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Romans 9-16

World Vs Word

Lee Hotchkiss · Sunday, 19 October 2025 · Romans 12:1-2 · 38:20 · 5,256 words

Romans S26 · 12:1-2

Listen to this message

Romans 12:1‑2 is the focus of a message that reminds believers God has adopted them into his family through grace. The speaker urges listeners to stop conforming to the world’s values and instead offer themselves as living sacrifices, denying fleshly desires. He calls Christians to be “word followers” rather than “world followers,” renewing their minds through Scripture and speaking truth in love. The sermon challenges listeners to stand out as one‑percenters who live by God’s truth, not cultural norms.

What this sermon is about

Ranked by keyness against every other sermon in the corpus. Each one is a word this sermon actually said — nothing here was written by a model.

world 41 form 13 beseech 5 today 31 branch 9 womb 7 sacrifice 16 certificate 5 gardener 4 foundational 6 distortion 4 guy 17

Topics

Sin 3 Atonement & Sacrifice 3 Faith 2 Adoption & Sonship 1 Sanctification 1 Assurance 1 The Flesh 1 Grace 1 Condemnation 1

Scripture referenced 23

Verified against the transcript. A reference the recording does not support is never listed here.

Romans 12 3:44 Romans 12:1-2 3:48 Romans 12 4:57 Romans 1 5:37 Romans 1 6:19 Romans 5 7:06 Romans 6 7:54 Romans 7 8:33 Romans 8 9:03 Romans 12 15:00 Romans 12:1 17:01 Romans 12 19:00 Romans 12:1 21:09 Romans 12:2 23:33 Romans 12:2 23:33 Romans 12 23:45 Romans 12 24:39 Romans 12:2 24:39 Romans 12 25:09 Matthew 16 27:44 Ephesians 4 28:57 Jeremiah 1:5 30:39 Psalms 139:13-16 31:11

Transcript

Every word, as spoken, with the second it was said. Each word links to its own entry in the index.

Pre-service announcement — 14 lines, 0:38. Excluded from every count and search on this site, kept here so nothing is hidden.

Hey everyone, my name is Dave Hudgens.

Thanks for checking out one of our sermons today.

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Thanks again for joining us

and we hope that you are blessed by today's message.

I just heard somebody's ring cam go off.

If we could shut off all ring cams for the message today.

I silenced mine, and you guys can laugh about that.

It's okay, I'm just kidding. I could care less.

Well, good morning, church!

God is good all the time, and his mercy endures forever.

Just very privileged to be here with you today.

I get the privilege to speak at a lot of the river locations

and it's always...

It's always great to be able to be at home and preach.

I wanted to, first and foremost,

just thank some of the guys that prayed with me beforehand.

And it wasn't planned, right?

It was just, I was in conversation with them

and they said, can I, you know,

can we just pray for you for the message today?

And I think that's impactful

when you think about brothers and sisters coming together

and working with one another, supporting one another,

being actual family, not just talking the talk,

but walking the walk.

And that's...

That's what our message will be about today.

I'm very excited to preach this message today.

I feel like this message is probably one of the most relevant scriptures

that Paul speaks that is for us today, for the believers today.

I mean, when I read these two scriptures,

I only get two scriptures to talk about today.

And when I read these two scriptures,

it is so relevant for the world that we live in today.

For those that don't...

Who don't know me, my name's Lee Hotchkiss.

I'm privileged to be a deacon here.

A lot of times people will ask,

what is the role of a deacon?

And I like to say a glorified janitor.

We come in and we do whatever's needed

to come along and support Pastor Caleb.

He's at his brother-in-law's wedding right now.

Brother-in-law and sister-in-law, I guess now.

Out in California.

And so we just pray for safety as they fly back.

I'm going to open up in prayer

and then we'll jump...

Right into the word.

Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you, Lord, for this day.

I thank you, Lord, that this is the day that you have made

and we will rejoice and be glad in it.

I thank you, Father God,

that today you would give me words to speak

that are not of my mind or my desires to get across, Lord,

but you would speak through me.

I thank you, Father God, that hearts would be affected today,

that hearts would be broken today,

that people would think upon your scripture today,

that we would understand that our responsibility is to be...

word followers, not world followers, Father God.

I thank you, Father God, that we have a body of believers

that would come together today and follow your word,

understand your word, and be changed by your word.

Father God, I pray right now for the unbelievers here today,

those who have not confessed Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

I thank you, Father God, that their ears would be open

to what you have to say.

In Jesus' name, and everybody said...

All right, we're going to jump into Romans chapter 12,

verses 1 through 2.

1 through 2 says,

I appeal or beseech 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.

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.

We see the word therefore there at the beginning.

Therefore, so what Paul, anytime you see therefore in the Bible,

whether it's Paul or any other author, they're saying,

all right, now that I've said something, look back on it

because it is very relevant to what I'm about to say.

And for the first 11 chapters of the book of Romans,

Paul clearly really defines foundational truth of what God has done for us.

How?

He, how he has set the stage for the Christian believer today.

