The Moral Vision of the New Testament: Transformative Renewal

Romans 12:1-2 The Moral Vision of the NT (Transformative Renewal) Introduction: If it is your first time joining us - Welcome! We have dedicated this year to Biblical Literacy; meaning we as a church are reading the Bible for ourselves to know first hand what it teaches and in order to be shaped by the story of God. And along with that we are teaching through the Bible on Sunday mornings - the main themes, message and characters. This morning we are in part 2 of our last series of the year - The Moral Vision of the New Testament. When we think about the Bible and especially the commands written in the Bible we can often think of the Bible as simply that - a set of various commands, a religious rule book. You might remember though that at the beginning of the year we discussed this very thing - The Bible is first of all a story. We believe that is is THE ONE AND ONLY TRUE STORY FROM GOD - containing Laws, commands, statutes, principles, and wisdom, etc - that show us how life works best - It is about God’s way, his kingdom way. It tells us the story of the world from God’s point of view - what went wrong with it and how it will finally be put right through God’s anointed king and rescuer - Jesus Christ. So the Moral Vision of the NT is about how we now live in light of that story, how we live in a way that is consistent with this story - or more specifically how our lives continue to tell the story of God. If, the story of God and the world has found its climax in Jesus Christ, his life, death, resurrection and ascension - than how are we supposed to live? This is really the question driving this final series - The Moral Vision of the NT. We saw last week how this was Paul’s two main purposes - In Light of the Good News - To include all People in what God had done through Jesus Christ; and then to conform people from every tribe, tongue, nation and culture into the image of Jesus Christ Romans 12:1-2 Is all about calibrating your life according to the mercy of God - rather than the perspective, goals, drive and motivations of this culture or cultural moment. In a sheer act of God’s mercy we have been invited to be members of his family, recipients of his Kingdom, through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus - Paul is calling us to live a life calibrated by thankfulness to God’s great goodness. Paul says to present yourselves as a living sacrifice - This sounds like an oxymoron or paradox - but it seems that Paul’s idea is that since, through Jesus, we have died to sin, and the order of the old way of operating and living out our humanity - now we are to live according to the new way - we have been raised with Jesus. Therefore we live in the way of Jesus, Messiah. We were once slaves to sin, but we died, and now we are alive to God, and slaves of God and slaves of righteousness. I believe that this teaching, what Paul is saying here, is so vital to the church especially at this moment in history - the contemporary Church has in many ways adopted a doctrine and posture of free grace - something Paul absolutely refutes in this letter - “Should we sin that grace may abound?” We have thought that following Jesus simply means receiving forgiveness of sin, adding some Jesus seasoning to our lives, but has nothing to do with our personal lives being transformed, through personal sacrifice, death to self, and discipline to the way of Jesus. We have come to fit Jesus in quite nicely to our culture’s life of self-satisfaction, comfort, and the relentless pursuit of individual happiness and freedom. Because of this the Church in many ways bears more of the image of the culture around it rather than the image of Jesus Christ…. But don’t make the mistake of thinking that the Christian life it just about being dead to sin or just certain sins - about just pulling out of the world and living a monastic existence - Christianity is about being alive to God!! (Think about the parable of the demoniac - seven times worse) “Escaping from Egypt is only half of the exodus. It is easy for us to forget this, in an age where freedom is understood as merely being freedom from: oppression, from constraint or whatever. This aspect of liberation, as wonderful as it is, is only half of the deal. In the scriptures, more emphasis is placed on the freedom for: for worship, for flourishing, for growth in obedience and joy and glory. Human beings are not designed to be free from all constraint, slaves to nothing but our own passions, triumphantly enthroned as our own masters, even our own gods. Everybody serves somebody. So the point of the exodus is not just for Israel (or for us) to find deliverance form serving the old master. It is for us to find delight in serving the new one.” - Alastair Roberts, and Andrew Wilson, Echoes of Exodus What Paul is getting after here in Romans 12:1-2 is that what you give your allegiance to - what you worship, will affect every area of your life. Paul wants these Christians and us to experience the freedom of the new life in Jesus Christ. 1. In View of God’s Mercy 1. There is one command that Paul gives in light of the mercy of God which is short hand for the gospel. One goal - to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, with two aspects - dead to sin; alive to God. 2. First, in view of God’s Mercy - As I was saying last week, the Good News is that God is King - God has retaken his rightful place as king of the world. He has also, through the life death and resurrection of His son, removed the barrier that barred humanity from being a part of and partaking in his kingdom - the barrier of sin - rebellion, evil, brokenness..etc This is what Paul has been laying out in Romans 1-11 that God, by a sheer act of his mercy and grace, has taken care of the human problem of sin and evil - and invited us to be part of his family and citizens of the kingdom of Heaven. 3. Paul saw what God did in and through Jesus as the climax of the story of the world - the defeat of sin, evil and death at the cross, the resurrection from the dead, the ascension of the son of man to the right hand of God, the pouring out of the Holy Spirit - God’s presence here on earth with individual people, the gathering together of the people of God in one family - the church and the breaking in of the new age and the rule of God’s kingdom. 