Sermons
Fighting The Urge To Fit In
Series: Fighting The Urge To Fit InLink to sermon video: Fighting The Urge To Fit In - V Rossi
FIGHTING THE URGE TO FIT IN
Good morning & welcome!
We will be presenting a four-part series starting this morning on Romans 12:2
This morning we will cover, “Fighting the Urge to Fit In”
Next week, “You Are Chosen”
Week three, “You are God’s Ambassador”
Week four, “Imitate Christ”
I find it amazing that we can take any verse from scripture and peel back the many layers of meaning and come away with a deeper understanding of what it is that God wants us to know about Him and our relationship to Him.
Although the scriptures were given to and through the first century saints, they are meant for us as well.
( 2 Tim. 3:16,17 )
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
READ ROMANS 12:2
“And do not be conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.”
We will through this morning and the next three weeks peal back the layers of this verse and make application that all of us can take home and apply to our daily lives.
Our overall title is, “Don’t be a Chameleon! Fight the urge to fit in!”
We have chosen the chameleon because it fits to what we will be discussing over the next couple weeks. And that is to not be conformed to or look like the world around us. Like a chameleon that can blend into its surroundings to the point where it is hard to distinguish. Even if the environment that a chameleon might find itself in has different colors and textures, it can still change to fit that environment. It will do its best to “fit in.”
As we progress through this series you will come to an understanding of why this choice for the title.
The world has certain patterns to it that do not lead to a full life. Greed, anger, jealousy, materialism, and dishonesty are just a few of them.
Paul instructs us in the book of Romans to no longer conform to or blend in with the ways of the world, but instead we are to live as transformed people. Transformation doesn’t happen by accident; it is an intentional way of daily living.
Prayer - “God, we have been guilty of creating patterns in our lives that do not lead to the full life you want to give us. Help us to get rid of the unhealthy patterns and to substitute them with healthier ones. Transform us into the child of God we were designed to be.”
Scripture – A couple of the scriptures we will be referencing:
John 4:1-26, gives us the story of the Samarian woman at the well
John 5:1-9, The man at the healing spring
2 Cor. 5:17 “Therefor if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.”
Another words; In Christ we are no longer a world conformist, but we have been transformed to a new life, a life that stands out from the world around us, a new life
“A young, 16-year-old Salvation Army youth was walking to the church from his house for a Bible study one day. In days past, they wore uniforms to every church function. On route to the church, there were 12 or 15 of his peers hanging outside the pool hall that he had to pass. His classmates laughed as he walked by. They used choice language. He stood out because he didn’t subscribe to the norms, he didn’t fit the standard image and style and chose a different path for his life.”
Today, we are beginning a brand-new sermon series all about this same concept: standing out as opposed to fitting in.
The chameleon is the master of disguise. No matter what environment it’s placed in, it will change its color to blend itself in and fit in.
Remember that one of the fundamental aspects of being a Christian is that we are easily identifiable when placed against the backdrop of the world. We naturally stand out, like the young man in our story. At least we should!
However, the truth is that for many of us, we would rather blend in with the crowd than stand out from the crowd.
Today we are going to look at a very clear statement from the Bible regarding this topic of ours. If you have a Bible with you, turn with me to the book of Romans chapter 12. Let’s read this verse again written by the Apostle Paul. He says very simply
“Do not conform 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 God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.” In this sentence, Paul shows us the contrast we are going to look at today: fitting in vs. standing out.
Let’s begin to peel back the layers and discover what God would have us to know.
To fit in during the high school and college years.
It can feel like the only way to maintain a good number of friendships is by conforming your personality and habits to those around you who appear to have it all together.
The upside is that if you conform and fit in you can begin to form a sense of community that you may never have experienced before. The downside or the dilemma is that what you’ll be experiencing is a false sense of community. This doesn’t stop after school, it continues throughout life!
The only reason you were accepted was due to the person you were pretending to be. Once others discovered who you really are, they may leave - they may stay - but either way the whole process can be traumatizing.