And in chapter 12, we see a transition.

transformation. We see Paul now really shifting to how we should live as believers. Like we have

a responsibility as believers. And it's not the works that we do. It's not the money that we give

or whether or not we show up for workday today, which I, that's another invite. Whether or not

we show up for workday, it's we have a responsibility how we conduct ourselves and how we live our lives.

I'm just going to do a quick recap for you of, of what it is God has done for us, how he set the

stage prior to jumping into what it is that is our responsibility. In chapter one, we see God

revealing himself to humanity. Paul says that God's existence and power are visible

through creation. Mountains, oceans, living things show order and complexity and what God has done.

I mean, this building here today, it's very evident that this building today didn't just show up.

It required a builder or a creator. Anyone who says this world just showed up, but, but we, we would

believe that this building needed a creator, but we don't have the belief system that the world

needed a creator. It just happened. There's buildings all over America that just happened.

No, none of them. They all needed builders. And chapter one clearly lays that out. Things do not

just happen by chance. They require a creator. Chapters two, three, and four, we see that God

does not show favoritism. All of them do not show favoritism. God does not show favoritism.

You and I, everyone in this room today, believers and non-believers, we're all guilty. We all fall

short of the glory of God and God judges by truth, not appearance. And the law will not save you. You

can't be good enough. God says, Jesus says, no one is good, but God, no one is good, but God,

there's no impartiality with God. Only the acceptance of Jesus through repentance of sin

will bring forgiveness and bridge that gap, that separation.

That separates you and God. In chapter five, we see God gives peace and access through grace

or to grace through faith. We have that peace that only comes from God and knowing God. The Bible

refers to it as the peace that surpasses all understanding. That peace that very often you

may not understand. Why am I so peaceful in this situation? I don't get it. I can breathe right now

when I normally can't breathe. I, I, I can, I feel okay when I'm normally overwhelmed. I feel

overwhelmed. That's the peace of God that surpasses all understanding that only comes

through the knowledge of him. It is the answer to anxiety. It is the answer to mental illness,

the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. Chapter six, we see that we are freed from slavery

of sin through the faith in Jesus. Yes, we are trapped in sin. Those who are not believers

are trapped in sin. There is no out to sin without the freedom of Jesus Christ. And as we'll walk

through today, those that are believers, those who are not believers, those who are not believers,

have received that freedom. But many of us, like the Israelites in the deserts, go back

to that slavery that we once knew. It's that prison mentality once released. That's where

they feel comfortable is in sin. But we have been released from the bondage of sin through our faith

in Jesus Christ. In chapter seven, we gain an understanding that we are free from the law

of condemnation, not by your effort, but by the grace of God only. The condemnation, which is

eternity, separation from God. We have been freed from that through Jesus Christ, something that no

man could accomplish. No man has the ability. You may be the hardest worker in the world. You do not

have the ability to bridge that gap between you and God, only Jesus Christ. In chapter eight, God

gave us his spirit and adoption, a new life in Christ. When God adopts us as children, when God

takes us on as children, we are taking on his name. Christian,

Christ-like, we are taking on the name of God. And he has adopted us into his family. And through

that adoption, nothing can separate us. Nothing can separate us from the love of God and through

that relationship that he's brought us in. Think about a gardener. A gardener will, much more

talented than me, a gardener will graft a branch, a branch that doesn't belong into a tree. Or in

growing it for months I apologize publicly again there was a fly I think going around her house

uh she'd been growing this bonsai tree and i took a uh you know a rag or whatever from the house

and i whipped that that fly and was rejoicing in my accomplishment as my daughter's bonsai tree fell

into the sink and was just destroyed right and so what we tried to do as as non-gardeners was

repair this little branch and tie it together and and because we didn't have the knowledge and

because we didn't have the expertise the branch died and but a true gardener what they can do is

they'll mend a branch or they'll put a branch and connect it to an existing tree and and when they

do so there'll be scars there'll be a recognition of where that branch was formed but over time

that branch will begin to collect sap from its source and healing will take place and eventually

that that branch will be grafted in as if it was always there and it will be

recognizable as a foreign object it will be part of that body and that's what happens when when we

receive that adoption in roman law the adopted child lost all rights of the old family and gained

full rights of the new family all old debts were canceled they became full heirs as if born to a

natural family and roman law adoption was irreversible once a father adopted a child

no law could undo that i've

experienced this in my life i have a 28 year old man over there who is my son almost 17 years ago

now my goodness 16 years ago i adopted him legally what i didn't know and i didn't understand or

expect was he would be given a new birth certificate now this is part of dealing with

with boys or children in general i gave him his birth certificate months ago because he needed it

for work or something and i asked him a couple times will you send me a text to that so i can

use this as an example and he said yes i'll send it to you and then last night he texted me again

and said oh i forgot i'll send it to you again don't have that text or example you take the good

and the bad when you adopt people when you bring them into your family that's the reality that's

what jesus did for us that he he it doesn't matter our what we do it's it's our heart towards christ

and when i took dominic into my family what i

didn't realize was that he would be given a new birth certificate and he when he was given a new

birth certificate old things were removed and i was placed on that as if i was there from the very

