Good morning. Today is the opening day of some season, football season? Some of you have thought Im going to be really cocky and arrogant in regards to the Bears and Packers game this year, but in light of the season each respective team had last year, thats not the case. The Bears, this is the truth-Im not being funny, the Bears have not won a season opener on a visiting field since 1970 (congregation clapping!). So, well break that today. Im not cocky about it at all. Ive asked this question of the first two services this weekend. Since you like to make fun of me because Im a Bears fan, how many of you feel like its most important that you root for the team thats close to home? How many feel that way? A few of you, right? You know Chicago is 50 miles closer than Green Bay (congregation laughing), so I welcome you new fans to the Chicago Bears. We are starting a series called The Truth Project. It is a series on worldview. Whats a worldview? Some have asked that question. We remembered 9-11 this morning; 9-11 is something that is seen in very different ways, depending on whom you talk to. Most of us Americans see it the same, but there are some in this world who see that as not a tragedy-but as a good thing. They saw that as the will of Allah being carried out and destroying the infidel, the unbeliever. So, this is a day coming up that they will rejoice in as a victory. Others of us, certain human beings, see it as-and I dont agree with this, but they say-its the judgment of God. Because of Americas sin and our tolerance of sin, God is judging us, so He has allowed these airplanes to crash and innocent people to die to teach us a lesson, to wake us up spiritually and morally. Theres another school of thought that says its not about God or Allah; its not about religion at all. Its about mans inhumanity to man. Its a tragedy, and we need to learn from it, prevent it, and move on. Its an awful thing. Then theres another school of thought that says God does his best work in tragedies. Though God did not cause this event, God is working in it and through it, and He is seeking to bring about His greater good and purpose through the tragedy of that day. Those are four completely different worldviews. Thats an example of a worldview. A worldview takes the same event and, because of our worldview, sees that event in a completely different way than somebody else sees it. Our worldview is comprised of how we see God. What kind of a God is He? Is He the kind of God who runs planes into buildings? Or is He a kind, loving, forgiving God? Or is He a distant and aloof God? What kind of a God is He, really? Or is He even there? Maybe we dont even believe in God; that could be a worldview that some have: theres no God; theres no Heaven; theres no anything. How do we see man? Is man good by nature, or is man evil by nature? Is man a created being, or is man the result of an accident of evolution? How did man come into being? Those ideas, those beliefs, form a worldview. Your worldview will determine how you spend your time, whom you spend your time with-whom your friends are, and whom you associate with. Its going to determine what political party, possibly, you belong to. It will determine what church you belong to or if you belong to a church at all. It will determine how you spend your money, your resources, whom you marry, what you do; all of those things are impacted by your worldview. So, having said that, our worldview is extremely important, isnt it? And, its important that we have the right one, and thats God! I think wed all agree on that; if there is a God, its important to think as He thinks. Its important to see the world as He sees it. What do we learn in 1 John, 2:17? The world is passing away, but the one who does the will of God…what? Abides forever. Its what lasts. Let me ask you the question, what is your greatest allegiance? Ive looked around this morning, and I see some shirts that tell me of an allegiance that you might have. You have an allegiance to a sports team or loyalty to a sports team. Whats your greatest allegiance? Certainly its not to a sports team. One might say, Well, its to my country. Its to my political party. Its to my business, my union, my club. Its to my family. Its to my church. Where is your greatest allegiance this morning? Where is your greatest loyalty? What is your greatest loyalty? Your greatest loyalty should be to the Lord, Jesus Christ. That should be your highest and greatest loyalty. So, to find out what He says about the world and to conform or transform our mind to that way of thinking is our task and our goal in these next three months together as we begin The Truth Project. This morning is going to be foundational. This morning is laying the groundwork and vision-casting what this is about. I told you last week, Id be back at the pulpit this week, but I changed my mind, one more week of sitting down teaching. This is more of a teaching kind of lesson than a preaching, more of a Bible study, and then next week Ill be back hollering up there. So were going to take as a theme verse this morning Romans 12:2 (page 1123 of pew Bibles), if youd turn there please. This is going to be, not only this series, but particularly this morning, its a thinker kind of series. So, when you come this morning, dont have the mindset, Im going to sit back. Pastors going to tell some funny stories; Im going to laugh… You need to be thinking today. You need to be aware. You need to be focused, and hopefully