Becoming like Jesus, by the Mercy of God

The scripture reading comes from Romans chapter 12.

Romans 12 · chapter mention

Please follow along on the screen, the bulletin, or your own Bible.

Starting in verse 1, we read,

I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God,

to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God,

which is your spiritual worship.

Do not be conformed to this world.

But be transformed by the renewal of your mind,

that by testing you may discern what is the will of God,

what is good and acceptable and perfect.

This is the word of God.

Great. Thank you so much, Janet.

Well, once again, good morning.

It is wonderful to be back with you again.

And if you are new to Watermark, sorry, I didn't introduce myself earlier.

My name is Kevin, one of the elder pastors here.

It's great to be with you again today.

I wonder if you have ever had a big decision to make,

and you've been grappling with what is God's will in this decision.

If only God could give me a sign.

I've got two job offers on the table, A and B.

Or maybe you've got a job offer to move overseas.

And I just need a sign from God.

What is God's will?

If God will just give me a sign, I'll do it.

That sound familiar to anyone?

In the passage we're going to look at today,

it's going to tell us many things.

One of the things we're going to find out is why God so often

doesn't give us the signs that we want

and doesn't tell us what to do in moments like that.

First, we're working through one chapter of the Bible at the moment,

Romans chapter 12.

Romans 12 · chapter mention

Recently we preached through the book of Daniel,

and each Sunday we looked at these long chapters.

Well, at the moment we're spending six weeks on this one chapter, Romans 12,

a couple of verses at a time.

Today we're just looking at one verse.

And the reason is because Romans chapter 12 is one of the best chapters in the Bible

Romans 12 · chapter mention

to describe and explain what the gospel-centered life is all about and looks like.

If you've been at Watermark for a little while,

you would have heard this phrase, gospel-centered or gospel-shaped life.

But what does that actually mean?

Well, what it means is that the incredibly wonderful good news of the gospel,

that though the world was fallen and cut off from God,

God in His abundant mercy and grace,

because of His profound love for the world,

has made a way to reconcile and to redeem the world

by sending His Son Jesus to die on the cross for us.

So that sinners and sufferers like us,

who put our faith in Christ,

can be reconciled, can be redeemed, can be restored.

But the gospel actually has a storyline that has a shape to it.

Remember Philippians chapter 2 talks about how Jesus laid aside His glory,

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

took on the nature of a servant,

humbled Himself to the cross before He was exalted to glory.

And so the gospel, something we're discovering,

is not just a portion of the story Bible,

it is the story Bible.

The gospel is not just a way into the entrance into Christianity,

it is the Christian life.

And so the gospel shaped life is the life where every area of our life,

from our money to our sexuality to marriage to parenting,

work success and work failure,

COVID and cancer, political unrest,

every area of life is shaped and informed by the shape of the gospel.

And Romans chapter 12 is one of the best chapters in the Bible

Romans 12 · chapter mention

to explain that and to describe that and to show what that looks like.

And so we're spending six weeks in this chapter.

And so Romans chapter 12 starts off like this,

Romans 12 · chapter mention

by the mercies of God.

In view of God's incredible mercies,

this is how you are to live your life.

And last week Chris showed us that in view of God's mercy,

one of the things that God calls us to is,

the way that we don't waste our lives,

is by bringing our whole lives,

all that we are,

all that we have,

all that we do.

And so here it is,

God,

you are God and I am not,

you are glorious.

I am not,

you are infinite.

Here's my life.

Take it and have your way.

Now,

today,

we're going to look at the second part of that verse two,

and continue to look at what is this gospel shaped life all about.

And so Paul continues with Romans chapter 12 verse two.

Romans 12 · chapter mention

What does it look like for us in 21st century Hong Kong,

with everything that's going on,

what does it look like for us not to waste our lives,

but to bring every area of our lives before God and say,

here it is,

have your way.

Well,

look at what Paul says in verse two.

Do not be conformed to this world,

but be transformed into the image and the likeness of Jesus.

Okay,

that's what he means when he says be transformed.

And that's the big idea of this verse.

That's the big idea of the sermon today.

There it is.

