Today on Fellowship in the Word, Pastor Bill Gebhardt challenges you to become a fully functioning follower of Jesus Christ. You're a child of God, you act like a child of God. That's what God's saying here. You say you're a child of God, then act like a child of God. He said that's the whole point of this, isn't it?
It's only logical that you would. And it's not only all that God did for us in the past, because he's done everything for us. But he's done everything for our present. Jesus said, I'm not going to leave you alone, I'm going to send the Holy Spirit to you. The Holy Spirit's now not going to be in the temple in Jerusalem, he's going to be in you. You're now the temple of God. The Holy Spirit will teach you my truths. The Holy Spirit will convict you of your sin, and the Holy Spirit will empower you to live your life. Thank you for joining us today on this edition of Fellowship in the Word with Pastor Bill Gebhardt.
Fellowship in the Word is the radio ministry of Fellowship Bible Church located in Metairie, Louisiana. Let's join Pastor Bill Gebhardt now as once again he shows us how God's Word meets our world. Wouldn't that be logical? You see, it makes sense. God said, I'm not asking you to do something that makes no sense at all. This makes a great deal of sense. He said it's your spiritual service of worship.
The word worship there is the word latria can be translated service. If I were paraphrasing, I'd say it this way. Are you a child of God? If you nod your head yes, then I'm telling you, act like one. You're a child of God. You act like a child of God. That's what God's saying here. You say you're a child of God, then act like a child of God. He said, that's the whole point of this, isn't it?
It's only logical that you would. And it's not only all that God did for us in the past, because he's done everything for us. But he's done everything for our present. Jesus said, I'm not going to leave you alone. I'm going to send the Holy Spirit to you. The Holy Spirit's now not going to be in the temple in Jerusalem.
He's going to be in you. You're now the temple of God. The Holy Spirit will teach you my truth.
The Holy Spirit will convict you of your sin and the Holy Spirit will empower you to live your life. So I even provide for everything you need now. All I need for you is to present yourself as a living and holy sacrifice. See, I need you to say I'm all in. You see, that's what I need from you. That's the part that's yours. I'll do the rest of this. So why should we be all in because of what he's done for us?
What must I do? I need to offer myself. Third question, how do we know if we're all in? Is there any way of knowing if you're all in?
Yes. Verse two, he says in verse two, two things, first a negative and then a positive. And do not be conformed to this world. Do not be conformed to this world. That's the first negative. It's an interesting word that that word there conformed is the word suke matizo.
We get the word scheme from it. It means don't be put into the world's pattern. J.B. Phillips, the great Greek scholar, wrote a paraphrase of the New Testament when he came to this verse said, Don't let the world squeeze you into its mold.
Don't let that happen. Unfortunately, it has happened. In just enormous numbers. If you read George Barna or anyone like that has taken surveys of an evangelical Christian in America today, he comes to conclusions that are shocking.
And he says, when you look at the life of Christians today, evangelical Christians, and you look at the life of the unsaved, they're identical. Everything they do, we do. We divorce at their rate. We abuse our children. We do everything they do. We live for money just like they do.
Our values are their values. You see, you said don't let that happen. Don't let the world squeeze you into its mold because it will.
You see, those are extremely important things to us not to allow that to happen. The word world there is not the word cosmos. Which is normally the word for the organized world. It's the world Aynon. And Aynon means the age. It means the spirit of the age that you and I live in.
The value of the spirit of the age. In 2 Timothy chapter 3, the Apostle Paul writing to Timothy said, Look, Timothy, we're in the last days and you know what it's going to be like in the last days? He said, I'll tell you what it's going to be like. Men are going to be lovers of themselves. They'll be narcissists. He said, they'll be lovers of money. They'll be materialists and they'll be lovers of pleasure.
They'll be hedonists. That's sort of a description of our culture. You see, that's a description of the culture in which we live. You see, it's all about us. I mean, just think of the amount of books written in the last 50 years. You look out for number one, that's you.
Whitney Houston, the greatest love of all is the love of me. It's the greatest. That's what our culture teaches. And we end up embracing it. Our culture teaches us that, look, there's nothing better than more. Nothing better than more. You need more. You need more stuff. You need more. That's how we measure how good we are as people.