youll be able to retain what we share today. Romans 12:2 says, Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what Gods will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will. Thats an important passage of scripture. Thats going to be our theme verse, not just for today, but all the way through this series. Paul, here, is talking about worldview. Hes saying, If you will allow your mind to be transformed by God, renewed by God, you will be able to see the world as God sees it. Thats exciting, isnt it? You will know, he says. You will learn what Gods will is. Thats exciting to me. That which is good and acceptable and perfect will be a part of your life, and I dont think theres a person here who wouldnt salute that, wouldnt get excited about that. Were going to break this verse down and unpack it a little bit. Were going to spend an inordinate amount of time on the definition of worlds because to truly understand this verse, we have to really understand the words and what Paul is saying and trying to communicate to us. The two verbs that were going to look at are transformed and conformed. Conform and transform: theyre important. The tense and the mood, the voice they are in, and the original Greek is important. They are in whats called the present passive imperative. What that means in the present tense is Paul saying, Its in the now. Its happening now. Passive means that the subject is being acted upon. Its not doing the action. Imperative means it is a command. So, in the present passive imperative tense, we can understand that Paul is saying, Stop allowing the world to shape you. Stop allowing the world to conform you. Stop resembling the world. Transformed is in the same present passive imperative. The subject is being acted upon. Paul is not saying, You transform yourselves. You stop being like the world; you transform yourself. Thats not what Paul is saying because its passive, so Paul is saying, Allow the Lord to transform you. Stop allowing yourselves to take on the pattern of this world. By the way, we talked about the word world several times. We said the word cosmos can mean creation-world, but it can also mean, depending on the context, the world system. That is, that which is opposed to God, that which is corrupt, that which we should seek to separate ourselves from. Remember John said, Any man who loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him, for the world is passing away. That was the world cosmos. The world system is passing away. In James 4:4, James says, Anybody who makes himself a friend with the world, cosmos, the world system, that which is opposed to God is an enemy of God. If you make yourself a friend of the world, youre an enemy of God. Now this word world is a different word world. This is the word world that stands for age. It means this present age; this is an entirely different word. We understand what Paul is saying here. Hes saying, Dont be conformed to this present age, this age that we see. That has been the command of God since He began to call on people. That has been His command. When I was in school, one day I remember show and tell. A kid brought in a chameleon. I thought that was the coolest thing Id ever seen. He put it on the green, and it started to turn green. No big deal because thats what color it was. But then, he put it on the brown, and we all watched the chameleon begin to turn brown. I thought, Cool! I think he might have put it on red or something. Im not sure of all the colors a chameleon can turn to. I dont know if it turns purple or polka dots, but I just remember it being several different colors and thinking, That is so cool! Ive got to get a chameleon. I just wanted to experiment, buy a bunch of color swatches and put it on there. What happens when you put it on plaid? I could just imagine what happens. I probably went home and said, Mom, there was a chameleon in school. It was so cool! Can we get one? I probably said something like that, and she probably said, The cat wants one too, honey, so its not a good idea. I never got a chameleon, but I thought it was so cool. Really, what hes saying here is dont be like the chameleon. The chameleon adapts and begins to resemble its environment. Paul says, When we look at the church, we should not see the world reflect it back. Did you hear that? When we look at the church, we should not see the world reflected back: We should see Christ. Do not conform. When God called Abraham and Moses, first He called Abraham to make a nation. He said, Dont be like the nations around you. Im making a new people who will follow after Me and serve Me and be devoted to Me. Dont conform to the people around you. What were the people around Israel? All of them were what we called polytheists; only the Israelites-only the Israelites-were monotheists-one God. They were the religious weirdoes. Can you imagine those discussions? You only have one God? Ha ha! This guys only got one God. They had all kinds of Gods. Israel only had one God. That one God is a very jealous God. He says that. He says, Youre to follow Me and serve Me. Youre not to serve the idols and worship the Gods of the Amorites and Hittites and all the other ites that are out there, but youre to belong to Me. He said the same thing to Moses and the same thing to Joshua as they led the nation of Israel, Dont be like the world thats around you. The Christians of that first century, their worldview got them into trouble, didnt it? Weve learned about all