I've Changed My Mind

0:00:02.000 --> 0:00:04.560 Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. I'm the pastor of Elevation 0:00:04.840 --> 0:00:07.040 Church and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank 0:00:07.080 --> 0:00:10.399 you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope 0:00:10.400 --> 0:00:12.440 it builds your faith. Hope it gives your perspective to 0:00:12.480 --> 0:00:18.680 see God is moving in your life. Enjoy the message. Well, 0:00:18.760 --> 0:00:20.800 for those of you I haven't had the chance to meet, 0:00:21.000 --> 0:00:23.520 my name is Jonathan on the campus pastor here at 0:00:23.520 --> 0:00:26.680 our Balentine location, and this weekend, Pastor Steven's giving me 0:00:26.680 --> 0:00:29.280 the opportunity to share God's word with you, and it's 0:00:29.280 --> 0:00:34.559 an incredible privilege. But I do want to take a 0:00:34.600 --> 0:00:36.720 moment to say, well, this is a privilege for me. 0:00:37.400 --> 0:00:40.519 The real privilege is every week getting to sit in 0:00:40.640 --> 0:00:44.440 that seat right there and listen as Pastor Stephen preaches 0:00:44.800 --> 0:00:48.320 incredible sermons week after week. Because God has used his 0:00:48.440 --> 0:00:52.120 messages to give me courage when I needed courage, conviction 0:00:52.600 --> 0:00:56.520 when I needed to be convicted, perspective when I needed perspective. 0:00:56.520 --> 0:00:59.240 And so if you've been blessed through his messages on 0:00:59.320 --> 0:01:01.400 any level, can you just help me and take a 0:01:01.440 --> 0:01:11.400 moment thank God for our pastors, Pastor Stephen and Holly. Well, 0:01:11.440 --> 0:01:13.880 I want to jump into God's word to today stay 0:01:13.959 --> 0:01:16.160 standing for just a moment, and I want to look 0:01:16.200 --> 0:01:18.200 at a scripture that I think will be familiar to 0:01:18.240 --> 0:01:20.200 a lot of us, but I want to approach it 0:01:20.240 --> 0:01:22.640 on a level that I think will be really practical 0:01:22.680 --> 0:01:24.960 for you today. In my heart, I see people who 0:01:24.959 --> 0:01:29.240 have been circling around about in life, and you've been frustrated, 0:01:29.319 --> 0:01:31.399 wondering when am I going to move forward into all 0:01:31.440 --> 0:01:33.600 that God has for me? And I think his word 0:01:33.600 --> 0:01:36.360 today is going to bring some clarity and some changes 0:01:36.400 --> 0:01:37.760 that we can make in our lives. So we're going 0:01:37.800 --> 0:01:41.080 to be looking at Romans chapter twelve. This is a 0:01:41.120 --> 0:01:44.399 scripture that Paul wrote to the church in Rome, and 0:01:44.440 --> 0:01:47.360 we're going to read just a few verses from their 0:01:47.440 --> 0:01:51.000 Roman chapter twelve. Verse one, he says, therefore, I urge you, 0:01:51.080 --> 0:01:55.480 brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer 0:01:55.560 --> 0:02:00.240 your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. 0:02:00.760 --> 0:02:05.520 This is your true and proper worship. One translation says, 0:02:05.840 --> 0:02:08.960 this is your reasonable act of worship. And so maybe 0:02:09.000 --> 0:02:11.200 you came into church today and the person on your 0:02:11.240 --> 0:02:14.400 row they don't understand the why you worship God the 0:02:14.440 --> 0:02:17.480 way you worship God, but in view of God's mercy. 0:02:17.520 --> 0:02:20.040 If they knew what God had done in your life 0:02:20.080 --> 0:02:23.079 and what God has brought you out from, they'd understand 0:02:23.280 --> 0:02:25.840 why you lift your voice, why you clap your hands 0:02:25.880 --> 0:02:28.359 the way you do. Will you give them praise at 0:02:28.400 --> 0:02:30.919 the top of your love if you only knew about 0:02:30.960 --> 0:02:34.160 its mercy, if you only know about the grace that 0:02:34.320 --> 0:02:37.840 He's given me. In view of God's mercy, we offer 0:02:37.880 --> 0:02:41.120 our lives up as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing. 0:02:41.200 --> 0:02:43.880 It's our proper worship. Verse two, he says, do not 0:02:44.040 --> 0:02:47.560 conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed 0:02:47.919 --> 0:02:50.360 by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be 0:02:50.400 --> 0:02:53.680 able to test and approve what God's will is, his good, 0:02:53.760 --> 0:02:57.040 pleasing and perfect will. For by the grace given me, 0:02:57.080 --> 0:02:59.360 I say to every one of you, do not think 0:02:59.400 --> 0:03:02.480 of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think 0:03:02.520 --> 0:03:06.320 of yourselves with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith 0:03:06.639 --> 0:03:09.639 God has distributed to each of you. For just as 0:03:09.680 --> 0:03:13.120 each of us has one body with many members, and 0:03:13.200 --> 0:03:15.880 these members do not all have the same function, so 0:03:16.080 --> 0:03:20.280 in Christ, we, though many, form one body, and each 0:03:20.400 --> 0:03:25.359 member belongs to all the others. Back to verse two 0:03:25.400 --> 0:03:27.400 for just a moment. It's our key scripture for today, 0:03:27.440 --> 0:03:31.520 and he says, be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 0:03:32.200 --> 0:03:36.080 My title for today's messages. I've changed my mind, and 0:03:36.120 --> 0:03:37.520 I need you to look at the person next to 0:03:37.520 --> 0:03:41.920 you to say, neighbor, I wasn't so