The Book of Romans: "A Mind Made New"

The Book of Romans 

Introduction:

Good morning Eastern Shore Baptist Church. Good morning visitors. For those of you that are watching and worshipping with us online this morning, welcome. My name is Stuart Davidson and I am the pastor here at ESBC. Let me start this morning by saying “thank you”. Thank you for joining us this morning. There are so many great churches in the area and the fact that you came here this morning is not lost on me. We are so honored by your presence. I hope that if this is your first time that you have felt welcomed, that you have been warmly greeted, and that you will feel the Lord leading you to come back again. 

I do want to point your attention to our prayer line. 251-222-8977. Text us this morning and a member of our prayer team will pray for you immediately. Chances are that prayer team member will also respond back to let you know that you’ve been prayed for. 

To catch everyone up, we have been in the Book of Romans now for 19 weeks. Hard to believe. This morning we are in Romans 12:2. This Scripture holds a special place in my heart because this verse, Romans 12:2 is the first passage of Scripture that I ever memorized. 

My youth pastor, a fella by the name of Doug Fulton, encouraged me to memorize this particular passage because he said that it was important for me to put God’s Word in my mind. He told me that the only way that I could rearchitect my behavior, the only way that I could rearrange my priorities, the only way that I cold renew my spirit, was to put God’s Word in my head. 

In studying for this message, I was reading through my teenage Bible. I remembered that I had recorded several sermons on this passage over the years. The note that I made reference to must have been on a random Wednesday night back in the early 1990’s. I actually had Doug write a statement that he said in my Bible. He actually inscribed it. I suppose I thought it was very profound. This is what Doug wrote to the side of my NIV Life Application Bible, 

“Stuart, the spiritual battlefield is in the mind! The Devil wants your mind. If Satan can gain control of your mind, he can control your mouth. If he can control your mouth, he can control your message. If he can control your message, he can guide the motives of those closest to you. Guard your mind, because your mindset determines your mission.”

I was probably in 7th grade when he wrote that in my Bible. 

Here is a little side bar for all of you parents. I am 47 years old. This statement was probably written in my Bible when I was 13 years old. That’s 34 years ago. Now Doug probably wouldn’t remember that quote or maybe even saying it…but I did. It has stuck with me all these years. Parents, I don’t want you to think for one second that what Josh does on Wednesday night is not critical to the spiritual growth of your son and daughter. What he is doing is crucial for their overall spiritual well-being and worldview. We should be praying for Josh daily and thanking God for him and for LeAnn for how they are teaching our students Scripture. It would not surprise me that Eastern Shore Baptist Church’s pastor, the next one, could very well be sitting in our youth section right now. 

Go back to that thought, the spiritual battlefield is in the mind. Satan wants our minds. 

Here, I will prove it to you. 

Satan’s first attack of humanity did not take place on some great physical stronghold. He did not attack Adam and Eve in some massive arena like the gladiators of old. Satan did not summon his demonic forces to march into the combat zones and frontlines of Eden. The first battle for humanity did not take place on a field like Gettysburg, it took place in a garden. Before Eve ever took the fruit, she thought about it. Satan planted seeds of doubt in Eve’s mind. 

“Did God really say that?”

“Can you really trust Him?”

“Are you sure He said those things?”

Genesis 3:1-6 CSB

Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You can't eat from any tree in the garden'?" [2] The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden. [3] But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, 'You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.'" [4] "No! You will certainly not die," the serpent said to the woman. [5] "In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." [6] The woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

The enemy didn’t force her hand, he formed her thoughts. Every sin begins with a seed planted in the soil of the mind. If you don’t guard your thoughts, the Devil will garden your heart. 

What starts as a whisper of doubt can grow into a weed of disobedience. 

Before long, the fruit of sin blooms where the flowers of faith once grew. That’s why God calls us to renew our minds daily, because the battlefield of temptation is won or lost long before the act, in the garden of our thoughts.

Know this friends, no one wakes up an addict. No one just falls into adultery or alcoholism. The Devil is a deceiver, a liar, and a tempter. He plants lies into our minds dressed as truths. He subtly slips sin past our defenses like a Trojan Horse. Then when we relax, when we think that we are too good to fall, to capable to stumble, Satan springs the trap and sin has taken over fully. 

Brothers and sisters, that is why we need to have a new mind. A mind centered on Christ, focused on His Word. 

That is the title of my message this morning. “A Mind Made New”.

Today’s Message: 

“A Mind Made New”

Do me a favor this morning, under “Today’s Thought” fill in the blanks. Don’t go the world’s way! God Works when you walk in his word. 

Do you believe that this morning church?

The only real protection that we have against the lies, the schemes, and the sinister plans of Satan is God’s Word. The Bible is not just a book. No sir. It’s a shield for the soul and a sword for the spirit. 

