August 9, 2026
Glynwood Baptist Church, Prattville Alabama
James Jackson, Pastor
Good morning! Please turn to Romans 12.
INTRODUCTION
In 1985, Coca-Cola made one of the biggest marketing mistakes in American business history.
For nearly one hundred years, Coke had been the undisputed king of soft drinks. But Pepsi had been gaining market share, and the famous “Pepsi Challenge” taste tests convinced Coca-Cola executives that consumers wanted something sweeter. So they did the unthinkable.
They changed the formula.
They called it “New Coke.”
The response was immediate—and overwhelmingly negative. People didn’t just dislike it. They were furious. They wrote letters. They flooded the company’s phone lines. Some people even hoarded cases of the original Coke because they were afraid it was gone forever.
Just seventy-nine days later, Coca-Cola admitted its mistake and brought back the original recipe under a new name: Coca-Cola Classic.
In the end, they learned an important lesson: Not every refresh requires a new formula.
Now, it took 79 days for Coca Cola to learn that lesson. But weirdly enough, human beings have been around much longer than Coca Cola, and I’m not sure we’ve learned that lesson yet.
We get restless. The same old same olds don’t have the same appeal they once did.
So we break off the relationship.
Or we trade in the car. Remodel the house. Update the résumé. Change jobs. Change churches.
We tell ourselves, “If I could just change what’s around me, everything would be different.
Churches can fall into the same trap. Attendance plateaus. Enthusiasm fades. Giving is down. When that happens, it’s easy to assume the answer is something new. A new staff member. A new building. A new program. A new event.
Once again, we tell ourselves, “If I could just change what’s around me, everything will be different.”
But changing what’s around you will never cure the restlessness that’s within you. Because the problem isn’t ultimately our circumstances.
The problem is us.
St. Augustine put it this way: “You have made us for Yourself, O God. Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.”
Over the next five weeks, we’re beginning a series called Refresh.
Now, you hear that title, and it sounds like we’re looking for something new—a fresh idea, a fresh approach, a fresh strategy for the Christian life.
But that’s not what this series is about.
This series isn’t about discovering some new spiritual secret. It’s about returning to the timeless ways God has always transformed His people:
By renewing the mind.
Purifying the heart.
Calling us to repentance.
Building spiritual disciplines.
None of that is new.
For two thousand years, these have been the ordinary means God has used to change ordinary people into the likeness of His Son.
The Bible has a word for that process.
It’s called sanctification.
Today we are going to talk about where that process begins: with the renewal of the mind. Let’s read Romans 12:1-2 together:
Romans 12:1–2 ESV
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
[Pray]
Romans 12 is one of the great turning points in the New Testament.
For eleven chapters, Paul has been laying the theological foundation of the Christian faith. He’s explained our sin. God’s grace. Justification by faith. Life in the Spirit. God’s faithfulness to Israel.
It ends with that great doxology in Romans 11:36 (and if you were at kids camp, you should know this verse, along with the motions:
Romans 11:36 ESV
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
And in chapter 12, he begins telling us what God’s people do:
I appeal to you therefore brothers…
In other words, “in light of everything we have just talked about, this is how we live as believers.”
I. The Old Mind
Notice where Paul begins: “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice…” That may seem like an odd place to start a sermon about the mind. Don’t lose sight of it. We’re going to come back to verse 1 at the end of the message, because I think it’s the key to how God changes our minds.
For now, though, I want us to focus on the next verse. “Do not be conformed to this world…” That brings us to the first point in your listening guide:
The Old Mind.
When I say “The old mind” I’m not talking about an old brain. We all fall victim to old brain sometimes— when you walk into a room and can’t remember why you went there in the first place. No, I’m talking about the old way of thinking—the mindset we inherited before Christ. Paul says, “Do not be conformed to this world.” The word conformed means to be molded or shaped according to a pattern. Think of clay being pressed into a mold. It takes on whatever shape the mold gives it. Paul is saying, “Don’t let the world squeeze you into its mold.”
[Play Doh Illustration]
Notice what he doesn’t say. He doesn’t say, “Don’t let the world shape your behavior.” That comes later. What he starts with is, “Don’t let the world shape your mind.” That’s because behavior always flows from belief. Long before sin becomes an action, it begins as a way of thinking.
Before there’s “Thou shalt not steal,” there’s a mindset of entitlement.
Before there’s “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” there is a mindset that you deserve something better than your current marriage.
Before there’s “thou shalt not kill,” there’s a mindset of self-righteousness that says “Vengeance is mine, saith myself.”
The life we live is shaped by the way we think.
This isn’t the first time Paul has said that. Earlier in Romans he wrote,
Romans 8:5–7 ESV
5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.
Did you notice how many times Paul used the word mind or set their minds? Before he talks about what people do, he talks about what people think.
