story of the Christian woman who came up to her minister and said to him, “Pastor, will you please tell me in a word, what your idea of consecration is?”
The pastor thought for a minute and then held out a blank piece of paper and replied back to the woman, “It is to sign your name at the bottom of this blank sheet of paper, and to let God fill it in as He will.”
My prayer this morning is that I have spurred you on, encouraged you to consecrate yourself to Jesus by placing your life on the altar of sacrifice, as a living sacrifice unto God. Remember what Jon Courson said: “Are you a thermometer – adjusting to the temperature of the culture, or are you a thermostat – changing the climate of the culture? . . . What’s the key? Don’t be a thermometer. Be a thermostat. Don’t be a conformer. Be a transformer. Say, ‘I’m in a whole different place than you are, world. I’m living for eternity. I’m preparing for heaven.’”
May you admit that God’s Word is His message to you. May you submit to the authority of the Bible. May you commit the words of the Scriptures to your memory. And may you transmit the message to someone else. As I have said earlier, the Scriptures were not given for our information, but for our transformation, may we not forget that!