When temptation whispers, truth must speak louder. God’s Word guards our hearts when the enemy tries to invade our minds. Every verse is a wall of defense, every promise a piece of armor, every command a call to stand firm. 

The Word doesn’t just protect us, it prepares us. 

When we fill our minds with Scripture, we fortify our faith, sharpen our discernment, and silence the deceiver. Without the Word, we are exposed and easily deceived, but with it, we are equipped and empowered to stand our ground.

Today’s Thought: 

Don’t Go The World’s Way! God Works When You Walk In His Word!

One of my favorite books is entitled “The Holiness of God” by R.C. Sproul. In reference to Romans 12:2, Dr. Sproul says the following…

Today’s Quote:

“The key method Paul underscores as the means to the transformed life is by the ‘renewal of the mind.’ 

I’ll interject right here for one moment. The reason that Paul tells us to renew the mind is again because that’s where the battle takes place…the mind!

Back to the quote…

This means nothing more and nothing less than education…serious education, in-depth education, disciplined education in the things of God. Transformation does not happen by accident or emotion but through deliberate devotion to the truth. When our minds are shaped by Scripture, our lives begin to mirror the Savior. To think God’s thoughts after Him is the beginning of holiness.”

-R.C. Sproul’s “The Holiness of God”

Background and Context:

This morning we are reading Romans 12:2 from the Christian Standard Bible. As you turn in your Bibles, I wanted to briefly tell you why Paul wrote this passage. I wanted to give you the context and background. 

When Paul wrote Romans 12:2, he was moving from doctrine to discipleship. After explaining God’s mercy and grace in the first eleven chapters, he now shows us how to live in response to it. The believers in Rome were surrounded by a culture that tried to shape their values, just like ours does today. So Paul challenges them not to be conformed to the world but transformed by the Word. Real change begins in the mind. God wants to renew our thinking so He can redirect our living. When Scripture shapes your thoughts, it strengthens your faith and transforms our lives.

Statement of Belief:

So, let read God’s Word together. Before we do that, I want to remind you that…

“This morning, we opening the living and powerful Word of God…truth without error, breathed out by Him, and fully sufficient for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. It is our authority, our guide, and our hope. In honor of the God who gave us His perfect Word, I invite you to stand with me as we read it together.”

Today’s Scripture:

Romans 12:2 CSB

Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

Pastor: This is the Word of the Lord.

Congregation: Praise His name, Praise His Holy Name.

3 Ways That Scripture Renews Our Minds…

First, The Bible Reveals What’s Wise

So, let’s look together at these three last points. Three ways that Scripture renews our minds. First, the Bible reveals what’s wise. You might even say that the Bible reveals what is right. 

Think of it like this…

“God’s Word renews our minds by teaching us wisdom that leads to godly living in a foolish world.”

It is becoming increasingly more difficult to live as Christians in this fallen world. Our world, our culture, our society is more fallen than ever before. It seems that what has always been called good our culture calls evil. What was once true is now relative. What was once settled is now considered shaky at best. What was once thought to be right is now wrong. 

Brothers and sisters, we are living in a world that no longer wants wisdom; it wants affirmation. The world doesn’t want God’s truth, it wants man’s opinion. Scripture says in Proverbs 2:6 (CSB), “For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” God’s wisdom begins where His Word begins, but our world has traded that wisdom for foolishness. What the Bible calls sin, the world calls self-expression. What God calls holy, the world calls hateful.

Today, if you stand on what Scripture says about gender or sexuality, you are labeled intolerant, judgmental, or hateful. The world tells us that truth is fluid and morality is flexible. Our culture says there are no absolutes, only preferences. But hear me, church, God’s Word is not a suggestion, it is a standard. Truth is not up for a vote. It is not determined by a poll, a platform, or a politician. It is grounded in the character of God Himself. When you say that God created us male and female, you are not spreading hate, you are speaking holiness. When you say that marriage is sacred, that it is designed by God as the covenant union between one man and one woman, you are not being old-fashioned, you are being obedient.

We live in a generation that wants to rewrite God’s definitions. They want the blessings of marriage without the boundaries of marriage. They want the freedom of truth without the authority of truth. What once was considered moral is now mocked. What once was pure is now perverted. What once was celebrated as good is now condemned as evil.

And it does not stop there. The world no longer applauds humility, it celebrates pride. The call to honor your father and mother is replaced with the call to honor yourself first. The call to serve others has been drowned out by the cry to serve yourself. We used to ask, “What would Jesus do?” Now we ask, “What do I want to do?” The theology of the day is not self-denial, it is self-deification. We have made “me” the master and “mine” the mission.

