Jesus said this way, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross. Follow me. He said, you cannot be a disciple of Jesus without carrying the cross. So in one way, we reflect upon the cross. We praise God for what Jesus did at the cross. But in another way, we accept whatever God brings into our life that may be a heavy burden, a heavy cross that we need to carry. And it is worth it to carry the cross for our Savior. It's worth it to deny yourself, take up the cross, and follow the Lord Jesus Christ. I hope that song will be a blessing and encouragement to us to treasure the cross, to cherish it, not only in a reflective way, but also in a receptive way to receive what God has for our lives, whatever burden that he has for us to carry. Let's open our Bibles this morning to Romans chapter 12. Romans chapter 12 this morning and once again it is a great privilege for us to be with you folks. It's almost like our trucks and trailers have a pathway to Community Baptist Church when we come into Greenville because really there are very few churches in Greenville that we've had week-long meetings with. And your church is the place we usually park our trailers. And we like to suck the electricity out of the building. And I'm thankful that we got here just shortly after you had the water all over the auditorium. Because that probably would have meant, Pastor, we'd have trouble getting water to our trailer if the pipes were burst and the water is shut off. But I am so thankful that you folks have worked diligently to get this place back in order. And you don't expect sub-zero weather in Greenville, South Carolina that would freeze pipes. But I'm sure there's other stories, maybe your houses, maybe other churches, of some folks that have had the same issues. But I came in about a week ago and I noticed as I came in the kitchen that there was some significant remodeling going on. and it wasn't intentional now also notice there was a little bit of uh... path of insulation all the way out to the dumpster and uh... there must have been a lot of insulation all over i'm sure that uh... the cleanup was no fun but praise the lord that he is provided in getting all that taken care of the were thankful to be here hope we can be a blessing while we're here i want to remind you as i do it almost every meeting that we have that we are not a traveling circus. This is not a carnival, okay? Though it looks like one out on the parking lot, yes, that kind of looks like you might drive by, you know, one of those carnivals, those portable rides and things like that. You see all those RVs parked there. But this is not a traveling carnival. This is not a show. And so be careful. Do not come to the services as spectators. Come to the services as participants. and there's a big difference. I believe a lot of people show up to church these days basically evaluating the performance. Well, how did we like the choir? How did we like the pastor? He preached way too long. You might say that this week, okay? I'm sure you never say that about your pastor. He preached too long. He was too loud. He didn't say enough. He talked too fast. We evaluate, and sometimes, frankly, we are way too critical. And instead, we ought to come with a heart that is sensitive, realizing that what we are engaging here in this service, as we come and we meet together, is worship of God, which means all of us are participating. Amen? It just happens to be the people that are on the platform may be leading in the worship, but all of us ought to adore Him for who He is. So let's be careful, even though, you know, we just come in here real quickly, as some of the angels have said, they blow in, they blow up, and they blow out. I know that that typically is the case. Don't treat this like, well, like we're going to an event. No, this is worship of God. Come and engage your heart. Sing the songs from your heart. Listen to the songs and really testify to the songs and let the Word of God touch your life this week. Maybe it's been a while for you to make a good, solid, dedication-type decision for Jesus Christ, and I hope that this week God would renew your passion, that God would renew the energy and the devotion that He deserves, and that God would just use us as a different voice. I know your pastor preaches the Word of God. And that's one of the reasons we love being around him. He's a man of the word. He's a man who preaches God's word faithfully and passionately. But sometimes it's good for a church like this to have some different voices come in. And we probably will say some of the virtually same things he says. We might say it a little bit louder. I know that. We might say it with great intensity, that's the gift that God has given to us. By God's grace, we will just reinforce what your pastor has already been teaching you. And that is that we are pilgrim strangers as believers here on this earth and we have a mission to accomplish for God. And I hope that all of us would recognize that it's about God and His glory, lifting up who He is, lifting up His name. And because of the Gospel, and because of our salvation, we have that privilege once again, don't we? We have been brought back into a proper setting, a proper relationship with God, whereby we can actually magnify His name, which was the intended purpose of our creation. And I hope that this week that we would be reminded of that all-important priority, living for God. That's the purpose of our life, living for Him and for His glory. And this is why this morning we have turned to a very familiar text of Scripture, Romans 12, 1 and 2. I remember about 13 years ago when I started traveling as an evangelist, I told myself I'm gonna try to