sure about sitting 0:03:41.960 --> 0:03:48.480 next to you, but I've changed my mind. Go ahead 0:03:48.520 --> 0:03:52.720 and grab a seat. Thank you, worship team. You know, 0:03:52.760 --> 0:03:55.360 as a pastor in the church, one of the privileges 0:03:55.400 --> 0:03:57.640 I get is every now and then someone will ask 0:03:57.680 --> 0:04:00.200 me to officiate their wedding, and it's always it's a 0:04:00.240 --> 0:04:02.040 lot of fun. I love being able to be a 0:04:02.080 --> 0:04:04.760 part of that people's moment in their lives. But I 0:04:04.840 --> 0:04:08.440 take it very seriously. As you know, I give God's 0:04:08.480 --> 0:04:11.080 blessing over this relationship and the two become one, and 0:04:11.120 --> 0:04:13.920 so one thing I try to do is make sure 0:04:13.920 --> 0:04:16.920 that I'm setting up the couple for success in the relationship. 0:04:17.240 --> 0:04:19.720 And now, listen, marriage is a lifelong journey. There's gonna 0:04:19.720 --> 0:04:21.240 be a lot of things will have to work out. 0:04:21.279 --> 0:04:24.400 But when it comes to pre marital counseling, one thing 0:04:24.440 --> 0:04:26.680 I like to do is just you know, bring up 0:04:26.720 --> 0:04:30.080 conversations that maybe the couple hasn't had before, because it's 0:04:30.120 --> 0:04:33.720 always helpful in any relationship just to you know, clarify 0:04:33.800 --> 0:04:35.839 some things. And so you know, there's a session that 0:04:35.880 --> 0:04:38.640 we'd spend all the things you'd expect, you know, family 0:04:38.680 --> 0:04:43.400 backgrounds and family dynamics, and that's always tense, and because 0:04:43.400 --> 0:04:45.480 when you marry the girl, you don't just marry the girl, 0:04:45.480 --> 0:04:49.240 you marry into a family. Amen. And you know, then 0:04:49.279 --> 0:04:52.240 you'll spend a week on financing, going through budgeting, because 0:04:52.240 --> 0:04:54.480 it's really important that couples are on the same page 0:04:54.520 --> 0:04:57.000 with spending, because you might like the way that she 0:04:57.120 --> 0:04:59.279 always looks when you go out on dates, but you 0:04:59.279 --> 0:05:03.120 don't realize that there's a credit card bill on the 0:05:03.160 --> 0:05:07.159 other side of that outfit. But one thing I like 0:05:07.200 --> 0:05:10.200 to do, and this seems a little bit basic on 0:05:10.240 --> 0:05:12.480 the surface, but it's actually really helpful, is we spend 0:05:12.480 --> 0:05:14.880 a little bit of time going through a list of 0:05:15.279 --> 0:05:20.479 just basic household responsibilities and having a conversation around who 0:05:20.520 --> 0:05:22.760 in this relationship is going to be expected to do 0:05:22.800 --> 0:05:24.840 what you know, not that you don't always ship in, 0:05:24.880 --> 0:05:27.120 but just kind of clarifying you know, who's gonna be 0:05:27.360 --> 0:05:29.680 the one taking out the trash, and who's gonna be 0:05:29.720 --> 0:05:31.880 making the bed, who's gonna do the laundry, who's gonna 0:05:31.880 --> 0:05:34.400 cook dinner, who's gonna do the dishes. And it seems 0:05:34.480 --> 0:05:38.640 really simplistic, but it's really important because in her house, 0:05:39.000 --> 0:05:42.200 her mom always cooked, but dad always did the dishes after. 0:05:42.640 --> 0:05:44.680 But the way he grew up, mom cooked and did 0:05:44.760 --> 0:05:47.640 the dishes. And so they can get into the relationship 0:05:47.680 --> 0:05:49.800 and all of a sudden they're arguing about who's supposed 0:05:49.839 --> 0:05:52.320 to do what. But I think for any relationship to 0:05:52.360 --> 0:05:56.520 be healthy, it's important that we clarify whose responsibility is what. 0:05:56.720 --> 0:05:59.440 And I'm going somewhere with this because I think in 0:05:59.440 --> 0:06:03.320 our relationationship with God, it's really important that we have 0:06:03.400 --> 0:06:07.719 a clear understanding of what is God's rule and what 0:06:07.920 --> 0:06:12.400 is my role? Because God has immeasurably more exceedingly, abundantly 0:06:12.440 --> 0:06:15.359 more plan for us. He says, I've got plans to 0:06:15.440 --> 0:06:18.359 prosper you, not to harm you. But in this life 0:06:18.400 --> 0:06:21.320 that we live with Christ, as we're following him, there 0:06:21.400 --> 0:06:24.200 is a part that only God can do, and there 0:06:24.279 --> 0:06:27.600 is a responsibility that we carry as Christians. And so 0:06:27.960 --> 0:06:30.080 I love the grace and mercy of God, because when 0:06:30.080 --> 0:06:32.520 it comes to our relationship with him, there are things 0:06:32.600 --> 0:06:35.719 that God does that are purely out of his good nature. 0:06:35.720 --> 0:06:38.240 In fact, the Bible says, whether you believe in God 0:06:38.560 --> 0:06:40.880 or not, he says, He'll never leave you nor forsake you. 0:06:41.120 --> 0:06:43.080 David said, if I go to the heavens, there he is. 0:06:43.080 --> 0:06:44.960 If I go to the depths of Hell, I can't 0:06:45.080 --> 0:06:48.520 escape the presence of God. That's something only he can do. 0:06:48.600 --> 0:06:51.760 He gives us his presence. But all through the Book 0:06:51.800 --> 0:06:55.320 of Romans, in Chapters one all the way through eleven, 0:06:55.839 --> 0:06:59.640 Paul spends a significant amount of time helping this Roman 0:06:59.720 --> 0:07:03.320 church understand God's part as they come into this new 0:07:03.360 --> 0:07:06.120 covenant with him, and it's one of the most comprehensive 0:07:06.160 --> 0:07:08.719 breakdowns of the new covenant we have in Christ. In 0:07:08.760 --> 0:07:11.320 all of Scripture Romans one through eleven, I mean, Paul 0:07:11.400 --> 0:07:14.440 covers everything. He covers how through Adam, through one man, 0:07:14.560 --> 0:07:17.400 Sin entered the world, but through one man humanity has 0:07:17.440 --> 0:07:20.559 been justified through the person of Christ. He talks about 0:07:20.560 --> 0:07:23.560 how God has drafted us in to the promise and 0:07:23.600 --> 0:07:26.120 covenant that he gave to Abraham, and how now we 0:07:26.160 --> 0:07:29.840 can be children of faith and justified and declared righteous 0:07:29.880 --> 0:07:32.640 through faith. He talks about how we are no longer 0:07:32.880 --> 0:07:35.520 slaves to our sin, but we have been given the 0:07:35.600 --> 0:07:38.000 spirit of God. Come on, I'm preaching already. We have 0:07:38.080 --> 0:07:40.720 been given the spirit of God so that we can 0:07:40.720 --> 0:07:43.360 live a holy life that's pleasing to him. He talks 0:07:43.360 --> 0:07:46.440 about the future glory that awaits us, and for eleven 0:07:46.840 --> 0:07:49.600 chapters of this book, and it's worth taking time this 0:07:49.640 --> 0:07:52.680 week to read it and acquaint yourself with all the 0:07:52.720 --> 0:07:55.480 things that God has done for you in this relationship. 0:07:55.840 --> 0:07:58.720 For eleven chapters of the book, he shares about all 0:07:58.760 --> 0:08:01.240 the things that God can do for us, and all 0:08:01.280 --> 0:08:04.280 the things that only God can do. And then in 0:08:04.400 --> 0:08:07.320 verse twelve he makes this shift. He says, in view 0:08:07.360 --> 0:08:10.920 of all that grace and in view of all that mercy, 0:08:11.280 --> 0:08:13.559 here's what I want you to do. And he'll spend 0:08:13.560 --> 0:08:16.360 the rest of the book sharing with the believers what 0:08:16.440 --> 0:08:18.920 it looks like for them to live a life that's 0:08:18.960 --> 0:08:23.320 holy and pleasing in response to the mercy of God. 0:08:24.080 --> 0:08:27.160 So even the order in which Paul writes this book 0:08:27.400 --> 0:08:30.760 is a revelation, because religion would put it the other 0:08:30.800 --> 0:08:33.760 way around. Religion would say, if you live this way, 0:08:33.960 --> 0:08:36.920 and if you do all these things, then God will 0:08:36.960 --> 0:08:39.120 accept you and love you. But Paul writes it the 0:08:39.120 --> 0:08:41.880 other way around. He says, no, God has already declared 0:08:41.920 --> 0:08:44.560 you righteous, and God has already said you are His son. 0:08:44.720 --> 0:08:47.720 And God has already accepted you just as you are. 0:08:47.960 --> 0:08:50.719 So I don't need to change for God to love me, 0:08:50.920 --> 0:08:54.280 but in response to his mercy and grace, my God. 0:08:57.960 --> 0:09:00.479 And he wants us to understand that in this relationlationship, 0:09:00.520 --> 0:09:03.760 when it comes to the transformation that God wants to 0:09:03.840 --> 0:09:06.120 occur in our lives, there is a part that He 0:09:06.200 --> 0:09:08.920 does and there is a part that we do. And 0:09:08.960 --> 0:09:11.280 in Romans chapter twelve, he say lets us know that 0:09:11.679 --> 0:09:15.720 changing our hearts is God's job, but it's up to 0:09:15.840 --> 0:09:22.240 us to change our minds. In the changes that God 0:09:22.280 --> 0:09:23.840 wants to make in your life and all that He 0:09:23.880 --> 0:09:26.520 wants to bring you into, God will change your heart. 0:09:26.679 --> 0:09:29.280 He says that in his grace, he changes our inclination 0:09:29.440 --> 0:09:32.720 from rebellion towards him and he actually shows us his goodness. 0:09:32.840 --> 0:09:36.440 It's his kindness that leads us to repentance. And he says, therefore, 0:09:36.480 --> 0:09:40.319 in view of God's mercy, offer yourselves as living sacrifices. 0:09:40.520 --> 0:09:43.400 But before he goes into all the behaviors and the 0:09:43.400 --> 0:09:45.960 ways that we should live as believers, he says, he says, 0:09:45.960 --> 0:09:48.800 we need to renew our minds, because I cannot really 0:09:48.920 --> 0:09:54.719 change my behavior without first addressing my thinking. And so 0:09:54.760 --> 0:09:56.640 in these verses that I read to you today, I 0:09:56.640 --> 0:09:59.280 think there is a few things that Paul is calling 0:09:59.320 --> 0:10:02.520 us to change in our minds to help us live 0:10:02.520 --> 0:10:05.520 a life that is an alignment with all that God 0:10:05.559 --> 0:10:08.320 has for us and his intent for us. And the 0:10:08.360 --> 0:10:09.800 first one I want to share with you is in 0:10:09.920 --> 0:10:12.320 verse two. It's a little bit under the surface, but 0:10:12.400 --> 0:10:14.480 the first thing that Paul calls us to change is 0:10:14.840 --> 0:10:19.400 our motives. Now, in verse two, he writes, do not 0:10:19.559 --> 0:10:24.160 be conformed to the pattern of this world. And I 0:10:24.160 --> 0:10:26.360 always heard that preach like it was all about the 0:10:26.440 --> 0:10:28.640 external things, you know, like how you dress and what 0:10:28.760 --> 0:10:31.720 music you listen to and what movies you watch. And 0:10:31.760 --> 0:10:33.760 I'm not saying you can't have a personal standard for 0:10:33.800 --> 0:10:36.360 those things. But when Paul uses this phrase, the pattern 0:10:36.840 --> 0:10:40.000 of this world is actually one word in Greek that 0:10:40.040 --> 0:10:44.720 refers