God gives us a new heart and a new spirit once we born again. Still, our mind needs transformation. This happens by the Spirit and the Word. We learn to put away things of the world and the flesh and not follow the herd. Have a doctrinal orientation in the Bible and be free. Do not get stuck. (Romans 12:1-2; Matthew 8:23-26; Ephesians 4:17-23)

Speaker(s): Thomas Schaller
Sermon 12961
Date: 2025-07-20
Time: Sun 11:00 am

 

P. Schaller –

All right. Great. Praise the Lord. Turn to Psalm 73. You may be seated. So, our group from Poland, the summer
camp, Camp Life in Europe, they returned last night. So, we heard great reports tonight. P. Pete
Westera will share with us and Szombor who is one of our Hungarian graduates. He returns to
Hungary on Tuesday, so he could share also. I haven’t confirmed that with him but that might
happen tonight.

And I’m just thankful for the great summer the Lord has given us with news from Mongolia and
Norway and Poland. And this coming week, P. Taggart goes to Thailand and then Laos and then
later in August Vietnam with summer harvest. So, right here in Baltimore, Summer Alive, and
the outreach that is ongoing to help people and encourage them in the faith.

So, we are actually focused on Romans 12 is our key verse, but we’ll be moving around and Psalm
73 is where we will be landing in our message this morning. So, you benefit. You and I benefit a
lot from learning the Word and how important our mind is in our lives. How important our
mind is. That was one of the things that I loved about this ministry that I came into more than
50 years ago was an emphasis on teaching the Bible and learning how the Bible affects my
minds.

And that’s what’s written in Romans 12:1-2. That word “service” could be “worship.” That word
can be used that way, too. It’s translated “service” in the King James, but in some translations,
it is worship. We have become worshippers by our new birth. So, when you came to Christ by
faith, the Spirit of God came into your life and gave you a new heart and a new spirit. Could we
put that up on the board, please? Ezekiel 36:26. So, when you receive a new heart, a new spirit,
you became a worshipper. And that means at home maybe walking down a street, in a field,
anywhere you are in nature, in a building like here, in a meeting, we are worshippers. That this
is reasonable based on Christ coming into the world and doing what he did on the cross.

Because of understanding Romans 6 and many of you are Bible, you are, you know your Bible
pretty well and you know Romans 6:17. Because of what Christ did on the cross, it’s translated
into our lives as reasonable worship. It’s only reasonable that because of what Christ did that
we would become worshippers of God with his mind.

So, go to vs. 2. This is our key verse. This is our second week on it. I need to say something
about that. When you are born again – that’s sure that you are born again. You’re a child of
God. But your mind, it doesn’t mean that your mind is transformed. Your mind might be very
much the same as an unsaved person. Your mind might be in unbelief. It was like that for me. I
still have my doubts and I did not have a transformed mind. I did have and then I didn’t have.
It’s the same with being Spirit-filled. I’m complaining. I’m negative. I’m angry. I’m hateful. I’m
jealous. I’m envious. That’s not being Spirit-filled. I’m not a Spirit-filled Christian.

As I live with those things in my heart, in my life, what is the word for that? I am living in what
I’m living in. When I’m living in a sin, my sin nature, I’m living in my flesh. Flesh. My flesh is a
word in our New Testament. Romans 7, we see it also but I’m a believer. Yeah, I’m a believer. I
am bought with a price. We are bought with a price. And we are not our own.

But in practice, in my life, I’m living in the flesh or my old sin nature. How could you be a
believer and still live in your old sin nature? Well, believe me that I can. Yes. Okay. And you
don’t have to live too long to realize that. You can live in your flesh. That’s Galatians 5. The fruit
of the flesh, the works of the flesh are these. And then the fruit of the Spirit is this, right? Those
nine words. Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
meekness, temperance.

What’s the meaning of temperance? I can deny myself. I can deny myself. I’m going to just say
that a few times. I can’t deny myself. No, you need this. I can deny myself. I have authority over
myself. I can say no to myself. No, you need another one of those. No, I don’t need another one
of those. I can deny myself. I could deny myself food. I could deny myself pleasure, gratification,
comfort. I can deny myself. How can you do that? By being Spirit-filled.

