Non-Conformity From The Heart

[00:00:00] This audio sermon is provided by AnabaptistSermons.com and may be freely copied and distributed. You may not sell or edit this sermon. Our prayer is that you would be blessed by this ministry. To each one in Christ's name. It's a blessing to be here this morning. I was blessed in being here. Father in heaven, we bow before you again. And we thank you, Lord, that we can come to you at all times. Father, we give ourselves to you and we invite you to work however you want to work this morning. [00:00:36] We invite you to lead out in this message Lord, thank you for that transforming power That power that changes us from an evil person To something beautiful that can perform for your kingdom We just ask now, Lord, that you would bind the powers of darkness That would hinder us this morning And that you would visit us We ask in Jesus' name, Amen The subject that I'm about to speak about is not some philosophical theological argument or something that we haven't heard before. [00:01:16] Very simple, but somehow it gripped my heart this week and it wasn't a new thought to me because some time ago I was in contact with a brother and he asked me if I'm open for ideas and I said I was. And then he gave me a little bit of text on this message, not much. And so I'm not going to be speaking from a lot of text this morning. And we'll see how the Lord leads out in this. [00:01:47] I've titled this message, Nonconformity from the Heart. And I'm just going to read Romans 12, verse 1 and 2 for a text. I think we all know it by heart. I'll read it. I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service, and be not conformed to this world. But be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. [00:02:19] I'm well aware that nonconformity is an unpopular subject and it doesn't matter hardly where you go, where you speak, nonconformity is not a popular subject. It's not something we enjoy. We've all heard of it, but do we understand it? Do we understand nonconformity to the world? Is our way of doing things and our way of living nonconformity or a lifestyle? Is it nonconformity from the heart? [00:02:55] And I guess the weight, the burden that I was feeling is, are we raising a generation that understands nonconformity We, from the standpoint of what the church allows me to do, or we don't do things because the ministry or the church structure doesn't want us to do those things, or certain things. And I'll just be frank with you, if that's where our nonconformity is derived from, we are probably miserable beings. [00:03:29] We probably are. If we dress and act a certain way just because it's acceptable in our circles, it's just a lifestyle. It's not necessarily nonconformity. And beyond even that, we are on a slippery slope that will not hold for very long. It won't stay that way. Now, do we have a conviction for what we're doing? [00:04:00] Is another question that I want to ask. Is it a conviction? Do I have a conviction that I should dress and act and conduct myself the way that I'm acting? The way that I'm dressing? Or is it just acceptable? I hear some things sometimes, and I don't know if I've heard it here. I don't think I have, praise God, but I have heard it in our circles. I hear this thing that people say, well I just don't do this thing because I don't have a conviction. [00:04:37] God has not convicted me to do that yet. But maybe if I get a conviction to do it, then I'll be right there, I'll do it. But let me ask you this, if I have a conviction or not, Does that determine or is God's truth contingent upon my having a conviction or not? Absolutely not. It does not change the truth of God. It does not change how God feels or His plumb line is straight up and down whether I have a conviction to follow or not. [00:05:12] I have to have a response. Now, I want to go on record as saying this. I am not opposed to teaching and training and sound doctrine at all. Not at all. We owe a great deal to the previous generations, those that came before us. And we actually, I want to be careful, but whether we realize it or not, our Anabaptist forefathers in some way shaped the world we're living in today, the United States. [00:05:46] The separation of church and state is one instance. But there's more. And I want to be careful. I don't want us to stop teaching and training. Absolutely not. We need to continue. But we need to do it because of the conviction that we have formed. And nonconformity to the world or conforming to the world is the difference between heaven or hell. It's a very simple, basic principle. [00:06:18] Now, I know that Paul addresses this issue of nonconformity in different places, but there's not any place in Scripture that is as direct as Romans 12 to where he says, and be not conformed to this world. Now, I don't know. I think that most of us understand what conform means, what the definition is of conform. But I've got the, I've looked at the dictionary and there's several different definitions but they all kind of tie together and I'm going to read some of these definitions. [00:06:56] To behave acceptably, to behave or think in a socially acceptable or expected way, follow standards, to comply with a fixed standard, regulation or requirement. And what I'm speaking about this morning is that if we conform to the world, we are shaped to the standard of the world. We comply with the world. We are similar. The third definition says this, be or make similar, to be the same or very similar to something or somebody or something similar. [00:07:32] So what is Paul saying by not conforming to the world? What is he saying? What in your mind is he saying? Don't behave like the world. Don't be similar to the world. Don't adhere to the same requirements that the world does. Are some things that went through my head. And there's probably more. This thing of nonconformity, what is the first thing that we think about many times [00:08:05] Sometimes when somebody talks about nonconformity, it's our clothes. And rightly so, it should be. But this thing is a vast open field that needs to be talked about. It's more than our clothes, it definitely is that. The Amplified says this, Romans 12, verse 2, Do not be conformed to this world, this age, fashioned after and adapted to its external superficial customs, but be transformed, changed by the entire renewal of your mind, by its new ideals and its new attitude, so that you may prove for yourselves what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect in His sight for you. [00:08:58] I think the word age in there makes it a little more relevant for us. We think about the world or what's out there, but we have, I don't know how to put it in words. Different ages have different styles and fads and fashions that run through the church, sweep through churches. and that I think is just as dangerous as or more so than what's way out there and we clearly see as wrong. [00:09:33] Now I must say this and this is something that we're all well aware of. We hear this often. It is entirely possible to appear to practice nonconformity to the world. But be a ravening wolf on the inside. That's possible for a short time at least. That's possible. And people, I must say this, we are capable of hiding things. People are capable of hiding things for a long time sometimes. [00:10:12] And it is misery, I'm sure. And it's true that it happens. It's true. but I've noticed in our circles and probably not just in our circles there is a reaction to that where there are people that say oh but we don't need to wear plain clothes to practice nonconformity we can look and act and speak like the world but my heart is right my heart is right [00:10:43] and that's probably the opposite ditch But you know what? If the heart is not conforming to the world, nothing else about us will be either. Or did I say that right? If our heart is not conforming to the world, then I will desire to wear the right clothes. My language will change. My language will be the way it's supposed to be. It is never correct to say, oh, but my heart is all right. [00:11:14] Well, I know I do this, but my heart's alright. That's never correct. That's never correct. And I know that to many people, and I'm afraid even in our own constituency, this sounds like bondage. This is bondage. I have to wear these plain clothes and I have to, all these requirements and I just, I can't take it. You know what real bondage is? [00:11:46] The fads and fashions that run their course and they change and you have to change with it. When it comes back, you have to change again. That's bondage. You know, I've been there. I understand a little bit of that. Many of you probably have as well. Now, we all know that when style dictates that when the world wears their hair long, my hair come down. [00:12:17] When they're short, they're short. That's bondage. That's just one instance. But the flip side is this. Loyalty to God is freedom, if we can only understand it. It's freedom. We don't need to worry about what's coming next. Or, I know this sounds silly, but we don't have to worry about, well maybe I'll just leave it. We could talk for a long time about some of the, if you look at old pictures, you can just, you just crack up with some of the things that our parents practiced. [00:12:57] But you know what? If we continue following after the world, we are no different. We will be silly as well someday. And in God's eyes, of course. But this is where the freedom is. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And we can depend on that. And we don't have to. It brings freedom. It brings stability and peace to our lives. Now there's something else in that verse that Paul speaks about [00:13:28] that goes hand in hand with nonconformity to the world and that is the transformed mind. Nonconformity that is practiced as a conviction is a conviction from the heart is the fruit of a transformed mind. It's the fruit. And I'm just going to, this should be maybe two messages, but I think, I'm convinced that nonconformity and transformation and renewing of the mind go together. [00:14:07] It cannot be otherwise. They go together. But the question is, do we understand what this transformation should look like, what it should be? or how serious it is. Do we understand the weight that this transformation carries? John 3.3, we all know it. Except the man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. And I wondered as I was studying this, I think many times that if a person is not born again, [00:14:39] genuinely born again with a heart change, he's not going to make it to heaven and he will not make it to heaven. But I also began to understand that we don't see the kingdom here. This is a two kingdom concept and I believe there's many people that struggle along in life because they don't get to the point where they see the kingdom, the peace, the freedom from bondage here. The Amplified says this in John 3.3 [00:15:10] I assure you most solemnly, I tell you, that unless a person is born again anew from above, he cannot ever see, know, be acquainted with, and experience the kingdom of God. It just brings it, makes it a little clearer to me. But it seems that we have adopted the world's view of a new birth experience. The world's view of a transformed mind. I'm not throwing accusations. I am just saying we need to be careful that we don't adopt the world's standard of what the new birth actually entails. [00:15:50] There is no easy. Okay, let me say it this way. There's this easy, no requirements Christianity that is floating around. has been for since Jesus' day. It's not something that just happened in the last ten years. It's always been that way. People have always tried to make inroads. But Jesus says it's not that way. Matthew 7.21 says this, Not everyone that saith unto Me, [00:16:22] Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven. So