to the aims and aspirations of this current age. 0:10:44.880 --> 0:10:48.040 Paul is talking about something much deeper than what we 0:10:48.120 --> 0:10:50.560 do on the surface, and he's saying we need to 0:10:50.720 --> 0:10:54.200 change the way we think about our motivations. As followers 0:10:54.240 --> 0:10:58.400 of Christ. We have to evaluate our reasons for doing 0:10:58.480 --> 0:11:01.000 what we do because the I don't know. This world 0:11:01.240 --> 0:11:04.960 has a habit of setting up idols that we run after, 0:11:05.240 --> 0:11:07.800 and so often, as Christians, we get caught up in 0:11:07.920 --> 0:11:13.680 chasing after the same things that the world is chasing after, success, significance, 0:11:13.880 --> 0:11:16.800 meaning joy in all the wrong places. And what Paul 0:11:16.920 --> 0:11:19.800 understands is that God has given us a mandate as 0:11:19.880 --> 0:11:22.920 the Church to change the world. But I cannot change 0:11:22.960 --> 0:11:27.840 to what I'm conforming to, and so I can't spend 0:11:27.880 --> 0:11:30.880 my life chasing after what the world is chasing after. 0:11:31.280 --> 0:11:33.600 And again, this is less about what you do for 0:11:33.640 --> 0:11:35.720 a job or where you choose to go to school. 0:11:35.920 --> 0:11:38.280 Paul is trying to get us to dig down and say, 0:11:38.600 --> 0:11:43.280 what is my reason for doing what I do? And 0:11:43.320 --> 0:11:45.880 I think so often as Christians, we spend a lot 0:11:45.920 --> 0:11:47.920 of time thinking about God, what should I do? What 0:11:47.960 --> 0:11:50.480 should I do? And I've come to realize that God 0:11:50.559 --> 0:11:54.000 is far less concerned with what we're doing, and so 0:11:54.120 --> 0:11:59.600 much more concerned with why we're doing it. In Proverbs, 0:11:59.600 --> 0:12:02.079 it says that a man's ways seemed pure to him, 0:12:02.080 --> 0:12:04.160 but only the Lord can weigh the motives of the heart. 0:12:04.160 --> 0:12:06.080 In other words, I can be doing the right thing, 0:12:06.640 --> 0:12:10.240 but for all the wrong reasons. And maybe today the 0:12:10.320 --> 0:12:14.120 reason that you are frustrated and discouraging your situation asking 0:12:14.160 --> 0:12:17.000 God to change all these external things. Maybe it's nothing 0:12:17.000 --> 0:12:19.280 wrong with what you're doing it, But I wonder have 0:12:19.360 --> 0:12:21.880 you taken the time to think about why am I 0:12:21.920 --> 0:12:24.720 doing this in the first place? Am I trying to 0:12:24.800 --> 0:12:28.240 prove something to someone who disrespected me ten years ago, 0:12:28.480 --> 0:12:31.679 who isn't even paying attention to my life anymore? Why 0:12:31.760 --> 0:12:34.480 am I posting this to impress people who follow me 0:12:34.760 --> 0:12:37.640 on social media that don't even really know me. What 0:12:37.960 --> 0:12:41.679 is my reason for doing what I'm doing it? Can 0:12:41.760 --> 0:12:46.080 I be honest with you? The hardest part of preparing 0:12:46.080 --> 0:12:48.080 a sermon to preciate you is not figuring out what 0:12:48.200 --> 0:12:51.360 to say. God's word is living an active sharper than 0:12:51.400 --> 0:12:54.600 any double edged sword. So I could get up here 0:12:54.600 --> 0:12:56.319 and share any scripture with you and it would be 0:12:56.360 --> 0:12:59.400 a blessing. The hardest part for me as I get 0:12:59.440 --> 0:13:02.680 ready to prove a message is going through the process 0:13:02.720 --> 0:13:06.120 of getting before God and saying, God, help me eliminate 0:13:06.160 --> 0:13:10.080 all these impure motivations that are clouding my mind. Because 0:13:10.120 --> 0:13:12.240 if I get up here and in my mind and 0:13:12.280 --> 0:13:14.800 in my heart and in my mind I have motives 0:13:14.840 --> 0:13:18.040 to impress you, then I limit what God can do 0:13:18.200 --> 0:13:21.880 in and through my life. And so my intention cannot 0:13:21.920 --> 0:13:24.840 be to impress you. I have to have the intention 0:13:24.960 --> 0:13:28.480 of being a blessing to you. And I'm not saying 0:13:28.520 --> 0:13:31.280 any of us ever have one hundred percent pure motives, 0:13:31.280 --> 0:13:33.480 but I think so often we go through life and 0:13:33.520 --> 0:13:36.240 we never really evaluate them. So I can be standing 0:13:36.320 --> 0:13:39.240 up here doing a good thing, but miss out on 0:13:39.280 --> 0:13:41.520 what God has for me, the reward that He has 0:13:41.559 --> 0:13:44.040 for me, because I'm doing it for the wrong reasons. 0:13:45.280 --> 0:13:46.959 Paul saw that when he said that there are these 0:13:47.000 --> 0:13:49.480 preachers who were preaching the Gospel because they saw what 0:13:49.520 --> 0:13:51.400 they could get out of it. He said that they 0:13:51.480 --> 0:13:55.360 preach only out of selfish ambition in vain conceit. But 0:13:55.400 --> 0:13:57.840 he said, the important thing, though, is that the Gospel 0:13:57.920 --> 0:14:00.440 is being preached, no matter what my motives are, the 0:14:00.480 --> 0:14:02.559 Word of God is being preached, and you can receive 0:14:02.640 --> 0:14:05.600 something from Him today. But if my motives aren't pure. 0:14:05.960 --> 0:14:08.439 It limits the reward that God can give me. Because 0:14:09.120 --> 0:14:11.920 do you remember when in Matthew when Jesus was talking 0:14:11.960 --> 0:14:14.560 about the hypocrites who when they give to the poor, 0:14:14.600 --> 0:14:17.120 they do it in such a showy way because