An Act Of Worship

Will jump into the word of God and if you have your Bibles will be in chapter 12 of Romans Romans chapter 12 and a Pastor Josh will be back on Sunday morning talk to him Sunday after service plans. The makeup of pictures of some nice size sharks is been catching and I just pray for him and his family that they have a nice restful time away.

We do appreciate all that he does for us and he does deserve a restful time just to get away and relax with family and if you would stay with me to honor the reading of God's word. When you find a place in Romans chapter 12 in Romans 12, chapter 1 through two is a very familiar passage of Scripture on many of you may be even have memorized this passage, but the word of the Lord says, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service first to be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God, pray father, we thank you for your word or we thank you for the truth that is in it. We thank you for a place we can come and I worship you Lord and in a country where we don't fear of persecution. At this time just freely assembling Lord we thank you for the brave men and women who fought for this country to give us these rights, Lord, we just pray as we open your word tonight or that you would help us to examine ourselves, myself included, Lord and Lord. If there's any area where we are not a living sacrifice to you Lord that you would convict us of that or that we would not hold anything back from you, Lord, that your will would be done in our lives and we would not be conformed to this world but we will be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

We ask all this tonight Jesus name amen may be seated. Also, tonight begins our first night of Alana so that that's up and running again were excited about that. They had just it's an exciting time to be a part of the church and it's an exciting age when you see other things that are unfolding in our world around us, man.

I think between the first century Christianity and where we are at in these last days there is probably the two most excited exciting periods that I would want to be in as a Christian and does so in this introduction tonight all here has just concluded the first 11 chapters of explaining correct doctrine what God has given to us as believers uphold now charges those believers with what they need to give to God and what I being mean by that is all here's going from orthodoxy.

Here are are are are doctrine to ortho proxy and how do we practically live that out. The key idea in the section is is on a relationship if we have a right relationship to God to God.

Our vertical relationship, then all of our people relationships which will call horizontal relationships will be in a right relationship with them. If we have the vertical relationship correct with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So the key to spiritual victory in true happiness is not trying to get all that we can from God, but by giving all that we have. To him there's a lot of people that'll that'll come to a church house a lot but there people that sometimes will come to a church or maybe they will even just come to God for what they can get out of God.

What can I get you see that in the prosperity gospel, health, wealth, fame, and when those things typically do not happen they say will you just didn't have enough faith to make those things happen when you look at Jesus Christ. He never had any wealth you know you as far as earthly treasure. I should say he obviously gained much fame for his miracles what he was doing, but at the end of his life.

There's only some 500 followers of Christ is so as we look at this passage of Scripture. Tonight we need to examine ourselves and are we walking in a a worthy walk of the Lord and also are we a living sacrifice to the Lord is the key to spiritual victory. True happiness is again not what we can get from God, but are we giving him are all is is art and is this paradoxical statement. It's like an upside down thing in God's economy.

In Matthew chapter 16 verse 25 he says, for whosoever will save his life shall lose it, and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. We see the same thing in Luke chapter 9 verse 24 for whosoever will save his life shall lose it.

But whosoever will lose his life for my sake.

The same shall save it. So here in this passage Paul is emphasizing in Romans chapter 12 verse one through two. Not that we need to receive more from God. But what we need to give more to God and our and our personal devotion time of the key is not in getting more, but rather in giving all of ourselves to him.

John chapter 4 verse 23 says, but the hour cometh, and now is when the true worshipers. Worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the father seeks such to worship him. Verse 24 says God is the spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. And so we must translate our learning into living so you must translate our learning into living by showing our daily lives. In our daily lives that we trust God we trust him or his word, and the truth that is in it, God gave himself for us in order that we might give ourselves to him. And so tonight the question I begin ask us what is true dedication. What does true dedication look like to the Lord and I believe Paul hears describing it as a Christian dedication involves three steps that will impact tonight. Which brings me to my first point. Our bodies must be given to God. That's the first thing our bodies must be given to God and we see that in Romans chapter 12 verse 20 says, I beseech you therefore, brother, and that you present your bodies you present your bodies a living sacrifice wholly acceptable in a God which is your reasonable service so that when we see this, I beseech you, we look at that beseech means to appeal to beg to implore or to plead and John Phillips said it like this, I beseech you means God does not compel or course. The believer into presenting his body. He does not corral him and bridle him like a horse and forced him to obey. He beseeches him he wants an unbridled sacrifice. It makes makes it clear that to present the body to God is for the believer, the proper thing to do and Vance Hafner said this, he said, God oneself before substance and service so the proper term and order of it is self-service substance that is the divine order and nothing else counts until we give ourselves first so a lot of times people get that backwards will get busy about serving the get busy about maybe giving other substance but they still hold back certain portions from the Lord.