Paul says the same thing in Ephesians 4:17-19.
Ephesians 4:17–19 ESV
17 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.
Their understanding is darkened, not because they lack intelligence, but because they are separated from the life of God.
Whenever I talk to kids about the gospel, I’ll ask them what they think sin is. And 99% of the time, they will say, “sin is when you do bad things.”
We need to grow up in our understanding of sin. Because the fundamental problem isn’t merely that people do sinful things. The fundamental problem is that they have learned to think in sinful ways.
That’s why this command is so relevant today. Every day someone is trying to shape the way you think. Advertisers are. Social media is. News outlets are. Politicians are. Entertainment is. Your friends are. The question isn’t whether your mind is being shaped. The question is: Who is shaping it?
The world has a way of looking at everything. It tells us happiness comes from getting more. Success is measured by possessions and promotions. Truth is whatever feels right to you. Follow your heart. Put yourself first. Paul says that’s the old mind. It’s a way of thinking that leaves God out of the equation.
And here’s what’s sobering. Paul isn’t writing this to unbelievers. He’s writing to Christians. He’s saying, “You’ve been saved by grace. Now don’t keep thinking the way you used to think.”
God doesn’t simply want to forgive our sins. He wants to transform the way we think. Because when He changes the way we think, He changes the way we live.
So let’s look at the second point on your listening guide,
II. The New Mind
Remember my can of Play-Doh. Earlier, I said that the Play-Doh is entirely dependent on the mold it is squeezed into.
Which sounds pretty fatalistic. If that was all there was to it, then you would leave here thinking, “Well, that’s me. I’ve been shaped by the world. What hope do I have?”
The hope of the gospel is that Jesus doesn’t simply forgive our sins. He gives us a new way of thinking.
Notice what Paul says in the second half of Romans 12:2:
“Be transformed by the renewal of your mind.”
The Christian life isn’t just about trying harder. It’s about thinking differently. And that change doesn’t begin with us. It begins with what God has already done.
Listen to what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:16
1 Corinthians 2:16 ESV
16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
“We have the mind of Christ.”
Think about how remarkable that statement is. He doesn’t say, “One day you’ll have the mind of Christ.” He doesn’t say, “If you become spiritually mature enough, maybe you’ll earn the mind of Christ.” He says, “We have the mind of Christ.”
Now, that doesn’t mean we suddenly know everything Jesus knows. It doesn’t mean we become omniscient. It means that because we belong to Christ and His Spirit lives within us, we have been given the capacity to begin seeing life from His perspective. We begin to value what He values, love what He loves, and desire what He desires.
Peter says something very similar in 2 Peter 1:3:
“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.”
Notice the tense. Has granted. Not “will someday.” Not “might if you work hard enough.” God has already supplied everything necessary for the life He’s called us to live.
I think sometimes we live as though we’re waiting on God to give us something else. Something that will make our walk with Christ fire on all cylinders.
A spiritual version of New Coke.
But God says, “Everything you need is already in the old formula. You have My Spirit. I’ve given you My Word. You have the mind of Christ.”
The question isn’t whether God has equipped us. The question is whether we’re learning to think with the mind He’s already given us.
Paul says, “Be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” I think that word is significant. Renewal assumes that something good has been distorted and is now being restored to what it was meant to be.
There’s a famous story about Michelangelo. When people asked how he carved his masterpiece, David, he reportedly said that he simply removed everything that wasn’t David. Whether those were his exact words or not, the picture is a beautiful one. He wasn’t creating David out of nothing. He was chipping away everything that concealed him.
That’s a wonderful picture of sanctification. God isn’t trying to turn you into someone He never intended you to be. He is removing everything sin has added. Every lie you’ve believed. Every worldly value you’ve adopted. Every selfish ambition. Every sinful habit of thought. He is chipping away everything that doesn’t look like Jesus.
That’s why Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3:18 that “we all… are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.” Notice the passive voice again. We are being transformed. God is the Sculptor. The Holy Spirit is the One holding the chisel. Our role isn’t to sculpt ourselves into Christlikeness. Our role is to continually place ourselves in the Sculptor’s hands.
That’s sanctification. Not becoming someone else, but becoming who you are in Christ.
In Philippians 2:5 Paul wrote,
Philippians 2:5 ESV
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
Then he describes Jesus, who did not cling to His position or His privileges but humbled Himself, took the form of a servant, and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.
The mind of Christ is a humble mind. It is a servant’s mind. It is a mind that asks, not “What’s best for me?” but “How can I glorify my Father and serve others?”
Then Paul adds one more piece in Colossians 3:
“Set your minds on things above, not on things that are on earth.”
That doesn’t mean Christians ignore this world or spend all day with their heads in the clouds. We still go to work. We pay bills. We raise children. We mow the grass. But we see all of those things from a different perspective. We no longer measure success the way the world measures success. We no longer define our worth by our possessions or our accomplishments. We look at life through the lens of eternity.