It's not very complicated.

Do not be conformed to the patterns and the thinking and the ethos of this

world,

but be transformed into the image and the likeness of Christ Jesus.

The life that God calls us to,

for those of us that are Christians,

is one that is not shaped by the worldview,

the ethos,

or the thinking of our culture,

but one that is shaped and informed by the mercies of God and by the gospel into the likeness of Jesus.

By the mercies of God,

present your bodies as living sacrifices,

holy and acceptable to him.

This is your spiritual act of worship.

Therefore,

do not be conformed to the patterns of this world,

but be transformed into the likeness and the image of Jesus.

Now,

straight away,

we need to think about this a little bit more.

Okay.

There's a couple of things we need to clarify.

The first one is this.

It is a Christian historian by the name of Andrew Walls from Liverpool Hope University.

He wrote a book in the 1990s called The Missionary Spirit,

I think.

And in it,

he describes the difference between what he calls the indigenous principle and the pilgrim principle.

Okay.

And this is what he says.

He says,

as Christians,

we are called to both simultaneously be both indigenous in our culture,

to make our home in our culture and the cities in which we live,

and at the same time,

see ourselves as pilgrims passing through the culture.

So remember Jeremiah 29?

We spoke about it a few weeks ago.

Jeremiah writes to the exiles in Babylon.

He says,

build houses,

plant roots,

make families,

have children,

engage in the city in which you live.

Don't see yourselves as foreigners.

Engage.

Make yourself as a home there.

But at the same time,

there's something that the Bible calls us to,

to be distinctive from the cities in which we live.

To not be so engaged that there's nothing distinctive about us.

Or in the language of Jesus in John 17,

Jesus says,

be in the world,

but not of the world.

Be engaged in the culture,

serving the culture,

rooted in the culture,

loving and serving your city,

and yet something separate or something distinctive about your engagement.

And Paul says the same thing here.

He says in 1 Corinthians,

we are to become all things to all men,

so that by all means we can win some.

And at the same time here,

he says,

do not conform to the patterns of the world.

And so there's this paradox at play in the Christian life.

We are both indigenous in our city,

making a home here,

loving and serving our city,

and yet there's something distinctive,

something pilgrim about the way that we engage in life here.

I think the greatest example of this is Daniel, right?

We just spent eight weeks looking at the life of Daniel.

He has this man who thoroughly engages in pagan Babylon,

serving in the palace,

serving their kings,

really involved in serving the city of Babylon,

and yet there's something so distinctive about him,

that at times it almost costs him his life.

And so when Paul says,

do not be conformed to the patterns of this world,

Paul is not saying,

let's just retreat from society,

and go build this Christian commune on Lama Island,

and we all just live in this nice Christian bubble.

No, no, engage in the world,

and yet as you do so,

be distinctive.

Here's a second clarification.

When Paul says,

don't be conformed to the patterns of this world,

but be transformed,

he's not talking about a new moral list of behaviors,

things to do.

So Paul isn't saying,

stop stealing,

go to church.

Stop gambling,

read your Bible.

Stop swearing,

talk nicely.

Okay?

When Paul talks about this,

he's not just talking about outward behavior,

even though it will include that,

he's talking about an inner transformation of our hearts.

Listen to how John Piper describes this.

He says,

non-conformity to the world

does not primarily mean

the avoidance of external behaviors.

It will include that, of course.

But you can avoid all kinds of immoral behavior

and still not be transformed in your hearts.

Transformation by the mercy of God

is not switching from the behavior of the world

to the behavior of religion.

The Christian alternative to immoral behavior

is not suddenly a new list of new moral behaviors.

It is the triumphant power

and the transformation of the Holy Spirit

through faith in Christ,

by God's mercy,

which transforms our inner being.

Do you see what he's saying?

When Paul describes the gospel-shaped,

mercy-informed life

and the transformation,

he's not saying,

stop that stuff

and now do a whole lot of these things,

A, B, C, D.

He's saying,

let your inner world,

your heart,

be transformed by who God is

and by the grace and the mercy of God.

