The Power of a Transformed Life

Introduction

I invite you to please get out your Bible this evening and make your way over into the book of Romans to Romans the 12th chapter. Will you please turn your Bible to Romans chapter 12? As you turn to Romans 12, I want to say good evening to you. It’s so good to see you this evening. I want to thank Brother Sean for doing a wonderful job leading us in those songs. Brother Barry for his wonderful prayer. I’m so happy that we are here together in this place to praise and honor God and study from his word.

Some are dear friends of mine. I appreciate you being here. Some wonderful preachers are here. Brother Carrie Dillard Carrie Gillinger is here that we worked together in Leesburg for about five years. I’m happy that he made it. And I’m happy that just all of you are here.

Weekdays can be tough. Some of you had long days, a long day at work. Some of you had to get the kids to school, pick them up, get them to an extracurricular activity. I realize it’s a lot that goes on in a day. But you carved out some time to be here and to focus on spiritual things. And I don’t take that for granted. I truly do not. And I appreciate you being here, and I hope our time will be well spent. Not to hear me preach, but to think about Jesus and to praise Jesus and honor Jesus, because this is all about Jesus and bringing him glory because he’s the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. So thank you so much for giving me this privilege and this opportunity to study the Bible with you this evening.

You know, about a about a year ago, about a year ago, my two children decided to do their own experiment. They decided to do their own science experiment. They decided to see a caterpillar go through the process of metamorphosis. And for all the parents here, have your children ever tried that before? Have your children ever tried to see the process of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly? It’s not incredibly hard for them to do. I mean, in the case of my kids, all they did was take two caterpillars hostage that they found in the backyard, and they place them in this special container that they had, and they gave both of them names. And if they had just done simple things like feed them and made sure they had enough water and air and kept the sun from cooking them, then everything would have turned out just fine.

The process would have completed itself. They would have seen these caterpillars turn into beautiful butterflies, but unfortunately, that did not happen. Unfortunately, my two children did not do the things that they were supposed to do. They did not consistently keep an eye on these caterpillars, and they did not make sure they had sufficient food and water and air, and they did not protect them from the extreme Arizona heat. And the result of that was they died. They gave up their caterpillar ghost. They did not complete the process of metamorphosis. And did you know that the Bible talks about this process as well? Oh, yes, the Bible talks about the process of metamorphosis. For example, in Matthew, the 17th chapter, and Matthew the 17th chapter in verse number two.

If you remember, the scripture says that while on a high mountain with three of his apostles, Peter, James, and John, Jesus was transfigured. Remember, Jesus was transfigured on a mountain. The word transfigured that is used there in the text comes from the Greek word from which we get our word metamorphosis. Metamorphosis. Metamorphosis is the idea of one experiencing transformation. It’s the idea of one experiencing an inward change that manifests itself outwardly in the case of Jesus Christ. What was inside of him was made visible. It was made evident to the apostles in some way. In some way, Peter, James, and John could see the inward glory and nature of Jesus. Jesus experienced spiritual metamorphosis while he was on the mountain. And the apostle Paul tells us that Christians should be experiencing that as well.

Paul actually says that in the book of Romans. Romans chapter 12. The book of Romans is a book about unity. The whole book is about unity. It’s about Jews and Gentiles learning to get along in the church. And Paul makes a case for that throughout the book as to how because they had been saved by the blood of Jesus and received forgiveness, they should learn to get along with each other. Be united in the cause of the gospel. That’s really the point of the first 11 chapters, a case for unity. And then beginning in chapter 12 in verse number one, Paul goes on to say, Therefore, I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship, and do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

I want you to notice carefully a word that’s used in verse number two of this text. Do you see the word transformed there? You see the word transformed. That word transformed that the apostle Paul uses there is the same word that’s used to describe what happened to Jesus on the mountain and Matthew 7 in verse 17 in verse 2. It is the word metamorphosis. It is the word that talks about inward change or inward transformation that should be manifesting itself outwardly in the case of Christians or disciples of Jesus Christ, when we chose to be converted by the word of God, we were spiritually changed in our hearts, and that should have been that should have become evident to the people around us. That should have become evident to the people that we interact with on a daily basis.