stay away from some of the most common texts of scripture. I mean, probably everybody in this room has heard not just one sermon, but maybe five sermons, five messages from Romans 12, 1 and 2. And I remember thinking, I'm going to kind of stay away from some of those common texts that everybody has memorized and everybody knows by heart. And I started to recognize as I've traveled and been in a lot of places, that folks, some of the verses we quote the most are verses we don't live. And we need to be reminded of this text of scripture. I'll be reading from the King James Version. And I know many of you have an ESV or another translation, but you may have even memorized it. From the King James Version, it says this, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. This text, whether you are a lost person or a saved person, provides much truth that can impact your life. Obviously, if you're here this morning and you have never received Jesus Christ as your Savior, He speaks at the beginning here of the mercies of God. And we'll talk about that in just a moment. But the most important thing is that you have experienced God's salvation. That you have been born into the family of God. And if you're here and you've never done that, I say to you, now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation. But I believe the primary emphasis in the primary context of this text of scripture is to those of us who are already believers. And notice the intensity that Paul gives to us. The writer gives this in the first few words, I beseech you. This is one of the strongest ways of saying I invite you, I literally, I urge you. And as a preacher this morning, I would like to say what the writer said. I urge you, I invite you, with all the passion of my heart and the sound of my voice, I urge you to consider these verses once again. I believe these verses reveal to us the amazing, miraculous potential that every person has because of Jesus Christ. You know, this text reveals to us that everyone has the possibility and the potential to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord. You know, potential is a wonderful thing. You go up to a young person, you say, hey, you got great potential. That potential cannot be fulfilled unless they follow God's plan for their life. And in the same way, we all have potential as created beings in the image of God. We have potential through the power of Christ to be something great for God. I want you to remember this phrase throughout the message this morning. With Christ, we can do and be everything. Do you agree with me? But without Christ, we can do nothing. I think that when I say that, I'm sure it reminds you of a couple other verses in the New Testament. Philippians 4 verse 13. I can do, say it with me, I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. Now in the specific context of Philippians chapter 4, Paul is revealing this idea of contentment. If there's anything we need in the church today, it's we need to be content. with such things as we have. He says, no matter what state I am there with, I will be content. And so the specific issue in Philippians 4 when He says, I can do all things, He's saying, I can be content. Are you content this morning? With the power of Christ. You can be content. But I think in a general sense, we all would agree that really it's not just the issue of contentment that comes through the power of Christ. It's every issue of life. There's really no power in us to obey God apart from the power of Jesus Christ. And with Christ we can do all things. But then Jesus said it this way, without me, say it with me, you can do nothing. Folks, I hope we would grasp this morning the gravity and the significance of the power of Jesus Christ on our life. The power of Christ is the only thing that enables any positive potential to come out of our life, any fruit, any possibilities. It's the power of Jesus Christ. And I believe Romans 12, 1 and 2 reveal to us five potentials, five possibilities, five Fruits that come as a result of the power of Jesus Christ on our life Notice the first potential is revealed in the first phrase. I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God We've already mentioned this but obviously the first potential that we have Through the power of Christ is we can number one we can be delivered We can be delivered Of course you know that Romans 12 follows Romans 1 through 11. Are you with me this morning? I know it's Sunday morning, but that's hard to figure out, right? Romans 12 follows Romans 1 through 11. Does anybody know what is revealed to us in Romans 1 through 11? Well, if you were going to do an in-depth study of the Book of Romans, you would find out that almost every commentator, almost every Bible scholar would give to us chapters 1 through 11 are the doctrinal, is the doctrinal theological section of the Book of Romans. And then the latter chapters from Romans 12 on would be what we would call the practical application of the theology and the doctrines of Romans 1 through 11. By the way, I think that is a very good pattern for our Bible teaching. A heavy, heavy dose of theology. And then, practical application. Sad to say, many churches and much preaching today is all about practice, all about practical living, and very little depth. Very little doctrine. And I think Romans gives us this pattern. Lots and lots of doctrine. And then practical application because we do what we do because we believe what we believe. Amen? Our behavior is dictated by our belief. And so, in Romans 1 through 11 are revealed to us theological teachings, doctrines, and especially of soteriology. Salvation theology. And this is why he comes to us in chapter 