Last week, we considered together the Romans 12, verse 1. The believers call to offer themselves a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. Tonight, we consider Romans 12, verse 2. I carry on from the first verse. First of all, we read together Romans 6, the first 14 verses. The first 14 verses of Romans chapter 6. Hear now the Word of God. What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means. We died to sin. How can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin, because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again. Death no longer has mastery over Him. The death He died, He died to sin once for all. But the life He lives, He lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life and offer the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master because you are not under law, but under grace. And turning over to Romans chapter 12, we read together the first two verses. Again, verse 2 being the text tonight. Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. This is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is, His good, pleasing, and perfect will. Beloved of our Lord Jesus Christ, Have you ever noticed how people like to imitate each other? And this is especially true with children, isn't it? It's not uncommon for a young child to want to be like or to imitate their older brothers or sisters. Sometimes we say to the point of being carbon copies. But people like to imitate their heroes or they like to imitate those who are popular and even Christians tend to do some imitating. But as Paul makes clear in this text, there is right imitation and there is wrong imitation. Again, you recall from last week, I trust with regard to verse 1, that we considered that God's salvation calls for an offering of gratitude. As believers, we are called to present our lives to God as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to Him. And therefore, now we must ask, well, what does a living sacrifice look like? What does it look like? In verse 2 now, we are taught how that kind of sacrifice is to be offered. As we see the character of living sacrificially, as we are told what it looks like. Verse 2 describes that which is acceptable and pleasing to God. Beloved, a living sacrifice is to manifest itself in a distinctively Christian life. Which has the proper focus. And therefore, I preach to you tonight this Word of God, the road map towards sacrificial living. Now boys and girls, if you've traveled with your moms and dads, no doubt you know what a road map is, don't you? A road map shows you the way to go, the proper paths to take. And therefore, while it shows you the proper path, it also shows you the path to stay away from. And Romans 12, verse 2, is a sort of a road map which teaches, first of all, the defensive nature of sacrificial living. Then secondly, the offensive nature of sacrificial living. And then finally, as we will consider tonight, the glorious goal of sacrificial living. Now after urging the Christians in the church of Rome to present their bodies a living sacrifice, Paul begins verse 2 by telling them what the negative side of sacrificial living is. It is non-conformity. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world. We can call this the defensive nature of sacrificial living because Paul is telling these believers here to discontinue something that they are currently doing. He is saying this is what you don't want to do. This is what is unacceptable and unpleasing to God. And the sad truth is even those who enjoy the saving grace of God and have been regenerated, made alive by the Holy Spirit, we still struggle with sin. While in this life, the presence of sin is still there, it may cling to us against our renewed will, but we are still tempted and we still fall into temptation from time to time. And as well, the world still continues to exert its influence on Christians. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15, verse 33, Do not be deceived. Evil company corrupts good habits. As an aside, as I was considering that verse in the context of the sermon, it struck me, isn't it interesting what Paul says? Do not be deceived. Evil company corrupts good habits. It's a warning there. He doesn't say good behavior is going to change the way of the wicked. Therefore, go out and get intimate with the wicked. He doesn't say that. Although we are called to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, and we are to witness to our surroundings, and indeed God may be pleased to use that. He does not say, go out and get intimate with the world. Instead, Paul says, do not be deceived as many deceive themselves. Well, you know, if I marry this unbeliever, then maybe God just might use that to make this person a believer. He might, but He might not. If I hang around with this crowd who are blatantly unchristian, maybe God will use me to soften them up a little bit. He might, but He doesn't promise to. Paul says, do not be deceived. Evil company corrupts good habits. But all too often, we find ourselves imitating the world. And Paul is talking about the world here in the sense of this age we are living in. It is an extended period of time, yet it is characterized by what takes place in it. Therefore, he says, do not conform, no longer conform to the pattern of this world. In Galatians 1 verse 4, it is called this present evil age. And in 2 Corinthians 4 verse 4, it talks about the God of this age blinding the minds of those who are perishing and the Bible then identifies the God or ruler of this age as none other than Satan. Sacrificial living includes actively defending against the influences of the non-Christian world and the sin that so easily entangles us as Hebrews 12 verse 1 says. And this begins by the born-again believer. The one who has a new heart, has new desires, a new way of looking at things. It begins by the born-again believer not conforming to the world's ideas and ways and standards. Now the word conform is made up of two words, con and form. Con means with. Do not be formed with the pattern of this world. The Greek word translated conform is talking about an outward expression that is different from the true inward nature of something. The outside is different than the inside. In other words, it is to be outwardly molded or fashioned after something that is definite, to be sure, but is definitely outside of one. It