It’s like the old story of the teen who wanted to fit in with the popular crowd and was finally asked to join them for a ride. While they were driving around someone in the front seat lit up a joint and began to pass it around. The teens mind began to race knowing that her belief system would not allow her to share in that joint, but the pull to fit in was now placing tremendous pressure on her. What will she do? What would you do? Become a chameleon and fit in and take a hit off the joint, or take a stand for your faith and stand out by saying no thanks?
As Christians we are called to be like Christ, treat others like Christ, and interact with the world like Christ. If we say we are Christians and continue living like everyone else, we are hypocritical. You may have entire friend groups that know nothing of your faith or who you are in Christ, but just like we experienced in high school (or other places), these are false communities who only like us for who we’re pretending to be.
God is calling us as followers of Christ to stand out, rather than to fit in. It’s not an easy process, but it’s an important one. Some of the questions we’ll be tackling throughout this series are;
What does conforming look like?
What are the patterns we as humans are tempted to conform to?
What does true transformation look like in our lives by Christ’s definition?
Then, once we know what transformation looks like, what is the purpose behind it?
We first have to get a grip on what conforming actually looks like in our world. The word “conform” means, “to assume a similar outward form (expression) by following the same pattern. (mold, model)
With that in mind, our first point;
Confronting Your Conforming
I wonder how many of us have tried to model our behavior after someone we looked up to or admired. As you grow up it’s almost like you “try on” others’ characteristics to see what “fits.” But, what happens when they become your habits and characteristics? What if you don’t like them? What if you don’t like who you’ve become? Have you ever questioned yourself about what path in life you are on? Has the direction of your life all of a sudden become uncomfortable? Have you thought to yourself, this doesn’t feel like me? I feel like someone else sometimes.
There must be a confrontation.
This can obviously happen in a multitude of different ways both externally and internally. But as believers we can expect that we will at different times in our lives, be confronted with the truth of God.
We may be about to do something or are caught in a situation where what we may want to do flies in the face of God’s word!
Turn with me to John 4:1-26 so we can all see firsthand what this kind of divine confrontation might look like.
In John chapter 4, Jesus has an encounter with a woman from Samaria at a well. We see, in this culture, that the Jews (of which Jesus was one) did not associate with Samaritans. They did everything in their power to avoid interactions with them...In fact most Jews would not travel through Samaria and would instead take a longer route to avoid Samaria and any contact with Samaritans.
Allow me to interject here: Who are your Samaritans? Who do you avoid at all costs?
However, Jesus doesn’t care about social norms and taboos. He is interested in the redemption of all humankind.
So, he goes to meet this woman as she comes to draw water around noon that day. Usually, all the women would come to draw water much later in the day, but this woman was so ashamed of her lifestyle that she wanted to avoid encounters with anyone. Nevertheless, Jesus meets her and offers her “living water.” He makes her aware -- her lifestyle will NEVER truly fulfill her, and will leave her thirsty.
He says, “The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband.” Jesus calls out the way she is living in order to offer her the better way of life found only in Himself, the Christ!
The path to deep transformation has to begin with confronting the negative, worldly patterns in our life. For the woman at the well, it happened in an actual encounter and conversation with Jesus who drew her attention to the destructive patterns of her life.
Maybe Jesus is trying to call out things in our life that bring no eternal value. Always remember though, Jesus may call our life style out but He doesn’t leave us there, He offers a better way, new way!
Maybe we have been following the patterns of those around us, because it is much easier to fit in rather than to stand out.
Maybe we know that we can keep friendships if we just fit in and follow others’ lead.
Maybe Jesus is offering you and me the better way of life, here and now. Just like his encounter with the woman at the well He is offering all who will accept Him, living water and abundant life
(John 10:10).
“The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.”
What will we do with His invitation?
Like the man at the pool, do You Want to Get Well?
John 5:1-9
In this story, Jesus meets a man who has been an invalid for 38 years and is laying at the pool of Bethesda.
Actually, in order to get to this particular man, it appears Jesus must’ve passed by many others who were also sick or handicapped (verse 5:3).
