Be Transformed

Message Transcription

SUMMARY

In this sermon, Karl Ihfe delves into Romans 12, contextualizing it within Paul's discussion of God's mercy in previous chapters. He emphasizes Paul's appeal to believers to offer themselves as "living sacrifices" in view of God's mercy (Romans 12:1-2). Ihfe explains that this concept, though seemingly contradictory, involves dying to our selfish desires so Christ can live through us.

Ihfe stresses that true worship extends beyond singing to encompass our entire lives. He highlights the importance of being transformed by renewing our minds, rather than conforming to the world. This transformation, Ihfe argues, enables us to discern God's will and live it out. He also touches on Paul's teaching about the body of Christ, emphasizing that each believer has a unique role to play in the church community (Romans 12:3-5).

TRANSCRIPTION:

Well good morning church. It's good. Good to be here. So thankful that you're here. I know we have a number of folks visiting in this weekend. We're glad that you're here. If you're new. My name is Karl. I'm one of the guys on staff here at Broadway Church. They let me preach every now and again. In fact, this morning, as I was getting ready to come in, my worship leader Gary, good buddy of mine, looked at me and said, do you know what you're doing? And you know, that's a fair question to ask me. Um, you know, especially after a busy day of college football the day before. But yeah, I think I know what I'm doing. We'll see. That's up to you to decide. We're in a series called therefore, where we're asking this question, what's the therefore? Therefore, week one, we looked at a passage in Jesus Sermon on the Mount, Matthew chapter six, where he was pointing us to. That therefore was to point us to priorities what's most important in our lives. Last week we looked at Paul's letter to the church in Rome. In fact, we'll be there again today. But that question about what's the therefore? Therefore in Romans eight is, is spirit, that if we're going to live the life that God wants us to live, that he's called us and created us to live, it's going to have to be spirit powered.

And so Paul says, the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is the same spirit that will give life to our mortal bodies, that will empower us to be the people that we couldn't be otherwise. Today we're going to look at Romans 12. And so if you have your Bible with you or your phone. Go ahead and open to Romans 12. As you're making your way there, remember therefore is a conjunction. It connects something that happened before with something that happened after. And so each week we've tried to understand the therefore in its context. And we'll do the same this week. So flip back one chapter to chapter 11, and we'll hear a little bit of where Paul has been coming from, so that we understand what he's saying in verse or chapter 12. He says these words beginning in verse 25, I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may be not be conceited. Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written, the deliverer will come from Zion. He will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them. When I take away their sins. As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake. But as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable.

Just as you, who are at one time disobedient to God, have now received a mercy as a result of their disobedience, so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you. For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all. Now we could just plant ourselves right here and spend the rest of our time this morning trying to unpack all of this, right? Some of you may be reading and go. What makes me think of Peter when he's writing to the young church that he's been ministering to and planted? He said, Paul says some stuff that's kind of difficult to understand. This is one of those passages I think Peter was talking about. Right. So for the sake of argument, we don't have time to dive into it. I invite you to do so. But this is actually the end of an argument. He's been he's been building since Romans chapter nine where he's talking about this mystery. What is this mystery that he's talking about? Well, if you're paying attention, what you learn is this mystery is that God is saving Jews and Gentiles in this incredible way through Jesus the Messiah. And so as he's unpacking that, he's talking about God's mercy.

So he actually goes back to the beginning of Israel's story when God called them to be his people, his light, his witness, a blessing to all nations. And if you are familiar with that story, they struggled, they wrestled, and they struggled with that. But rather than God saying, well, forget it, never mind, that's done no more. God shows this mercy and this grace and this long suffering, this patience. And in the midst of his mercy, actually more people begin to come into that family. More people are blessed. So. So it's this crazy juxtaposition of this people that God called to be obedient aren't being obedient. And yet the gospel is still spreading and more people are coming to know and love and follow him. And so God's response is to be patient and to allow this disobedience for a while, hoping, believing, trusting that they will see the goodness of God and come to find him. Right. That's this beautiful mystery Paul's been unpacking in the last couple of chapters. Now, scholars have poured in a lot of time, spilt a lot of ink trying to understand all of this, but but that's maybe most simply put, that God is trying to find a way to save his people. And he keeps trying, and he keeps longing, and he keeps hoping. And as folks who discover him and they give their life to him, then he says, okay, tag, you're it.