And that's why when Scripture talks about

the evidence of a transformed life,

it's not go to church,

put money in the offering,

stop swearing.

It's Jesus is this,

by this will all men know

that you are my disciples,

that you have love for one another.

Well, think of the fruit of the Spirit

that Paul describes about.

Unbelievable patience,

kindness,

faithfulness,

tenderness,

gentleness.

This is the mark of the transformed life.

Now, here's one other clarification.

Here's a question for us.

This radical gospel-shaped,

mercy-empowered,

transformed life of the heart,

who do you think this is for?

Is this for Christians

or is this for non-Christians?

Okay?

Is this,

is Paul talking about

the transformation

for those who are dead in their sin

or those who are alive in Christ?

Because no doubt,

we have both with us this morning.

Many of us here

would be followers of Jesus.

We've put our faith and trust in Him.

He's changed us.

You're born again.

Some of us may be here this morning

and no doubt,

still on a spiritual journey.

You're not yet a follower of Jesus.

So who's Paul talking to?

The answer is both.

If you're here this morning

and you're not a follower of Jesus,

friends, can I tell you,

the God who made you,

who knit you together

in your mother's womb,

loves you infinitely more

than you could possibly imagine

or hope.

But the God who made you

and who loves you so much

is also the God

to whom you're one day

going to give an account

for the way that you've lived your life.

Have you loved and honored Him

or have you loved and honored yourself?

Have you treasured and served Him

or have you treasured and served yourself?

Have you lived for His glory

or have you lived for your own glory?

This God longs to break into your life

and to so transform your life

to cause you to be new from the inside out.

This God longs to transform you

to give you a new identity

and a new security.

One that's not built on your performance

or how people think about you,

but built on the fact

that you're a son or a daughter

of the living God.

And so if you're not a follower

of Jesus this morning,

God wants to transform you.

But at the same time,

for those of us

that are followers of Jesus,

Paul says that even the Christian life

is not one which has merely

put my faith in Jesus 30 years ago

and now I just ride it out to heaven.

The life of a follower of Jesus

is one of constant reformation,

transformation, and renewal.

500 years ago,

in the time of the Reformation,

remember Martin Luther,

John Calvin, Zwickley, those guys,

they had a Latin phrase.

It was this,

Sempe Reformanda.

Is that right?

Something like that, okay?

Do you appreciate my Latin?

That's about as far as it goes, right?

Sempe Reformanda.

And what it meant is this,

always being reformed.

And their concern was that

the church went through

this massive reformation

as it changed from Catholicism

and honoring the Pope

to honoring Jesus.

But their concern was this,

that people would think,

oh yeah, we reformed back then

in 1519 or 1526

or whenever it was

and thought that was a done deal.

And they said,

no, the life of a Christian

is always being transformed

into the newness

and the likeness of Jesus.

Friends, if you're a follower

of Jesus this morning,

Jesus looks at each one of us

in the eye and says,

do not conform to the patterns

of this world,

but be transformed

by the renewing of your mind.

Just this week,

on Tuesday evening,

Oscar and I had a really good

heart-to-heart conversation.

I was grappling and struggling

with a couple of things

and Oscar came around

and chatted

and we protested,

protested, not protested,

processed,

some of the ministry idolatries

in my heart.

Some of the things that I'm grappling,

my own insecurities,

and my fears.

Some of the rubbish

that's in my heart.

And we got to pray together

and talk through that.

Friends, you and I

need the transformative work

of the power of the Holy Spirit

by the mercy of God

in our hearts

and in our lives.

This is what God calls us to

by His mercy.

By the mercies of God.

Don't be conformed

to the patterns of this world,

but be transformed

into the image

and the likeness of Jesus.

Maybe a question

for those of us

that are followers of Jesus

this morning

to stop and think about.

Is our inner world,

the motivations of our hearts,

the deepest longings and fears,

or maybe our deepest fantasies,

do these look like

the inner world of Jesus Christ?

Or are they more shaped

by the longings,

the desires,

the fears,

and the ambitions

of our culture

and our world around us?

By the mercies of God,

do not be conformed

to the patterns of this world,

but be transformed

into the image

and the likeness of Jesus.