means to adopt or imitate a certain mode of conduct. Now the same word is used in 2 Corinthians 11, verses 13-15, where Paul is talking about false prophets, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ, And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness, their end will be what their actions deserve. Now the idea there is Satan and his servants wearing disguises that make them look like something they are not. They make themselves look pleasing to us. They make themselves look safe. Indeed, we need to be careful because Satan can make himself look like an angel of light. Jesus also speaks of wolves in sheep's clothing. We get the picture of a wolf putting on a full body suit. Boys and girls, let's say, sheepskin pajamas to disguise itself from the sheep. And that way it can get in with the sheep and look gentle like a sheep, but once it's in there, inside of that sheepskin, it is deadly, dangerously deadly. ready to kill. How does this fit with the Christian life? Paul says, do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world. A pattern which is deadly and dangerous. And he is saying, in effect, take off the clothing or outer skin of the world and don't put it back on because it doesn't fit with what's inside of you. Christians are born again with new hearts of flesh. They are justified for the sake of Jesus with His imputed righteousness and they are sanctified, set apart again with a new way of thinking, new desires, a new focus. And they are being sanctified by the Holy Spirit so that the old man of sin is dead and the new man that delights in that which is pleasing to God, the new man lives more and more. And just as presenting your body a living sacrifice includes your whole being, that is, your life as it is lived and expressed through the body in thought, word, and action in the same way, the Christian is to put off the clothing of the world's thoughts, desires, speech, actions, indeed, put off the clothing of the world's entire way of life and living. Now, can we get specific here? I believe we can. I believe we should. Now first of all, we need to understand though that this is not simply talking about doing the opposite of the world in all things. If the world wears their hair in a particular hairstyle, that Christians wear their hair another way. That if the people of the world eat hamburgers, that we eat chicken sandwiches. That if the world wears certain clothing, that we wear something else. It's not simply talking about doing the opposite of the world. Now, young people, before you jump up and down and say, all right, He's given us license to go out and look like the world, uh-uh. That's not what this says at all. It's not simply talking about that. Indeed, there may be hairstyles that have no business on the believer's head. There may be food that has no business in the believer's body. And there certainly are clothes that have no business on the believer's body. So much clothing today. Showing so much skin. Sexually explicit. Making members of the opposite sex think things that they ought not be thinking. But again, it's not simply talking about external things. There's a deeper motive to this. But there are certain manifestations of worldliness in addition to these that Christians are to keep from being involved in. The use of offensive or dirty, filthy language. listening to filthy, raunchy, or non-God-glorifying music. You see, nothing is neutral. Reading filthy books or magazines. Participating in questionable activities which compromise the Christian witness. Associating intimately with unbelievers. We can speak of drinking alcohol excessively, taking drugs, participating in homosexuality, promoting abortion. Now, we would say that some of these things we would never even think of doing, so why mention them? And that may be true. But there are other things that we would really have to think about, wouldn't we? But there are so many things, beloved, that blatantly compromise one's Christian witness to the point that there is no distinction between the believer and the unbeliever. Beloved Christians are not to adopt or imitate the fashion, the pattern of this world, not even outwardly. We are new creations inside and out. And the truth is, it is impossible to flirt with certain worldly things and not be affected by them. It's impossible. For example, it is impossible to listen to certain completely unchristian, godless music or to wear certain clothing and to do these things righteously. It's impossible. Now before, some of you jump up and down and say, Legalism! You're a legalist! I say, no. No. Pharisaical legalism is that which tries to earn your salvation by being obedient to the law. That's not what we're talking about. But for those who are born again by the Spirit of God, we are called to be legalists as a rule of grateful living. It is our desire to be obedient to the law of God, to say thank you. Now, of course, we know that there are certain things that we have in common with the world because of what some call God's common grace. Others might prefer common benevolence. Again, eating hamburgers, hairstyles, certain clothing. Technology, for instance. We all drive cars and listen to radios and watch television and use computers and medicine. But again, the Christian is called to do these things sacrificially in a way that is pleasing to God and not offensive to Him. In a way that does not contradict His law. And that means that we drive cars and listen to radios and watch TV and use computers differently than the world. Many things are not sinful in and of themselves, but the misuse of them is, and that too is an abomination to God. Things like hunting or enjoying the computer are not wrong and sinful in and of themselves, but when one is so absorbed in certain things that these things take away time and energy from necessary and noble causes. It becomes sinful. Again, our list could be endless as we could sit here for days and analyze every situation and every activity of life. But you know, that's what the Christian is called to do. Examine all of life. The Christian's walk and life are to demonstrate that the world's ways are not our ways and that our citizenship is in heaven. We are called to think God's thoughts after Him and not follow the world's thoughts. If you've done any traveling, especially abroad, you know that each country has their own language or dialect