their 0:14:17.160 --> 0:14:19.080 motive is to be honored by men. And he said, 0:14:19.120 --> 0:14:23.160 surely they have received a reward in full. If my 0:14:23.240 --> 0:14:26.320 motive is to impress people, if my motive is to 0:14:26.360 --> 0:14:29.000 get people to think that I'm awesome or I'm anointed, 0:14:29.040 --> 0:14:32.760 then that's the limit to the reward that God can 0:14:32.800 --> 0:14:35.800 give me. And so, as a follower of Christ, I've 0:14:35.800 --> 0:14:39.520 got to live for something greater than impressing people. My 0:14:39.680 --> 0:14:42.080 motivation is not to get them to honor me, but 0:14:42.200 --> 0:14:45.360 to stand before my Father in heaven one day and 0:14:45.480 --> 0:14:50.720 hear him say, well done, good and faithful servant. I'm 0:14:50.760 --> 0:14:53.240 not living for the glory of me. I'm living for 0:14:53.320 --> 0:14:56.320 the glory of my Father in Heaven, who is worthy 0:14:56.600 --> 0:15:03.080 of all adoration and worthy of all praise. And so 0:15:03.160 --> 0:15:05.680 Paul is saying, don't conform to the pattern of this world. 0:15:05.720 --> 0:15:08.120 But in view of all that God has done for you, 0:15:08.160 --> 0:15:10.960 don't you think he's worthy of you living your life 0:15:11.280 --> 0:15:15.840 for his honor. I've got to think about my motives. 0:15:15.840 --> 0:15:18.800 And so Paul begins to really deal with the dialogue 0:15:18.800 --> 0:15:20.880 in our minds when it comes to the way we 0:15:20.920 --> 0:15:24.200 think about why we do what we do. But then 0:15:24.240 --> 0:15:27.520 in the next verse he begins to address our identity. 0:15:27.960 --> 0:15:33.840 In verse three, look at this, he says, do not 0:15:34.040 --> 0:15:37.760 think of yourselves more highly than you ought, but rather 0:15:37.880 --> 0:15:42.040 think of yourselves with sober judgment. In other words, as 0:15:42.080 --> 0:15:45.280 you go through life, make sure that they're actually waving 0:15:45.320 --> 0:15:48.480 at you before you start waving back, and realize they're 0:15:48.480 --> 0:15:52.560 looking at the person behind you. Realize that life is 0:15:52.600 --> 0:15:56.440 not all about you. Do not think of yourselves more 0:15:56.520 --> 0:16:00.200 highly than you ought. But I always took it to say, 0:16:00.280 --> 0:16:02.640 as Paul is calling us to this life of humility, 0:16:02.680 --> 0:16:05.560 that Paul is calling us to lowly thinking. He says, 0:16:05.760 --> 0:16:08.000 don't think of yourselves too highly. But that's actually not 0:16:08.040 --> 0:16:11.760 what he says. He didn't say don't think of yourselves 0:16:11.800 --> 0:16:16.720 too highly. He said, don't think of yourselves more highly 0:16:17.160 --> 0:16:21.480 than you ought, but rather think of yourselves with sober judgment. 0:16:22.000 --> 0:16:26.200 In other words, the opposite of humility is not arrogance 0:16:26.760 --> 0:16:30.360 but ignorance. He says, when you think about yourself in 0:16:30.400 --> 0:16:33.080 your mind. I need you to think of yourselves with 0:16:33.200 --> 0:16:38.120 sober judgment. So humility is not self deprivation, but self awareness. 0:16:39.080 --> 0:16:42.000 And I think so often we go between two extremes 0:16:42.000 --> 0:16:45.359 so quickly. One moment, we're thinking too highly of ourselves, 0:16:45.600 --> 0:16:48.440 thinking that the world revolves around us, thinking that we 0:16:48.520 --> 0:16:50.680 got to where we are today because of our own 0:16:50.800 --> 0:16:54.640 hard work and our own intelligence, thinking that everything's okay 0:16:54.680 --> 0:16:57.760 with us, and the problem is with them, always casting blame. 0:16:58.040 --> 0:17:00.520 One minute we're thinking too highly of ourselfs else, But 0:17:00.640 --> 0:17:03.640 the next moment, as Christians, I think we can be 0:17:03.680 --> 0:17:08.880 thinking too lowly of ourselves. This internal dialogue that leaves 0:17:08.920 --> 0:17:12.320 us in this cycle of condemnation. And so we're praying 0:17:12.320 --> 0:17:14.840 for a change, and we're asking God to bring us 0:17:14.840 --> 0:17:17.760 into something new, but at the same time, we are 0:17:17.800 --> 0:17:20.240 talking ourselves out of what God is bringing us into, 0:17:21.400 --> 0:17:24.080 and we find ourselves like Moses when God says I 0:17:24.080 --> 0:17:26.320 need you to go deliver my people, and we start 0:17:26.320 --> 0:17:29.880 making excuses like but I'm slow to speak and I'm unworthy, 0:17:29.920 --> 0:17:33.880 and how can God you someone like me? But Paul says, 0:17:33.920 --> 0:17:36.240 when you think of yourselves, I need you to think 0:17:36.280 --> 0:17:39.720 of yourselves with sober judgment, not living in the extremes 0:17:39.760 --> 0:17:43.000 of too high or too low, but in view of 0:17:43.040 --> 0:17:46.000 God's mercy, in view of his grace. I got to 0:17:46.040 --> 0:17:48.639 think of myself in a way that is accurate with 0:17:48.680 --> 0:17:53.240 what He declares about me. So when I think about myself, 0:17:53.280 --> 0:17:56.000 I can't do it in isolation of what my past 0:17:56.040 --> 0:17:59.320 says or what my current circumstances say. I need to 0:17:59.359 --> 0:18:02.120 do it in view of Romans one through eleven, where 0:18:02.160 --> 0:18:05.280 I see the love that God has for me when 0:18:05.320 --> 0:18:08.080 he gave up his one and only son, that while 0:18:08.080 --> 0:18:10.720 I was still a sinner, he gave his life for 0:18:10.840 --> 0:18:12.919 me so that I could be made righteous. Come on, 0:18:13.080 --> 0:18:16.120 give God a praise if you're thankful for the way 0:18:16.160 --> 0:18:22.960 He sees you. And so often we say stuck in 0:18:23.000 --> 0:18:25.400 these cycles in our minds because we fail to see 0:18:25.400 --> 0:18:28.919 ourselves the way God sees us. And I guarantee if 0:18:28.960 --> 0:18:31.760 you took time to take inventory of the thoughts that 0:18:31.840 --> 0:18:34.720 you have about yourself that go through your mind, you 0:18:34.720 --> 0:18:37.560 would find more often than not you're living in those extremes. 