there is evidence of a transformed mind. It's not just something that we give lip service to and then walk away. There is change. There's probably change in the way I dress. Change in the places I go. And there could be a long list. And Jesus asked this question in Luke 6.46 [00:16:52] And why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? When there's a transformation, there is action. There is a distinct separation from the world. There is not that longing for the world anymore. What is becoming born again then really all about? What is it all about? You know, I think being born again is becoming broken before God [00:17:26] to the point where we give him our life as a blank check and we say, God, we're willing to go wherever you direct us. And if that means changing my clothes, if that means going back and saying I'm sorry, if that means a more submissive attitude, we're willing to go. Before that, what does Paul say? We need to be transformed so we understand, so we can prove what is acceptable and the perfect will of God. [00:17:59] Before that, we don't understand, I don't think. We have to be broken before God. It means to follow God's direction wherever we are and wherever we go. It means also that we become a peculiar people to the world. The world doesn't understand this thing of nonconformity. 1 Peter 2.9 says it well, 9-12, and we all know this, I'm going to read it anyway But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people [00:18:32] And I don't think, when I say that, I don't think that we just try to react to the world But the world just doesn't understand the stability that we have in God The identity that we have in God, the ability to stay the same and faithful to God. That ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light, which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God, [00:19:03] which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, Thus, which war against the soul, having your conversation honest among the Gentiles, that whereas they speak against you as evildoers, that may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation. We become strangers and pilgrims here. We're in a strange land. We belong to another kingdom, and we're willing to attach ourselves. [00:19:38] Thus, nonconformity becomes the fruit of a transformed mind. And it includes a lot of different things. Nonconformity is a practical outworking. It's practical. It's something that nonconformity is to be practiced every day, in everyday life. Nonconformity is very easy Sunday morning, I will admit to that. [00:20:10] Because we, for the most part, dress in an acceptable way. But it's when we're out there, there was some saying, some poem that we used to, somebody in my family memorized for a Christmas program one year. And in this, I don't know if it was a poem or a saying or what it was, but there were several lines that said, you tell on yourself, and then it said, by the way, and then it had a long list of things, and that's exactly what we do. [00:20:45] That transformed heart that we can express so fluently and give testimony to We tell on ourselves when we go to the job Or when we speak to our neighbor Or by the way we dress Or if we, our interests We tell on ourselves if we have a transformed heart or not I would like to devote the rest of this message to just some very practical areas and by no means an exhaustive list. [00:21:17] It's just some things that came to my mind and you may think of other things, but before I do that, I want to be very careful. I want to say this. I want you to remember this. Nonconformity is not a reaction to the world. It is simply doing things God's way and staying close to God. If nonconformity was a reaction, then we would have to change with the world, but we don't have to. Nonconformity is staying close to God and it brings stability. [00:21:49] The first thing that I thought of, a test, to see if we're practicing nonconformity and I don't know why I thought of this but it came to mind and I'll share it. It's the way that we respect authority. How do we respect authority? Where is our authority at? How does the world respond to authority? The world says you need to demand your rights. [00:22:20] You need to stand up for what is right. And you need to demand, get your own way. But you know what? And I want to say this. All of us, it doesn't matter where we go in life, we have some kind of authority structure somewhere that we need to be submissive to. We do it, it's at work, it's in our homes, it's in the church, wherever we go. [00:22:51] And try to get away from that and see where you end up at. There are probably many, many people that are behind bars today because they tried to get away from it. And I know that's a very carnal illustration, but it's there nevertheless. Nevertheless, the principle of God is that all of us, God has placed all of us in an authority structure. And how we respond to that authority structure shows if we have a transformed heart or not. What does Ephesians 5.21 say? [00:23:25] Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Hebrews 13.17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves, for they watch for your souls, as they that must give an account, that they may do it with joy and not with grief, for that is unprofitable for you. And I don't have to speak a lot about submission. We heard a message about submission. But there is something about the way a person responds to authority. If there is a real struggle, then there's something going on that's not quite right between that person and God, the ultimate authority in our lives. [00:24:07] It is one of the most practical areas that you can see if a person has a transformed heart and is living in nonconformity. The second one that I've chosen to speak about this morning is the area of dress. And I know that this is a large subject that requires a whole message to cover, and a message can't cover it. And