We have built an altar to self, and on that altar we are sacrificing families, faith, and futures. We are raising a generation that knows how to promote itself but does not know how to pray. We are teaching our children to chase influence instead of intimacy with God. Church, listen to me: when we abandon the wisdom of God’s Word, we will always end up worshipping the wisdom of the world, and that is a dangerous trade.

Yet God’s Word still stands. Psalm 19:7–8 (ESV) declares, “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.” Church, the world may call this old-fashioned, but I call it eternal. God’s Word doesn’t bend to fit the times, it builds us up to stand against them.

Let me give you an example. Years ago, I knew a man who was warned again and again about the path he was on. Friends, family, even his pastor pleaded with him to turn around. He was married, successful, and respected, but he started entertaining thoughts that were not from God. He convinced himself he deserved more, more excitement, more freedom, more attention. Those thoughts took root and grew until he walked away from his marriage, his ministry, and his morals. He lost everything. When I saw him years later, he told me, “I thought I was chasing happiness, but I ended up in a hole I couldn’t climb out of.”

Church, that is what happens when we trade God’s wisdom for worldly wants. When we stop letting the Word reveal what’s wise, we start letting the world redefine what’s right. The Bible doesn’t just renew our minds, it rescues them. It reminds us that truth never changes because the Author never changes.

3 Ways That Scripture Renews Our Minds…

First, The Bible Reveals What’s Wise

Next, Scripture Replaces What’s Wrong

So, first the Bible reveals what’s wise. Next, Scripture replaces what’s wrong. 

Another way you could think about this is that…

“The Bible removes worldly thinking and replaces it with godly wisdom, reshaping how we see ourselves, others, and our circumstances.”

About 3 or four years ago, I had surgery on my right throwing arm. Years of playing baseball and throwing batting practice to my boys had finally caught up. 

How many of you have heard of Major League Baseball players having their Tommy John tendon repaired? Right, a good many of you have heard of that procedure. 

Well, the Tommy John tendon is on the inside of your throwing arm. It run along the inside of your elbow. Well, I tore the other tendon, the one on the outside of the elbow. That tendon is called the Common Extensor tendon. It’s a pretty important tendon because it connects the forearm’s extensor muscles, which straighten your write and your fingers to the bone. For those of you that have ever had tennis elbow, that pain is caused when your Common Extensor tendon becomes inflamed. 

Well, after several years of overuse, mine popped. Ouch. It hurt and it hurt bad. It kept me up and night. It was awful. Super painful. 

Well, my doctor was Matt Goldman at Baldwin Bone and Joint. Matt did several things to put surgery off but nothing was working. I was going to have to get it taken care of. I went in for an out patient procedure and it was successful. Matt had fixed it. Not only was it torn but it had pulled away from the bone as well. He reconnected it and reattached it to where it was better than before. 

Sadly my fastball lost a lot of velocity but I suppose that is ok. 

One thing that Dr. Goldman told me was that there was considerable damage in and around that tendon. He called it “scar tissue”. When muscle, tendon, or skin is damaged, your body sends collagen fibers to patch the wound and close the gap. That’s scar tissue. Scar tissue prevents natural movement. It causes pain and irritation. It also weakens the structure. It also makes the affected area more prone to injury. 

When Dr. Goldman went into my elbow, he noticed I had a lot of scar tissue built up and around the damaged tendon. He went in with a scalpel and carefully extracted the scarring. He went strand by strand, carefully cutting away all the damage. After a while, he finished leaving a much healthier and happier elbow which led to a much happier and healthier patient. 

Can you see where the illustration is going church?

You see, the Bible, God’s Word, is like a good doctor. The scar tissue is like sin. 

Sin forms when we keep using our lives the wrong way, when we ignore the pain and keep doing what we know we shouldn’t. Over time, it builds up layer upon layer of spiritual scar tissue that limits our movement with God. It stiffens our hearts, weakens our faith, and makes us more prone to fall again. Some of you know exactly what I’m talking about. You’ve been carrying years of spiritual scar tissue…old wounds, bitterness, pride, guilt, shame. You’ve tried to ignore it, you’ve tried to cover it up, but deep down, it still hurts.

That’s where the Word of God steps in. Scripture doesn’t just comfort us, it cuts away what is corrupt. It performs spiritual surgery. It removes the scar tissue of sin and restores the flexibility of faith. The Bible doesn’t just soothe your soul; it sanctifies it. It gets into the deep places of your heart and begins to remove the things that are keeping you from full health in Christ.

That’s exactly what Paul was describing in Ephesians 4:22–24 (ESV) when he said, “To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

When you read the Word, the Holy Spirit uses it like a surgeon’s scalpel. He begins cutting away what’s wrong and replacing it with what’s right. He removes the infection of sin and implants the truth of Scripture. He takes out the world’s lies and replaces them with the wisdom of God.