And what I mean by that is they're not going all in. Some people hold back certain portions of their life of their walk and they said no God. You can't have this area of my life and he's asking for a total surrender. He's asking for an all in commitment from his followers. Are there some here tonight that in whether it's in this this sanctuary or it's in another room in this building.

There some here tonight in this building that can even begin to present their bodies as a living sacrifice because they are still a natural man or woman they are not saved is what I mean. The second Corinthians gives us the second Corinthians SR first Corinthians chapter 2 verse 14 but the natural man receive, if not the things of the spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. And so when I was lost in my sins dead in trespasses and sins for the majority of my life. I live that way until I was 30 years old and so it I serve self.

I didn't have any reckoning to follow what the Lord had for my life or any desire to live for him and so I was lost I was a servant to self is so a natural man cannot receive the things of God because he is still in the flesh. She is natural. He has not been born again.

Only the redeemed can present a living sacrifice to God because only the Redeemer have a spiritual life and only believers can come to God are before God with an offering of themselves and so therefore you see that in verse one. There he says therefore and so anytime you see.

Therefore, you must ask, what is it therefore and again is that transition from the first 11 chapters of Romans of doctrine to now were going to practicality receipt in Ephesians and most of Paul's letters, you will see this work in Ephesians. The first three chapters are our doctrine in the last three how do you practically live those things out so we look at this this, therefore, in the letter of Romans there are four of them. Romans 320 is the therefore of condemnation declaring that the whole world is guilty before God when we see again in Romans chapter 5 verse one there's a therefore and that is the therefore of justification in Romans eight there is a therefore of assurance and then here. Romans 12 chapter 1 or Chapter 12 verse one we see we have a therefore of dedication and is this dedication that is the basis for other relationships that Paul goes on to discuss and the rest Romans chapter 12 and so we can't again and when you look at Romans chapter 12 the first two is your dedication to the Lord and then from there certain in verse three it begins our our role in how we serve and live out that in the lives of others that are in and of our lives.

And so it's is the service of love to all sorting there. Verse three through the rest of chapter 12 we get into some spiritual gifts as well. There, and as you're reading through Romans chapter 12 and then when you get over to Romans 13 is speaking of our our relationship to the government and those in authority over us and so this is this practicality of where we must have our our relationship with the Lord right first and so let us not forget the vital part of doctrine as the first two letters of doctrine, the next do we must do it. We may think of we know Romans chapter 1 through 11, but we don't. Must we allow it to know us. I'm it's one thing to have a head knowledge of the Scripture.

But it's another thing to allow it to take shape in our lives and for it to conform us and to us to live that out to those that we encounter with in our day-to-day lives and we are living it out practically an inner day-to-day walk in James chapter 1 verse 22 says this good. Be ye doers of the word assist but be doers of the world word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves and so were not just it sit and take in the word of God. We are to actively live that out in our day-to-day interactions. Paul frequently uses therefore to market point of the turning from theological to practical the shift can express it in many ways.

From doctrine to duty or maybe from Creed to conduct from a Christian wealth to our Christian walk in from exposition to exhortation basically the mercies of God, we see that they are in verse one. The mercies of God, or probably to most precious mercies of God that I can think of are his love and his grace God's love was an action. We know that in John 316 for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten on goose over belief in him should not perish but have ever lasting life and so we see the this is that the first step I think of his mercy that we see that in his love, but then we also see grace. What I be my grace is that his grace is all around us. I was a grace can be defined as God's favor towards man force unworthy manner.

