Romans Series #9 

“Be Transformed” 

Pastor David Moore

Old Testament reading: Exodus 23:1‐9 

You shall not spread a false report.  You shall not join hands with the wicked to act as a malicious witness.  You shall not follow a majority in wrongdoing; when you bear witness in a lawsuit, you shall not side with the majority so as to pervert justice; nor shall you be partial to the poor in a lawsuit. 

When you come upon your enemy’s ox or donkey going astray, you shall bring it back. When you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden and you would hold back from setting it free, you must help to set it free. 

You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in their lawsuits.  Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent and those in the right, for I will not acquit the guilty.  You shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the officials, and subverts the cause of those who are in the right. 

You shall not oppress a resident alien; you know the heart of an alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. 

Theme: You are to obey God.  Your gratitude for grace should compel you into a different relationship with God.  We are His servants; we do His bidding out of sheer gratefulness.  ~D. Moore 

New Testament reading: Romans 12:1‐2 

I appeal to you, therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. 

If you are grateful for what God has done for you, but aren’t praying on a regular basis, you really aren’t grateful because this is how we grow in acknowledging the love of God.  ~D. Moore 

Isaiah 41:10  So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 

Christ went to the Cross because of love for you; because the Father loves you as well and this was the way to bring you and Him back together.  ~D. Moore 

“Paul made it plain, in his exposure of human depravity in 3:13ff, that it reveals itself through our bodies, in tongues which practice deceit and lips which spread poison, in mouths which are full of cursing and bitterness, in feet which are swift to shed blood, and in eyes which look away from God.  Conversely, Christian sanctity shows itself in the deeds of the body.   

So, we are to offer different parts of our bodies…to God as ‘instruments of righteousness’.  

Then our feet will walk His paths,

our lips will speak the truth and spread the gospel, our tongues will bring healing, our hands will lift up those who have fallen… our arms will embrace the lonely and the unloved, our ears will listen to the cries of the distressed, and our eyes will look humbly and patiently towards God.”  ~John Stott 

Paul suggests something never seen before.  Sacrifices are dead, but we are to be a living sacrifice, to be a breathing, walking around sacrifice that was a brand‐new idea and call.  ~D. Moore

1 Thessalonians 2:1‐6  You know, brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not without results.  We had previously suffered and been treated outrageously in Philippi, as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you His gospel in the face of strong opposition.  For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you.  On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel.  We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts.  You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness.  We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority. 

We are aiming to be holy and pleasing (acceptable) to God.  Holy describes the generosity of life we should pursue, and the pleasing describes the results.  ~D. Moore 

The Spirit put in us changes us from people hostile to God to people who desire to love and serve God. 

Romans 8:7  For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot. 

Romans 7:22  For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self. 

2 Corinthians 3:18  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 

Colossians 3:16  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. 

Ephesians 4:23  And to be renewed in the spirit of your minds. 

Review in your mind what God has done for you.  That should recommit you, give you the desire to live for God since He died for you.  ~D. Moore 

It is easy to conform to this world, our minds need constant renewing.  We are to allow the Holy Spirit to transform us from the inside out.  This requires time to meditate and think about who Jesus is and what He did.  Then pray for forgiveness and a clear direction so that we might seek and obey and please God wherever we find ourselves.  ~D. Moore 

God bless you in your journey.