You see, our spiritual metamorphosis, our spiritual transformation should have been made evident by the fact that we now, as Christians, choose to live lives of sacrifice. We live lives of sacrifice and service to God. The Apostle Paul in Philippians chapter 3 says that that’s exactly what he chose to do with his life. If you remember in Philippians chapter 3, the Apostle Paul provides his lengthy resume as a Jew. In Philippians chapter 3, Paul says that before he became a Christian, before he became a disciple, he was a rising star of Judaism. He was a Hebrew of Hebrews. He was a Pharisee. He was someone who may have had the potential to one day be on the Sanhedrin council, but he gave it all up to follow Jesus.

He gave it all up to become a Christian. In verse number seven of that chapter, he says he counted those things as laws for the sake of Christ. Paul’s spiritual transformation was manifested through the sacrifices he made to be a follower of Jesus Christ, and that same thing should be seen, should be seen in us and through us. Paul makes that very point here in Romans 12 and verse 1. Again, when he says in verse 1, therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God to present your bodies, your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. The apostle Paul says that as Christians, how we live our lives every single day, the things we do with our bodies should be offered up as a sacrifice unto God.

How we walk, how we live each day. That is something that we should be offering to the service and glory of God. That’s what he’s saying there in Romans 12. But Jesus preached that first. Jesus preached that first when you go to Matthew chapter 16 and then verse number 24. And Matthew chapter 16, and in verse number 24, as Jesus here talks about discipleship, authentic, genuine discipleship. Jesus says in Matthew 16 and verse number 24, if anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Do you see what Jesus is saying there about authentic and genuine discipleship?

I submit to you that everything Jesus talks about there in those verses requires sacrifice. Denying my will for his will. That requires sacrifice. Taking up my cross and being willing to suffer for him. That requires sacrifice, following him and walking with him every single day of my life. That requires sacrifice. That requires me personally. Me giving up the things that I personally want to do with my life to live for him. To live for his glory, to being willing to give up the sinful pleasures of this world to please the one who made me and died on the cross for my sins. You see, the transformed life should be made evident by the fact that we choose as Christians to live lives of sacrifice for the glory of God.

But not only should it be made evident by the fact that we live lives of sacrifice, it also should be made evident by the fact that we choose to stand out. We choose to shine. We choose to be different. We choose not to be conform to the world and like the world, as Paul talks about in Romans 12 and verse 2. But we’re gonna we’re gonna be different than the world.

We’re gonna have different priorities than the world. We’re gonna have different thinking than the world. We’re gonna have different vision than the world. We’re gonna treat people different than the world. We’re gonna be forgiving people, unlike people in the world. We’re gonna be kind. We’re gonna be gracious, we’re gonna be patient and full of love and compassion and grace towards all people, and not just the people that I like. Or just to the people who are nice to me and who agree with me all the time, or just to the people who believe the same kind of things I believe politically, or who look like me and act like me and talk like me. No, the transformed person treats all people with kindness and grace and respect.

This also involves being someone who has integrity, being someone who has ethics, who is honest, who’s unwilling to cheat and lie and cut corners to get ahead in life. It also involves being a person who has joy in every single circumstance of life, and being someone who seeks to be a peacemaker and not a peacebreaker, and being someone who promotes holiness and righteousness and purity, and being someone who doesn’t go around bragging about myself and lifting myself up and putting myself on a pedestal and who has self-control. Someone who has self-control over their speech. Someone who has self-control over their desires and their temper and how they react when people poke them and make them mad.

The transformed life is manifested in the fact that Christians live lives of sacrifice. And as a result, they stand out, they stick out in a dark and sinful world. And this kind of life is also manifested in our thoughts and our minds and the fact that we have renewed minds. And Paul talks about that when you go back to Romans 12 again, please. I mean, there’s just so much meat on this bone that Paul gives us here. In Romans chapter 12, you go look at verse number 2. Romans 12 and verse 2, and do not be conformed. Don’t be conformed to this world. Don’t be like the world, but be transformed. Be transformed, be different by what? The renewing of your mind. So that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Do you see that language there in verse 2? Renewing of your mind, be transformed by the renewing of your mind. What does that mean? What does it mean to be renewed in our minds? Or Paul means with that language. It’s once we were converted by the gospel of Jesus Christ, our minds change. Our thoughts change. The very way we think is rewired and transformed. Instead of thinking like the world, instead of having minds that are full of hate and violence and impurity and pride and ego and bitterness and jealousy and prejudice, our thoughts imitate those of Jesus. Our thoughts imitate those of God. Because we have been transformed by the word of God, our thoughts are now controlled. They are pure, they are holy, they dwell on things that pursue humility and peace and love and unity and putting the needs of other people first.