Okay, so that's the big idea.

Now the question is this,

how does that actually happen?

How do we go about that?

And there's lots of answers,

but today I want to look

at just three of them.

And they're three things

that all kind of happen

simultaneously

at the same time.

It happens by the mercy of God,

by the renewal of our minds,

and thirdly,

by seeing and savoring Jesus.

Okay, so let's dive into that.

Firstly,

by the mercies of God.

I don't know if you noticed this,

but look at the way

that Paul writes the sentence.

Paul doesn't say,

don't conform to this world,

but transform yourself

to look like Jesus.

Okay, he almost says that,

but he doesn't quite.

He says,

don't be conformed,

rather,

be transformed

into the image

and the likeness of Christ.

What's Paul saying here?

He's saying,

this radical transformation

that takes place

as a result of the gospel

is not something

that is done by us,

it's primarily something

that is done to us.

Okay,

do you see the distinction there?

Do not be conformed,

but be transformed

outside of yourself

by the mercy

and the grace of God.

This is one of the key distinctions

between the gospel

and formal religion.

Every religion of the world

will tell you,

you need to change,

you need to transform,

you need to improve yourself.

I remember a few years ago,

someone came to our community group

and she was in the process

of becoming a Christian

and her friends couldn't believe

that she'd go to a Bible study

on a Thursday night.

And so I said,

what on earth are you doing

going to a Bible study

on a Thursday night?

And she said to them,

well, you know,

kind of see it as a self-improvement project.

She was early on

in the process

of understanding the gospel.

But friends,

that's not what the gospel is.

The gospel is not

a self-improvement project.

Paul doesn't say,

don't conform,

but improve yourself,

transform yourself.

Paul says,

by the mercies of God,

let your own heart

be transformed.

Every religion will tell you,

seek to improve yourself,

to transform yourself,

to fix yourself.

Moral religion will tell us,

see Jesus as an example

and then sort yourself out

until you can be like him.

The gospel tells us

that transformation

is not something you achieve,

it's a gift that you receive

by the mercies of God.

Transformation of our hearts

and our minds,

our identities

and our joys

is not something

that comes from within us,

it's something that comes

from outside of us

and changes us

on the inside out.

And so listen to how

Paul says the same thing

in 2 Corinthians.

He says,

we all,

those of us

that are followers of Jesus,

beholding the glory

of the Lord Jesus

are being transformed

by him

into the image of Christ

by one degree of glory

to the next.

This comes from the Lord

who is the Spirit.

This happens

as we yield ourselves

and give ourselves

to God.

So here is my life

and offering of worship.

Friends,

every religion of the world

will give you instructions

how to save yourself,

improve yourself,

fix yourself.

Jesus says,

come to me

and let me change you,

let me transform you,

let me fix you.

Jesus says,

the problem is far more fundamental

than self-improvement.

Jesus says,

you need to be rescued,

saved,

transformed and renewed.

And that's what

the gospel does.

Okay,

so the first thing is this,

by the mercies of God.

Second thing is this,

by the renewal

of our minds.

Now we're going to spend

the most time on this.

This is a little theological,

so you're going to need

to follow with me,

okay?

So,

look at what Paul says

in our passage here.

He says,

do not be conformed

to the patterns

of this world,

but be transformed

by the renewal

of your minds.

By the renewal

of your minds.

Now why does Paul say that?

What's wrong with our minds

that our minds

need to be renewed?

Well,

we tend to think

that the problem

with our world

and the problem

with ourselves

is generally

that we don't

understand enough.

We don't have enough

education

or enough information.

And that if we can

just fill our minds

with the right information

or the right education,

we will be able

to solve the problems

of the world.

When we were living

in South Africa

before Hong Kong,

this was the great argument

to be the problem

to racism.

Everyone said,

listen,

South Africa,

we are a racist society.

The problem is

we don't have enough education.

We don't know enough.

But friends,

you and I know

that education

is not going to solve

the racism of our hearts,

right?

The Bible says,

the Bible has a far

deeper analysis

of the problem

of our minds.

