2 Corinthians 5:17 “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” 

Romans 12:1-2 “And so, dear brothers and sisters,[a] I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.[b] 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” 

1. To become like Jesus, we have to change

Does the word change excite you or intimidate you? Why? 

Do you think most people pursue change or avoid it? Why? 

Many of us don’t like the idea of change, but it’s essential in our journey as followers of Christ. The Greek word used in verse 1 for transform is the word metamorphe and where we get our English word metamorphosis. It’s when the caterpillar turns into a butterfly—it becomes something totally different! And THIS is what is meant to happen to those who give their lives to God—total transformation! And according to this passage, it starts in the mind. God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, but they need to become ours if we want to be truly changed. Different thinking leads to different living.

On one hand, it’s scary to give all of who we are to God because we have all kinds of questions: What if God wants me to suffer? What if God wants me to give everything I have away? Who will take care of me? What if, what if, what if. On the other hand, I believe the Bible teaches that God is too wise to ever make a mistake and too loving to ever be unkind, which means we can trust him to change us into the right kind of people. 

2. To become like Jesus, we have to think and live different

What would it take in your life to transform you into the person God wants you to be? The answer is your yes. 

In verse 2 we read that God wants to transform our lives—God doesn’t want us to mimic the habits and actions of our culture. As I talk with teenagers today, they mostly tell me they just want to "fit in.” But fitting in with the culture was never God’s plan. Conforming to the lifestyle of our society isn’t his plan, either. God’s plan for us is a lot more like these Transformers. We may look normal on the outside, but on the inside we find something incredible! God wants us to stick out for our lifestyle—one that is so led by God’s Holy Spirit that others will want the same! This begins in our mind. And since God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, as Isaiah 55:8-9 tells us, we have to put his thoughts in our minds through his Word, the Bible. That’s what transforms us into who God intends for us to be. 

3.  Our motivation to change flows from gratefulness for God’s mercy

Paul says our motivation for change should simply be because of all God has done for us—his mercy toward us. And God promises a payoff. Allowing ourselves to be transformed gives us total assurance that we’ll always know what God expects from us—what his will is for us.

BGroup Questions

1. Have you fully given your life to God? 
2. How have you truly changed since giving your life to God? 
3. How much time do you devote to filling your mind with the things of God? Is it enough? Is it lacking?

**Leaders, leave 3-5 minutes for prayer at the end of your group time.