Now I want you to help. I want you to live in such a way that as people see you that they go, who is this God? What's he about? Why would you live that way? Right. That he's calling us to partner with him in this incredible ministry of reconciliation. As Paul will say to the church in Corinth. But in the midst of all this patience and God's mercy, the gospel has continued to spread. And those who were once on the outside looking in, which was you and me, we've now been invited into the story. We've now become a part of the family. God's not forgotten his first people, right? He first called Israel and asked them to be those people. He's not forgotten them. He still longs for them to come, to know and to love and to be in relationship with him. And so in the in that meantime, he says, I'm still spreading the gospel, though my kingdom is still breaking in. More people are coming to be a part of my family. So it's no surprise then, that Paul can't help but lead into this beautiful doxology. As chapter 11 ends, he says, O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and his paths beyond tracing out? Who has known the mind of the Lord? Who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God that God should repay them? For from him and through him, and for him are all things.

To him be glory forever and ever. And Paul's just looking back at this beautiful mystery and going, this is incredible. I mean, who could have thought of this? Who could have come up with this? Whose mind could instruct God on, you know, God? There could have been a better way. And Paul's going, nobody Who could have been more gracious? Nobody. In fact, all things. By him. For him, through him, to him. Paul says his wisdom is unsearchable, and his mind it's unfathomable, and his justice is unimpeachable. It's amazing what God is doing. Now some of us may stop and go, okay, that's great, Paul, but when I look at the world, I don't see unfathomable, unimaginable, unimpeachable, right? I see brokenness. I see hurt, right? And many of us in the room today, we feel the weight of death and grief and loss and shame and brokenness, don't we? Right. Of making decisions that we wish. Oh, how we wish we could just go back. If I could just have that day over. If I could just have that moment over. If I could just have. Right. We feel the weight of that. Paul. What's up with that? I think Paul might invite us to go back to his letter and reread the first 11 chapters, because he deals with a lot of this, right? He understands that, yes, there's this theology, this theological term called already.

Not yet. Remember, he says, no, Christ has been raised from the dead. As as Diane reminded us this morning, our hope, our trust, our belief is that the tomb is empty. Because if it is, it changes everything. It means new life really is possible. And yet it's not fully consummated yet, right? It hasn't fully come this day, as it will one day. And so our hope and our trust is not that. Hey, everything's perfect. And I've just turned a blind eye to the injustice and the brokenness of the world. No, no, no. What we say is no. Everything has changed. And because of that, I'm going to spend every moment, every day between that day and this, when Jesus returns to make it all right, that I'm going to partner with him in this ministry of reconciliation. And so I'm going to live in the world as if I know the end of the story. I'm going to respond to situations in my life as if I understand what has been accomplished on the cross, that that tomb is empty. It's freed me to no longer have to respond in the ways that I might have if I didn't know the story. Which brings us then, to our passage today, doesn't it? Therefore now remember, just be listening for what's the.

Therefore. Therefore, therefore, I urge you or I think a better translation... I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy. Knowing about God's mercy. What we know, knowing how it's impacted us, he says, offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. This is your true and proper worship. Do not conform 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. What's the therefore? Therefore, I think Paul puts that therefore to remind us how we live now really matters who we are. It matters who God created us to be, and learning about that and becoming that, and then living that in the world, it matters. You see, worship isn't just singing songs to God, and singing songs is great. We've done a lot of it this morning. In fact, the reason you're learning that song this morning, that's one of my favorite songs. And so I've been on Gary's case. Can we learn that song? Can we learn that song? Can we learn that song? Right. And in his grace, he said okay. All right. Right. When I sing that song reminds me of what God has done for me. Holy. There is no one like you. There is none beside you.