Scripture says

the problem

with our minds

is not just

that they're finite,

it's that they are fallen.

Okay?

It's not just

that our minds

are dull,

it's that they have

been darkened

as a consequence

of sin

in our heart

and in our world.

Our minds

don't see the world

as God has designed them.

We don't think accurately.

Okay?

So,

listen to how Paul

describes it

in Ephesians chapter 4.

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

Paul says this,

Now I say to you

and I testify on the Lord

that you must no longer walk

as the Gentiles do.

So that's another way

of saying

don't be conformed

to the patterns

of this world.

In the futility

of their minds,

they are darkened

in their understanding,

alienated from the life

of God

because of the ignorance

that is in them

due to the hardness

of their hearts.

So look at what

Paul says there.

He describes our thinking

as becoming futile,

darkened,

ignorant,

not just because

of lack of education

but because of the

fallen world,

the state of our hearts

has corrupted our thinking.

We don't see the world

as God wants us

to see it.

Rather,

he says,

verse 21,

be renewed

in the spirit

of your minds.

Now that's almost

identical to Romans 12.

Be transformed

by the renewal

of your mind.

Paul says in Ephesians,

be renewed

in the spirit

of your minds.

Now what does Paul mean

by the spirit

of our minds?

What he means is this,

that our minds,

our thinking,

has a worldview.

It has a posture.

It has a mindset

or an attitude

about it

which conforms

to the way

of our hearts.

Romans 1

says the same thing,

that our minds

as a result

of our fallen nature

has become darkened,

foolish,

and futile.

And Romans 1

says this,

one of the consequences

of this

is that we have

exchanged

what is true

for what is false.

We honor

and exalt

things that are false

and we diminish

things that are true.

We are confused

about the way

that the world works.

And Paul says

the same things here.

Our minds

aren't just computers

processing information.

They have a worldview,

an attitude,

a posture

that needs to be renewed

and redeemed,

that needs to be transformed

and come into line

with what is true.

Okay,

are you tracking with me?

I said this was

a little complicated.

Are you following it?

Okay.

Do not be conformed,

be transformed.

How does this happen?

One way

is through the renewal

of our minds.

Now,

we're going to go

one step deeper,

okay?

You're going to have

to follow here.

How does that happen?

Well,

there's two ways,

two things

that happen simultaneously.

Look at what Paul

says here.

Do not be conformed

to this world,

be transformed

by the renewal

of your mind

so that

by testing

or discovering

you may discern

or know for yourself

what is the will of God

is good,

acceptable,

and perfect will.

Okay?

So let's come back

to the question

we said in the beginning.

How many of us here

have faced a situation

where you've got

a decision to make?

Job A or job B,

job C?

God,

what is your will?

If only you'll tell me

your will.

How do we know

what God's will is?

As a pastor,

that's one of the

most frequent requests

I get,

okay?

Please come and pray for me.

I need to know God's will.

Give me a sign,

okay?

Look at what Paul says here.

Paul says,

the normal way

that the Christian

discovers God's will

is not normally

through a supernatural sign,

writing on the wall,

a prophecy,

a dream,

a vision,

or a revelation,

even though

all those things

do happen,

and they do happen,

and I've had them happen.

Okay,

not the writing on the wall.

That hasn't happened to me.

But those other things

have happened.

Those are good.

But the way,

the main way

that we know God's will

is not through

some supernatural revelation,

but rather,

the usual way

we know God's will

is having our minds

and our thinking

and our worldview

renewed by the gospel,

and then as we live that out

and act it out,

we discover God's will

in the process.

Okay?

So this is actually

how we discover

and walk in God's will.

Not by supernatural revelation

primarily,

but through testing

or discovering God's will

as we allow our thinking

and our worldview

to be renewed

and shaped by Him

and the gospel,

and as we live that out

and take a step of faith

trying to live

the gospel-centered life.

Okay?

So,

hopefully this will make sense

in a few minutes.

Now, just by the way,

I am a charismatic.

I do pray in tongues.

I do believe in prophecy

and visions and dreams

and all those things.

Those are good things.

They're in the Bible

and we should pursue them.

But here's the key.