4. Now Paul appeals to these Roman Christians (Which gives us some insight - these are not pagans, or non-christians; these are people who are following Jesus, who have believed in the Gospel) Paul says to them, and to us - to present our bodies (that is the everyday, in and out aspects of human life, life at it’s best, life at it’s hardest it’s the whole of you - your identity, your sexuality, your relationships, your career, your present, your past, your future) Present yourself, as you are, in your everyday living to God — as an instrument or tool of right living….to do what its right! 2. How do we Present ourselves to God? 1. Do not be conformed to this world 1. When we think of this command I imagine that many of us have a list of things that we believe are in Paul’s imagination… Don’t do this, this or that.. stop doing these things and start doing these other things. General, moral things that we all know are unhealthy and are probably the wrong way to live... 2. But Paul’s command is much deeper than that, this is about switching your allegiance, and the focus of your attention, it’s about a new object of worship - it’s about getting a whole new way of operating ( a new M.O.), that results in a new kind of humanity 3. Most of us don’t even realize how influenced we are by our surroundings - It’s not even that we are taught to do certain things or think certain ways, though that is a part of it - And that just it - it’s not taught it’s caught, and it’s caught because it’s everywhere… you can’t tell and don’t even know it’s there.. David Foster Wallace, in his commencement speech at Kenyon College, began with this parabolic story, “There are these two young fish swimming along and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says “Morning, boys. How’s the water?” And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes “What the hell is water?... The point of the fish story is merely that the most obvious, important realities are often the ones that are hardest to see and talk about. Stated as an English sentence, of course, this is just a banal platitude, but the fact is that in the day to day trenches of adult existence, banal platitudes can have a life or death importance... Look, the insidious thing about these forms of worship (Interesting choice of words) is not that they're evil or sinful; it is that they are unconscious. They are default-settings. They're the kind of worship you just gradually slip into, day after day, getting more and more selective about what you see and how you measure value without ever being fully aware that that's what you're doing. ..And the world will not discourage you from operating on your default-settings, because the world of men and money and power hums along quite nicely on the fuel of fear and contempt and frustration and craving and the worship of self. Our own present culture has harnessed these forces in ways that have yielded extraordinary wealth and comfort and personal freedom. The freedom to be lords of our own tiny skull-sized kingdoms, alone at the center of all creation. This kind of freedom has much to recommend it. ...But of course there are all different kinds of freedom, and the kind that is most precious you will not hear much talked about in the great outside world of winning and achieving and displaying. The really important kind of freedom involves attention, and awareness, and discipline, and effort, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them, over and over, in myriad petty little unsexy ways, every day. That is real freedom. The alternative is unconsciousness, the default-setting, the “rat race” — the constant gnawing sense of having had and lost some infinite thing. I know this stuff probably doesn’t sound fun and breezy or grandly inspirational. What it is, so far as I can see, is the Truth...” -DFW 4. The first step in what Paul is calling us to is to recognize that we are automatically being conformed to an image - but this is not the image that God created us for - he created us in his image, to bear his likeness and shine his character into the world. 5. The idols we worship aren’t usually images that we physically bow to or make physical sacrifices to….But they are absolutely worship - we just don’t use that language - we’re just numb to it because it is so prevalent - and don’t realize how much we sacrifice to career, to beauty, to power, to fame, to sex, to freedom and to our own personal happiness. Each and everyday through the apps and products we use, to the goods we consume we are being sold a version of the good life, a way of being in the world. 6. This passage isn’t just for some Christians; it applies to everyone of us - for each of us there are ways that we are still worshipping things other than Jesus - the evidence of our worship that is we sacrifice - we have laid things on the altar so to speak and usually the first thing to go is the priority of seeking the presence of God - cultivating a life with him - the excuse? - I’m just too busy - doing what? Doing what culture has taught me to prioritize - we sacrifice to this way - we sacrifice good stewardship over our family, our marriages, our finances, our hospitality and charity, our bodies - we’re killing ourselves we haven’t truly rested or vacationed in years.. we’re giving ourselves, giving our most treasured things over to death hoping it will produce life….We are conformed to the worlds image - and it shows up in our physical bodies and priorities. 1. “When human beings give their heartfelt allegiance to and worship that which is not God, they progressively cease to reflect the image of God. One of the primary laws of human life is that you become like what you worship; what’s more, you reflect what you worship not only to the object itself but also outward to the world around. Those who worship money increasingly define themselves in terms of it and increasingly treat other people as creditors, debtors, partners, or customers rather than as human beings. Those who worship sex define themselves in terms of it (their preferences, their practices, their past histories) and increasingly treat other people as actual or potential sex objects. Those who worship power define themselves in terms of it and treat other people as either collaborators, competitors, or pawns. These and many other forms of idolatry combine in a thousand ways, all of them damaging to the image-bearing quality of the people concerned and of those whose lives they touch.” - N.T. Wright, Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church 2. There is only one of two options that Paul puts to us - be conformed or be transformed there is no third option.. Or maybe put another way - in view of God’s mercy - you can either do nothing, or you can begin to do something… 7. How do we not be conformed? 