God's benevolence on the undeserving, and so we didn't deserve anything but death and hell because of our sin or sin has separated us from God. But in his mercy and his grace is freely given us his son to call upon for salvation. Thirdly, we see this spiritually weird, destitute, were lined were unclean and weird that our souls were in peril for an pound towards everlasting punishment but then came grace, grace, grace, what grace God's grace, God extended his favor to us through grace. Grace is what saves us. Ephesians 28 tells us right. For by grace are you saved as so grace is the essence of the gospel. Acts 20 verse 24 tells us that in Jesus Christ is the embodiment of grace tells us in John chapter 1 verse 14 that he was grace. He was coupled with grace and truth.

He was full of grace and truth. So the psalmist asked the following question he asked this in Psalms 116 verse 12 what shall I render unto God are unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me. So what what should I render unto the Lord for everything that he's given to me that that's the psalmist question here in Psalm 1901 16 and answer simply as our lives our lives. That is the component of a living sacrifice weird old live a sacrificial life towards God for what he's done for us on this thing we are commanded is to present to God. Our bodies in presenting our bodies to the Lord as part of our spiritual worship. What we do with our bodies will have a direct bearing on how God will reward us one day and this one my favorite Bible verses that as after have the having studied the word for several years now and we we use this often times when we do the share Jesus method when were out reaching the lost in the community and were going through the questions we get to share the gospel with them. In this verse is one of the highlighted verses in a second printing chapter 5 verse 15 and he says in that he died for all, Christ died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them and rose again and so therefore because of what he is done for us, for you and for me, as we call upon him as our Lord and Savior. We should no longer live unto ourselves, but we are to live accordingly onset him in his glory because of what he's done for us is we talked about on Sunday.

It was, you know you you don't do so that you are love you love so therefore you do you abide because what he is done for us is so a pastor friend of Warren where to be said this is that there are too many cafeteria Christians in our congregations instead of letting God plan the whole meal and accepting it.

They pick and choose what they want, and I was a picky eater grown up.

Anybody also figured out I have a picky eater in my house. He's like peanut butter sandwich oatmeal and maybe cheese pizza I'm that's his his realm, but there's many Christians who want to pick and choose what they want from God and instead of letting God plan the whole meal they pick and choose what they want and they miss out on the best dishes that he has for them and that he is fixed for them and I would say this tonight.

God wants all of our hearts. He doesn't want just part of it.

He wants every aspect of our heart, he does not want to be in competition for any false idols in need of any false gods, he wants all of us and he expects us to obey all of his will and in all of our ways we are to do that on if Jesus Christ gave his all for us. How can we do less than give her all and so are we. Urges so we are about to present ourselves a living sacrifice because we are alive to God in Christ. Romans 611 tells us this. Romans 611 says likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive in the God through Jesus Christ our Lord is so this word present. It basically means to yield works it to yield ourselves the appeal is to will Paul is saying is to yield our bodies. Your total personalities to God. Your will to God of the body is the instrument through which we express ourselves the mind, the mind, the effects the affections of it, though our will and the Holy Spirit. Keenan used the body all those of the mind can use her body of the of the affections of her of our desires can control her body and what we do our will will also kinda make our bodies do what we want, and sometimes I'll say this, we have to will ourselves anybody you have to it maybe will yourself to read the Bible on sometimes it is is one of those things. It is not a natural thing that we would always wonder, especially early on if you're a babe in Christ like. I remember when I was early on my Christian walk there be days that I would read it and there'd be like, I go weeks without reading it. And so it was getting to the point where I just had to will myself into reading the Scriptures to study in the Scriptures, a same thing with prayer. We could take it to the physical realm in an there's many days works you notes you actually want to exercise like it's like I don't know that I really want to do that today or I want to eat healthy.

Like I see a donut and I want to eat it like that's my kryptonite like that I is sometimes it's hard to say no to that. But other times I have to will myself to say no to the that the Donatists right before me and so we have to make sure were taking these and basically work were submitting to Christ is the.

The impetus here. Romans 613 says neither yield your members as instruments of unrighteousness under sin but yield yourselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead, and your members are instruments of righteousness unto God.

And Paul goes on to say in verse 16. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey his service.

You are to whom you obey, whether of sin or death, or of obedience unto righteousness. So Paul here saying hey whatever you're serving that that's who you're your servant to are you serving sin. Are you serving righteousness and so verse 19 he goes on to say, I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh for as you have yielded your members servants to uncleanness into iniquity unto iniquity. Even so, now yield your members servant to righteousness and holiness. So were to take our bodies were to no longer serve sin.