The transformed person has a mind that focuses on serving other people first and not getting other people to serve us first. Not living a life where I’m always trying to get my way. And I want people to put me on a pedestal and I’m gonna pout and I’m gonna whine and be angry when people don’t do what I want them to do. And whenever I find myself in a difficult or attempting situation, whenever I find myself wanting to chime in on a divisive political post I see on Facebook that already has 300 people in the comments fussing and fighting, as a transformed person, my thoughts are gonna immediately think about the word of God. My thoughts are going to think about the gospel. My thoughts are going to think about the numerous proverbs that tell me to be wise in this moment.

My thoughts are going to think about Jesus and how Jesus would want me to respond in this situation. My thoughts are going to think about the work of Jesus and the kingdom of Jesus and the need to maintain good influence if I’m going to do his work in the kingdom. That’s the transformed person. The transformed life should be manifested in the fact that we live lives of sacrifice. And we stand out, we stick out, we have renewed minds, and we’re determined to grow. We’re going to grow. We’re going to keep growing in Jesus Christ. And the apostle Paul had that kind of mindset. And I want to show you this in the Bible, please, in the book of Philippians, chapter 3. In Philippians chapter 3, the Apostle Paul, after he goes through his lengthy and impressive resume as a as a Jew and the first seven verses.

After he says he was willing to give up all those things that he could follow Jesus, he goes on to say in verse number 8 of Philippians chapter 3, Philippians 3 verse 8. More than that, Paul says, I count all things to be lost. In the view of the surpassing value of knowing that Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I’ve suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish, so that I may gain Christ and may be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the base of faith, verse 10, that I may know him. Paul says, I want to know Jesus and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Verse number 12. Not that I’ve already obtained it, I’ve already become perfect. The word perfect there doesn’t mean sinlessly perfect. It’s the idea of maturity. Whenever Paul used the word perfect, he’s talking about reaching a full level of spiritual maturity. Not that I’ve already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that, for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet. But one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Do you see what Paul is saying there?

That’s some powerful stuff. That is some powerful stuff, Paul is saying there. Notice how, even though this man was an apostle, there’s no apostles in this room. Paul was an apostle. Even though he was an apostle, even though he was a man who had preached the gospel all throughout the Roman Empire, planted churches all around the world, even though he was a man who had seen the risen Savior, and he had the ability to perform miraculous gifts and even impart those gifts, even though the apostle Paul was a man who had so much influence in the kingdom of God, had done so much work in the kingdom. Paul says here he still, he still had not yet reached a full level of spiritual maturity. He says he still did not know Jesus fully.

He says he still had more room to grow and develop and become more and more like Jesus. That’s what Paul says there in those verses.

He says in 2 Corinthians chapter 3 and in verse 18. In verse 18, he says this, but we all with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed. Do you see that word? Are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord the Spirit. You see that word transformed there in verse 18. That’s the same word. That is the same word in the Greek that is used in Matthew 17 and verse 2 to talk about what happened with Jesus on the mountain. And it’s the same word that Paul uses back in Romans chapter 12 and in verse number 2. It is this word metamorphosis. It’s the same word. It is the word that describes the spiritual transformation that should be taking place in the life of a Christian.

In fact, here, notice how Paul says that this process of transformation, it is ongoing. It is continuous.

No, we should be doing this every single day. Every single day we should be becoming more and more like Jesus. Every single day we should be looking more and more like Jesus and thinking more and more like Jesus. Every single day we should be growing in our knowledge of Jesus and our understanding of Jesus. It doesn’t matter how long I’ve been a Christian. It doesn’t matter if I’ve been a Christian for 20 years, 30 years, 40 years, 50, 60, 70 years. It doesn’t matter how many sermons I’ve preached, how many Bible classes I taught, how many verses I’ve memorized, how many times I’ve read my Bible, how many church services I’ve consistently gone to in my life. The apostle Paul says that no matter how long I’ve been a Christian, no matter how much work I’ve done in the kingdom, I should be growing.

1. Testifies to the Power of the Gospel

I should be maturing. I should be continually experiencing the process of spiritual transformation. That’s what the Bible says. And the question for us to think about is that happening? Is that going on? As I examine my life, and all I can do is examine my life. Is that happening to me? Right now on this Monday evening, am I changing? Am I becoming different? More and more different. Am I experiencing this inward transformation that should be manifesting itself outwardly? Am I living every day a transformed life? I want to submit to you that choosing to live that kind of life has power. It has power. There is power found in choosing to live a transformed life every single day. First, there is power in living a transformed life because a transformed life in Jesus Christ testifies to the power of the gospel.