12 verse 1 and he says, By the mercies of God I beseech you. He is obviously referring back to Romans 1 through 11. It's in Romans 1 through 11 where we find what we call the Romans Road. Are you familiar with that? Romans 3.10, as it is written, there is none righteous, no not one. Romans 3.23, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Romans 5.12, wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. Romans 6 verse 23 for the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord Romans 10 verses 9 and 10 that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved for with a heart man believes unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made into salvation And verse 13 says, for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be what? Saved. If you're glad you're saved this morning, say amen. So Romans 1 through 11 reveal to us what is commonly known as the Romans Road. And of course, those are some of the key verses. But man alive, if you've ever read through Romans 1 through 11, surely you see terms like justification. being literally declared righteous when you aren't righteous, based on the sacrifice of Jesus. Terms like redemption, literally being purchased by the sacrifice, the blood of Jesus Christ, purchased out of the slave market of sin, and adopted, adoptions revealed to us in Romans 1-11, adopted into the family of God. How about reconciliation, where the Bible tells us that we are exchanged in our status from being an enemy of God, and now we have become a friend of God, all because of the miracle of Jesus Christ, and when we believe by faith. And could we not go on and on and on? Folks, I say to you as a believer, based upon this text of Scripture, that God has been merciful to us. And I urge you, based upon the fact that you have experienced God's mercy, that you would live a life of sacrifice, a life of surrender to God. Why? Because the potential by God's grace in many of us this morning has already been brought out. And that potential is salvation, deliverance. We have been delivered. What do we need to be delivered from? Well, when we're born, we're not good people. As a matter of fact, we're dead in trespasses and sins, the Bible says in Ephesians chapter 2. And it's important that we recognize that from the top of our head to the bottom of our feet, there is no soundness in us. Folks, you know what we need? We need deliverance from our own sin. The soul that sinneth, it shall die. Because of the sacrifice, He became sin for us. That's mercy. That's God's grace. The mercies of God. We're delivered, obviously, from our own sin, because our sin will send us to hell. But we're also delivered from the grasp of Satan. Contrary to popular teaching, not everybody is a child of God. Did you know that? That's politically correct, but that's not the truth of the Bible. Not everyone is a child of God. As a matter of fact, when we're born, we're born children of disobedience, children of the devil. John 8 verse 44, Ye are of your father the devil. You know what? When we are delivered, we're delivered from Satan. What a wonderful privilege to know that greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. Folks, this is the mercy that he's talking about. This is the potential. And again, I say, if you've never received Jesus, you need to experience the mercy of God through saving faith to deliver you from sin and to deliver you from Satan. Isn't it amazing that this is the power of Christ in us, the power of Christ, to fulfill this potential to be rescued, to be delivered. And I say again what the writer says, I urge you, based upon this deliverance, that you would live a life for God, live a life for Jesus Christ. This is the first potential. Without Christ, we would all be doomed and damned, wouldn't we? But with Christ, praise the Lord, the miracle has happened, the transforming power, the justification, the reconciliation, the redemption, the forgiveness, the adoption, all of this has taken place. And so Paul is revealing to us here that this is what Christ can do for us by the mercies of God. I beseech you, therefore, by the mercies of God, which reveals, obviously, the potential to be delivered. I hope you've been delivered. Truly, we ought to say, thanks be to God. for his unspeakable gift. Thank you Lord for saving my soul. But of course we know verse 1 continues. And you know it's important that we recognize that salvation is only the first potential that is fulfilled in our life through the power of Christ. There is something else that happens, and that is surrender. He tells us, number two, that we ought to be, and we should be, this is the potential, that we can be dedicated. So first of all, the deliverance is through salvation, and the dedication is through surrender. It's interesting how he says this in verse one. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, This is what he's urging us to do. This is the action that we ought to do once we've been delivered, once we've experienced this salvation, that you would present your bodies a living sacrifice. It's interesting that the writer draws on the sacrificial system of the Old Testament. Can you imagine? For years and years, the Jewish people have been sacrificing. And obviously, those who were true believers were looking toward the true sacrifice. As we look back to the sacrifice, they were looking forward to the sacrifice. For Hebrews tells us the sacrifices of an animal could never take away sins. So trusting in the blood of the animal was not the way to be saved. It was an illustration. It was a representation of how they would be saved by the Lamb of God. But think about how rich it is to these New Testament believers