we are, I think we understand, we've heard much teaching about dress. [00:24:41] So I'm not going, this is not anything new or exhaustive, but some thoughts. Our dress, the way that I dress, is an expression of what is in here. It's an expression. And if you don't believe that, go to the mall and look at the expressions there. I think you would agree with me that it's an expression. Now, I think we're all aware of what happened to the dresses in our circles. [00:25:15] Well, most of the people that are my age, and I shouldn't say our circles, but where I came from at least. When I was about six years old, or I don't know how old, I remember the dresses used to ride above the knee. And it's shameful. It's shameful. But today, the dresses almost sweep the floor with an extra ruffle at the bottom. The spirit is the same. The spirit is the same. [00:25:48] It's the fad. It's the fashion. And it's not coming from a transformed heart. It's not. It may be more modest to wear a long dress. I'll say that. I appreciate you sisters wearing long dresses. But if we feel that we have to follow the fad and the fashion of the age, we are in bondage. God help us. God help us. How we dress our children expresses the heart of a parent. [00:26:22] It cannot be otherwise. We can dress ever so nice, but if it shows up in our children, it exposes our hearts. Study what God's view was of the daughters of Zion in Isaiah 3. I think I'll just take the time to read some of that. Maybe I'll just, I thought the Amplified said it better, and I recognize that many of these things don't even apply to us. But there's God, there's a principle behind this and God is speaking. [00:26:58] God has a reason to say what he's saying here. I think I'm going to read it in the Amplified. I have that here. Verse 16 to 26 to the end of the chapter. Moreover, the Lord said, because the daughters of Zion are haughty and walk with outstretched necks and with undisciplined, flirtatious and alluring eyes, Tripping along with mincing and affected gait and making a tinkling noise with the anklets on their feet Therefore the Lord will smite them with a scab on the crown of the heads of the daughters of Zion, making them bald [00:27:35] And the Lord will cause them to be captive, taken as captives, and to suffer the indignity of being stripped naked In that day the Lord will take away the fine cry of their tinkling anklets and the caps of nets and the crescent head ornaments. Some of this is not, I printed it and it's not quite plain. The pendants, the bracelets or chains and the spangled face veils and scarves, the headbands and the short ankle chains attached from one foot to the other [00:28:09] to ensure a measured gait, the sashes, the perfume boxes, the amulets or charms suspended from the ears or neck, the signet rings and nose rings, the festal robes, the cloaks, the stoles and shawls, and the handbags. I think I'm going to quit reading there. The thing that I want to express here is the pride that was coming from the daughters of Zion. The pride. Now God in his heart, God has set forth principles in his word about what should flow out of our heart. [00:28:47] And our dress, the way that we dress, the way that we dress our children shows what's in the heart. And pride will never make it to heaven. It's a simple truth, we all know that. but it's so easy, it's so easy to adapt to the fashions, not necessarily out there, not necessarily out there but if it's popular to start with just a little bit more material here or there, then we're already in that pride. [00:29:23] The transformed heart shows itself in modest attire. Modest, modesty is like a lost, it's like an endangered species among the world And it creeps in, and I know that people chafe at our standard I hope nobody chafes at the standard of not having mixed bathing That is so obvious, it's such a simple principle, such a, something that all of us need to understand, I think. [00:29:58] Where we are at least modestly dressed when there's opposite sexes together. And I think that a transformed heart desires that. It's not something that we fight against anymore. It's something that we desire. So there are principles in scripture, and I'm not going into all this, of keeping our bodies adequately covered and expressing humility and submission to God through a transformed heart. I remember, and some of you may have heard this, several years ago Charles Hamilton preached a message at the minister's meeting, and the title of the message was the truth war, or the war something to that effect. [00:30:43] But there was a story that he said. He said that they had just come in from the outside and were just getting settled in to the church. And they were in the middle of a discussion on what their standards should look like. And they were just soaking it up because they came from the outside and they had no idea what Christians even, or why they dress the way they do, I should say. And he said they were in this discussion and this lady, one lady said, [00:31:17] But if you don't allow me to do that, I can't be me anymore. And of course, you can imagine Charles' response to that. He said, Whoa, what about me? Well, that's not the point. If I'm still trying to be me, if it's all about me and decorating myself, Then there's not a transformed heart. There's not a heart that's practicing nonconformity. And it definitely is an expression of my heart condition. [00:31:52] Now I want to say this, you sisters think, I was speaking to you much of the time, but I want to say this, this side of the aisle has a profound effect on this side of the house, and you men don't realize your responsibility, or I don't want to say it that way, you realize your responsibility, I understand that, But we underestimate, we don't take into account or we don't take seriously our responsibility. [00:32:30] We are the leaders in the home. It is our responsibility to encourage our sisters to be there for our