God, open up my eyes and wonder. Show me who you are. And fill me with your love. And lead me to those around me. I worship it is singing those kinds of songs. But Paul says your true worship is not just the songs we sing. It's your life that you live and it's the way that we live that's your true and proper worship. Paul says, offer your life as a living sacrifice. Now we think about that for just a minute. That's kind of an oxymoron, isn't it? Living sacrifice, I mean, doesn't sacrifice in itself mean something died for on behalf of someone or something? And he says, I want you to be a living sacrifice. It's kind of this oxymoron, right? Like bitter sweet or jumbo shrimp or smart sooner fan. Right? It's just they don't go together. It's a little grace on that one. Or this idea of being a living sacrifice. That. That the sacrifice is my desire, my will. The me. He says that those evil things in me that don't reflect the way of Jesus would die. So that what might come to life is Christ in me. Right. So there's this death that goes away, but there's this life that's brought. So this idea of a living sacrifice, the only way that's going to happen and the only way he said last week, it's going to happen is, is if the Spirit's at work in US.

And the only way that the spirit can be at work in us is to have our minds renewed. It says, therefore, don't. Don't be conformed to the world around you. You see, what determines our thoughts and our actions is based on what God has done for us. Paul says not what the culture expects of us. When we think about how to respond, how do we approach? How do I speak to? How do I live out? It's based on what has God done for you? How has Jesus changed your life? How has he treated you when you were at your worst? Then we respond in kind, right? I mean, Jesus taught a lot about this. It's not about earning God's grace. It's mercy. It's given. Not because of. It's in spite of. Again, we have to get this right because there are ways. And for those of us who grew up in church like me, this is this one's for you. Okay, there's this way where we can get to living such a way that we think we're owed something. And now we never say that out loud, right? We don't compare notes with one another verbally like I've lived so well. God's going to be so proud of me here. Like I'm definitely getting a better seat than you. We don't say that, but we kind of say, you know, now, what's interesting is that's exposed in us when things don't go the way we're supposed to go, right? But.

Well, now hold on. I've been doing right. You hear the older brother. Younger brother parable coming to mind, right? All these years, I've been slaving for you, man. You didn't even give me a goat to go hang out with my buddies on the weekend. And this son of yours Squanders everything and it's like nothing happened. Now, if we're honest. Those words sound a little more familiar than we'd care to admit. But Jesus says no, no, no. It's all grace. Paul understood what Jesus taught that our obedience, our sacrifice, is the product of what God has done for you. It's not something we can manufacture. We can't. We can't do enough. It's not possible. See a sacrifice made before God willingly. It's what God always wanted. And that's why Jesus in Matthew 12, when he's talking with the Pharisees and they're really wrestling with these behaviors that aren't adding up, right? Like he's eating grains of wheat on the Sabbath. He knows that's like rule number three. Come on, man. And Jesus says, if you had known what these words mean, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. You would not have condemned the innocent. You see, God didn't create a bunch of rules and then go, huh? I don't have anybody to follow these rules. These are pretty good rules. I think I'm going to come up with some people to follow these rules.

No, no, no, the exact opposite. I came up with this incredible humanity made in his image. Right? And then sinned. Just wrecks it. And so God says, let me bring some order into this chaos. Like, let me help them understand why, to live a certain way. And so, in fact, being a Christian, it's really odd. This idea in the world is being a Christian is just about following the rules. You're just a bunch of goody two shoes, right? They don't understand all these rules, all these limits that you put on your. That's actually that's actually a byproduct of saying, no, God created us to live in a particular way. And if we don't live that way, we end up doing damage to ourself and to others. So the rules actually help give us some guidance to what happens. I mean, Paul, if you read through the rest of chapter 12 and I wish we could today, my buddy mentor Eddie Schaap calls it Christian Kindergarten. And I pick up in verse 12. Read through the end of Romans 12. It's like Christian kindergarten. It's basics 101 love must be sincere, right? I mean, just basics. It matters how we live. But he says we are to live as a sacrifice. We don't begin with a list of rules. We begin by saying, God, thank you. Thank you for saving me.