the persecutions that the church had gone through. Remember hearing about Emperor Nero, the sick man? There was a great fire in Rome in 64. It burned down Rome. He had to blame it on somebody, so he blamed it on the Christians. He said the Christians started it. After all, these are the people who wont bow down and worship the Pagan gods. They wont burn incense to the gods; they wont worship the emperor. Theyre troublemakers. According to their worldview, Christians were troublemakers. Eventually Christians became something that needed to be disposed of and gotten rid of, so he torched them alive. He had them torn apart, limb by limb. He had them crucified. He persecuted the Christians. Why? Because they didnt conform. They refused to conform. They refused to worship because according to our worldview, if we bow down and worship your God, we are no longer worshipping the one true God. Christians were radical in and of themselves. The Romans really viewed Christianity as a sect of Judaism. Christians didnt see it that way. When they started talking to their Hebrew brothers about Jesus Christ, being the fulfillment of messianic prophesy, that went against the grain. That was against their worldview, and they were persecuted because of that. Then when they scattered all throughout the ages, Christians have been persecuted for our worldview because we wont compromise who God is and what He has said. So the values of the first century are the same values of the church in the twenty-first century. They are. Has society changed since the first century? Oh yeah. A lot of things have remained the same, but a lot of things have changed. A lot of things that we find acceptable, other cultures might have found apprehensible. But you know what? The church has remained the same. Our convictions on who God is, our faith, its the same. Thats what God says. Society is going to change. Society is going to be a chameleon, but you are not, no matter what culture, age, country, or time, You are my people, and you are to resemble Me, and you are to reflect Me and not the world. The word conform here is the word schema. The Bears are going to scheme a way to beat the Packers. Schema. Schema means the outward appearance which always changes. Your schema changed from the time you woke up until now, your outward appearance. Right? Im assuming that the way youre looking right now is not the way you looked when you woke up and looked in the mirror. Your schema needed to change. There was some hair that needed to be combed, some whiskers that needed to shaved, teeth that needed to be brushed, and clothes that needed to be changed. You changed your outward appearance. You changed your schema. But, what you did not change was that second word. It says be transformed. The root word there is your morph. Remember metamorphis? Weve heard of that word; it comes from that word morph. That means your nature or your essence cannot change. So the schema, that word conform, is that outward appearance which is in continual change. Your schema when you are the age of four is very different from your schema now, right? If you look at a picture of yourself at age four, your outward appearance was extremely different than your outward appearance is now. Youre taller. You probably have less hair, some of you guys-different color hair, some of you girls. Youve got some wrinkles you didnt have at age four. Your body is obviously different. Its been rearranged. Your chest has dropped into your drawers and that kind of thing. Theres some changes there, some for the good-some not so good, but your outward appearance has definitely changed, yet your morph has not. You are still the same person. The essence of whom you are has not changed a bit. Youre still you, same DNA, right? Same eyes, same bones, some of the same personality traits: youre you. Even though you were four, and now youre however old you are, you are you. The essence of whom you are has not changed. So Paul says, The world around you is going to change. You have to remain the same. You have to conform to Christ, not to the world, because God doesnt change. Remember what the Word said? Hes immutable. Hebrews says, Jesus Christ, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His character does not change; His nature does not change, and since we are His followers, the essence of whom we are as Christians is not to change. Lets go to Philippians 2:5, and well read this together. Well see these words again. It says, Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped. Stop right there, go back up. Very nature God… Guess what word that is there? Morph. Remember what morph is? That which does not change the nature of something, the essence which does not change: what thats saying here is Jesus is God, and that did not change when He was incarnated-when He became a man. Dont let anybody tell you the Bible preaches that Christ was just a man and not divine. Weve pointed out numerous scriptures to you, and this is one of the key ones: the word morph. This is His essence. He is and always will be God. That cannot change. Next verse: …but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. Stop there and go back, that word right there: very nature is the word morph. He really is man. He really took on the nature of man. He really took on the essence of man, and that will not change. So, Pauls saying this is a teaching on the deity of Christ and the humanity of Christ. He is 100 percent God, and He is 100 