0:18:37.600 --> 0:18:40.680 But what does it look like to fill our hearts 0:18:40.920 --> 0:18:43.520 with the word of God that remind us about who 0:18:43.560 --> 0:18:46.800 we are in Him? That's the source of my confidence. 0:18:46.840 --> 0:18:49.159 That's the source of my joy, that's the source of 0:18:49.160 --> 0:18:51.600 my peace. That's the source of the miracle that I'm 0:18:51.600 --> 0:18:55.120 praying for. Is knowing who I am in Christ. That's 0:18:55.119 --> 0:18:58.240 why David said I have hidden your word in my heart. 0:18:58.480 --> 0:19:00.919 I got to know who God says I am. You 0:19:01.000 --> 0:19:04.120 are His child. You're more than a conqueror. You are 0:19:04.200 --> 0:19:07.280 the righteousness of God in Christ. He's given you the 0:19:07.320 --> 0:19:10.320 hope of glory on the inside of you. So as 0:19:10.359 --> 0:19:12.960 you live your life for God, you can't just try 0:19:13.000 --> 0:19:19.840 to modify your behavior, Paul says, without really addressing your identity. 0:19:22.480 --> 0:19:25.560 But it's interesting because as Paul is talking about the 0:19:25.680 --> 0:19:27.920 changes that we need to make in our mind, he's 0:19:27.920 --> 0:19:31.919 really hitting on some internal things like our motives and 0:19:31.960 --> 0:19:35.359 our identity. But then in verse five he begins to 0:19:35.400 --> 0:19:39.440 share about something external that actually impacts the way we think, 0:19:39.840 --> 0:19:43.640 and he begins to talk about our network. He says 0:19:43.640 --> 0:19:48.600 in verse five, so in Christ, we though many, form 0:19:48.640 --> 0:19:53.520 one body, and each member belongs to one another. Touch 0:19:53.560 --> 0:19:56.919 your neighbors say I need you. No touch your neighbors 0:19:56.920 --> 0:19:59.280 say I need you. You said it like you don't 0:19:59.280 --> 0:20:04.359 really know him, Like not really sure we belong to 0:20:04.440 --> 0:20:08.679 one another, and get this. The way the parts of 0:20:08.720 --> 0:20:12.000 our brain are connected is through neural pathways that form 0:20:12.040 --> 0:20:15.200 a network, and those neural pathways are formed through new 0:20:15.240 --> 0:20:17.960 thoughts and new experiences. So when it comes to our brains, 0:20:18.520 --> 0:20:22.440 which is different than our minds, the network is established 0:20:22.680 --> 0:20:27.040 through our thoughts. But when it comes to our mind 0:20:27.160 --> 0:20:30.639 Paul wants us to understand that the opposite is true, 0:20:31.000 --> 0:20:35.120 that the network we have is what influences our thoughts. 0:20:36.520 --> 0:20:39.320 And so one of the ways to change your thinking 0:20:39.800 --> 0:20:43.639 is through changing your network. Who are the relationships in 0:20:43.680 --> 0:20:47.760 your life? Because if I am still hanging out with 0:20:48.000 --> 0:20:51.600 Eric and Eric is always cynical and Eric is always bitter, 0:20:51.960 --> 0:20:56.080 no wonder I'm still always thinking cynical thoughts and bitter thoughts, 0:20:56.200 --> 0:20:58.840 and I'm wondering why I'm still hopeless. But I'm still 0:20:58.840 --> 0:21:02.119 hanging out with Sally and She's always discouraging me. I 0:21:02.200 --> 0:21:05.280 need to change my network. And some of you are 0:21:05.320 --> 0:21:07.960 stuck in cycles. And maybe what God is calling you 0:21:08.040 --> 0:21:15.679 to do today is to upgrade your network. Because if 0:21:15.720 --> 0:21:19.120 I can expose myself to new people, I can expose 0:21:19.160 --> 0:21:22.040 myself to new ways of thinking, I can get around 0:21:22.080 --> 0:21:24.720 some people who instead of pulling me down into old 0:21:24.760 --> 0:21:27.560 thought patterns and the patterns of this world, they can 0:21:27.600 --> 0:21:32.919 lift me up into something higher. And that's why when 0:21:32.960 --> 0:21:35.840 we gather together at the end of our worship experiences, 0:21:36.160 --> 0:21:38.680 when we get people the opportunity to place their faith 0:21:38.720 --> 0:21:41.800 in Christ, it's so important to me that as the church, 0:21:42.200 --> 0:21:45.600 we take initiative to introduce ourselves to them and help 0:21:45.640 --> 0:21:49.000 them get connected, because only God can change their heart. 