We that we are to serve Christ were to serve in a righteous manner, and so friends are we servants to sin tonight or we servants to righteous are we to glorify God in our bodies and answers yes we are to glorify God in our bodies are several passages of Scripture that say this first Corinthians chapter 6, verse 20 for ye are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your what in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. Philippians 120 according to my earnest expectation and my hope that nothing I shall be ashamed. I shall be ashamed, but with all that with all boldness, as always.

So now Christ shall be manifested in my body whether it be life or death.

So I'm to manifest Christ. Whether I'm living or whether I'm dead throughout that process.

I am to manifest Christ.

I am to live that out on to magnify him in my body. I should say manifest a second Corinthians 410 says, always bearing about the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our bodies as our bodies are to be this living sacrifice where to do that and I believe Paul really understood this as you see in Galatians chapter 2 verse 20, he tells us this in Galatians chapter 2 verse 20 we have that verse please as I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the son of God who loved me and he gave himself for me. And so when we are now in Christ, we are happy to crucify the flesh daily. I wear to to walk in the spirit so we don't fulfill the lust of the flesh, and when we do that we are crucifying the flesh every day is dying to self every single day and so the problem with a living sacrifice. I'll tell everyone is here tonight, myself included, is that a living sacrifice, they tend to want to crawl off the altar, and I however have a happy new set a New Year's resolution and want to eat right this year like six days later you fallen off of that like I do that sometimes it's like alive. My flesh is so weak and so there's there's times when were going through you it and were were trying to set parameters weathers pays new Bible reading calendar this year and in a study the word of God more than I ever have. But at times our flesh is so weak and it wants to crawl off that altered it doesn't want to die to self. The flesh is very strong and the main point is that although the Lord may ask some of us to physically die for him. He asked all of us to live for him. There may only be a few that are actually martyred a special Borat in the West. Here, there may become a day of that when that you know may unfold, but there's Christians all around the world that are dying for Christ every single day and so there's always some that are called to die. All are called to live.

I would tell you in some respects, it may be harder to live for Christ than it is to die for him. I would say, but if we are living for him.

We will be ready and prepared to die for him if we were actually living for him in the moment manner. In our daily walk. So we need to remember our Lord's command in Luke 923 tells us this in Luke 9923 and he said to them all.

If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. I really think this is the first repass forgets that denying the selfies like he's been on nobody taken self is a maybe pulls it from this verse. Knobs can but you we are to deny ourselves daily and it is we are to take up our cross daily and to follow him were to die to self and I love this quote by AW toes or he said this present your bodies that is present your vessel that must come first. A vessel that has not been presented will not be filled. God cannot fill what he cannot have present your vessel and so it are we presenting our vessels to the Lord so that he can use us for his glory friends listen we need to be more like Daniel and Anaya Michelle and Azariah, we see that and Dana chapter 1 verse nine.

They refused to partake in with the king egg had given that they refused to bow their need to King Nebuchadnezzar and assess this in Daniel chapter 1 verse nine but Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat nor with the wine which he drank. Therefore, he requested the Prince of the UNIX that he might not defile himself so we live in a day and age where we are in a Babylonian culture.

We as Christians must not Baller needs to with the culture as deemed as right because it's wrong in the sight of the Lord. Daniel was prepared and willing to be a living sacrifice for the Lord. It did not matter what King Nebuchadnezzar said or what the people of the nation were doing. Look, friends, if you put God first and you present your bodies a living sacrifice.

If I present my body as a living sacrifice to God. But God doesn't chapter 1 verse 10 of Daniel. Now God had brought Daniel into favor and tender love with the Prince of the UNIX Matthew chapter 6 verse 33 says, but seek ye first the kingdom of God in all and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. So that's what we must do.

We must present ourselves a living sacrifice unto the Lord.

We see there verse one as we continue breaking that verse down it says, which is your reasonable service guard. It's our reasonable service. It is not only reasonable for man to believe or be available to God is even your logical reason for existence, all saying in light of the depth of the riches that we have received from Christ and the wisdom and knowledge of God.