The Holy Spirit can fill me and I have authority over myself. And I don’t watch everything that
everybody watches on TV or social media. I can deny myself a conversation. I can deny myself
curse words. I don’t curse or swear anymore. I can deny myself pornography. I can deny myself
lust and desires of my flesh. I can deny myself. Why? Because you are Spirit-filled. And what’s
the fruit of being Spirit [filled]? Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
meekness, temperance. Wow.

Who just whistled? Do it again. Yeah, okay. So here we go. Just as I could live in my flesh as a
Christian, why don’t I live in my flesh as a Christian? Why don’t I? Why don’t you live in the
flesh/ Why don’t you conform to the world? Look at Rom. 12:2. What’s it mean here? Here is a
little picture for you. Here’s your life and here’s your culture. The culture of the world you live
in and the culture speaks to you.

Now, my life told me this thing that came out in the news. Maybe you heard about it. There is a
jumbotron at some big game. I don’t know what game it was, but up on the jumbotron there
was a man hugging a woman up there and went up on the screen. When they saw that, they
shrunk down and they just kind of hiding themselves. Why? Cheating.

That man was married, had children, and the woman he’s embracing is not his wife. And guess
who was watching the jumbotron? And does your sin find you out? Numbers 32:23, isn’t it? Be
sure your sin will find you out. Just turn to your neighbor and you say, You’ve been on the
jumbotron recently with somebody you shouldn’t be with. And it’s a disaster.

The guy was a CEO and he lost his job. The company wouldn’t tolerate it. I don’t know how the whole thing
goes with his wife. And I’m not happy about – I’m very saddened by it. It’s a sad story.
But, hey, you want to live in the flesh? Do you think that’s a good thing to live by on the basis of
our culture and what our culture says and how it may dictate to you in your mind and in your
heart? That’s called a Christian conforming to the world and you do the same thing. You say the
same things. You have the same values. You have the same kind of character and nature that is
in the world. And it says, Do not be conformed to the world.

And you might say, well, how could I, how could I be changed? Well, the next part of the verse
tells us. It says but be transformed. Now, that word is the same as when Jesus was on the Mt.
of Transfiguration in Matthew 17. It’s METAMORPHO. It’s the word for a real change and not a
schematic change. That’s a different word. It’s like a plan. A schematic on electronics or
schematic on the building. An architectural drawing of the house. That’s just like a schematic.
That’s conforming. That’s an external change or that’s an adaptation like the little animals.

What are the chameleons, right? Chameleons. They change with the color and the environment
that they live in. What a cool little thing. But they’re still a chameleon. Is that the right way of
saying it? A chameleon, right? There are people that change morally, moral reformation, but no
real spiritual transformation. Wow. There are people that change their clothes and their haircut
and their perfume and their earrings, but they don’t have any real change that happens
internally in their mind. Their mind. The mind. Yeah. The mind.

So, look at it. It says don’t be a chameleon conforming to this world and just be one of the
lemmings that jump off the cliff and follow the herd. Let’s all make a noise like cows. Do the
cow thing, you know. They have “Mara chapas” in Hungarian. I don’t know if they are here.
Mara chapas. I think it’s the, you know, when you have cows going and they make a trail like we
all go with the group.

Are you following the herd? Are you doing what everybody else is doing? Are you afraid of
being rejected? Are you afraid of being different? Are you afraid of being unique? Are you
afraid of like somebody noticing that you’re different from everybody else? That you’re walking
to the drum, the beat of another drummer? Are you able to walk with God and have a
transformed mind and a changed life and not be like everybody else in your culture?

Do you know what our culture is like and the very good things about it? We are a people that
are living in a country with a lot of privileges, a lot of liberties, a lot of wealth, a lot of education,
a lot of prosperity, a lot of opportunity, but is it controlling you in a bad way? Is it, is it
controlling you in a bad way?