Many Christians

want a crystal ball.

And God often,

we want a Christian ball

so that God will tell us

what to do.

Take path A,

not path B.

But God wants to give us

a renewed mind

and a transformed heart,

not just a crystal ball answer.

Does that make sense?

And so we come and say,

God, I've got a job A, job B.

You just tell me

and I'll know your will

and then I'll walk in it.

Your good, pleasing,

and perfect will.

But God doesn't want to give us

a crystal ball answer.

He wants to give us

a renewed mind

and a transformed heart.

And so that's why he says,

I want you to trust me.

And here's the reason why.

If God gave us

a crystal ball,

something that would just

magically tell us

His will in each

and every situation,

that wouldn't require

a transformed heart at all.

In fact,

so deceitful is the human heart

that what we would end up doing

is we would use God

for our own glory.

Say, okay, God,

what is the answer?

Take path A.

Great.

Now I can take this job

and I'll be more happy,

more comfortable for my glory.

We will use God

rather than serve Him.

But God wants a transformed heart

and a renewed mind.

God wants us to know His will.

He's not trying to hide it from us,

but He wants us to discover it

as our hearts and minds

are renewed

according to the gospel

as we come to Him

and trust Him.

So let's look at this verse

once again.

Do not be conformed

to the patterns of this world.

Be transformed

in the image

and the likeness of Jesus

by the renewal of your mind

so that by testing

or discovering

you may discern for yourself

what is the will of God,

His good, acceptable,

and pleasing will.

So,

here's one more question

and I'm going to give us an example.

The transformed life,

does it primarily happen

through theology

or pragmatics?

Some of us,

and I'm one of these people,

I just want the theology, right?

Just tell me what to believe

and I'll sort out

the practicalities.

Some of us

don't really care

about the theology,

just tell me what to do, right?

Tell me what God's will is

so I can walk in it.

The answer is

it happens through both.

As our minds are renewed

according to the gospel

and as we practically

live that out,

we discover God's will,

our minds get renewed

and our hearts

get transformed.

It's kind of like a bicycle, right?

You've got these two things

at the same time.

Renewed theology,

renewed mind,

living according to God's will.

Renewed mind,

living according to God's will.

So let me give you

a practical example

of how I think

this works out.

Let's say,

for instance,

my marriage to Claire

is characterized

by defensiveness,

outbursts of anger,

and frustration

on my behalf, okay?

So I'm a husband

that Claire's always

walking on eggshells

because whenever

something happens,

I freak out

and I'm defensive

and I'm always angry

with her

and I'm always convinced

it's her fault, right?

I have a friend like this.

This week he told me

I've been married twice,

both to the same person.

The first half of our marriage

was horrible.

God changed my life.

The second half of the marriage

has been glorious, right?

The first half of my marriage,

he said,

well, I was always angry,

I was always defensive,

always frustrated,

and I was convinced

it was always my wife's fault.

So let's imagine

that's our situation.

Now, hopefully,

you can ask Claire later.

Hopefully that's not the case

in our home.

If it is,

Jesus changed me, okay?

So let's say my home

characterized by anger,

outbursts of frustration,

defensiveness,

and I'm convinced

it's her fault.

And one day I'm reading

my Bible

and I read Ephesians chapter 5

Ephesians 5 · chapter mention

and the penny drops.

Husbands,

love your wives

as Christ loved the church.

And suddenly I realize,

oh my goodness,

Christ's love for me

is so tender

He's so patient.

He's so gentle.

Jesus is so long-suffering

with all the rubbish

in my heart.

Jesus doesn't point

His finger at me

and tell me

I'm a dirty,

rotten scoundrel.

He welcomes me

with arms.

Jesus floods me

with unbelievable grace.

How selfless

and tender

is His love for me.

How great

is the mercy of Jesus.

And then I think

about how selfish

and self-centered

I've been

in my relationship

to Claire.

And so my thinking,

my worldview

gets renewed

according to the gospel.

And I realize

I've been a rubbish husband.

And I say,

I don't want to be

that kind of husband.

And so

some kind of transformation

takes place

in my heart

according to the renewal

of my mind

by the mercies of God.