Basically and his unsearchable judgments, and his unfathomable ways because from him and threw him into him all things receive glory and would pull that from Romans chapter 11 verse 33 through 36 tonight and he says oh the depths of the riches both of wisdom and of knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out for who hath known the mind of the Lord, who hath been his counselor who hath first given to him and it shall be recompensed onto him again for all of him and through him and to him are all things and to whom be glory forever. Amen. So, including his immeasurable mercies that we are at it, we have received is only our reasonable service giveback when he for what he's done for us. I think Paul is saying here is something like this. If you wait all the way out. All that God has done for us in mercy and grace and of light of such of our sin. We were actually truly get a hold of how sinful we are. I truly believe we get a real clear picture of how sinful we are. The closer we get to God you look at Isaiah. He said woe is me, a man of unclean lips. I am undone than the closer you get to God the more that light sheds descendents in our own lives and so would I send a notice.

Over the years of ministry is the people that are a little further away from the Lord that they tend to point out the sin and others first before they see the sin in themselves and the closer you are to the Lord. You just see the sin that is in yourself, more so than what is going on in other people's lives as though it here. We we see that in light of what all of God has done for us and how sinful we are basically that is righteousness. The only reasonable response is to lay our life on the altar to so there's a there's a pig in a hand that were walking by a church sign one day and the church sign said, how shall we help the poor and the hand looked at the pig and he said hey we could have a ham and egg breakfast. Several moments later, the pigs pondering this in his. I will wait a minute, this only kill this only is this required a contribution on your behalf, but it's report requiring a total commitment on my behalf. So when we think about that. That's exactly what God is calling for us to do this is what God is asking from you and I he wants all of us, not just a portion of us not.

99% you what's 100% in the shortness shouldn't scare us because if we let God have her life she can do more with it than what we can do on her own. The rich young ruler counselor.

Think about this the rich young ruler he comes to Jesus and he sees consecrated part of his life to the Lord for he wasn't willing to go all in for the Lord. Was he he he was giving him a portion but he was holding back.

He was willing to give an inch of his life but he wasn't willing to go the mile he would go part of the way but not to the end and the peril is upon all of us as well.

A we give ourselves to the Lord, but we reserve some liberties for some of us I been guilty of this. At times in my walk with the Lord is like. Jesus, you're just not sure and it's like why trust them with my salvation, but can I trust him with this part of my life. I trust him with my kids can trust him with my finances and all these things and sometimes we we hold onto things and reminds me that the parable of the talents and you have these guys at work were given the talents in and to the three did very well with the talents and in the Lord increased them in the one I had little or no faith.

He buried in the ground and so here's basically what I take from this is that we all sometimes pull things back from the Lord. He's wanting us to offer him all and so sometimes we offer him a house but we mark some of the rooms inside of her house. Private he doesn't have a key to that area, he cannot enter their and that word private means denying the Lord. Admission and it basically it crucified him a fresh.

He has no joy in the house as long as there's any rooms that are withheld from Esso FB Meyer. It was told it in his early Christian life is ministry was paralyzed just because he had Banks, certain areas of his ministry. He didn't trust the Lord in certain areas of his ministry didn't trust the Lord with certain areas of his life and the one key of one room kept him from being used greatly by God and that season in the Lord is shut out of those areas and the effect of this incomplete consecration's were found in the lack of power and a lack of assurance, a lack of joy and a lack of peace so the joy of the Lord begins when hand over the last key we totally surrendered it all to the Lord. If you can remember that day of salvation. When you got saved and you are broken and your sins and you finally just trusted in the Lord you gave that over to him the weight that was lifted off in that moment. That's what he wants throughout your whole sanctification process. He wants that he was every bit of your life. He doesn't want us to hold back portions of that and so we hand over that last little bit. We sit with Christ on his throne, and as soon as we have surrendered all our crowns and made him sole and only ruler of our lives and its possessions. That's when he can truly work in the believer's life is so the question I have for us tonight is what keys are we holding out what rooms are we locking him out of in our lives. Are there any are you totally committed, and given it all to him. Another question I would ask us did Christ hold anything back for us. He didn't. He gave you he gave his all silver bracelets are second point tonight. Not only do we must must we give our bodies, but we must also give our minds, our minds must be given to God, we see that in Romans chapter 2 verse or Chapter 12 verse two says and be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind as though the world wants to control our minds. We are bombarded with advertisements. I was listening to a podcast of a 75% of all advertisements in the United States are from big Pharma from pharmaceutical companies and so weird constantly being conditioned in different aspects of our minds in the world is trying to conform us or mold us to what the world is amended is the mind that it keep in mind it is the mind that are that that we are to renew every day that it's the old nature.