How much do we get? That doesn't come from the word of God. That comes from our culture. How many times have we heard in our culture, if it feels good, do it.
I mean, come on. That's the world squeezing you into its mold. That's why the first thing he said, look, if you're all in for God, you don't allow the world to squeeze you into that mold. And if the world has squeezed you into that mold, I can tell you this, you're not all in to God.
That's the point. You're not all in. Secondly, he says, though, do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed. What a great word that is. Be transformed. The word is metamorphos, or metamorpho in the verb form. It is metamorphos.
It's how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. He said, you need to be transformed. The word means that you need to be changed from the inside out. You see, what do I know I am and you are on the inside? I'm a child of God. He said, yeah, now you need to be transformed so that not only do I know I'm a child of God, but you'll know I'm a child of God. You see, you'll know that. You'll see it with me.
It'll come from the inside and it'll work its way out. 2 Corinthians 3, the apostle Paul told the Corinthians that whenever this happens, you and I will move from glory to glory to glory as we grow. We'll change all the time. We're becoming more and more like the Savior. Paul said to the Romans that we are being conformed to the image of his son. We're changing. People should see the change. Each year goes by, each decade, we change. We become much more like him and much less like the world and the way we used to be.
It's the way it works. Metamorphos, we're transformed. The best example you can think of is Matthew 17.
Jesus takes the three disciples up to the mount and it's called the Mount of Transfiguration. That's a big word, right? You know what the word is? Metamorphos. It's the exact same word.
It's not a different word. What did Jesus do when he was transfigured? He said, look, guys, do you want to know what I'm really like? Do you want to know what I'm really like on the inside? Watch. There I am.
That's who I really am. You see, he's transfigured from the inside out. He's transformed into the son of God that he is. And they panic. They're terrified.
They think they should build tabernacles. Look at him. That's what the word says that happens to you and me. Once I'm all in, I am transformed. You see, I become transformed. I look different than those around me. The question is, how do I get transformed, though? Now, I know I shouldn't be conformed to the world. I'm getting transformed.
But how does this work? Next part of the verse. But be transformed by the renewing of your mind. I have to renew my mind. I have to, in that sense, think differently.
That's what he's saying. That's what your faith is. Before I became a Christian, who shaped my thinking? My parents? My friends? Way too much my friends. My parents? My friends?
Teachers? A lot of people shaped my mind. But since I became a Christian, what God says is, now let me shape your mind. I want to renew your thinking. I want to change the way you think. I want your thoughts to change. I want your values to change.
You see how this works? And if I'm all in, that'll happen. But if I'm not, guess what?
It'll never happen. I'll continue to have the same values. I've been squeezed into the world's mold. And I'm same as I've always been. It's an interesting transformation when you think about it. Now, I know that some of you believe a lie and make this almost impossible. Some of you say, yeah, yeah, that's good, Pastor. But I've been down the road a few miles. I'm moving up in years.
Here it comes. I'm fixed in my ways. I just think the way I think. That's a lie. There's no truth in that.
No, no, no, no. Wait, wait. I don't think it's in the Bible.
But you can't teach an old dog. See? It's not in the Bible. That's not true. We believe it, but it's not true. And not only is it not true.
Not only does the Bible say it's not true, but now science says it's not true. There's a whole new field of study that's gone over in the last 50 years called neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is the study of the brain and its capacity to change. And they found out that the brain has an enormous capacity to change. Guess for how long? For as long as you're alive.
Now, barring diseases or something, but I'm saying as long as you're alive. What they came to the conclusion was is that the brain has, and I've said this before in a Bible study, but you probably forgot it, but the brain has about 100 billion neurons. That's how you think. That's how you're trying to think right now.
For some of you, there's more activity in there, and for some of you, there's less. But you're thinking. And these are neurons. The neurons, they connect each other and create thoughts. The connection is called synapses.
It's between the neurons in your brain. The average person goes through 100 trillion synapses in a lifetime. 100 trillion. Just a number that's ridiculous.
I don't know how they measured it, but that's what they came up with. But the idea is that's the connection. And what they found out through all the research that they've done is that the research is that once neurons connect and they keep connecting in the same way over and over and over and over again, they create a path, and that becomes your default thought. That's the thoughts that you... That's a default for you.