0:21:49.320 --> 0:21:52.800 But for them to really see some significant transformation in 0:21:52.840 --> 0:21:55.800 their life, it requires that they get connected and that 0:21:55.800 --> 0:21:58.560 they get a new network. And so we got to 0:21:58.600 --> 0:22:01.280 get them surrounded around some believers who can begin to 0:22:01.320 --> 0:22:03.760 speak life over them and let them know who they 0:22:03.840 --> 0:22:07.360 are in Christ. We need a new network. And one 0:22:07.359 --> 0:22:10.639 of the greatest blessings that God ever gave me in 0:22:10.680 --> 0:22:13.520 my life was on the second day of high school 0:22:13.840 --> 0:22:16.320 when I sat down next to a kid named Sean Hugh. 0:22:17.440 --> 0:22:19.800 Because up until that light, up until that moment in 0:22:19.840 --> 0:22:24.240 my life, the wrong pathways were leading me down the 0:22:24.280 --> 0:22:27.200 wrong path. But on that second day of high school, 0:22:27.240 --> 0:22:30.359 I met a guy who actually lived out what I 0:22:30.440 --> 0:22:35.400 confess to believe. And I really think that God spared 0:22:35.440 --> 0:22:38.439 me from a lot of mistakes in high school because 0:22:38.760 --> 0:22:41.359 He allowed me to meet someone that started taking me 0:22:41.400 --> 0:22:43.600 to his youth group, and I met some new friends, 0:22:43.600 --> 0:22:45.480 and I met a new network, and what could have 0:22:45.520 --> 0:22:48.280 been one of the most destructive seasons in my life 0:22:48.320 --> 0:22:50.919 became one of the most fruitful when God began to 0:22:50.920 --> 0:22:54.240 show me about my purpose and my calling and transform 0:22:54.280 --> 0:22:57.199 my heart. But the way God changed my thinking was 0:22:57.240 --> 0:22:59.840 through a new network. And I'm not saying you need 0:22:59.840 --> 0:23:06.640 to delete your entire contact list today, but I wonder. 0:23:07.480 --> 0:23:10.280 I wonder maybe there are some new people that God 0:23:10.320 --> 0:23:12.919 needs to bring into your life to help shape the 0:23:12.920 --> 0:23:16.120 way you're thinking. And that's why the author of Hebrews says, 0:23:16.160 --> 0:23:19.440 do not forsake gathering together, because he understands that this 0:23:19.600 --> 0:23:21.960 life that God is calling us to is more than 0:23:22.000 --> 0:23:26.280 just sermons and worship music. It's about community. We belong 0:23:26.400 --> 0:23:28.760 to one another. This is a network. We make up 0:23:29.040 --> 0:23:31.640 a body together. And I get discouraged when I hear 0:23:31.640 --> 0:23:33.879 people say, yeah, I'm a Christian, but I'd just like 0:23:33.920 --> 0:23:37.440 to listen to the podcast. God's plan for your life 0:23:37.480 --> 0:23:39.840 is more than just good content. He wants you to 0:23:39.880 --> 0:23:44.080 have community, people who can help you grow. We belong 0:23:44.200 --> 0:23:48.919 to one another I think about Joyce. She serves on 0:23:49.000 --> 0:23:51.080 our Greeter team here and she also leads an E group. 0:23:51.160 --> 0:23:53.800 She gave her life to Christ here at Elevation five 0:23:53.880 --> 0:23:56.520 years ago on Easter. And when she came here, she 0:23:56.600 --> 0:23:59.760 was struggling with an alcohol addiction. And through this ministry 0:23:59.760 --> 0:24:02.760 and some choices that she made, God really set her free. 0:24:02.800 --> 0:24:05.280 But she knew that there would be other people who 0:24:05.280 --> 0:24:07.359 would come to this church and sit in these seats, 0:24:07.440 --> 0:24:09.920 who would be in the same position that she found 0:24:09.960 --> 0:24:13.080 herself in. So she started an group for other women 0:24:13.119 --> 0:24:16.359 who are struggling with substance abuse. And so many of 0:24:16.359 --> 0:24:19.320 these women God has transformed their lives and she's on 0:24:19.359 --> 0:24:24.080 a mission to see them all get baptized. And one 0:24:24.119 --> 0:24:26.840 of those ladies in Joyce's E group is Kelly. If 0:24:26.840 --> 0:24:29.280 you came in this door today, you saw Kelly out 0:24:29.359 --> 0:24:32.000 the door. I got to baptize Kelly not too long ago. 0:24:32.040 --> 0:24:34.680 Here's a picture of Kelly up on the screen. Came 0:24:34.680 --> 0:24:38.919 to our church addicted an alcoholic, and she got connected 0:24:38.920 --> 0:24:41.800 to Joyce, and through new friends and a new network, 0:24:42.000 --> 0:24:45.000 God began to renew her mind. God set her free 0:24:45.080 --> 0:24:47.480 for what was holding her back in her sin and 0:24:47.480 --> 0:24:51.000 her dysfunction, and she said it can't stop with me. Now, 0:24:51.080 --> 0:24:53.919 Kelly's leading a negroup with seven other women in it 0:24:54.040 --> 0:24:58.879 who are getting free. And so even if you're so 0:24:59.160 --> 0:25:01.840 arrogant to think that you don't need anybody else, I 0:25:01.920 --> 0:25:04.840 want to challenge you. Did you ever wonder maybe someone 0:25:04.840 --> 0:25:10.359 else in your road needs you? Maybe there is someone 0:25:10.440 --> 0:25:13.520 in your road today who is where you used to 0:25:13.600 --> 0:25:16.320 be and God brought you out through his grace. But 0:25:16.440 --> 0:25:20.200 how selfish when we keep it to ourselves, Because that's 0:25:20.240 --> 0:25:22.800 what the Bible says. It says that they overcame by 0:25:22.840 --> 0:25:25.360 the blood of the Lamb. That's what only God can do, 0:25:25.640 --> 0:25:28.440 and the word of their testimony that's saying, I'm gonna 0:25:28.480 --> 0:25:31.800 take everything that God has done in my life, and 0:25:31.880 --> 0:25:35.600 I'm gonna declare his goodness and his faithfulness, and I'm 0:25:35.600 --> 0:25:38.639 not gonna keep it to myself, but I'm gonna share 0:25:38.680 --> 0:25:41.560 what God has done in me so that someone else 0:25:42.119 --> 0:25:56.720 can experience the freedom that I have in Christ. Be 0:25:56.840 --> 0:25:59.159 transformed by the renewing of your mind. Paul says, he 0:25:59.240 --> 0:26:01.080 got to change the way you think about your reason 0:26:01.200 --> 0:26:03.640 for doing things, and you got to change the way 0:26:03.640 --> 0:26:06.600 you see yourself. And maybe God is calling you to 0:26:06.640 --> 0:26:10.440 surround yourself with some new people. But in all these things, 0:26:10.440 --> 0:26:12.760 it all comes together in the little decisions that you 0:26:12.840 --> 0:26:16.040 and I make every single day. That's why he says, 0:26:16.160 --> 0:26:18.240 be transformed by the renewing of your mind, then you 0:26:18.280 --> 0:26:20.360 will be able to test and approve what God's good 0:26:20.359 --> 0:26:23.560 and perfect will is. The way we know the will 0:26:23.560 --> 0:26:26.040 of God is not some voice that we hear coming 0:26:26.040 --> 0:26:28.160 from the clouds, but it's when we renew our mind 0:26:28.200 --> 0:26:32.680 and we align our thinking with the mind of Christ. 