wives and our children and say, Well, I wouldn't wear that material. Or I would just, maybe you shouldn't wear that, maybe you shouldn't make that dress. or maybe it's even deeper than that. You know, we tend to focus on our sisters going into the public setting and how they appear. What about our homes? [00:33:02] What kind of clothes are our children or we wearing in our homes? Do we allow anything to go in our homes? You know, God is just as interested in having our homes a place where our sisters dress in modesty and our children learn the value of proper dress that is not conformed to the world. But if we allow things to go in our home that the church doesn't want, then it's going to come into the church and eventually the church will look like our home does. [00:33:35] It's just about that simple. nonconformity to the world our clothes are an expression of our heart what's happening in our heart now what are our feelings for the brotherhood and how do we what is the pattern that Christ set forth for nonconformity and by saying this I'm saying how does the world think that we should Relate in a brotherhood [00:34:05] Now, much of the world says in a church setting You do your thing, I do my thing And we still sit together as brothers But that's not the way that God said it That's not the way God wants it We are to follow peace with all men in holiness And unity in the brotherhood Do we have an interest in promoting peace? or do we have a divisive spirit that transform life as an interest in promoting peace and unity, harmony in the brotherhood? [00:34:43] I'm willing to submit to my brother. Maybe I have a brother or sister that has a more tender conscience than I. Am I willing to say, I just won't do it. I won't do it. As Paul said, I'll never eat meat if that's what it takes. Ephesians 4.31 I know I focus a lot on Ephesians 4.32 and most of us can quote this but I came across this in my study it says this [00:35:14] let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice and be ye kind one to another tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you evil speaking, clamor you know many times we God bless you, brothers and sisters, for all that you do. I just appreciate being here. I don't feel like there's a lot of backstabbing going on here. But praise the Lord, let's work towards that. [00:35:46] That telephone can just be the place that we vent our feelings toward our brother and sister behind their back. And God forbid, that's not what we're supposed to use it for. Let's bless our brothers and sisters if we have a chance. What about our love for the brotherhood? The transformed heart has a love for the brotherhood. And we know that when we, when a brother, well let me just read 1 John 3, 14 and 15. [00:36:20] We know that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren. Let me read it again. We know that we have passed from death unto life. Let me say it this way. When we are able to love that brother or sister that just might rub us the wrong way, love with a genuine love, we have a transformed heart. We are practicing nonconformity. But the opposite is true. [00:36:51] He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer, and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Jesus said that greater love hath no man than that a man lay down his life for his friends. A transformed mind that's practicing nonconformity shows up in our love, our level of love in the brotherhood. What does the world say about this? [00:37:24] You know, well, let me just, I'll just leave it. But nonconformity to the world dictates that I lay down even my reputation, even if I've been wronged, and I still love. I know those are some big words, hard things to work through sometimes. What does nonconformity do for our homes? I've talked about this already a little bit. [00:37:56] But the world dictates that we have career women. We have women that are in the workforce and that are assertive. But God has a different pattern. And I don't have time to go into this thing. I need to wrap this up. How do we order our homes? You know, we live in a permissive world that says Just let children be children. We're in our home and probably nobody's going to see it. But you know what? The Bible says, train up a child in the way he should go. And when he's old he will not depart from it. I think it says in Proverbs, if we are parents, we have a responsibility to draw a line and to teach our children good from evil. [00:38:48] That is our responsibility, and it is part of nonconformity. It is part of nonconformity, and it is our responsibility. Nonconformity even enters into the element of self-denial, into the world of, has an element of self-denial. Jesus said, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. You know, the world says, don't deny yourself. You can have what you want. Just follow your dreams. Denying, that just doesn't feel too good. We like to do things our way and when we want to do it. But you know what? The transformed heart is willing to deny and go the extra mile. When we get to the point where we're willing to deny ourselves, it's the epitome of a transformed heart. [00:39:48] Let me close with this. I want to say there's a positive side to being, living the nonconformed life. Whenever there's a command not to do something, there's also something to do. When we are conforming to God and making no provision to fulfill the lust of the flesh, we live a life that's close to the Lord. And there's victory, and there's peace, and there's joy. [00:40:22] We don't have to fear about all this instability that's about us. 1 John 5.4, I want to leave this verse with you. This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. It is not bondage to live in nonconformity, but freedom. Take that with you. That's one thing that you can take with you. We look at these things as bondage, but it's freedom if our heart is transformed. Shall we pray? Let's kneel for prayer.