Study Notes

Foundation Statement: A character life is one in which your body is presented to God by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:1-3)

 

I.      Present your body to God as one through which His character can flow and in turn one through which his power can flow

A.    YOU present YOUR body

1.      You the spirit is going to present your body to God

B.     This body is the instrument through which either character can flow or non-character can flow – Romans 6:13

1.      You can love with this body or hate with it, bless with it or curse with it

C.    Present your body holy and acceptable

1.      Holy – Separated from sin and therefore consecrated to God, sacred

2.      Acceptable – Fully agreeable and well pleasing

3.      We want to provide our bodies to God as instruments through which His character can flow

D.    Your reasonable service – ministry, service of God, worship

1.      This is your ministry to God

a.    You are administering your body to Him

2.      One of the greatest things you can give to God is your body

a.    It is one through which his character can flow and power can flow

II.     If you don’t renew your mind your body won’t be presented

A.    If my mind strays away from the Word my body won’t be presented

1.      My body is going to do in line with the way I think

2.      If my mind strays away from the Word my body will become the instrument through which “my flesh” operates and it won’t available for God to flow through

B.     I (the spirit me) am presenting this body to God as and I do that by not allowing my mind to think in opposition to His Word

1.      I present my body as an act of my will by faith; I live the daily lifestyle of my body being presented by continuing to renovate my mind daily and by keeping my mind on this word

C.    Without a mind renewed to the Word of God, your body won’t be presented to God and you are no use in the Kingdom of God; you’re a liability

1.      You’re not doing what the Spirit of God speaks to your spirit; you’re doing what your flesh wants to do

2.      You’re effectiveness is the Kingdom of God is then based on the level to which your mind is renewed to the Word of God; if you mind is not renewed you’re body is not available and you’re of no use

a.    The more renewed my mind is to the Word of God, the more of an asset I’ll be in the Kingdom of God

III.   You’re going to miss out on conforming to the character of the world and be transformed (changed into the character of God) by the renovating of your mind

A.    You are transformed in character by the renovating of your mind

1.      Be transformed, not by doing something different, but by thinking something different

B.     Evidence that a renewing has taken places is that there is consistent doing (Romans 12:3)

1.      Many believers think the renovation is done because of what they know

a.    The renovation is not changing what you know, it’s changing the way you think

b.    Many believers have been deceived into thinking their mind is renewed because of what they know

2.      There’s been no doing because there’s yet to be a renewing

a.    There’s been a lot of hearing and getting knowledge

C.    Renewing-Present Progressive-It’s something that we are presently doing right now; we are constantly making renovations in our way of thinking

1.      If you make this your lifestyle you won’t be overloaded with renovations that need to be done

IV.   The more my mind is renewed the more I’ll discern what’s God’s and what’s not

A.    Prove – Discern-To separate by the eye or understanding; to distinguish, to see the difference between two or more; to see or understand the difference; to make the distinction; as to discern between good and evil

1.      Discerning is not just knowing right and wrong

a.    This perceiving, judging, and understanding like God

b.     EX: Critical at the football games

c.     This is spiritual situational awareness

2.      This discernment needs to become automatic where you just automatically see it like God (Hebrews 5:12-14)

B.     You discern and do and discern and do until discerning and doing becomes automatic to you and then your way of thinking has changed

1.      If you don’t take that discernment and put action to it, the renovation of mind will never by complete