BE TRANSFORMED NOT CONFORMED
INTRODUCTION
The Bible teaches us about the swift journey of life.
The pressure of the world tries to shape and conform us to its image.
The Lord wants us transformed above the worldly things and shaped by his divine will.
Young people especially face some pressures that we older people no longer have to endure.
Things change so rapidly from Grade School, to Junior High, and High
school. Then graduation and adulthood all have
challenges to present to us.
I pray this lesson will help our families, homes, and our young people.
These things are very important and I hope you will listen attentively.
The church is the body of Christ, Col. 1:18
Because the members of the church comprise this body, from the youngest to the oldest we need to discuss this lesson.
From the youngest to the oldest member in the church, we have an impact upon each other.
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
We live in a world where all ages are under pressure. The body
of Christ needs to be close and loving with each other.
I am afraid of the generational wars going on in the church.
We should not be fighting and warring but we need to be loving and serving the Lord together.
Everyone of us have a great enemy that is after each and every one of us. The enemy is none other than the Devil.
I Pet. 5:8 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary
the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking
whom he may devour".
I have watched and observed lions hunting on the nature channel. I notice that lions devastate herds of animals.
They do this by taking down the weak, young, and the aged.
I am afraid the devil not only is after all the body, but he chooses the weakest members to pull down first.
The lion does not pick out his prey by the way their stripes run, but how the zebra runs.
A slow zebra doesn't have a chance against a lion.
A weak and strong Christian is likewise under the gaze of the devil.
Unfortunately and he picks off many victims.
THE WEAK ARE TARGETED
The newborn zebra and the newborn animals are prime targets for the
lions. The devil is taking a terrible toll on
new babes in Christ.
The devil will strike the weakest of the weak.
People who are unhappy, offended easily, complaining. When he
can find weak people,
with attitudes that are not as they should be he will pounce and attack.
A person can be a weak, and young christian, though they have been in the church for decades. I am not talking about chronological age and maturity. I am speaking of spiritual maturity and growth.
The reason I am talking about this subject, is because I don't
want any of you devoured and lost from Christ.
The zebra is safest in the flock. The moment one is separated, or pull from the mass of the flock, they are singled out and attacked.
There is safety in numbers for the prey of the lion.
The devil will us from each other and then pulls us down to death.
Assembling and fellowship is important protection and fortification
for the child of God.
Acts 2:42 "And the continued steadfastly in the apostles
doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread,
and in prayers."
Hebrews 10:25 " Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves
together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting
one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching".
We can help each other and protect our weak from the lion called Satan.
Galatians 6:1-2 "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault,
ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the
spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
bear ye one another's burdens,
and so fulfill the law of Christ."
All of us must be alert and sound the alarm when Satan stalks and comes after us. We as the church are in this battle together as well as individually. Warn others when they are getting close to the lion.
We can warn by having our influence right and as God desires. The boy that calls wolf will not be taken seriously.
A christian that is not serious in their life and actions will not be
taken seriously by others.
I Timothy 4:12 "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou
an example of the believers, in word, in conversation,
in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity."
Some young people are warning others more than older brethren.
II Corinthians 3:2 " Ye are our epsitle written in our
hearts, known and read of all men."
The devil has caused us to blend in the world so much nobody sees any
differences in us. If people can't see Christ Jesus in us then they
will not see Christ Jesus in many instances.
I Corinthians 11:1 "Follow me as I follow Christ."
We must not be camouflaged and so conformed to the world that we lose our influence and our soul!
Romans 12:1-2 " I beseech ye brethren by the mercies of
God, that ye present your bodies 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 ye may
prove what is that
good and acceptable, and perfect will of God."
Don't let the world make you like the world. Be transformed and changed, by the renewing of the mind.
We cannot be content to think and act like the world.
The lord wants a living sacrifice from you.
He wants you to live faithful and serve him. Recently people in
the name of Heaven's Gate killed themselves.
39 full grown adults committed suicide to ride the Hale-Bopp comet.
Did you notice there was not one teenager
in the group.
39 adults left this world conformed together in the same mind and even dress. They wasted their lives together!
The people in this cult listened to the wrong message, and voice, which we will discuss further into the lesson.
The man they listened too had been released from a mental institution. I don't know why they released him.
His message caused people to kill themselves.
The God of heaven wants us to be living sacrifices. He is not calling on us to kill ourselves.
We may never be called to die on the altar of martyrdom.
God wants us to be a living sacrifice daily. The reason is; so that others can see our devotion to God and his son.
He wants living sacrifices. Yes we would die for christ before we deny him but he wants us to live and how people his will.
The idea of sacrifice is unusual to us in America, other than perhaps our military people.
But the connotation of sacrifice here is in a religious theme.
The Old Testament pictured the sacrifices of God. Thes sacrifices were
animals that were without blemish, or spot,
or defect.
One of the regulations to sacrifice an animal to God was, that it was not to be a cull, or defectively weak animal.
People could not give the spoils, but had to give him their very best.
In the account of David and his sacrifice, for the sins he committed in numbering the people. We see a principle at work.
The owner of the threshing floor where David sacrificed, offered the property and sacrifice, too David for free.
David refused and said I will not offer a burnt offering to God that
cost me nothing. II Sam 24:24-25
This is the king of Israel that did not want to be a spiritual feeloader!