Jesus literally confronts him there at the pool; “When Jesus saw him lying there and realized that he had spent a long time in this condition, He asked him, “Do you want to get well?”
What Jesus was looking at was a man who had fully conformed to his circumstance. This is evidenced in his reply to Jesus when he says, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am on my way, someone else goes in before me.”
Just think of yourself in line at the grocery store and people continue to cut in front of you. We get upset if only one person cuts, could you imagine if that happened to you all day every day?
The handicap man was discouraged, obviously. He couldn’t see a pathway to healing. Yes, he wanted to be well, but when confronted with Jesus’ simple question, he was only able to respond with the reality he believed he occupied. He could only see the obstacles in front of him and I would argue that his condition, his suffering, his discouragement had conformed his thinking to a mindset of hopelessness.
Little did he know, while he was staring at the pool of water in front of him, the living waters of Christ were staring into his soul… looking to bring healing and wholeness into his life on that particular day.
This story and this example should make us honestly wonder how many times a similar thing has happened in our life. How many times have we been staring at the thing we’ve been conformed to stare at and we completely miss the invitation of the Lord?
The same question Jesus asked 2000 years ago is still relevant today. Do you want to get well?
Or said another way, do you want the transformative power of God in your life?
The World Conforms, While the Word Transforms. (repeat)
The words of Christ challenged and confronted the man at the pool of Bethesda just like the words of Christ continue to challenge and confront us today.
( Hebrews 4:12,13 ) “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edge sward, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13) And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”
So much of the messaging we hear in life is inviting us to conform to a worldly image that falls short of the glory of God:
- Buy a nicer car.
- Get a new home.
- You deserve better.
- You deserve more.
- Better, more, bigger, better, yada, yada, yada.
The messaging of the Bible, however, invites us into the transformative power of God.
The world conforms; the word transforms.
If you are here today and you are trying to figure out why the negative pattern in your life still seems to be present, maybe it has a correlation to the time you spend with God in His Word.
The world around us will gladly give us things to fill our time and before we know it, we have not spent any time with God. I believe that the more time we spend with God, the more we will begin to look like His Son Jesus.
As Paul says in Romans 12:2, we need to have our minds renewed; “Do not conform 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 God's will is--His good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Our minds are the most powerful supercomputers in the world and they are hard wired to store and recall all the information we take in throughout a lifetime. Maybe it’s time for a bit of rewiring regarding the filling of our minds. Maybe it’s time for a defrag!
We are in need of spiritual and mental renewal. To many of us have been stagnant in our walk with the Lord for too long. To busy conforming to the world rather than transforming to be more Christ like!
The Bible is the source of what you are seeking. Anytime, anyplace, God is ready to meet you right where you are to take you where He wants you to be.
Do you want to be healed?
Do you want the transformative power of God in your life?
Do you want the abundant life Christ refers to in John 10:10?
Conclusion
Renewing our mind, being transformed, not conforming to the world around us…these things are not easy, but they’re worth it. You can look all around you to discover how to fit in and look like everyone else, act like everyone else. However, you have to look both up and within to learn the art of standing out for Christ.
What is God trying to do in our hearts as we begin this series? What kind of self-reflective journey do you need to embark on this week to take steps toward transformation? What needs to happen in your daily routine to make room for the word of God? God desires to see you transformed. The question is -- do you want it?
Do you want to be healed?
Jesus came into a world that He easily could have conformed to, but He chose to stand out. Because He took this path, the result was His death on a cross. But the story wasn’t over…in fact it was just beginning.
We are about to be led in a song of invitation. This is your opportunity to come forward and ask that prayers be offered on your behalf for strength to transform rather than conform.
It is also an opportunity to those wanting to be right with the Lord. To come forward and be baptized for the forgiveness of sin and to become a child of God. To have your life transformed to a more abundant life. A fulfilled life, A life that stands out from the crowd.
Jesus asked the man at the pool, “Do you want to be healed?
Now is your opportunity to be healed!