percent man. He has a divine nature, and He has a human nature. That qualified Him and Him alone to be the Savior of the world. There was no other name given among men by which we must be saved. God has only taken one body, and that is the Lord, Jesus Christ. So He in essence does not change His nature as God and man. It cannot change. Lets read on, And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-even death on a cross! The word appearance there is the word schema, the outward appearance. Those Doecetic people weve learned about, they might say, Oh, look at there. He only appeared to be a man. No, thats not what Paul is saying. Paul just said in the previous verse, He really did become a man. That is His nature and His essence. What Paul is saying here is His outward appearance would change. He would become a man. He would age like us. He would start off as a baby in the manger, and He would grow to be a man. Luke tells us that He matured in stature. He grew up. His hair became long. He grew facial hair and a beard. You say, How do we know that? We know that because the Word says they pulled it out at the crucifixion. They pulled it out of His face. His voice would crack as an adolescent, and He would become mature as an adult. He became a man. His outward appearance, His schema, would change just like ours. He would have the appearance of a mortal man, like somebody who is going to be born, live the course of their life, and die. That was His appearance, but He really is God. He really is from eternity. So thats another example of those two words. Hopefully, by those two examples, you have a good understanding of those words transform and conform and why theyre important. Lets go back to Romans 12:2 and read on. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world… this age, …but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Allow God to transform you. Its passive. How many of you watch Extreme Makeover Home Edition? Thats good, isnt it? Its a good show. How many of you are aware of Habitat for Humanity? What they do is completely different, right? The end result is the same, but Habitat starts from scratch, and it makes something completely new that wasnt there-neos, new-point in time new. Thats not the word were looking at here. Anakainosis is a different word. This means to take something that is existing and to transform it from the inside out. Its Extreme Makeover-soul edition. Thats why religion doesnt work. Thats why external stuff doesnt work. Ritual stuff doesnt work. It does not transform the heart and soul. It might look good, but trying to say the right words and do the right thing isnt going to get anything done. It has to be a transformation from the inside out. Jesus stressed that to the Pharisees, didnt He? He said, Youre doing all this external stuff, but it doesnt change your heart. Youve got to allow God to change and transform your heart and your soul-to renew-thats what this word is. It takes something thats existing, renovates it, guts it out, and changes it from the inside out so that by the time youre through, it does not even resemble what it started [out looking like]. It might have some of the same schema, outward appearances, somewhat. But when you do the makeover, the schema changes, right? There are new windows, new doors, new paint, new walls. The morph of the house is the same. Its the same house; its on the same geographic location; its on the same foundation; its the same address; morph hasnt changed, but it is schema thats changed drastically. Its the change that happened from the inside out. So God says, if we will allow Him to, He will transform us from the inside out, starting with our minds. So we begin to think as He thinks. We begin to see the world as He sees it. We see His truth in every facet of life. As a result of that, He renews our minds. He transforms us so we might know that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Does that sound exciting to you? Does that sound like a worthwhile use of your time? Yes? No? Yes? Thats what were getting ready to embark on for these next three months. Im excited, and I want you to see this not as a sacrifice, but as an investment in yourself. Im back taking classes again for myself. Is it a sacrifice? Yes, it is, but its also an investment, right? Its not about someday somebody saying, Oh, Dr. Williams, oh, Im impressed. Its about being a better pastor, a better minister, a better Christian, having a better understanding of whom God is so I can impact my world for Him in a greater capacity. Thats what this is about, The Truth Project. Its about us impacting our world for Christ, not about accumulating a bunch of information so we can impress people with our knowledge. It is about life change. Our lives are being transformed, and then God can use us to help transform our world; so instead of us coming to resemble the world, hopefully by the time they put us in the ground, weve done more transformation than conformity. Im excited. We are bringing in one of the best teachers in the entire world on world view. Hes not going to be here in physical form; hes going to be here on DVD, but hes still coming. His name is Del Tackett; hes from Focus on the Family. Were going to take a look as he introduces The Truth Project to us this morning. Then well close. Pastor Sean, youll be gone from here, wont you, this next service? Youll be teaching cross training, so Ill call upon you to close our service this morning, please.