and to us that no longer do we have to offer a dead sacrifice, animal sacrifice, to picture what Jesus did on the cross. But rather, as a result of His sacrifice, now we can give ourselves as the sacrifice. The key word is living. You know, one of the characteristics of all of the animal sacrifices was they were all dead, right? You had to kill the sacrifice. But you know what? God tells us in this age, in the age of grace, in the time of our salvation, looking back towards the cross, that no longer do we have to kill an animal and give a dead sacrifice. Now we are blessed to have this potential, that we have a living sacrifice. Isn't that wonderful? To know that literally every day that we live, every choice that we make can be a choice of sacrificial devotion to God because He has delivered us. This is dedication. It's living your life for God, not for yourself. It's full, total, 100% surrender of it all to God. He says, it is holy. You see that? This is the characteristic. It's a sacrifice that is living, which is a privilege. That our life is the sacrifice. Our body is the sacrifice. He says, it is holy. This word holy obviously means to be set apart. Set apart as His people from sin. Set apart as His people for His glory. We are God's special people. Peculiar people zealous of good works God's special people and we are set apart from sin for his glory He says it is acceptable. This is another characteristic of this dedication. It is living dedication It is a holy dedication. It is acceptable. In other words. This is the best way to please God Hey, listen, if you're here today and you say yeah, I want to please God, you know what God wants. He wants your life He wants a living sacrifice. He wants your body. He wants your heart. He wants it all. Give it to Him as a living sacrifice. It pleases Him. And it's interesting how He ends verse 1. Not only is it holy, and it is acceptable, and it's living, but it is reasonable. And the idea of this phrase, and sometimes it's even translated out differently in other English translations, it is literally our logical action of true worship. Our logical action of worship for God is giving everything back to Him. And this is basically the idea. If it is Jesus who gave His all for us, then it's only right and reasonable and logical that we would give everything for him he gave his life sacrificially we ought to give our lives because of what we've experienced in the blood of jesus christ folks this is talking about full total dedication Being willing to do whatever God wants us to do. Being willing to go wherever God wants us to go. Because our life has been purchased. We have been bought with a price. The precious blood of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice demands our sacrifice. This is awesome potential. Because if you are not a believer and you are not following Jesus Christ, you can live your life for yourself. but it's not gonna count for anything. It's not laying up treasures in heaven. But we as God's people have this special privilege, this potential. And sad to say the potential is not coming out many times in people's lives because we are so tied to this earth, we are so tied to the things of this world, and we're really not sacrificing for God and giving it all. Listen, we have a very passive church and not a very passionate church. God doesn't want us to be passive. He wants us to be passionate. And I know different people show their passion in different ways. But there ought to be this internal energy. There ought to be this spiritual excitement of our heart when we focus on the deliverance we have in Christ, and the cross of Christ, and realizing we're followers of Jesus. We're pilgrims in this earth. We're strangers passing through. There ought to be this intensity of heart that says, you know what? I'm living my life for God. I'm living for Him and Him alone. This is the potential that we have. With Christ, we can be dedicated. And this is only coming through the power of Jesus Christ. Without Him, we can do nothing. So He says we can be delivered. We can be dedicated. Notice verse 2. He tells us a negative to emphasize this potential that we have. And that is, number three, we can be different. We can be different. When I say that, be different, I'm not talking about weird. Maybe somebody in this room, you've met somebody that is just different. You might say to somebody, you know what, that person's just different. That's not what we're talking about, okay? We're talking about a radical distinction between who we are and who the world is. By followers of Jesus and those who are not followers of Jesus. And he tells us this in verse 2. He says this. And be not conformed to this world. It's almost as if he's saying it is impossible to give your life a living sacrifice as a reasonable action of worship to God if you are being conformed to the world. So he says this. Stop being conformed. Folks, if there's anything that needs to be declared from church pulpits today is, don't be conformed. We're not supposed to be like the world. We're not supposed to redeem the culture. We're supposed to be radically resistant. We are supposed to be separated from the world. So he's telling us that we're not to be conformed, which means be different. This word conformed literally is referring to external conformity. In other words, the point is this, if you are a saint, look like one, act like one, talk like one, entertain yourself like one, be like a saint in this earth. If you are a saint, then don't be conformed to those who are not saints. Now, we could go to many other passages. James 4, verse 4 tells us friendship with the world is enmity with God. We are literally His enemy. We