It testifies to the power of the gospel. And I’m going to a verse that many of us are very familiar with. Romans, Romans chapter 1, Romans chapter 1, verse 16. Romans 1 and verse 16, the Apostle Paul says, For I am not ashamed of the gospel. For it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, but the righteous man shall live by faith. Notice how Paul describes the gospel. The gospel described as a message that has power. It has power. Power to do what? Power to save me. Power to help me gain access to forgiveness from God.

Power to change me. Power to make me more and more like the perfect son of God. That’s what Paul says about the gospel. And we even see that in Paul’s life, do we not? Do you remember what kind of man Paul was before he became a Christian? The Bible goes through great lengths that give us information about that. Remember, even though he was a fierce opponent of Christianity for a time in his life, even though he hated Christians.

He drugged them out of their homes, he locked them up in prison. He consented to the death of Christians, he persecuted Christians with every fiber of his being. He tried to do his best to personally wipe Christianity off the face of the planet. Even though this man was a fierce opponent of the cross of Jesus Christ, when we continue reading his story in the Bible, particularly in the book of Acts, we learn he changed. He changed. He went from being a preacher, went from being a persecutor of the church to a preacher of the gospel. How in the world did that happen? How did that happen? How did this man go through such a radical period of transformation? Well, we know how that happened. It happened because of one person, Jesus Christ.

It happened because of one message. And that’s the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel of Jesus Christ is so powerful that it changed, it transformed a man from being a persecutor to a preacher. That’s powerful. But we’re not done because we see the same thing going on with the Corinthians. If you look in your Bible, please at 1 Corinthians chapter 6. 1 Corinthians chapter 6. The Corinthians lived in a very immoral city, the city of Corinth. The city of Corinth of the ancient world was like Las Vegas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York, all wrapped up in one. Very immoral place, very wicked place. And many of these people who were Christians in this church, they were involved in that in that kind of lifestyle that was promoted in that in that city.

And Paul talks about that in 1 Corinthians chapter 6 and verse number 9. In verse 9, he says, Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Don’t listen to what the world says. Don’t fool yourself. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. Verse 11. Such were, such words, some of you. You did these kind of things. But you were washed by the blood of Jesus. But you were sanctified, set apart, made holy and a saint before God, but you were justified, declared not guilty before God in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

Even though these people, as Christians in this church, were involved in some horrible sins for a time in their life. Even though they were immersed in sins like idolatry, worshiping at pagan temples, being involved in fornication, adultery, homosexuality, drunkenness, even though they did all these horrible things, Paul says they changed. They transformed.

That’s what happened to Paul, who once was Saul of Tarsus, and if we’re Christians, that’s also what happened to us, right? That happened to me. That happened to you. In fact, I want you to do something right now. I want you to just think about your life. Think about your life before you became a Christian. Can you see that? Can you see your life before you became a Christian? What kind of person were you before you became a Christian? Were you a cursor? Were you somebody who used all kind of wicked, filthy four-letter words? Were you a habitual liar? Were you a thief? Were you someone consumed with greed and you were willing to do anything you could, cut any kind of corners you could to get ahead and make money in life?

Was that was that you? Were you someone who was always angry and always full of rage? And you just said whatever you wanted to say, and you didn’t care what kind of impact your words had on other people. Was that you? Were you the kind of were you the kind of person who had no compassion? No compassion. Were you someone who was unwilling to forgive people whenever they crossed you? They crossed you one time, you’re done with them. You’re not going to forgive them. You’re not going to have anything to do with those people. Were you someone who was full of pride? Were you someone who thought you were better than other people? Maybe because of the color of your skin. Or maybe because you were rich or highly educated, or because you had a lot of privilege in life.

Or used cocaine or heroin. Or maybe you were someone who spent every night at the bar getting drunk. Look, brothers and sisters, we all have a past, don’t we? We all have a past. We all have things we’ve done in the past that are sinful and evil. And that we know angered God and that we’re just ashamed of. But like the caterpillar when it becomes a butterfly, today in this place, we’re different. We’re different. We are changed spiritually. We live better lives now than we did before. You know what that is? That’s transformation. That is a testimony to the power of the gospel. Jesus is who changed us. The gospel is what changed us. The gospel is so powerful that it has the ability to reform hearts and change lives.