Okay. So, you might say, Well, I came to church to have fun. What’s going on? I came to church.
What’s going on in here? Okay. Okay. So, let’s look at the verse again. Romans 12:2, okay. Now, go
to – I want to get this part in. There is Matthew 8:23, simple story, profound story. Vs. 23-24. So, we
have just a simple story with two different minds. You could say two different minds in the
situation that there’s a storm and in the ship on the Sea of Galilee. Some of us have been there
on the Sea of Galilee.

We’ve been told because of the way the wind goes, the mountains around it and so on. There
can be like a storm that rises up on that freshwater lake. It’s actually a lake 12 miles long, 4
miles wide. And in the storm, he’s asleep. But the disciples in vs. 25 came to him and woke him,
saying, Lord, save us. We perish. And he said to them, Why are you fearful, oh ye of little faith?
And of course, all of us could say of course they’re afraid.

Why wouldn’t, anybody would be afraid. Of course. I know. But then he said, he challenged them. Why are you so fearful? Why does it affect you this way? Why are you afraid of dying? Why are you afraid of this situation?
Why don’t you have – don’t you have a renewed mind? Why are you so troubled by other
people? Why are you troubled by the climate? Why are you troubled by the news?

Why are you so troubled by your family? Why are you troubled by your church? Why are you
troubled by the local community? Why are you troubled by the United States of America? Why
are you troubled by the economy? Why are you troubled by the cancer? Why are you troubled
by the cemetery or the hospital or the police station? Why are you troubled by it?

Well, because that’s reality. That’s reality. The Lord. We’re talking about reality. We are in a
storm and we’re going to be – we’re all going to drown. We’re all going to perish here. And he’s
saying, I have a different mind. I have a different mind from you. And I actually believe that you
should have – I actually know that you could have a different mind than what you have right
now. I actually know because I am God and I actually know how you could be processing this in
a different way. But you’re not. And I’m holding your feet to the fire. I’m holding you
accountable for your mind. Your mind is important.

And if your mind is not renewed, then you’re just like an unbeliever. If your mind is not
renewed you will not have a spiritual mind toward three things that we have been teaching
now for two weeks about it. The Greek word for the mind is this one, NOUS. Nous. The
renewed mind will affect how you think of God. Now, you might say, I believe in God.
I know you believe in God, but how do you think about God? Is he #1? Is he important? Do you
rely on him? Well, I say my prayers to God but I mean, I don’t take it that seriously because of
course you don’t because that’s the mind of the natural man. That’s the way people are. That’s
how people think. They don’t think about God as being Almighty God. They don’t fear God.
They just believe in God but they don’t have, they don’t rely on God.

Our culture tells us you don’t have to rely on God. You can believe in God, but you don’t have,
you don’t have to take this that seriously. But when your mind is renewed, he becomes this
chief joy, this person, this one you rely on, this Almighty God whose name is Mighty Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, and uh Prince of – Everlasting Father and
Prince of Peace in Isaiah 9:6.

He becomes our bread and our water and our door and our Rock and our Shepherd. He
becomes the voice that moves on the waters in Psalm 29. He becomes the one that enlightens
the mind. It gives understanding to you that God is really important.

I was shocked when we had covid. How many American people were afraid of dying. Like I
thought we are not – I thought it was Psalm 91. I thought God is real for us. I thought that we
pass from death unto life in John 5:24. I thought we believed in Christ. I am the way. I am the
resurrection. And he that believes in me will never die. Do you have that mind?

No, I don’t have that mind. Hey, you’re, you’re overboard. You’re way out there. I go, yeah. I
mean that’s what I’m talking about. I am talking about how Jesus didn’t just die so one day I
could go to heaven. Jesus died so that now I could live a life with a renewed mind and I’d be
able to process life in my good times and in my bad times based on the living God who loved us
and gave us his Son.

Imagine being in a storm on the boat and Jesus is sleeping and then we wake him up. We say,
We’re perishing. He goes, Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? Oh, Lord. You are my
disciples. You don’t have a different mind about this. You don’t, you don’t understand. You
know. And we say, That’s right, Lord. I am living in unbelief. I belong to you but I am doubting
you.