The old mind asks, “What do I want?” The new mind asks, “What does Christ want?”
The old mind asks, “How can I get ahead?” The new mind asks, “How can I glorify God?”
The old mind says, “My life belongs to me.” The new mind says, “My life belongs to Christ.”
And here’s the encouragement I want you to hear this morning. If you are in Christ, that new mind isn’t something you have to manufacture. The Holy Spirit is already at work. Through the work of Christ and the power of the Spirit, God is renewing your mind.
He isn’t asking you to become someone else. He’s making you more like Jesus.
And that’s exactly what sanctification is.
III. Changing Your Mind
Remember at the beginning of the message I told you we were going to come back to verse 1? Now we’re there.
We’ve spent most of our time talking about what God does. He transforms us. He renews our minds. He gives us the mind of Christ.
But before he ever says, “Be transformed by the renewal of your mind,” he says, “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice.” That’s the one clear command in these two verses. Our responsibility is surrender. God’s responsibility is transformation.
Every day begins with a decision. “Lord, does this life belong to me today, or does it belong to You?” Paul says to present your body—not just your mind, not just your heart, but your whole self—as a living sacrifice. Your plans, your ambitions, your relationships, your schedule, your finances, your future. Place them all on the altar as an act of worship. That’s where a renewed mind begins.
Then according to verse 2, we will be able to “test and discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Isn’t that what so many Christians are asking? “How do I know God’s will?” We often look for a sign or a feeling, but Paul says that discernment grows out of a renewed mind. As you surrender yourself to God day after day, you begin to recognize His voice. You begin to see life from His perspective. You don’t just know God’s will—you learn to discern it.
How does God renew our minds? He has always used the same ordinary means.
• Delight in God’s Word Psalm 1 says that the blessed man delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on it day and night.
Notice the word delight. This isn’t checking a box on a Bible reading plan. This is learning to love God’s truth. You become like whatever you consistently feed your mind. If your mind is constantly fed by the world’s values, don’t be surprised when you think like the world. But if you delight in God’s Word, His truth slowly reshapes the way you think.
• Paul gives us another practical step in 2 Corinthians 10:5. He says we are to “take every thought captive to obey Christ.”
You don’t have to believe every thought that enters your head. Some thoughts need to be arrested.
• When fear says, “God has abandoned you,” take that thought captive.
• When temptation whispers, “No one will ever know,” take that thought captive.
• When shame tells you, “You’ll never change,” take that thought captive.
Think Differently: Paul tells us in Philippians 4:8 what should replace those thoughts. “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable… think about these things.”
Christianity isn’t just about refusing to think the wrong things. It’s about intentionally filling our minds with the right things. A renewed mind doesn’t happen by accident. It happens as we consistently choose to dwell on what is true and good and beautiful.
This is the original formula. It’s not a fad, it’s not trendy. It’s not about discovering some new spiritual secret. It’s about returning to the old formula. Present yourself to God. Delight in His Word. Take your thoughts captive. Fill your mind with what is true. Then trust the Holy Spirit to do what only He can do. He will continue the work He has already begun. Day by day, thought by thought, decision by decision, He will renew your mind and make you more like Jesus.
That’s sanctification. The lifelong process by which God makes us more like Jesus. And it all begins with the renewal of the mind.
Conclusion
As we close this morning, let me ask you a simple question.
What is shaping your mind?
Every day, someone is trying to answer that question for you. The world is constantly trying to squeeze you into its mold. But God is patiently renewing your mind so that you begin to think like Jesus.
Where does that begin?
It begins with surrender.
Tomorrow morning, before you check your phone… before you turn on the news… before you open your email… before the world has a chance to shape your thinking, I want to challenge you to do one simple thing.
Present yourself to God.
Before your feet hit the floor, pray something like this:
“Lord, today my life belongs to You. My mind belongs to You. My plans belong to You. My words belong to You. Present me as a living sacrifice. Renew my mind today, and help me think like Jesus.”
Then open God’s Word.
Not because reading your Bible earns God’s favor. It doesn’t.
Not because you’ve got to check another box on your spiritual to-do list.
Open it because that’s where the Sculptor does His work. That’s where the Holy Spirit chips away another piece of pride, another lie you’ve believed, another worldly way of thinking, and replaces it with the truth of Christ.
Don’t expect it all to happen in one day.
Michelangelo didn’t carve David with one swing of the hammer.
God doesn’t ordinarily make us like Jesus in one dramatic moment either.
He does it one day at a time… One passage of Scripture at a time… One surrendered decision at a time… One renewed thought at a time.
That’s sanctification.
The lifelong process by which God makes us more like Jesus.
And it all begins with the renewal of the mind.
[Response]
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