He wants to come back up and where to renew that and it is with the mind that we make choices of whether to feed our flesh or defeat our spirit and so here we see Paul's command was gentle yet firm and that we are not allowing ourselves to be conformed to this world. We are to stop allowing ourselves to be fashioned after this present evil age she's telling us, God has continually charged us both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament to not conform to the ways of this world of the lost hell-bent world, we see that starting in Exodus chapter 23 verse two says thou shall not follow a multitude to do evil, neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to rest judgment in Deuteronomy 8, 918 nine says this now or come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth the thou shall not learn to do after the inhabit the abominations of the nation. Please. Given that the Israelites is given the Jewish nation a command not to do as the lost around here not to take in the abominations of the lost people around you.

We see in John 15 verse 19. If you were of the world, the world would love his own, but because you're not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. Therefore the world hated you, so be not conform here literally means do not let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold. That's what this really means is your is your breaking this down looking at it basically means do not allow the war of the world to conformist its shape.

It's mold and so what are the desires of the of the world that we see around us. When you look at the culture you look at the world. There are four things I believe that this world is is is pushing towards there may be more but the first when I see his fortune, and money and materialism. And Jesus said you cannot serve God and Mammon right Esso, the first chief you know that I see of the unit with the world is pushing his his fortune.

It's money.

It's materialism. The second thing is his fame popularity and acceptance. You see that on social media everywhere.

It it is a push for acceptance there so many teenagers that are the just wanting to be accepted in the day and age that we live in are trying to be conformed and you see that they take after influencers that are on social media.

Whether it's on tick-tock or just different ones but they there's a push for this fame and popularity.

The third thing is power, influence and control, and we definitely have seen that over the past two years with covert right, there's a push for power and for control and and once they get a taste that they do not want to let that go, we see that and in the day and age that we live in. And that's that's what the world is and we know who's the power the press the power the air at Satan and he is that the Prince and the ruler of this world, fourthly, is the pleasures.

There's a a a sensual desire, we see that in the day and age. And what we live in the sexual revolution. The different things but there's there's a push for all those fortune, fame, power and pleasure. I we must not be shape and by these influences cannot be any part of the Christian walk. And so it is not uncommon for the unsaved to present themselves as Christians, we can see that we look at that on Sunday with those that our fate are are false professors they they don't abide in Christ, and we see the true believers that do abide in Christ and unfortunately it is also not uncommon for Christians to wear the mask of the world we want to enjoy all that the world has to offer from entertainment, fashion, vocabulary, music and many of the same attitude even when they don't line up with what the word of God says we have to be cautious of ourselves and of her walk because the biggest thing that I can remember growing up in high school, was that that hypocritical student or in the workplace. I go to work in know somebody that was a Christian when I wasn't one in a moment but they don't walk the walk but they're talking like there's a hypocrite and it's easy to point that out, and so we have to because of because our testimony can be destroyed in instant you could spend years building your testimony and in a moment is destroyed just like that as we have to be cautious that we don't conform ourselves to the world that we transform our minds. We we we are transformed by the renewing of our minds, and we do that through God's word. I we do that through prayer, we do it from being in his word in the. The assembly of believers and not forsaking that many of us have made decisions maybe this past week or in times past that we were going to go all in for God. Let me ask this.

Are you a Dimas tonight, and you may say what you mean by that rate, but with me at Colossians chapter 4 verse 14 as they put it up.

This is loop, the beloved physician, and Dimas reach you and Philemon. Chapter 1 verse 24 says Marcus aristocrats and Dimas Lucas, my fellow laborers and so you see Dimas is a man that seems to be following the Lord, he seems to be serving the Lord.

I should say and you see at some point Dimas made a decision and that decedent decision reflected giving service to the Lord's work. However, at some point, something changed in Dimas's life and you see that in second Timothy chapter 4 verse 10 for Dimas have forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica Christians to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia. So we see that Dimas fell in love with the present world, and if we're not careful we too can fall just like Dimas, but Christians take heed of this verse John chapter 2 verse 15. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.