2. Can Make the Gospel Appealing

It has the ability to make us new people through God’s righteous son Jesus Christ. That’s the power of a transformed life. A transformed life has power because it testifies to the power of the gospel. And then, secondly, it also has power because it can make the gospel appealing. It can make the gospel appealing. It can make it attractive to the lost people around us. And I want to give you some Bible to back this up. Go in your Bible, please, to the book of Titus. I believe Paul is making this point to Titus in Titus chapter 2, please. If you go in your Bible to Titus chapter 2, the Apostle Paul here, the Apostle Paul here is going to talk with Titus about sound doctrine and the need to teach sound doctrine, healthy doctrine, speaking where the Bible speaks, being silent where the Bible is silent, and also helping people live a sound life in Jesus.

And so he says in Titus chapter 2, verse number one, I’m going to read 12 verses here. The apostle Paul says, But as for you, talking to the preacher here, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine. Older men ought to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith and love and perseverance. Older women likewise ought to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips, nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands and to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God, notice, will not be dishonored. Verse number six likewise urge the young men to be sensible. And all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds with purity and doctrine, dignified, sound in speech, which is beyond reproach.

Why? Notice so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us. Urge bondservants to be subject to their own masters and everything, to be well pleasing, not argumentative, not pure pilfering, but showing all good faith so that they will adorn, notice, adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect. And then verse 11 for the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age. Do you see what Paul is saying there? There’s a lot we could say about those verses. You know it and I know it. But for the purpose of this lesson, I want you to notice what Paul says three times in this section.

Three times in the context of these verses, he talks about how living the transformed life in Jesus can impact others. It can impact the gospel. It can actually make the gospel appealing to the lost people around us. He makes that point in verse 5, verse 8, and in verse number 10. And we really need to consider that. We really need to consider that. We really need to consider how the way we choose to live our lives can make the gospel attractive. It can actually make it appealing. It can actually prod lost people to want to consider the gospel and study the gospel and even share in the gospel. Jesus preached that verse in the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew chapter 5 and verse 16, did not Jesus say, let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and then what?

Want to glorify your Father who’s in heaven. Jesus and Paul are teaching the same thing. If I live a life that is truly transformed by the gospel, then I’m going to stand out. I’m going to stick out. I may even cause the lost people around me to become curious, to scratch their heads, to wonder to themselves, why is he so different? Why is he so different? Why is he so unique compared to all these people? I want, I want what he has. I want the peace that he has in troubled times. I want the hope and the faith that he has that God’s going to be with him and watch over him and take care of him, even though I know he just lost his job, or he just got diagnosed with a horrible disease.

I want the long lasting godly marriage that he has. I want the ability to raise well behaving, respectful children. I want a life of integrity. I want that joy and that contentment and gratitude that I see in him every single day. I want to live a life of proper priorities and a life of self-control. And I want to be disciplined. I want to be disciplined like he is with my words and my emotions and my attitude. You see, my dear friends, when we live a life to where people can see that we’ve been transformed by Jesus and the gospel, that may cause lost people to want to investigate our faith and share in our faith. That may cause them to come to us and want to ask us about our faith and why we’re so different.

That may cause them to say to themselves, well, you know what? This Jesus, this gospel of Jesus changed them. And if it could change them, I know it can change me too. It can do for me what it’s done for them. That’s what a transform transformed life can do. And we got to be mindful of that all the time. All the time. As we go to work on our jobs every single day, as we interact with people in our community, young people, as you interact with your teachers and your peers and your coaches, and the people on your sports teams. When you get in a situation where your emotions are running high on the basketball court or in the football field or on the soccer field, and even when we find ourselves interacting with people on social media, we got to always remember that as Christians, the world is watching us.

3. Results in a Reconciled Relationship with God

The world is watching us. The lost are watching us. The lost are paying attention very carefully to our conduct and what they see can either make the gospel appealing to them and attractive to them, or it can turn them off completely and lead them to calling us nothing more than a bunch of hypocrites. That’s why there’s power in a transformed life. A transformed life testifies to the power of the gospel. And it can actually make the gospel appealing to lost people. And then third and finally, there’s power in a transformed life because it results in a reconciled relationship with God. And that may be the most important thing we could even say this evening. That’s what it’s all about. And so I’m going to be going to some scriptures in 2 Corinthians, if you would turn there with me, please.