Three areas you find yourself doubting in. #1. The power of God. We doubt it. Can I move? Can
a move a rock of stone? Can I divide the Red Sea? Can I raise the dead? Can I heal a leper? Can I
walk out of the tomb? Can I – am I God? Can I bring the Jews out of Egypt? Can I give them
manna in the morning and give them clothes that will never wear out and shoes that will never
wear out? Am I God?

You are God. Forgive me for my unbelief. #3. I question is wisdom. You know, in the map
leaving Egypt, you go along the shore of the Mediterranean in the Promised Land, but they go
down. They go down the Red Sea and they’re caught. Lord, we went the wrong way. Yeah. GPS,
not good. Not good. God is saying, No. I did it on purpose. That’s my wisdom. My ways are not
your ways. This is my plan, not your plan. I led you down to the Red Sea to bring Egypt down
there and bring you through the Red Sea on dry land. Because I’m not only powerful, I am wise.

And I’m going to bury the army of the Egyptian people in the Red Sea. And you will see their
bodies floating up on shore as they did in Exodus 15 and 14. Wisdom of God.
And then #3, I question the love of God. Does he love me? Maybe I’m not saved. Maybe I lost
my salvation. Maybe he doesn’t love me. Maybe he, maybe he changed his mind. Maybe
there’s something. This is the mind of man. He’s a Christian but the mind of man with an
unrenewed mind. There’s a lot of material in that. And I’m sorry we – it’s every one of those is a
message but I want to move along here.

My unrenewed mind toward other people. I don’t like all people. Do you? P. Schaller, you
shouldn’t be saying that. I do love all people but not my unrenewed mind. You have attitudes
about people different from you. The unbeliever. That person that’s young or old or educated
or uneducated, rich or poor from another country or you know from far away or from Asia or
do you love people? No, we are judging people. We judge people.

How about sinful people, criminal people, people that have troubles in life or struggles or
whatever. Unrenewed mind does not love people. Unrenewed mind does not know the value of
a person. The unrenewed mind doesn’t know about heaven and about hell and about lost
people. And the unrenewed mind doesn’t process life the same way as God does. God’s mind.
We have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:165 says that we have the mind of Christ.

Third thing. An unrenewed mind is toward myself. I don’t have the right. I don’t have God’s
mind toward myself. So, this is how it goes. I’m afraid of failing, so I don’t try anything. No risks.
You know, shut the door. Lock it. Stay at home. Don’t go out. Don’t run any risks. You’re afraid. I
can’t live. I do want to live, but I got to protect myself. I’m suspicious of people. Judgmental
about people. I’m afraid of failure. I’m afraid of myself. I’m inferior.

I didn’t do well in school. I was marked at school as being a bad guy or the comedian of the
class or the smart man or the gifted person or whatever it might be. Your concept of yourself is
a bondage. Your concept of people is a bondage and your concept of God is a bondage. That’s
why we need mind renewal cuz we’ll discover not only Christ came to take away my sin, but he
came to take away the power of sin. He came to renew my mind and give you the
understanding that I have authority in my life from God so that I can live a life that is holy and
acceptable by God’s grace. I can prove what is a perfect, acceptable will of God, Romans 12:2. Isn’t
that amazing? It is.

So, how does it happen? There’s a couple simple things. In the 9:00, we preached on Psalm 73.
Same material. I basically said the same thing. So, when you go home and you want to listen to
this message from Psalm 73, you can go to the 9:00 service and hear it. And those people could go
to the 11:00 and hear this one. It’s the same thing in effect but the context is different
Scripture.

But I want to finish. Wrap it up by just saying Ephesians 4:17-18 are really teaching what I just
said. So, we’ll put those up. Vs. 17-18. Gentiles. The word means basically an educated pagan
like Socrates or Plato or Aristotle They’re educated people but they’re not Christians. They’re
not Jews and they’re not Christians. They don’t have the Bible.

So, they have a philosophy and they’re educated but their minds are vain or futile. Their minds
are not working the way they’re supposed to. Their minds are not being productive in the
thoughts of God, in the fellowship with God. They’re not walking in oneness with God. Amos
3:3, how shall we walk together except we be in agreement? And the agreement is on the
grounds of actually two things. The agreement is in the heart and the agreement is in the Spirit.
Holy Spirit.