Thank you for rescuing me. Thank you for gifting me with gifts and passions and talents and then placing me in a community of other believers to live that out. Oh God, would you help me to be faithful to that? Like, that's what I want to be. And so as I think about how I live my life, it's constructed out of what God has done for me. And as we do so, the spirit begins to shape and to form and provoke us in those areas where we know change is needed. So Paul says, verse three, for by grace given me, I say to every one of you. Right. I'm saying this to you not because I'm the boss and I get to tell you what to do. He's going, no, no, no. It's grace that I even get to share this with you. Because it wasn't for that moment on that road to Damascus, I would be off in a ditch somewhere. But for the grace given me, I say to every one of you. Don't think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment in accordance with the faith God has distributed. For just as each one of us has one body with many parts, many members and these members don't all have the same function. So in Christ we though many form one body and each member belongs to all the others.

Paul says as we get a better understanding, as our minds are renewed, we begin to see ourselves not just in relation to ourselves, but into one another. To say you're a part of something, that God's building you into something and you have a role to play. One of the things that Paul wants us to wrap our minds around is we're now family. That's why all this brother sister language is in there is to remind us we're family. We treat each other like family. He's not just choosing a random picture. He's casting this vision to say, I want you to live in such a way that when the church is, is living out its collective faith together, that the world looks at that and sees Jesus. We were talking this morning in our Bible classes about John one, and one of the main points that John makes is Jesus. In the beginning was the word. The word was with God, and the word was God. And the rest of John's gospel is this beautiful illustration explanation of how Jesus is the Word of God, the living person of God. In fact, so much so that Jesus would tell his followers, if you want to know what God looks like, look at me. So as a church, we know if we want to know what God is like, stare at Jesus, follow him, listen to every word because that's going to illustrate to us what God is like.

The incredible thing happens is Paul says, Jesus, we're built into his body that our giftedness and our role as a church is we get to live out who Christ would be if he were here living in the flesh, if he were us living our life, if he were leading this church, if he were this preacher or that elder, or that song leader or or that nursery worker, right? Like Jesus, people would look at the way that we behave and go, mm. Jesus should say that looks familiar. And the world would say. Who is this Jesus? See, the church is called to live in model new life, not only in the walls within, but especially to the world outside. So my hope and our prayer that our therefore this week would remind us how we live matters. Will we live in such a way that others can experience the love of God through us? God, that's my prayer and my hope this morning as this worship comes to a close, as we turn and look toward a new week and a new day. God, I pray that you would speak to us once again, that you would remind us of the amazing life that we have in you together. That you don't call us to be disciples on our own. You call us into community. But God, all of that, every bit of it is based on what you have done for us.

It all begins there. That you were not content to sit by and watch our lives go down the drain. That you were not content to sit and watch by as the world just fractures into billions of pieces. Instead, father, you sent your son Jesus to show us the way that those of us that you called a long time ago, and those of us that you have just called, we're all in it. By grace, by your mercy. And so, God, may Paul's challenge to the church. May it be ours today. May we hear you once again as you appeal to us in light of your mercy, that God we would live our lives this week as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to you, that we be the kind of neighbors, the kind of students or teachers, the kind of coworkers or bosses, the kind of husbands or wives or brothers or sisters or parents, children, grandparents, and whatever role that you've given to us by grace, would you help us to live it as a living sacrifice? May we reflect your love into the world and God. May you reflect it in us into the world. God, we are so thankful for Jesus and the life we share in his name. Would you bless us? We pray in Jesus name, Amen.