And so then

the next time

I mess up

and Claire says,

hey,

you said you were

going to do this

rather than saying,

well,

do you know

what you did wrong?

Because I've been transformed,

I catch myself

and I say,

Jesus help me.

And I say,

you know what,

love,

you're right.

I said I was going

to do that

and I didn't.

I'm sorry.

Please forgive me.

And Claire falls off

her chair

because she's never

experienced a husband

like this.

And suddenly

over the next few weeks

and months

my heart starts to change

because actually

it's nicer living

in a home like that.

And Claire starts

to transform

because she's not

so defensive

wondering about her

husband that's always

going to lash out at her.

And suddenly

I actually realize

it's quite nice

to be a nice husband.

And actually

sometimes

we learn to laugh

about the mistakes

that I make

rather than accusing her.

What's happened

there?

By the mercies

of God

my thinking

has been renewed

my heart

has been transformed

okay it's the bicycle

as I start

to live that out

my thinking

gets renewed

I start to live

that out more

my thinking

gets renewed

and my heart

gets transformed

by the gospel.

Does that make sense?

So here's what

Paul's saying

as our thinking

is renewed

by the gospel

by the mercy

of God

we start to believe

that

we live it out

we walk it out

we test it

we discern

for ourselves

what is God's will

we discover

the beauty

and the pleasure

of God's will

which then renews

and revitalizes

our mind

and our thinking

we walk that out

we discover

the beauty

and the pleasure

of God's will

that renews

our thinking

we then walk it out

and our hearts

get transformed.

Friends

God's will

for our marriages

and our parenting

for the way

we handle money

and sexuality

and work

for our attitude

to the poor

and the way

we handle

and steward

the environment

every aspect

of our life

God wants

our thinking

renewed

according to

his will

to be shaped

by the gospel

by the mercies

of God

do not be conformed

be transformed

by the renewal

of your mind.