Now, I love it that you came to church today, because you’re learning something. You are.
You’re learning something. Watch. Why? Let’s follow this. He’s saying these are Christians. The
Ephesians are Christians. And he’s saying to the Christians, guys, don’t live like unbelievers. But
you can live like unbelievers. But you’re a Christian. But I live like an unbeliever. Like I said, I talk
the same way. I have the same values. I’m afraid the same. I’m insecure the same. I worry. I’m
afraid of death. I’m afraid or I’m afraid of not having a good life. The good life. That’s what I
want. The good life that cannot be your god.

You cannot put up anything in creation. A good wife, a good family, a good job, a good house, a
good life, a good car, a good investment. You cannot put that in the place of God. If you do
have those things in the place of God, it will blind your mind.

When you become an idolater, your mind is blinded. That’s vs. 18. Put it up, please. Having the
understanding darkened. What does that mean in words? Simple words. Understanding
darkened means the mind. Understanding is darkened. Lord, we perish. Lord, we perish. We’re
in the storm. We perish. We’re going to perish. We’re going to die. All of us are going. We’re
gonna die.

There’s another mind on the boat and he’s sleeping and he’s going, really? Yes, that’s real. And
he’s saying this. If you understood, if your mind was enlightened, if you knew who I am, if you
knew the plan I have for you, if you knew the resources that are present on this boat, if you
understood the big picture, if you understood who God is, you’d not be screaming and wailing
like this. You would have another mind but now your mind is darkened and how come you are
alienated from the life of God? How did you get alienated by idolatry? I’m alienated from the
life of God because my job is more important than God.

I remember one time years ago before we went to – was it the 1980s? I guess ’89 maybe. I got a
little sick and I was, I had a fever and I was up home living in Belair and I had two, three children. And they meant a lot to me. My little girls. Bethany and Amy. They meant a lot to me.
And in my – I couldn’t sleep. I was up at night and I brought them before God in my heart and I
said, Lord I think my girls mean more to me than you. I remember kneeling. I remember where I
was. I remember the prayer. I think my girls mean more to me than you do. And I give them to
you.

Have you had anything like that in your life? Have you had anything that’s kind of pushing God
out? And anything in your life kind of saying, you know, my happy, good, comfortable life is
more important to me than God? Then I’m saying to you, bring it before God. He’s not asking
you to change. He’s asking you to bring it before him and he will renew your mind.

And I remember getting up from my knees and I was released and I was worshipping God and
very thankful. Within a year or two by 1991, I was living in Hungary without my family. I was
living in Hungary without my family. But God did it. And I was living in Hungary and going back
and forth for 12 years. And it was not hard. Sometimes it was. But that’s okay.
But I’m trying to say there are things that you might see now. You might say, I could never do
that. But don’t underestimate what God can do in your heart and in your mind. You might say, I
could never have an addiction. I can never see. I could never get. I agree. I agree. We may not
be able to change. But this reformation, this change is not me doing my best. It’s me and you
surrendering ourselves to God. And what happens?

It says we are alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of
the blindness of their heart. And then vs. 19. We’re past feeling. It means we’re numb. And we
give ourselves over to this very liberal, lasciviousness. Means a very liberal and it includes a
sexual liberty. It includes like I can do anything I want idea. I turn. I’m turned over to that to
work all uncleanliness. Then the next one. But you have not learned Christ. The next one. Next
one. But you put off concerning the former conversation the old man which is corrupt.
How do you put off the old man? By the mind being renewed.

Okay. Yeah. So, then the renewed mind has just another, just the opposite of these things happening. Which was it? This one? The renewed mind. God is powerful and you start to believe he is powerful in your heart.
You know, we were in a neighborhood yesterday and I want to finish up here, but we were in a
neighborhood in Dundalk and this beautiful family. I mean, just a babysitter. Had eight children.
Six on the porch. A couple running in and out. And I talked to her and she said, you know, I told
here we’re with the church and I shared a little bit and she said, All these kids, every one of
them, and some of them were like two years old, two, three years old, little, little kids, and they
were playing. And she said, These kids, they don’t need any money. They need Jesus. I said, she
said, we don’t need a house. And their house was actually, it was a beautiful house. We don’t
need a house. We need Jesus.