If any man love the world, the love of the father is not in so friends. Let's say, let me say this to be a Timothy. We need to be Timothy or we need to be a loop to be faithful to the very end. I think of Paul and and and what is right, the Timothy's as I finish my course I've I fought the good fight and so he stayed the course and we to must stay the course. Instead, God through his word tells us that we need to be transform loosely be transformed because from a Greek word metamorphic which you can guess, is where we get our English word metamorphosis Esso. This Greek word is where regular English word metamorphosis in our inner redeem nature also is to be manifested outward.

But as completely and continually as possible in our daily lives as is to be displayed not just inwardly but outwardly I we are commanded to allow ourselves to be changed outwardly into the conformity of our Savior Jesus Christ. Think of this second Corinthians chapter 3 verse 18 but we all, with open face beholding in a glass the glory of the Lord are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as the spirit of the Lord is aware to be transformed from glory to glory. We are to aspire to the outward change, but it can only be accomplished by the Holy Spirit working within us and through his word, we see that in Ephesians chapter 5 verse 18 says beauty and be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess but be filled with the what the Spirit were to be filled with spirit is the spirit that transforms us that allows us to fulfill the the the spirit basically not walk in the flesh. The Holy Spirit attains this transformation by the renewing of our minds.

David testified of this in Psalms 119 verse 11, he says I word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against the it's God's word and that is the instrument is God's Holy Spirit that is used to renew our minds and which, in turn, he uses a to transform our lives to a living sacrifice so how is your Bible study: how is your prayer life as if were not doing those things.

If were not the basics.

We cannot expect to have a transform life this is that the basics people don't act like Jesus because they don't think like Jesus Nowak know how Jesus thought his actions were being in his word are not going to go to the lost world.

The limits on how Jesus perceived the world how Akamai going to go to Walmart and find it right and I know how I was a lost teenager, I would pick on those Christian kids in school for talking about moon dust with their train of thought about creation versus evolution. I was just ignorant. I didn't know there is a such thing as moon dust and and so the young particular arbitrators get back on course. But you're not going to find that out in the world. The only place you're going to see what Jesus was a bow and arrow. How we need to live our lives is through the Scriptures through the word of God and has Holy Spirit taken up residence inside of us.

Nobody can say this.

Nobody can walk with God for you. Nobody can walk with God for you.

You can't live off other people's altars. I can't live off of Pastor Josh's altered I can't and you can either on think about that. Who it, we all know we come to church, we come to be edified, and build up so that we can go out like brother Tom said and evangelize the world, but if if all I'm doing is getting Sunday morning or Wednesday night here and I'm not feeding upon the word of the Lord at the word of God throughout the week. I'm famished. I'm not going to be in the right spiritual condition. I'm not good to be able to face the. The wiles of the devil. I'm not going to be was suited to be able to be a light in my community so we can't live off of other people's altars a cell time tortillas on his back there with them before like you know the body part started failing Workmen's Comp. initiatives in this verse your center you get that, but you tell the teams all the time. You cannot live off your parents altered you can't live off your grandparents spiritual altar. It has to be a personal, intimate relationship between you and the Lord and so if we ever feel that the Lord is distant.

We need to check where we're at because he hasn't moved.

We have i.e. we are the ones that are prone to wander, as a listener. Colossians 316. I love this verse. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. So that is just so rich. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, we come to the word of God and whatever time you spend with the Lord, you know it.

If you're a morning person and that's me. I love to get up early and in the morning spent time with the Lord. Some you like men that that's double workshop. You know you're not a morning person. You're not going to be in the spirit you will be in the flesh, you have had the 3 cups the Joe or coffee whatever you want to call it in the morning you're more of an afternoon person or maybe you're in evening but we need to know that when we come to the word of the Lord, that we we take time to dwell in it richly. We let it, meditate, we let it soak in, and we'll just haphazardly read it or just to check off a box we allow it to sink in. We we meditate on it day and night as Deuteronomy tells us that is so are we doing the transform and renewed mind is the mind of the saturated with the word of God sitting in the mind is renewed as is the word of this is mind that is saturated with the word of God, it is the mind that is set on the things above. Colossians 32 tells us that set your affections on things above, not on things on this earth is what ever I can just be honest, I was down at and just little.