Okay

practically

let me give us

two very practical

applications of this

okay

the first one

is this

if you're a Christian

this morning

even if you're not

a Christian

okay

you must

get into scripture

every single day

don't let a day

go by

without getting

into memorizing

knowing

feasting

on God's word

and here's why

because every day

our minds

are being renewed

according to the

worldview

of our culture

you go to the office

your colleagues

the news

Bloomberg

the boss

they are all

conforming

our thinking

to our culture

saying invest

in this fund

more money

you'll be happier

rah rah rah rah

and unless

we are day by day

being transformed

by the truth

of God's word

we'll be conformed

by the patterns

of this world

friends

can I say this

if we think

that one hour

a week

on a Sunday morning

coming to church

is going to be enough

to transform

our minds

and to transform

our hearts

we've lost

the battle

there's no way

that one hour

a week

on a Sunday

morning

is going to

stand up

to 80 hours

a week

in the marketplace

friends

every day

get into

God's word

let God's word

renew your thinking

according to the

mercies of God

and transform

your heart

so that we're not

conformed to the

patterns of this

world

but transformed

to the likeness

of Jesus

I had a whole

lot of examples

of that

but I'm going

to leave that

here's the second

one

parents

and especially

Chris and Sam

and Nando

and Emmanuel

and who else

am I leaving out

Peter

parents

don't just focus

on your kids

education

education

is a wonderful

thing

it's a great

gift from God

I'm busy

trying to grind

out

theology

degree

at the moment

education

is a good

thing

but what Paul

is telling us

here

is education

is not going

to be the tool

to redeem

our world

we don't just

need

our minds

aren't just

computers

that need

more information

our minds

need to be

renewed

according

to the gospel

and so parents

can I plead

with you

teach your

children

the gospel

make sure

that you're

praying the gospel

for them

that you're

washing them

with the gospel

you're flooding

them with the gospel

parents

demonstrate the gospel

live out the gospel

let your kids

see

and experience

and taste

what it lives

what it feels

like

to live in a home

that is shaped

by the mercy

of God

let them see

you confessing

your sin

and saying sorry

to your wife

or your husband

or to your kids

and can I just

say

while I'm on this

men

especially you

men

you the head

of your home

you the leader

of your family

you take the

initiative

to shape

your home

and your family

according to the gospel

and the mercy

of God

make sure your kids

don't just fill their minds

with a great education

let their minds

be renewed

according

to the mercies

of God

so that our kids

will want to see

and know

and taste

the will of God

his good pleasing

and perfect will

all the days

of their lives

okay

is that alright

okay

so

how

our hearts

transformed

by the mercies

of God

by a renewed

mind

thirdly

by seeing

and savoring

Jesus

and this is

really quick

we write at the end

look again

at 2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3

with me

this is the

corollary verse

to Romans chapter 12

Romans 12 · chapter mention

Paul writes this

and says

we

beholding

the glory

of the Lord Jesus

beholding means

to see

and to savor

to see

with the eyes

of our heart

we

beholding

Jesus

are being

transformed

into the same

image

from one degree

of glory

to the next

so how does

transformation

happen

by seeing

and savoring

Jesus

friends

can I ask you

are you

beholding

are you

beholding

the wonder

of Jesus

friends

are we

as a church

shaped

are we

a church

that is

seeing

the

infinite

glory

of who

Jesus

is

are we

beholding

how wonderful

he is

are we

delighting

and rejoicing

in the mercy

of God

in the work

of Christ

are we

day by day

morning by

morning

in the

busyness

of life

in the rush

of life

in the

pressures

of life

are we

beholding

and being

mesmerized

by the

wonder

of Jesus

Paul says

that as we

see Jesus

and what he

did on the

cross

as we

understand

the mercies

and the grace

of God

Christ will

transform our

hearts

more and more

to become

more and more

like Jesus

friends in view

of his mercies

in view of

Christ's

unceasing

grace

in view

of his

never

ending

mercy

to us

in view

of his

unfathomable

tenderness

and his

astounding

sacrifice

on the

cross

do not

be conformed

to the

patterns

of this

world

to the

decaying

suicidal

death

patterns

of this

world

no friends

be transformed

into the

image of

Jesus

by the

renewing

of your

minds

by the

spirit

so that

by testing

and living

the gospel

shaped life

you may

discover

for yourself

what is

the will

of God

his good

pleasing

and perfect

will

let's pray

together

in fact

maybe we can

just take a few

moments

just to

respond

in our own

hearts

in prayer

what does it

look like

for us to

respond to

God's word

this morning

for some

of us

it might be

praise

and adoration

God

thank you

for your

incredible

mercy

I can't

believe it

a sinner

like me

that you

would die

for me

Jesus

your mercy

is amazing

praise you

God

for some

of us

it's going

to be

reflection

confession

repentance

for some

of us

we need

to say

God

actually

my life

looks more

like the

world

than you

my thinking

my world

view

is conformed

to the

ethos

of this

world

more

than the

gospel

Jesus

I'm

sorry

come and

change

me

come and

transform

me

from the

inside

out

for some

of us

friends

it's

trust

and

obedience

we just

need to

live out

what he's

told us

to do

we need

to say

no to

that sin

and yes

to Christ

what does

response

look like

for you

Lord

Jesus

Christ

Lord

Jesus

Christ

heavenly

father

holy

spirit

three

in

one

God

we

are

astounded

at who

you are

and your

incredible

mercy

thank you

for your

unceasing

grace

love

your

indescribable

love

for us

God

thank you

for the

gospel

Jesus

thank you

that you

don't just

save us

and then you

leave us

to our

own

devices

you

continually

work on

us

reforming

us

shaping

us

helping

us

renewing

us

ransomed

healed

restored

forgiven

thank you

Jesus

come and

continue

to transform

our hearts

God

won't you

shape us

individually

and as a

church

to be more

like you

Jesus

may we

be transformed

more and

more to the

image and

the likeness

of Christ

Holy Spirit

I pray

come and

work on

our hearts

now

lead us

to repentance

lead us

to faith

in you

help us

to trust

you

to love

you

to obey

you

to have

our lives

shaped by

you

and by

the mercies

of God

we pray

in your

awesome

and your

wonderful

name

amen