These kids, we give them Jesus, they’ll have everything they need to get through life.
Halleluiah! What a message that was. That rang in my heart. That’s a renewed mind. These kids,
the babysitter. And I didn’t know if she was a grandmother or mother or what, what her
relationship was with all the kids, but it was like a fellowship with that woman. And she said,
you know, and I didn’t say it. She said it. She said, you know, you give these kids Jesus, you’re
giving them everything they need. Everything they need. Wasn’t that amazing? She said, and
she added, they don’t need money. They need Jesus Christ. Wow. Amazing.

Where’d that mind come from? That’s a renewed mind. Halleluiah. That’s high priority on God.
That’s seeing life through God and his mind. When you judge people for anything like where
they live or their financial status or education or their accent that they have in a foreign country
or something. Whatever it might be. And many of us have traveled a lot in the world and we
have seen and been in many places. Do you judge them? No. We love them. We care about
their future. They have potential because we have a renewed mind.

But, you know, leave me by myself for a while and my mind goes in the dumpster. It does. My
mind about me goes in the dumpster. I’m the first one. The way I think about myself. Dumpster.
The way I think about people. Dumpster. The way I think about God. Dumpster. That happens
to us.

But you guard. You recognize it and you go, you know what I need? I need renewal. Lord, how
can I get it? And he goes, Humble yourself under my mighty hand and trust me. I will do it in my
timing. I’ll refresh you. I’ll renew you. I’ll make it new again. That you’ll be a worshipper of me
in simplicity. And they will have high regard for who I am.

Yes, that’s what I want. That’s what – I know you are that person but to be honest I struggle
with it in the psalms, like Psalm 73. To be honest, I struggle like in Ps. 42. To be honest, I struggle
when my relationships are broken. I struggle when I’m going through difficulty physically. I
struggle when I look at myself in the mirror and I have a poor self-image or I look at what I’ve
done in my life. I struggle with myself.

And the Lord said, then come to me. Take my yoke. My yoke is easy. My burden is light. Learn
of me. I am meek and lowly. I will fill you with the Spirit and renew your mind. And when the
storm is there, you’ll be able to be like Jesus in the storm. When the storm is there, you’ll be a
little bit more in tune with who I am, what I’m saying, and what I’m doing. I got to finish here.
Don’t get stuck with the same lousy mind that rotates over and over. Revenge. Hatred. Jealousy. And don’t get stuck in a relationship. Adultery. Another woman or a man.

That’s foolish. That’s not God. Don’t get stuck in your heart and your mind and anything like that.
That’s not God. It’s not God. Be humble before God. Ask God to help you. He will help you. Luke 11:13. He will not give you a stone if you ask for bread. He will not withhold the Holy Spirit
filling from you. In vs. 13, if you ask then he will answer. If you knock, it will be open. If you
seek, you will find. Be a Spirit-filled, God-loving, Bible oriented believer with doctrine in your
soul and move on. Like, leave it and move on and go on with a renewed mind. Okay? Amen.
After a message like this, I think we could use some counseling. But maybe this is all the
counseling we’re getting for now. Take it to heart. I encourage you. You are, you are not –
maybe for some of you, you are not who you think you are. Let God tell you who you are. Like
for some of you, you might say, I’ve been stuck. I’m stuck.

And I’m saying to you, no. You are free. Walk by faith. You are free. You are a new creation.
Christ is with you. God did not send his Son so that you live like a slave, like a dog. You be put
down. You bury your talent in the ground and you don’t have anything to live for. No. god did
not make you and I like that. He made us to walk on the devil’s territory. He made us to get
beyond our failures and ourselves. He made us to live in love. He made us to be worshippers of
God. To be free, loving, encouraging, godly, Spirit-filled people Amazing. That’s you. Okay. P.
Steve, you want to close the meeting?

 

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