And you’ve listened so well and I really appreciate it. And 2 Corinthians chapter 5. And 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse number 17, beginning in verse 17. Paul uses some powerful language here. When he says in 2 Corinthians 5, then in verse 17. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature. That’s the idea of being changed, transformed. Do you see that? Paul says in verse 17, therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he’s a new creature. The old things have passed away. Behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. Namely that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us. We beg you on behalf of Christ be reconciled to God. Do you see the word Paul is using over and over again there? Did you see it? It’s obvious. It’s this word reconciled or reconciliation. What does that mean? Well, the word reconciliation or reconcile means to restore. It means to restore peace, unity, harmony, fellowship. It is when two people who’ve had a fallen out and they’re angry with each other and they’re no longer friends, they come back together again. They’re friends again. They have peace again. Their relationship has been restored. That’s what the word reconciliation means. And because we’ve all sinned against a holy God, we need that. We need that more than anything else in our lives.

In fact, we have received that by living transformed lives in Jesus Christ. That’s the point Paul is making there. But then you go to the next chapter and chapter 6. And we’re going to start reading to verse number 14. In chapter 6 and verse 14, the apostle Paul, the Apostle Paul there is talking about fellowship. And a lot of people go to those verses and think they’re talking about marriage. They’re not talking about marriage. These verses are not talking about marriage in the context. They’re talking about spiritual fellowship. They’re talking about how transformed people should not be in fellowship with false teachers, with idols, with people who get involved in idolatry. And Paul says this in 2 Corinthians chapter 6 and verse number 14. Do not be bound together with unbelievers.

For what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness, or what harmony has Christ with Balaal, and what has a believer in common with an unbeliever. Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols, for we, as the church, we are the temple of the living God, just as God said. Now watch this.

Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate, says the Lord, and do not touch what is unclean, and I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty. Now there’s a lot. There’s a lot we can say about those verses. But for the purpose of this lesson, what I want you to notice tonight is what God says about the relationship he has with those who are transformed people.

He’s not just God to us. He’s not just the Lord to us or the creator to us. Paul says, God is our Father. He’s our Father. He’s our spiritual Father. He is one who has a close relationship with us. Jesus preached that first also in the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew chapter 6 and verse number 9, what Jesus taught us how to pray. Jesus says, When you pray, you say what? Our Father who is in heaven. What a radical concept that was to the Jewish people to hear someone say we can call God. We can call God Father. Not just God, not just the Lord, not just the Almighty. He is our Father. You see, there is power in living a transformed life because that means God is our Father.

That means we are His children. We’re no longer His enemies, but we are reconciled sons and daughters. That is what the gospel tells us emphatically, and that reality should motivate us. It should motivate us to live holy and righteous lives every single day. It should motivate us to never leave the Lord, to never stop walking with the Lord. It should motivate us to live lives of gratitude and appreciation because as Christians, we have access to a relationship with God that the world doesn’t have.

And while it enjoys the same moon and stars and oxygen and food and water, it does not get to enjoy the blessings attached with being reconciled to God. It does not get to enjoy having a close relationship with God and being in fellowship with God and being sons and daughters of God and being able to have God as our Father and being able to look forward to one day being in his actual presence in heaven. The world doesn’t have that. Those blessings are only available to people who have been transformed by Jesus and the power of the gospel. And let us always be mindful of that. My dear friends, we live in a world today that’s full of darkness and evil and all kinds of sin.

Conclusion

Let us always be mindful of what should be going on in our lives. Let us always be mindful that no matter what the world does, we should be changing. We should be growing. We should be looking more and more like Jesus and in the process, testifying to the power of the gospel and making it appealing to lost people. That’s the power of a transformed life. And the question is have you begun that process? In your life right now, have you begun the process of spiritual transformation? If you have not yet begun that process, you can begin it tonight. Tonight you can begin the process of spiritual metamorphosis. If you believe in Jesus and you’re willing to profess him before these witnesses, if you believe he’s the Lord and He’s the Son of God, if you believe He died on the cross for your sins and was raised from the dead, and you’re willing to repent, live a different life, turn away from sin.

And if you’re willing to be baptized in water for the remission of your sins, the Lord will go to work in your life. He will wash away your sins, begin to spiritually transform you, and you can leave here a new creature in Christ, a son or daughter of God. Or if you have done those things, but you haven’t been living that transformed life, you know you haven’t. If you want to rededicate yourself to God, if you repent, God will forgive you. And we will help you and pray for you and encourage you, and you can leave here renewed spiritually, committed to being that kind of person the Lord has called you to be.