I told brother Tom about on Tuesday.

Vicious things in go on and in you see things in the. The attack on families. The attack on families in the church and that the the spiritual warfare that is going on in and you see sometimes spiritual mentors that you look up to in the faith that fall and Tuesday was one of those days were measures a rough day were like you see like just some some news that comes down and and some spiritual mentors you look at disguising the faith.

It is so what I had to do is not allow that to deter my walk I had to set my affections on things above, I headed and what I did in that moment I realize I was starting to get a downtrodden spirit or downcast soul as Psalms would declare it and I went to the book of Psalms and I read that and then I went to Colossians chapter 3 verse two to remind me. Hey I need to set my affections on the things above and not on the things of this earth. So when we do this we make our lives a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is just our reasonable service for what he is done to us or for associates that is that brings us to our last point tonight or will must be given to God was that at the end of chapter verse two there this. This is in verse two. After you renew your of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

And so the third thing. As Christians we must do is is offering God our will and allowing his spirit through his word to conform our will to his time we go to Lord in prayer is not to conform him to us is not were coming to him as a genie in a bottle, you will give us what we ask that through prayer, we are conforming our will to his. We're allowing him to take root in our hearts and that we are conforming to his image. Our lives can prove what that will of God is only by doing the things that are good and acceptable and perfect to God sitting in our lives can prove what the will of God is only by doing those things that are good that are acceptable and perfect for God so perfect conveys the idea of being complete, of something that is being everything it should be. So in our lives when we are looking for what will completely satisfy an area we notice not the things of this world only thing that is it is going to satisfies the Lord in an is so our will should desire only what God desires and what he wants us to do in the way he wants us to do on our imperfect will must always be subject to his perfect our wills are imperfect were were fallible creation is infallible is word is infallible. He is the perfect creator so in conclusion tonight a transform mind produces a transform will, by which we become able with the spirit self to lay aside our own plans and to accept God's plans no matter the cost.

If you're here tonight. You have been born again you need to have that mindset. Know what I mean by that.

This mindset on talking about is that God has the right to interrupt our lives anytime he wants. God has the right to interrupt our lives anytime he wants. I may look different to different people in this room. Some people you know may be called in the mission field. Some people may not, but we cannot if we say that he is our Lord and Savior. We trust him with that and say okay Lord, you can have this area of my life, but you cannot have this area.has the right to interrupt my life anytime he wants. This continued yielding involves the desire to know God better and to follow and understand his purpose for our lives if we are continually to yield to his desire for our lives were going to get to know God better really get to know the will of God for our lives by yielding to him and what he has for us.

This divine transformation of our minds and wills must be constant because we are still continuously tempted through our flesh.

We are tempted daily in our flesh and our flesh is weak. If were not filled with the spirit, our flesh is prone to fail is prone to wander, our minds must be continuously transformed through his word and through his Holy Spirit. The end result or product of transform minds is a life of complete surrender to the Lord. There's nothing that he cannot asked that I will not do, and that includes if it is as if it's a death martyr death. One day things God has declared to be righteous fitting. Incomplete. I must seek to do in my life as if you would stand with me tonight as musicians come and ask a few questions. Maybe you're here tonight and you don't know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior you've never caught up on them.

Lord, with heads bowed nice close through anyone here tonight.

Mrs. Wright and I don't know that Jesus is my Savior all know that I've ever called upon him. I don't know that heaven would be my home. Would anybody be willing to anybody out. You don't know for sure than you've ever Jesus as your Lord is maybe a nice name written on there's areas of my life and I need to surrender over to the Lord. Maybe there's an area that you haven't fully surrendered as a living sacrifice, many an area of your life. A room in your home per se and there's areas of my life that I am not as all-around, we come for you, you know everyone in your Lord, you know their lost. You know there's a unrated version of those in your 999 salvation they would trust in you being a living room for the hands, and went on many hands there areas in our lives and we have not given over to you. We haven't fully surrendered in trust Ray Lord, the human horns. Those things of me laying down on the old days they can trust you will never leave your will is more mineralized surrender take this invitation doing the Jesus name, amen