Weekly Sermon
This sermon is a companion to two previous sermons: By the Renewing of Your Mind (Part 1) - Romans 12:2
By the Renewing of Your Mind (Part 2) - Romans 12:2
Romans 12:1-2 reads, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
In Romans 12:1 God the Holy Spirit pleads with us to present ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto the Lord our God. Then in verse 2 God the Holy Spirit gives two commands that we must obey if we are truly to present ourselves as such a living sacrifice unto the Lord our God. The opening portion of the verse presents the first command – “And be not conformed to this world.” Then the second command follows – “But be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Brethren, we are not to be “conformed to this world.” We are not to be in the same form or in agreement with this present evil world. Rather, we are to be “transformed.” We are to be changed into a different form and a different character than this present evil world. Yea, we are to be changed into the same form and character as our Lord Jesus Christ. Even so, 2 Corinthians 3:18 declares, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image [as the glory of the Lord] from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
In addition, Romans 12:2 reveals that the means of this transforming work is “by the renewing of your mind.” We are commanded to be “transformed by the renewing of [our] mind.” This means that we ourselves must involve ourselves in the renewing of our minds. We ourselves must seek out, and commit ourselves to the things that will make for the renewing of our minds. What then are the things that will make for the renewing of our minds? Already in the first two parts of the message, we have considered four answers to this question – (1) We must commit ourselves to the truth of God’s holy Word; (2) we must commit ourselves to put away from us any and all sin; (3) we must commit ourselves to live wholly unto the will of God; and (4) we must commit ourselves to the truth of our new life in Christ. Now in this second part of the message, let us consider one additional answer to this matter.
This sermon is a companion to two previous sermons: By the Renewing of Your Mind (Part 1) - Romans 12:2
By the Renewing of Your Mind (Part 2) - Romans 12:2
Romans 12:1-2 reads, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
In Romans 12:1 God the Holy Spirit pleads with us to present ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto the Lord our God. Then in verse 2 God the Holy Spirit gives two commands that we must obey if we are truly to present ourselves as such a living sacrifice unto the Lord our God. The opening portion of the verse presents the first command – “And be not conformed to this world.” Then the second command follows – “But be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Brethren, we are not to be “conformed to this world.” We are not to be in the same form or in agreement with this present evil world. Rather, we are to be “transformed.” We are to be changed into a different form and a different character than this present evil world. Yea, we are to be changed into the same form and character as our Lord Jesus Christ. Even so, 2 Corinthians 3:18 declares, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image [as the glory of the Lord] from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
In addition, Romans 12:2 reveals that the means of this transforming work is “by the renewing of your mind.” We are commanded to be “transformed by the renewing of [our] mind.” This means that we ourselves must involve ourselves in the renewing of our minds. We ourselves must seek out, and commit ourselves to the things that will make for the renewing of our minds. What then are the things that will make for the renewing of our minds? Already in the first two parts of the message, we have considered four answers to this question – (1) We must commit ourselves to the truth of God’s holy Word; (2) we must commit ourselves to put away from us any and all sin; (3) we must commit ourselves to live wholly unto the will of God; and (4) we must commit ourselves to the truth of our new life in Christ. Now in this second part of the message, let us consider one additional answer to this matter.
We must commit ourselves to walk in and after the Holy Spirit.
In Romans 8:5-6 we read, “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” Brethren, in order to have the spirit of our minds renewed so that we are growing more and more “spiritually minded” and less and less “carnally minded,” we must have our minds set upon the things of the Holy Spirit of God, and not upon the things of the flesh. Now, the more that we walk after the things of the flesh, the more we will have our minds set upon the things of the flesh. Yet the more that we walk in and after the Holy Spirit of God, the more we will have our minds set upon the things of the Holy Spirit of God. Therefore, if we are to have our minds renewed, we must walk in and after the Spirit. We must turn aside from all the things of the flesh, and even from all the things that make “provision for the flesh.” (Romans 13:14) Then we must turn toward the things of the Spirit, and especially toward God’s Holy Word of truth through which the Holy Spirit guides us. If it is of the flesh, it must be steadfastly rejected and resisted. If it is of God’s Spirit and God’s Word, it must be fervently pursued and possessed. Through this means we shall “walk in the Spirit,” and “not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16) Through this means we shall be guided into all the way of truth. Through this means we shall deny our sinful flesh and follow the will of our Lord Jesus Christ. Through this means we shall “mortify” the sinful deeds of our selfish, sinful flesh and shall live victorious, fruitful Christian lives. (See Romans 8:13) Through this means we shall be “renewed” in the spirit of our minds and shall be transformed step by step into the image of our Lord Jesus Christ. (See 2 Corinthians 3:18)
We must commit ourselves to walk always in prayer and thanksgiving.
In Philippians 4:6-7 we read, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” At the end of verse 7, we find that there is something that through Christ Jesus our Lord will keep (or, guard) our hearts and minds. There is something that will stand guard over our hearts and minds, even as soldiers stand guard over a city. There is something that will stand guard over our hearts and minds to prevent the troubling circumstances of life and the troublesome attacks of our adversary the devil from overtaking us. What is that something? It is “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding.” God’s own peace is a peace that “passeth all understanding.” It is a peace that is infinitely greater than the troubles of our lives and the troublesome attacks of the devil. Certainly, it is more than able to guard our hearts and minds. Indeed, the Lord our God and Savior is willing to give us this very peace as the guard for our hearts and minds. In fact, our Lord promises to give us this peace that “passeth all understanding” if we will meet His requirement.
So then, what is the Lord’s requirement? What does our Lord require of us so that He might give us this gift of all-surpassing peace as the guard for our hearts and minds? Verse 6 gives the answer, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” Herein we find a three-fold requirement. In the first place, we are to “be careful for nothing.” We are not to allow ourselves to become anxious and worried over anything. As 1 Peter 5:7 teaches, we are to cast all of our cares, concerns, and worries upon the Lord our God that He might take care of them for us. How do we do this? The answer is found in the second matter of Philippians 4:6. Even so, in the second place, “in everything by prayer and supplication” we are to let our “requests be made known unto God.” We are ever to be in prayer about everything. We are to take every matter of our lives unto our Lord “by prayer and supplication.” Finally, in the third place, “in everything” we are to approach our Lord “with thanksgiving.” Yes, even in the midst of our troubles and cares, we are to approach our Lord, not with a complaining attitude, but with a thankful attitude. Then if we will do these things, if we will “be careful for nothing,” if we will take every matter of our lives unto the Lord in prayer, and if “in everything” we will approach our Lord “with thanksgiving,” then “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep [guard] your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Posted in Weekly Sermon, Romans, The Holy Spirit, Separation, Word of God, Walk in Righteousness, Prayer, Thanksgiving, Godly Attitude
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