1. I think one major way that we as Christians can begin to “not be conformed” - is first by recognizing that it’s happened and happening to all of us. It’s the water we’re swimming in. 2. Secondly, it is that we adopt a posture of suspicion when it comes to culture - that sounds terrible right? Super religious, and stiff, holier than thou .. but that’s not what I mean - I mean that we live in the ordinary world - but we don’t live naively we live knowing that there is a power and presence at work in the world to draw our love, our affections and our vision away from God and from Messiah - from God’s way of flourishing and life. And we need to be aware of that - and to test all things - run them through the filter - does this help or hinder me following in the way of Jesus; does this pull away from my allegiance to Jesus, and to his kingdom? 3. Does the this help or hinder? You can use this filter receive, redeem, reject… 1. We talked about this months ago in our Creative Minority study - As a follower of Jesus there are going to be things in our culture, in technology, about our country, that we must say NO to, in order to be loyal to Jesus, and to our identity as the people of God, in order to be faithful to who God has redeemed us to be. 2. Be Transformed 1. How? By the renewing of your mind - neural pathways, addiction, slavery and being stuck. Being renewed in our minds is not just thinking differently - though that is part of it (Thinking through the lens of the Gospel - or God’s mercy as Paul puts it) but it is putting those new thoughts into action through our bodies that we actually bring renewal to our minds - it takes action and effort (Since God, in Christ has done this for me and the whole world - how should I now live?). We have to break off old ways, and as we practice new ways, actions and thoughts new neural pathways are formed - And we begin to operate as a whole new person - and of course all this is empowered by the Spirit of God, with the knowledge of God’s love toward us displayed in Christ, and of course a knowledge of God’s plan and future for us - to rule and reign with him... 2. This transformation process is not easy or comfortable for us as humans - we always want processes and procedures to run smoothly and quickly - we want to get it over with - we want a rule book that tells us exactly what to do and to not do - But God calls us to be active participants in our sanctification. He has given his Spirit, and his word, he has walked this path before us as a model and guide through Jesus’ life. He wants us now to figure it out…. it’s messy, and there isn’t always a linear path.. I believe this is what Paul is talking about in Philippians we he tells them - “Work out your own salvation, with fear and trembling.. for it is God that works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” - Philippians 2:12-13 3. Paul is calling us to engage in the transformation process become an active agent by taking salvation and running with it. We are signing up and engaging in learning new habits and new rhythms, a new pattern of what it means to be human. 1. Engage in Scripture - learn to listen and obey - confession and repentance 2. Engage in Community - to walk with you (Serve and be served) 3. Engage in Mission - engage in good works that give opportunity for the message of the good news 4. Get a Rule of Life - “A Rule then is a means whereby, under God, we take responsibility for the pattern of our spiritual lives. It is a ‘measure’ rather than a ‘law’. The word ‘rule’ has bad connotations for many, implying restrictions, limitations and legalistic attitudes. But a Rule is essentially about freedom. It helps us to stay centered, bringing perspective and clarity to the way of life to which God has called us.” 5. Put everything through the filter of, “does this express love of God; does this help me love my neighbor”? 4. A Pastor in Portland, named John Mark Comer, uses this as a rule of life - “What does it mean to follow or apprentice under Jesus? It means you live the way Jesus lived. You take his life and teachings as your template, your model, your pattern - the central question of our apprenticeship to Jesus is pretty straight forward: How would Jesus live if he were me?” - John Mark Comer, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry 3. The Result - You will be able to discover and discern what God’s good, pleasing and perfect will is. When we do this we take the story of God forward.. we write, with God, as it were, the next chapters in the story of God and the world… As you give yourself to God's work of transformation - you, yourself will grow, mature and learn to be able to discern the good, and perfect will of God.. 4. This is apprenticeship language - learn the tools, learn the rhythms of the way of Jesus and the kingdom of the heavens and then you will be able to discover, for yourself, the will of God - what is good pleasing and perfect. 1. As I was studying and preparing this I could not help but think about my relationship with my Dad, and now with my kids. We are in the middle of their apprenticeship - They are learning how to be proper human beings, how to be active participants in life, learning about God, being trained to seek the Lord themselves, learning practical things from cooking, to cleaning to math, to personal hygiene and manners, to history and geography, about nature and the list goes on. And it’s great taking them on this journey.. but I’ll tell you what - they are so eager sometimes to get it over with - Judah (who is almost 10) keeps asking to drive, he wants to be old, he wants to be an adult. But the only proper way to do that is through the apprenticeship of the family. But let me say when we reach adulthood we enter to this whole new amazing dynamic with our parents - becoming a parent and then relating to my dad, oh man, so good, becoming a pastor, like my dad - a whole new depth to our relationship.. 2. So likewise, when we enter into, reach that maturity of, being active agents in the work of the kingdom of God - we enter into a whole new dynamic - there is a whole new depth, richness and freedom to our relationship with the Lord - a whole new adventure to discovery of the will of God.