That's the way this works. And do you ever notice how strange it is? You know, if you're married, you know how strange it is. The things your wife remembers and the things you remember, those are two different things, aren't they?
You know, she'll have something really important about a day or a family member, and I'll say, I don't remember that. You see, but I can tell you what somebody batted for the Chicago White Sox in 1962, a piece of meaningless information, but it's there. You see, it's what you... It's how you think. In fact, Norman Doigy wrote a book called The Brain That Changes Itself. He said, the brain is not an inanimate vessel, we feel.
Rather, it's more like a living creature with an appetite, one that grows and changes itself when there's proper nourishment, exercise, and the key, repetition. He said, I can think about things in a different way for my whole life. The book of Proverbs says basically this. You are what you think you are more than you think you are.
In other words, our thought process becomes crucial, and age has nothing to do with it. That's taught by culture, not by the word of God. Hold your place and go with me to Psalm 92. Psalm 92. As I've got older, these become some of my favorite verses in the entire Bible.
And the reason is this is never what our culture teaches. This is the most spiritual perspective. Verse 12, the psalmist says this. The righteous man will flourish like a palm tree. He will grow like a cedar of Lebanon.
These are images. If you're a righteous man, you're going to be great. You're going to be solid, deep rooted, be able to resist the storms.
You're like a palm tree or the cedars of Lebanon. He said, plant it in the house of the Lord. They will flourish in the courts of God. This is good.
Now watch what he says next. They will still yield fruit in their old age. They shall be full of sap and very green.
What? Yep. What are they going to look like spiritually in their old age? Green?
Sap? Notice it's as clear as can be they'll still yield fruit in their old age. Our culture doesn't teach that. Look, you're 65. Don't let the door hit you on your way out. Time to get out of here. You don't have anything left to offer anybody.
You're done. That's not from the word of God. God said that's not the way it works. Paul picked up on this idea in the New Testament, and I love the way he said it as he was aging. The outer man is decaying, but the inner man is being renewed. You see, the whole idea that I can be transformed at any age of my life is a biblical fact.
This has nothing to do with whether you're young or old at all. This whole idea of transformation takes place by the renewing of my mind. Back to Romans 12. Why should I be all in? Because what God has done for me. What must I do to be all in? I need to offer myself to God. It's logical.
How do I know if I'm all in? I'm not conformed to the thinking of the world. I'm transformed by the renewing of my mind and thinking about my life in a different way.
It answers all the questions, meaning of life, worth of people, all those things. You see it all the time. Once my mind is renewed, everything changes. How many of you have been really hurt by somebody?
Really hurt? And what do we do? You have two choices, right? This is what the world teaches you. One, get them back.
Or two, avoid them. But what's the word of God say? Forgive them. Just as Christ has forgiven you.
That's completely different. Well, the word of God doesn't realize how deeply they hurt me. Yeah, it does, because it's just as Christ forgave you. And how deeply did we hurt him on the cross?
So your hurt doesn't measure up. You see, who do you listen to? Once you do, your mind begins to be transformed. You begin to be transformed.
And the last question is this. What are the results when we're all in? He says here, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
The word perfect is teleos, or complete, you could say. Wow, you will prove. It's a result clause, what the will of God is.
You know what that is? It's what God has in mind for you. This is what God says, I've always had in mind for you. This is what I want to do for you. Jesus said, I've come to give you life, and he'd give it to you how?
Abundantly. I want to give it to you. But I can tell you this. If you're not all in, you'll never get it. Not ever.
You have no idea. And Jesus said, the abundant life that he talks about is a life filled with peace, no matter what the circumstances. Joy, no matter what the circumstances. Hope, even in the midst of the despair.
And meaning and purpose in life. Now let me ask you, who wouldn't want that in your life? You see, how many of you would want to have peace and joy and hope, no matter what the circumstances are of your life for the rest of your life?
Anybody would. See, our peace and our joy and our hope depend totally on the circumstances if we're not all in. You see, if the circumstances are good, I'm happy. If the circumstances are bad, man, I'm under it.
This is terrible. The circumstances decide whether you're going to be happy or not happy. God says, I don't want you to live like that. I want you to live above that. Not only that, but when you live that way, look at the benefit you are to others.