0:26:33.560 --> 0:26:36.800 And so I've got to be transformed in my motives, 0:26:37.600 --> 0:26:41.879 in my identity, in my network, and in my decisions. 0:26:41.880 --> 0:26:45.200 And every day I've got to make choices that align 0:26:45.400 --> 0:26:48.679 my life with what God has designed for me. I 0:26:48.760 --> 0:26:52.600 need to change my mind. And I've always wanted to 0:26:52.640 --> 0:27:07.560 spel something with my sermon points. Yeah, so as we 0:27:07.600 --> 0:27:10.440 live our lives to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice, 0:27:10.440 --> 0:27:13.800 holy pleasing to God. He says, it only happens when 0:27:14.320 --> 0:27:17.119 we renew our minds. And here's the thing. When he 0:27:17.240 --> 0:27:20.080 uses that word renew, it's not talking about just a 0:27:20.119 --> 0:27:22.760 subtle change or a little tweak, but the word actually 0:27:22.800 --> 0:27:26.520 means a renovation. It's taking out the old and bringing 0:27:26.560 --> 0:27:30.439 in the new. And God can change your heart today, 0:27:30.480 --> 0:27:33.000 but it's up to you to change your mind. But 0:27:33.040 --> 0:27:35.520 here's what Paul said in First Corinthians too. He says, 0:27:36.119 --> 0:27:41.040 we have been given the mind of Christ and for 0:27:41.119 --> 0:27:43.359 some of us in this place today, God has changed 0:27:43.400 --> 0:27:45.840 your heart through his grace, through the blood of his 0:27:45.920 --> 0:27:49.640 son Jesus. But he wants to change your mind today. 0:27:50.040 --> 0:27:52.480 He wants to renew your mind, to align it with 0:27:52.640 --> 0:27:55.280 the mind of your savior, Jesus Christ, so that you 0:27:55.359 --> 0:27:59.399 can know his thoughts towards you, his feelings, his intentions 0:27:59.440 --> 0:28:02.240 for your life, and so that you can make decisions 0:28:02.240 --> 0:28:06.639 in accordance with His good and perfect will. And so 0:28:06.720 --> 0:28:09.040 I want to pray for someone today who has been 0:28:09.080 --> 0:28:11.600 trapped in a cycle. And I want to pray for 0:28:11.680 --> 0:28:14.280 you that God would help you renew your mind so 0:28:14.280 --> 0:28:16.840 that He can transform you and so that you can 0:28:16.880 --> 0:28:19.880 live a life that is a worthy sacrifice to Him 0:28:20.080 --> 0:28:22.119 in response to what He's done. Would you stand to 0:28:22.160 --> 0:28:30.200 your feet? So, Father, that's our prayer today, that not 0:28:30.240 --> 0:28:33.439 only in your grace would you change our hearts. But 0:28:33.520 --> 0:28:36.040 we ask God that you would give us the mind 0:28:36.080 --> 0:28:40.280 of Christ and impartation of the thoughts and attitudes of 0:28:40.320 --> 0:28:44.400 your son Jesus, because we want to be like him. 0:28:44.680 --> 0:28:48.760 And our response to what you've done in our life 0:28:48.960 --> 0:28:53.200 is to offer ourselves up to you, not just partially, God, 0:28:53.200 --> 0:28:55.720 but we want to give you our whole lives. And 0:28:55.760 --> 0:28:58.000 it's not because we think we need to earn your love. 0:28:58.480 --> 0:29:01.800 It's because you already demonstrate your love for us, and 0:29:01.880 --> 0:29:05.520 so our reasonable response is to give you everything that 0:29:05.720 --> 0:29:08.600 we are, to lay our lives down at the altar God, 0:29:08.840 --> 0:29:12.040 to be consumed with your grace, to be consumed with 0:29:12.120 --> 0:29:14.920 your mercy, and to be a light up to this world, 0:29:15.040 --> 0:29:17.560 so that you can send us into this earth to 0:29:17.680 --> 0:29:21.720 change in God, So renew our minds, change our thinking, 0:29:22.000 --> 0:29:25.960 align our motivations with your intentions. God, help us see 0:29:25.960 --> 0:29:28.840 ourselves the way you see us. Lord. Hey, God, I 0:29:28.920 --> 0:29:32.280 pray that you would use us to adify your body 0:29:32.360 --> 0:29:36.800 because we belong to one another. Lift your hands in 0:29:36.880 --> 0:29:41.520 his presence. We'll hope you enjoyed the podcast today. If 0:29:41.560 --> 0:29:43.760 you did, there are just a couple things I'd love 0:29:43.800 --> 0:29:46.880 for you to do. Number one, subscribe to our show. 0:29:46.960 --> 0:29:50.000 That way, the most recent episode will always be in 0:29:50.040 --> 0:29:54.120 your feed waiting for you. Ready when you are. And secondly, 0:29:54.200 --> 0:29:56.640 if this ministry has impacted you and you'd like to 0:29:56.640 --> 0:29:59.080 help us continue to reach others, you can click the 0:29:59.080 --> 0:30:01.480 link in the description and you can give now and 0:30:01.680 --> 0:30:05.720 I'll see you next time on the Elevation podcast m 0:30:11.560 --> 0:30:11.640 HM