are joining forces with the other side when we become linked with the world and we're friends of the world. And so He tells us here, don't be conformed. Folks, it is sad to watch individuals, families, entire church ministries gradually becoming more worldly instead of becoming more godly. That's not the way it ought to be. Be not conformed and this is the potential that Christ can give to us that we would be willing to be different and Be bold in our witness and be courageous in our commitment to be different from the world now He tells us don't be conformed to the world. What is the world? We're not talking about the earth. We're not talking about the globe. This is the term cosmos I'm sure you've heard this before it refers to our to the thinkings or the philosophies or the teachings of the world and This is clearly revealed to us in another very familiar text. Turn with me to 1 John, chapter 2. 1 John, chapter 2. If we are going to be obedient to Romans 12, verse 2, we must understand what does this term, the world, include. What is the cosmos? What is the world? It's the world's philosophies, and they are categorized very well, perfectly, under inspiration in 1 John 2, verse 15. Where the Bible says this, Love not the world. There's the term. Don't be conformed to the world. Love not the world. Neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Three, I believe, general categories of philosophies of the world. Lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life is not of the father, but it is of the world. All right, let's stop and let's talk about these three categories. Lust of the flesh, the word lust referring to a very strong passion. A strong, earnest desire. And this is what he's describing. The lust or the desire of the flesh. In other words, living for yourself. Living for your own pleasure. This is living for pleasure. We would say the term, in a philosophical way, we would call this hedonism. Living for yourself. Folks, you don't have to look very far and long. in this whole world to find a whole lot of people and that's what motivates them. That's what drives them. Gotta get to the next fun event. Gotta get to the next party. Gotta just enjoy life. Live it up. Party hardy. This is the way to live. After all, we're living for ourselves. Living for our own pleasure. And what I'm saying, folks, is this is exactly what God's people ought not be conformed to. We are not to be conformed to this lust of the flesh, living for our own pleasure. And yet how sad it is that people forsake the work of God, the house of God, the sacrifice for God, and they forsake it for simple, fleeting pleasures. When we are God's people, we are to be radically different than this. You know, here's the radical difference. If you are a child of God, you don't live for your pleasure. Amen? You live for his pleasure. Every choice and every decision you make, you ask yourself, does this please God? Does this please God? Don't you see? That's how a pilgrim lives. That's how a believer lives. That's how a genuine disciple of Christ lives. Radically different from the cultural norm, the living for pleasure. Then he says this, the lust of the eyes. we might categorize this as living for or being motivated by possessions. All right, the philosophical term would be what? Materialism. And oh my, don't we see this in American society? And folks, it's also in the church, where people are so concerned about their money, they can't support the work of God, they can't give to missionaries. We're so concerned about our economic condition. Listen, the Bible does not say it's wrong to have money, but it does say it's wrong to love money. Living for possessions. Gotta have the next toy. Gotta have the next technology. Gotta build a big bank account. Gotta have a lot of stuff to impress people. Yet even in this economic time in America, it's interesting that people spend money they don't have to buy things they don't need to impress people they don't even like. And it's really important that we recognize that living for money is fleeting. Money is not going to go with us. Possessions are not going to go with us. Listen, we ought to be radically different. There ought to be a sacrifice of our heart in a financial way in the choices that we make in our families. It ought to be clear that our money is not just for us. Our money is a tool for ministry. Our money is a tool to help other people. That's the way people who are strangers on this earth live. We don't live for our possessions, we live to lay up treasures in heaven, amen? There's a big difference. Not living for money. And yet, all across the church today, people are making all of their decisions, many of them. Many people making all their decisions based on, expressly, how does it affect my finances? You know what, if you're gonna make your decisions based solely on that, you're probably not gonna find God's perfect will for your life. because God wants us to be people of faith and God wants us to see that He provides our needs. I'm not talking about making foolish decisions. I'm talking about making faithful decisions where we're trusting God. When He says, hey, sacrifice in this way, help that person in this way, give to that missionary, support that work. When God tells us to do that, folks, we ought to gladly do that and walk by faith and trust God. Boy, one of the greatest things about an economic depression in America is that we can show that we are God's people and we're not living for our finances. And the work of God continues. The work of God continues to be supported. And even when we're sacrificing and don't know where it's going to come from, God takes care of us and He provides our needs. And