and they have their own styles. Well, do you know what? So does the country of heaven. It has its own language. Its own styles. Its own set of rules. And our conduct is to show that as Christians, We expect to go to heaven and to show this by striving to live according to heaven's standards in this life. Some Christians vainly imagine that they can adopt certain worldly attitudes and ways without doing any damage to themselves, remaining unspotted while still holding fast to Christ. They can't. It's impossible. And therefore, we may not and we must not conformed to the world's educational standards or work ethic or concept of choice or alternative lifestyle or anything else. Anything in this world that does not fit with the heart of one being remade in the image of God is off limits. Again, not conforming is not just doing the opposite of the world. But where we do overlap, our motive is not to be me, myself, and I, but it is to be to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Paul is calling for a deeper level of righteousness that goes beyond simply external things and actions. And what he is calling for is only possible by inner transformation. The believer's outer conformity is to reflect his inner transformation. In this roadmap towards sacrificial living, Paul teaches the offensive nature of sacrificial living. but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Trans means across, beyond, to cross over, to rise above. Don't be formed with the patterns of this world, but rise above them, cross over them. Change according to the will of God. The word transformed comes from the Greek word from which we get our English word metamorphosis. And it deals with that which is outward then being a true reflection of that which is inside. The inside and the outside match. In Matthew 17, verse 2, we read about Jesus being transfigured so that His face shone like the sun and His clothes became as white as the light. The same Greek word that is used for transform in our text tonight is also the word used for transfigured in Matthew 17. Christ's outward appearance as He walked this earth was normally an appearance of humiliation, that of a servant. He conformed to the likeness of man. But when He was transformed, transfigured, the glory of His deity of who He truly is became manifest outwardly. His glory from the inside was made visible on the outside. And what Paul is saying here is that the clothing of the old depraved nature is no longer to be worn but the clothing of the new man. The regenerated nature is now to be the believer's clothing and this is to be and will be for the child of God an ongoing transformation. This transformation from the inside out takes place, as Paul says, by the renewing of your mind. In other words, we must have new thoughts, new desires, new goals, a new point of view, a new set of convictions which become expressed in a new way of living. And this transformation is the work of the Holy Spirit as 2 Corinthians 3.18 says, But we all with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. You see, the mind thinks that which is in the heart. And when the heart has been made new, the mind no longer thinks and understands and judges as it did before. The renewed mind no longer rejects the Spirit of God in favor of the flesh but minds the things of the Spirit and in fact is led by the Spirit of God as Paul says in Romans 8, verse 14. And as well he says in Colossians 1, verse 18, Set your minds on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, Paul is talking about your thoughts and desires and motives and actions and heart and everything about you being constantly transformed to think God's thoughts after Him and to desire to do what He commands and to do His will. And this is demonstrated in sacrificial living through the body. The renewed mind with a new way of thinking, feeling, and willing makes outward that which lives on the inside. But this spirit-renewed mind also includes being educated in the Word of God. That's how the Holy Spirit gives us new thoughts and desires and goals and convictions and a new way of living. Each of us must strive for the goal of being a master of God's Word. How often don't we say, I need to know more or I wish I knew more of God's Word. Well, what's stopping you? What's stopping you? I'll tell you what's stopping you. You. We must not only talk the talk, but we must walk the walk. And that means study. Our ultimate goal is to be to conform in the proper sense, and that is to conform to the image of Christ. R.C. Sproul says in his book, The Holiness of God, to be conformed to Jesus, we must first begin to think like Jesus. We need the mind of Christ. We need to value the things He values and despise the things He despises. We need to have the same priorities He has. We need to consider things weighty that He considers weighty. Beloved, spiritual milk is good and very, very necessary, but as we grow and mature by the grace of God, we cannot be content with milk. But we must hunger after spiritual meat. This transformation and the power of the Holy Spirit takes place only in those who are redeemed by the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. Those whom He has purchased by His saving sacrifice are the only ones whom the Holy Spirit transforms to live according to their calling and adoption as sons of God. You see, apart from Christ, not only do we conform to the world, but we are transformed according to the world because the ways of the world live inside of us. But Christ has destroyed the power of the devil. And through His Spirit, He makes His people dead to sin and alive to Himself. And therefore, each thought and each motive and each action of the believers is beneath His control. And that means the transformed believer also then demonstrates the glorious goal of sacrificial living. Not only the talk, but also the walk. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is, His good, pleasing, and perfect will. Now the idea of test and approve here means to discover something. And the same word is used when talking about testing metals such as testing precious gold or silver with fire. The fire tests the metal and proves its genuineness but rejects and throws out that which is false. It destroys that which is counterfeit. And the goal of the renewed mind is to find out and follow God's will and therefore Christians are to test truth against error, right against wrong. And the standard of the test is to be the Word of God which is applied by the Spirit of God. The glorious goal of sacrificial living is that the believer learns, understands, desires, and follows God's will more and more. We are called, beloved, to examine our lives against the Word of God. Sacrificial living is living that is shaped and can only be shaped by the will of God which He reveals to us in His Word. And the more that we become conscious of God's will, the more we will condemn evil practices of the world and the more God's will will indeed be our delight. We are to test our lives. We are to test our language. We are to test our work ethic and our relationships and our Sunday practices and our activities. We are to test our all in the light of the Word of God. And when we do, by the gracious leading of the Spirit, we will find that God's will alone is the only acceptable mold for sacrificial living. His will is that which is to shape our lives of gratitude. His will is good, as the text says, which means it is useful or advantageous or beneficial because there are no flaws in it. His will is pleasing. That means it alone is acceptable to God and He will reject anything else. His will is perfect. That means it is complete, entire, without any defects. It is just and right. God's will makes no mistakes. God's will alone is for the believer's eternal benefit. And therefore, we can sing in confidence, Have Thine own way, Lord. Mold me and make me after Thy will. Now again, we're not simply talking about externals here. But that which is internal. And therefore, externals that are shaped and formed by internals. And therefore, beloved, when it comes to the things and the activities of this life, we must ask, does this matter to Christ? Does it matter to Christ how I dress? Does it matter to Christ how I spend my Sunday afternoons? Does it matter to Christ what I do with my body and what I put in my body? Does it matter to Christ who I hang around with? Does it matter to Christ what I do for a living? Does it matter to Christ how I spend my money? Does it matter to Christ how I worship God? You better believe it does with each one of these things and so much more. Again, if you want to jump up and down and say legalistic, then you've missed the point completely tonight. Beloved, as children of God who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ by grace through faith, we are called to offer our lives to God as living sacrifices. And that means to live distinctively Christian lives. A distinctively Christian life is one that is shaped not by the world, but by the will of God according to the inward working of the Holy Spirit. A distinctively Christian life is one in which the clothing of the world is taken off and burned and the white robes of Christ's righteousness given to the redeemed. These white robes are proudly worn and displayed. A distinctively Christian life demonstrates the characteristics of heavenly citizenship. A distinctively Christian life is a life patterned after the life of the One whose name we bear, even Jesus Christ. A distinctively Christian life imitates the holiness of God whose image we bear. The plain truth is that the garment of your life reflects the master of your life. And those dressed in the clothing of the world are the servants of Satan and their citizenship is in hell. But those who are graciously clothed with the garments of Christ demonstrated in transformed sacrificial living are children of God and citizens of His kingdom in heaven. And their members are no longer instruments of unrighteousness, but instruments of righteousness for Jesus' sake. We are shaped either by the Spirit of this age or by the Spirit of God. For those who confess their sins and repent of them, theirs is the assurance that as the Holy Spirit molds them for sacrificial living, they are being molded after God's will for eternal service above. Beloved, Jesus Christ died for us and He lives for us and wills that we should be like Him. Many desire the enjoyment of the world and indeed indulge in them, yet they also want to play it safe as they, as it were, keep one foot in the church. Many have the false comfort of having their name on the membership roles of a church, as we said this morning, or showing up for an occasional Christmas or Easter service, and well, that's good enough, they say. True sacrificial living is giving your life completely to the Lord in every aspect. And it is a constant unconforming to the world and a constant transforming to Christ. It is to have both feet firmly planted on the narrow path running the race of faith with our eyes focused on our Savior who has gone before us. In a moment we're going to sing a song. The fourth stanza says, Have thine own way, Lord. Have thine own way. Hold o'er my being absolute sway. Fill with thy Spirit then all shall see Christ only, always living in me. Who are those who resemble Christ? Those shaped by the will of God. Who do others see when they look at You? Amen. Shall we pray? Father, once again, at the close of this day, we bow before Your throne of grace with joy in our hearts. As well with hearts of humility. Thanking You and praising You for who You are and what You have done. Father, we confess that we need this instruction. Sometimes it's so easy to say, well, I'm a believer. I'm a Christian. I've received the Lord Jesus Christ. And just to go on with life as if nothing has changed. But Father, indeed, You require, as we might say, a drastic change. The believer can't help it but to be changed with the renewing of our minds as You transform Your people, our lives, by the power of Your Holy Spirit. And Father, we pray again that You would forgive us when indeed our outside does not match our new inside. But we pray more and more that You would continue that work of transformation, that that which the world sees and that which we see of each other would be a mirror image, a beautiful reflection of the work of Your Spirit inside of our hearts and lives. Father, sometimes Your Word is hard to take. Sometimes we don't want to agree with it. Sometimes we still want to go our own way. But we pray that You would take away our stubbornness, cause us to be submissive to Your instruction. We thank You and praise You that You are our God and our Father for the sake of Jesus Christ. In His name alone we pray. Amen.