See, that's one of the reasons he wants us all in. Because not only can I tell people what the gospel is, I can show people what the gospel is. I can not only tell people that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, but they can see it in me.
You see, they see my life is different than all their lives. Who doesn't want that? You see, everybody wins in that scenario. He said, you'll prove, he said, exactly what the will of God is. The whole problem with this whole idea of being all in, though, is simply this.
It's not automatic. This is the one part of the equation that's up to you. God says, I'll do everything.
I'll do everything. Are you all in? And for so many of us, it's like, no. Some of you are barely in. Some of you are sort of in. Some of you are half in.
God says, none of that will do. You've got to be all in. By the way, another way you'll know if you're all in is when the circumstances out there really change. Do you have peace? You see, if you don't, I'm telling you you're not all in.
You see, that's the issue right there. He'll reveal to us once in a while whether we're all in. This is God's will for all of us. It's a resolution that he has for each of us.
I want to close by just simply giving you a story of what it means to be all in. Probably one of the most famous Christians that have ever lived in America is a man named Jonathan Edwards. He's truly an amazing human being. He lived in the 1700s. He graduated from Yale University when he was 12 years old.
So he's a very bright man. He became the president of Princeton University. And he became one of the most famous pastors ever in America. He led what was called the Great Awakening. The whole country went into revival because of Jonathan Edwards. He preached a particular sermon.
You can find it online. It's called Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. And the whole country changed because of Jonathan Edwards. It's an amazing thing that he did.
And you think, well, that's pretty impressive. Nowhere near as impressive as his legacy. What did he leave behind? 300 ministers and missionaries full time were descended from Jonathan Edwards. 300 full time pastors and missionaries. 120 people in his legacy became university professors.
120. 60 of them became authors. 30 of them became judges. 14 of them became college presidents. Three of them became members of Congress. And one of them became vice president of the United States. That's a legacy of one man.
How'd this all get started? On January the 12th, 1723, he wrote this in his diary. He said, today I make a solemn dedication of myself to God, giving up myself in all that I had to God, to be for the future in no respect my own, to act as one who had no right to himself in any respect. And I have solemnly vowed to take God for my whole portion in felicity, looking on nothing else as any part of my happiness.
And I will never act as though something else would ever be that way. What did he do on January the 12th? He wrote down, I'm all in.
I'm all in. You know, think of what happened to a whole country. You see, there's no telling what God can do to a person who's all in.
There's just no telling. But the decision of whether you're going to be all in or not is completely up to you. This is the one area where God won't coerce you. But boy, if it's God's resolution for you, it's certainly my prayer for you.
2019, all in. Let's pray. Father, I simply say in my prayer that for those of us who know that we're not all in, we know we're not all in and you know we're not all in, that we at least ask ourself why. Is it because I treasure the values of a fallen evil world? Do I find myself much like those who don't know Jesus Christ, in love with myself, thinking of me first, in love with more, in love with anything that I can feel that gives me pleasure? Father, that's the spirit of the age, but that's not the spirit of God. Father, I pray that we at least wrestle with this idea, that we give ourselves to you as a living and holy sacrifice, because when we do that, Father, we'll realize there was no sacrifice at all. It just became a venue and an avenue by which you blessed us, that when we do this, we live for your glory and all of it is for our own good, but we still have to do it on our own. Father, we come to you and approach you because of what you've done for us through Jesus Christ. In his name we pray.
Amen. You've been listening to Pastor Bill Gebhardt on the Radio Ministry of Fellowship in the Word. If you ever miss one of our broadcasts or maybe you would just like to listen to the message one more time, remember that you can go to a great website called OnePlace.com. That's OnePlace.com, and you can listen to Fellowship in the Word online.
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That's fbcnola.org. At our website you will find hundreds of Pastor Bill's sermons. You can browse through our sermon archives to find the sermon series you are looking for, or you can search by title. Once you find the message you are looking for, you can listen online, or if you prefer, you can download the sermon and listen at your own convenience. And remember, you can do all of this absolutely free of charge. Once again, our website is fbcnola.org. For Pastor Bill Gebhardt, I'm Jason Gebhardt, thanking you for listening to Fellowship in the Word.
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