let's be careful that we're not living for material things. This is the way of the world. And Paul says, don't be conformed. Do you feel the pull of this? Do you feel the pull for pleasure? Do you feel the pull on your heart today and your family for more stuff, more possessions? Maybe you're finding yourself becoming progressively more worldly instead of more godly. There's one more category here. He says, the pride of life. This would be living for popularity. We would describe this in philosophical language. We might say this is humanism. I want to be seen. I want to be important. I want people to recognize me. Don't you see the worldliness in that? Living for yourself. And the Bible says we ought not live for ourselves. Listen, if you are a true follower of Jesus, you don't care if you're seen. You care if He's seen. That's true Christianity. That's truly following Jesus. There's a radical difference. Not living for pleasure, but His pleasure. Not living for possessions, but treasures in heaven. Not living for our own popularity, but that His name might be seen. That's the goal of our life. And this is what I'm saying from Romans 12, verse 2. Don't be conformed. Don't find yourself slipping down the slope into the world, sliding further away. But instead, we're pressing on the upward way. New heights gaining every day. Folks, we are God's people living in an imperial province called earth. Let's be very careful that we do not be conformed to the world. Be different. your separation from these sins of the world these philosophies of the world go back to Romans 12 and let's notice there's another potential that we have remember these are familiar verses but it's not enough to quote them we gotta live them be delivered be dedicated be different and then notice what he says next in verse 2 and be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed this is amazing the language he chooses to use here this is the opposite word from conformed conformed is external conforming you may be a Christian but you're on the outside you're not looking like one transformation is the opposite it's internal change internal miraculous transformation so this word transformation literally is the word metamorphosis where we get the English word metamorphosis it's the miraculous total transformation that happens when that caterpillar wraps itself in the cocoon and he comes then out as a beautiful butterfly there is a radical change from the inside out that's the idea transformation is a radical change from the inside out and folks I'm here to tell you this morning that under the power of Christ on our life, this transformation is possible. We have the power of Christ to transform our lives. Now, sometimes we might call this sanctification, where we are putting off the old man, renewing our mind, and putting on the Lord Jesus Christ. And in some regard, the very moment you get saved, the miracle starts. But we also believe in what we might call progressive sanctification and progressive sanctification is this transformation this Miraculous change from the inside out if any man be in Christ. He is a new creation Yes that starts at salvation, but it progresses through our life and none of us have arrived yet into that beautiful miraculous changed person yet But we are progressively, continually being changed by the power of Jesus Christ. And notice how he says this happens. He says this transformation happens by the renewing of our mind. It's interesting, he doesn't say that you need to change your behavior. He doesn't say that you need to obey all the standards. He says, you need to renew your mind. For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. And this renewing of our mind happens, number four, by being diligent. This is the potential that we have with Jesus Christ. I believe clearly He is referring here to renewing our mind through the only source of truth that changes our thinking. That is the Word of God. What a privilege we have today in this church, in American society, to not just have one Bible, but to have a multitude of our own Bibles. Many of you have several on your shelf. There are places around the world that don't even have a portion of the Bible yet. And Bible translators are trying to take the Word of God to all these languages around the world, but folks, we are so blessed. There really is no excuse for us to think worldly. When we have the Bible, we ought to think biblically. There ought not be any issue of life where we can't really run to the Word of God and say, you know, that principle, that precept, that command, that example, that text of Scripture really helps me make a wise decision in this area. We need to be renewing our mind through the power of the Word of God. Psalm 119, verse 9 says, Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way, by taking heed thereto according to thy word? With my whole heart have I sought thee, O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against God. Jeremiah 15, 16, Thy word was found, and I did eat it, and it became the joy and rejoicing of my soul. I believe the lack of discernment and the lack of decision making and the lack of wise choices in families and even churches sometimes goes right back to the lack of devotion to the Bible. And we need to know what God says. We need to know how to properly apply it. to yes, interpret it and apply it in every situation so that we can make a decision that pleases the Lord so that we can be transformed in our thinking because our thinking leads to our acting. We can be diligent. Can I ask you a question? Maybe in this new year of 2014, you've already made a decision or a commitment to be more devoted, more diligent in your time