We should never give anything but the very best to God.
God will not accept a grudging, half hearted, offer of sacrifice.
God still seeks our very best.
Give the best we have to God. That is what he deserves and expects.
Young people need to save themselves for their future mates. That is very important and needed in life.
But some want to worship God, and think nothing of giving a half hearted gesture.
Even in exchanging gifts, we offer people our best gift possible.
Especially if we love that person.
God is more important than any person. God demands we give him
our best! A living sacrifice.
God does not expect anymore of us than we can give. Our service is reasonable.
I John 5:3 " For this is the love of God, that we keep
his commandments: and his commandments are not grievious".
Philippians 1:20-21 "According to my earnest expectation
and hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with
all boldness, as always, so now also in christ shall be magnified in my
body, whether it be
by life or death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."
Paul wanted to magnify Christ in every aspect of life. We as christians need to have the same attitude.
We know what a magnifying glass is and does. Objects are mad larger. Things can be seen more easily.
We need to show a living sacrifice and magnify christ. We can magnify
him in our attitudes, words, language and treatment of each other.
Our habits and where we go should magnify Jesus Christ and his kingdom.
We must be acceptable unto God.
By the mercies of God and because this is reasonable we must follow
and magnify Christ for others to see.
BE NOT CONFORMED
Lets not allow the world to make us like its image lets transform from the sin and wickedness of the world.
Our father is not in the world he is in heaven. The God of the world is Satan.
John 8:44 "Ye are of your father the devil, and the
lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the
begining, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.
When he speaketh a lie
he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
II Corinthians 4:4 " In whom the god of this
world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light
of
the glorious gospel of christ, who is the image of God, should shine upon
them."
Christ is light satan is darkness. The kingdom or church is light the world is darkness.
Where will we stand with darkness or light.
A young man left us and went to college. He was struggling and
having to make some decision. The lion was after him and the world
was closing in. He was away from parents and close brethren we knew
he was in a struggle and we was afraid for him.
I told him he was going to have to make his stand with darkness or
light.
I told him to make a choice and was is in the light. Our elders are in the light. our preacher is standing in the light, your parents are standing in the light. Your grandparents are in the light. People trying to live for the lord are in the light. Jesus Christ is standing in the light.
You know what is in the darkness and you must decide which and where you will stand. in darkness or light. In the church or the world.
Many are being led astray by voices in the dark calling for us. Sometimes in schools I speak to young people that really disturb me. The boys are wearing britches that look like they need to be pumped up with a air pump. The pants look like a parachute wrapped around him. That boy is listening to the wrong voices. The rappers on television. The pants have the crotch down to their knees and are showing their underwear. They walk stiff with their arms pumping like they have a deformity. And they strut around and pull at their crotch as if they have something wrong with me.
Let me tell you this, Don't ever follow anyone that doesn't have sense enough to pull up their pants. If your following somebody like this your listening to the wrong voice, a bad example. Sometimes I see a guy dressed like that come to the church building and look at him and think he hasn't got it together. I guess they look at me and think the same thing. He thinks he has got it all together fate all he's lived fifteen years.
We get in trouble by listening to the wrong voices.
At the carnivals we have barkers or people, calling out for people to come lay their money down.
Many voices are in the world and they want to take us in many places.
Smoking dope, drinking, sex, pornography, all of these voices calling people to darkness.
We must decide and choose where we will stand.
We need to stay in the range of the voice of Jesus Christ by his word.
Listen to the voice of the one that loves you the most.
Who loves you the most? Who wants the best for you? Sacrifice is the way to determine love. Jesus Christ died for you he loves you.
I visit people in jail who have done some terrible things. I have
looked in their eyes: Young people and old harden
prisoners. I see where the wrong voices have led them.
You better be careful who you listen too.
The devil and the world will call you from light. We need to be transformed and not conformed to the world.
Families need to circle their wagons against the devil and the world.
A man drove 4 hours one way to visit his son in prison each week and then another 4 hours to go back home. The boy didn't listen to dad and now his life is behind iron bars. He lives in a 10 by 10 room slightly above the level of an animal.
Romans 12:2 Be ye transformed.
How can we be changed. The answer is the renewing of the mind.
what are we feeding and thinking on? What are we putting in our minds?
We do what we do based on the thought process. To do evil things, think about evil things.
To do good things, think on good things.
Colossians 3:1 "If ye then be risen with christ,
seek those things which are above, where christ sitteth on the
right hand of God."
Phillipans 4:8 "Finally brethren whatsoever things
are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just,
whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things
are of good report; if there
be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things".
Improper thoughts will breed improper actions. We need to guard our minds and bring our thoughts into captivity.
II Corinthians. 10:5 "Casting down imaginations,
and every high thing that exalteth itself against the
knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience
of christ."
We need to guard our influence and life. The the devil is stalking
and seeking our souls.
CONCLUSION
We are in a battle for the soul. If you are living for
the world you will be eternally lost. There is a
refuge for the soul and his name is Jesus. The way to be saved
from the clutches of the devil is to
resist him and turn to the lord. Have you obeyed the Lord and are you
on his side?
Believe Jesus
is God son, John 8:24
Repent of sins,
Acts 3:19
Confess Christ
before men, Matthew 10:32
Be immersed, baptized
for remission of sins, Acts 2:38
Be faithful
unto death, Revelation 2:10