Church, that’s what God’s Word does. It recalibrates our spirit to His. It rearranges our priorities so that what matters to Him begins to matter to us. And it renews our spirit when life gets hard, when pain lingers, and when hope feels distant. When your heart is tired, the Word gives it strength. When your priorities drift, the Word sets them straight. When your spirit feels weary, the Word revives your soul.

And just like a good doctor, God never cuts to harm you; He cuts to heal you. Every time He removes something that doesn’t belong, He makes room for something far better—His peace, His purpose, and His presence.

3 Ways That Scripture Renews Our Minds…

First, The Bible Reveals What’s Wise

Next, Scripture Replaces What’s Wrong

Lastly, God’s Word Refocuses What’s Worthy

Ok, last point. The Bible reveals what’s wise. It replaces what’s wrong. Lastly, God’s Word refocuses what’s worthy. 

Church, we live in a world full of noise. Every screen, every scroll, every headline is screaming for our attention. The world tells you what to buy, what to wear, what to chase, and what to fear. It trains your mind to dwell on what’s temporary instead of what’s eternal. But the Bible brings your focus back to what truly matters. It shifts your gaze from the chaos of the culture to the calm of Christ.

That is what Paul meant in Philippians 4:8 (NASB) when he wrote, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”

The Word of God teaches us to think on what is true when the world feeds us lies. It reminds us to value character over comfort, holiness over happiness, and worship over worry. It replaces fear with faith and greed with gratitude. 

When the world says “Look out for yourself,” Scripture says “Lay down your life.” 

When the world says “Follow your heart,” Scripture says “Fix your eyes on Jesus.”

God’s Word not only changes what we think, it changes how we think. It refocuses our attention from success to surrender, from possessions to purpose, from comfort to calling. It reorients our hearts toward eternity, teaching us to live with heaven in view even while our feet are on earth.

Every day you and I have a choice: we can be renewed by the Word or rewired by the world. One draws you closer to Christ, the other pulls you farther away. One fills your mind with peace, the other fills it with pressure. One gives you purpose, the other leaves you empty.

So the question then becomes, how do we refocus? It’s not enough to simply know that we need to, we have to know how.

First, we refocus through Scripture saturation. You can’t dwell on what is true if you’re never in the truth. God’s Word must move from the pages of your Bible into the patterns of your life. Read it, meditate on it, memorize it, and let it marinate in your mind. When the world feeds you lies, you fight back with truth.

Second, we refocus through prayerful reflection. When you pray, you are realigning your perspective to God’s perspective. Prayer is the place where God quiets the noise of the world and recalibrates the heart of His child. When your mind is spinning with fear, worry, or confusion, take those thoughts to God in prayer. You will find that prayer doesn’t always change your circumstances, but it always changes your focus.

Third, we refocus through intentional worship. Worship is not confined to Sunday mornings or sanctuary seats. Worship happens every time you choose to praise instead of panic, to give thanks instead of grumble, to trust instead of tremble. When you worship, you remind your heart who sits on the throne and who holds your life in His hands.

And finally, we refocus through godly relationships. Surround yourself with people who point you back to Jesus. The right voices will help you guard your mind when the wrong ones try to pull you off course. God never intended for us to fight this battle alone.

If you want to refocus, fill your mind with God’s truth, your heart with prayer, your mouth with praise, and your life with people who love the Lord. That is how you push back against the noise of the world and fix your eyes again on Jesus.

So let me ask you this morning, are you being renewed by the Word or rewired by the world?

Because whatever fills your mind will eventually shape your life.

Are You Being Renewed By The Word or Rewired By The World?

Closing Prayer:

Dear God, we thank You this morning for Your Word, for it is truth that transforms. Your Word reveals what is wise, it replaces what is wrong, and it refocuses our hearts on what is worthy. Thank You, Lord, for speaking into the noise of this world and calming our minds with the peace of Your presence.

Father, we confess that too often our thoughts have wandered where they shouldn’t. We have let the world shape our minds instead of letting Your Word renew them. But today, we ask that You would rewire our thinking and restore our focus. Cut away the scar tissue of sin and self that has built up in our hearts. Remove anything that keeps us from living in obedience to You.

God, help us to fill our minds with Your truth, our hearts with prayer, our mouths with praise, and our lives with Your purpose. Teach us to dwell on what is true, what is pure, what is lovely, and what is praiseworthy. Let us not be conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewing of our minds, so that we may discern what is good, what is pleasing, and what is perfect in Your sight.

Lord, renew our minds, reshape our priorities, and refocus our lives on You. May we leave this place today not just informed by Your Word but transformed by it. Help us walk in Your wisdom this week and live in a way that reflects the beauty of Your truth.

We love You, Lord. We give You our minds, our hearts, and our lives.

In Jesus’ name we pray,

Amen.