in the Word of God. I hope all of us would recognize that this doesn't come by accident. It comes through time and intensity. It comes with quality time and I believe quantity time where we are studying and reading and finding out and maybe pulling out some helpful books that can help us to encourage us to do the right thing and to study the Bible properly. Well, let's be students of the Bible. so that we can think biblically, and then we can teach that to others as well. This text of scripture shows us that we can be diligent with the power of Christ. And then finally, notice what he says in verse two. At the end of the verse, he says that if you will be delivered, and you'll be dedicated, and you'll be different, and you'll be diligent, finally, you will be discerning. You will be able to prove What is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God? And I hasten to say this is clearly not talking about commands of scripture that are clearly given to us. This is talking about application of the Word of God. I don't think anybody in here would argue with me and submit to me that you have to test whether it's right or wrong to tell a lie. We're not talking about things that are clearly given. I don't think anybody in here would submit that you have to prove whether you ought to gossip or slander about somebody. No, the Bible clearly tells us not to do those things. And we could go on and on. This is not talking about things that are clearly delineated. And folks, isn't it true that the things that are dividing the church today are the things that are not clearly delineated? You know what we need? We need discernment. Well, I'll tell you, if there's anything lacking in the church today, in the American church, it's discernment. It's important that we can prove and test between what is right and what is wrong and decide the right choice, the perfect will of God. And even in things that are not dogmatically stated, listen, things that are not dogmatically stated, even in those things, God has a will. God has a perfect and acceptable will that he wants for you, for your family, for this congregation, for our personal lives. God has a perfect will and we need to be able to prove and test what is that will so that we make the right decision and we please God. And what I believe this text reveals to us that we're missing discernment many times because we're missing the difference from the world we're missing the dedication to Jesus Christ we're missing the diligence in the Word of God but if you will be delivered dedicated indifferent and diligent the Bible says here you will be discerning and how dangerous it is in the culture in which we live to live a life without dedication, without a difference from the world, without diligence in the Word of God, and then we're making decisions that do not please God. Don't you see how important these verses are? That through the power of Christ, our potential would be revealed. Our potential would be lived out. To be delivered. To be dedicated. To be different. To be diligent. And then, yes, to be discerning. So that we can be a living sacrifice for God. In our bodies. We can sacrifice this way. With Christ. We can do this. None of us have the ability on our own. It's by God's grace, it's through His power that we can do this. With Christ, we can do this. Without Christ, we can do nothing. So as we leave this morning, as we commit ourselves to Jesus Christ, may we beg of him that he would fill us up by his spirit and his presence, that the Holy Spirit and the power of Jesus Christ would live in our lives in such a way that we've been experiencing his mercy, that we're surrendered, that we're separated from the world, that we're saturating ourselves in the word of God, and we're simply making those decisions that are right for God in each situation of life. We're testing and proving what is right and wrong. These verses have great application for us. We can quote them almost backwards and forwards. We can say them very quickly But they are very important verses I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present your body as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. May God help us by his power to live those verses so that we can impact people's lives for the glory of God. Would you bow your heads and close your eyes? Father, I pray this morning that we would make commitments from our heart to you concerning the areas where you have convicted us this morning. Maybe there is an area of lack of surrender. Maybe there's somebody who is holding on to their own life, living for themselves instead of living for the Savior. They need to literally present their body a living sacrifice. That is acceptable, and it is our act of worship. Lord, there are some in this room who are feeling and giving into the strong pull of this present age. the pull to live the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Lord, I pray that there will be a radical separation and a difference and a commitment of life this morning in those areas where you have convicted. Lord, maybe it's a lack of diligence in renewing our mind in the Word of God. Maybe there's the discernment issue that is missing in our life. Lord, I pray that whatever You need to do in our hearts, and even if somebody needs to be saved, that today, through the power of Christ, You would do what only You can do. Lord Jesus, we thank You that through Your power, this is the potential that we have. And I pray that we would not leave unchanged from these verses, inspired of God, given to us to apply to our lives. Do your work, I pray, in this time of invitation, this time of response. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.