Sunday, March 27, 2022 (Notes for the hearing impaired follow the video.)
Romans 12:1 KJVS. [1] I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Our transformation includes a physical change. What happens in the spiritual realm will have an effect on the physical realm. Our new spiritual life will manifest itself in what we do physically.
Romans 8:12-13 KJVS. [12] Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. [13] For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NLT. [24] Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! [25] All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. [26] So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. [27] I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.
Our bodies have to be trained to put our physical desires under the control of our new spiritual nature. We have to create new habits to remove the old habits that led our physical self into destructive sinful actions. Our new habits should lead us into wholesome godly actions.
Allow me to give you an example of replacing old habits with new ones. The music we listen to is one area of our lives that has an enormous effect in how we behave. Music does not simply appeal to our sense of rhythm or our enjoyment of musical melodies. Music also appeals to our emotions, and, remember from an earlier message, our emotions trigger memories. They also trigger passions and desires.
Our emotional responses to music can actually direct our behavior. Music that constantly presents cheating loved ones, lusting after the physical forms of the opposite sex, drowning worries in booze, hating people because of skin color, and responding to violence with violence will have a destructive effect on how we behave around others.
If we put destructive music into our minds, destructive behavior will follow. If we used to listen to that type of music before we were forgiven, we need to change our music to uplifting, positive kinds of songs so we can change our behavior. Otherwise, our music is fighting against the new way of living we are trying to develop as disciples of Jesus.
Listening to music is just one example of how we now need to replace our old bad habits with new good ones. Psychologists tell us we don’t need to try to simply stop a bad habit. We have to replace the bad habit with a good one, or the bad habit will reappear. If you have habits that fight against your new spiritual life in Jesus, ask the Holy Spirit to help you to identify them and replace them with good ones based in the love of God and your faith in Jesus.
Our whole physical existence needs to reflect the spiritual change that has taken place. Listen to
Philippians 1:20 KJVS. [20] According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.
What we do physically should also bring honor to the name of Jesus. Our testimonies about how God has forgiven us and created a new heart in us are lived out in the physical realm. Those testimonies should be evidence that Jesus can help us change who we used to be into a new person who reflects His character. This is why it is so important to allow the Holy Spirit to guide us into living in like Jesus did physically.
How did Jesus live physically? How did He behave? Well, He honored His physical parents. That’s a physical action that brings a blessing from God with it. He talked about His heavenly Father at every opportunity. He ministered to those in need. He allowed the power of the Holy Spirit to flow through Him so those who were oppressed by the devil could be set free from illnesses, suffering, fears, rejection or demonic control.
If we’re going to physically be like Jesus, then we’ll do the same. If you want to know more about how Jesus lived physically, look at the gospels in scripture to see what He did. Expose yourself to Christ’s life and teachings to learn how to physically demonstrate to everyone you know that you have been transformed through faith in Jesus.
It’s past time for the disciples of Christ to behave like Jesus rather than the world. If people can’t see a change in how you live, how will they ever believe you have been changed spiritually?
Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to a new way of behaving based on your new birth spiritually. Make the choice to live physically in power and holiness before God. Your life will become a shining light to others who need to know that God can transform every part of your life, including your physical words and actions. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you into a physical transformation, just like He brought you to a spiritual transformation.