first day my name was placed on there for from the date he was born five six nine seven i know that

don't don't hold me i use that for my pin for a lot of things so if you guys ever find my debit card

don't don't put that pin in there okay there's not there's not you won't get anything out of

there anyways and so i realized when i saw that certificate that there was more of a responsibility

than just uh something a choice that i had made it was it was legal it was finalized like that's

my boy that's my guy and because that i've always adjusted things when when i made decisions or put

put names on papers and so when you when you have a 401k or an ira

or whatever you you have to put beneficiaries and when you put a beneficiaries you always put

your bride first and then you put contingent beneficiaries and those are generally your

children or your heirs and i have three kids and dominic was my first born legally and so

as the first born his birthright he gets one more percent than the girls

always will get because you can't split up a hundred three ways so he gets 34 and they

get 33 and 33 sorry ladies but that's his birthright it was legal it was finalized nothing

can separate that and that's how god views us and guess what he will take the good with the bad

he will take the successes with the struggles so why does paul through through chapters 1 through

11 build up all of this knowledge why does he show us all of these things that god has instituted

and done for us it's not just for the purpose of knowledge knowledge is great

No, it's knowledge requires...

a response it requires a response not from everyone but from the believer chapter 12 verse

one starts off with this it says brothers brother brothers i appeal to you i beseech you beseech is

the is the king james version you should you have to google half the words to figure out what they

mean or no greek one of the two but it says i beseech you beseech means i come alongside you

like i'm urging you i'm pleading to you and he says they're brothers so we know there he's speaking

to the believers this this this message of action is not for the unbelievers because what action

does an unbeliever have to take that doesn't realize or recognize what it is that christ has

done in their lives like it would almost be like i i expect this paycheck but i haven't done any

work like i'm not part of the equation but we as believers are the central focus of this text

you guys this is for you he says i appeal to you

i'm coming alongside you i'm encouraging you i'm not threatening you but i'm pleading with you to

give of yourself by dying by denying yourself as an act of worship that is an act of worship

denying the lust of the flesh the the heartbeat of the flesh is to commit things that that are

opposing of the word of god mike fox asked me do you have a title for the message

i don't even know i don't know exactly what i said but the the title of this message would be are you

a word guy or a world guy because there is a definite separation in what the world expects of

us or or tries to confine us to and what if the world of god requires from us verse one tells us

to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice paul says to present yourself as a living sacrifice

because he knows that there's something about our flesh that will keep us from truly worshiping god

there's something about your flesh that will keep you from praying with your family there's something

about your flesh that will keep you from reading the word of god there is this opposing forces

good and evil that will keep you from following the the words of god this this sacrifice of your

flesh is not just a sacrifice of your flesh it's a sacrifice of your flesh it's a sacrifice of your

flesh it's a sacrifice of your flesh it's a sacrifice of your flesh it's a sacrifice of your flesh

or wednesday nights or whatever growth communities you attend or don't attend that is not your

sacrificial worship i'm gonna tell you right now if what separates you from the world is sunday

mornings or wednesday nights you're part of the world if that's what separates you because you

attend church good for you but you're part of the world i'm glad you're here you're welcome every

week but you're part of the world if you don't have a personal relationship with jesus christ

if you don't find

conviction and the things the world presents you're part of them if you look like them you're

part of them if you want to be like them you're part of them you're not part of this side you're

a world guy not a word guy that's the reality and paul will clearly define this everything i define

today will be backed up by scripture it's truth it's an inerrant no error word of god in the old

testament a sacrifice was placed on the altar in romans 12 1 in the new testament

paul refers to us climbing on the altar daily we're presenting ourselves our lives our heart

and our thought process most of us here know the story of abraham and isaac right incredible story

mind-blowing the things that people did in the old testament my word you see this father his

only son taking him to sacrifice them i would assume most of you growing up like me if you've

heard the story in children's church what you what you see

or picture in your mind or probably they have pictures in in word books or whatever or picture

books is this young boy isaac probably 12 to 13 years old going with his father unaware of what

was going on just had this trust in his daddy like dad would never hurt me and all of a sudden

sudden dad lays him on the altar and Isaac's like hey dad what's going on where's the ram

no Isaac was a grown man Isaac was in his mid-20s his early 30s he was a grown man he knew exactly

what was going on and I'm going to tell you right now if Isaac wanted to he could have put a whooping

on Abraham he could have stopped it in a heartbeat but what did Isaac choose to do with the knowledge

of what laid ahead he chose to be a living sacrifice he chose he made a choice he knew

what the repercussions but he also knew that obedience was essential for worship we have

the greatest example of history as a living sacrifice that's our father Jesus Christ the

one that we turn to for everything in all circumstances he was the greatest living

sacrifice and eternity

the greatest that ever was and ever will be what's great about that living sacrifice is he's still

alive today sitting at the right hand of the father continuing in verse 1 it says holy and

acceptable to God which is your spiritual worship being holy set apart that's what holy means set

apart different different you'll start to see throughout this message it's it is the opposite

of conforming being holy is set apart and acceptable to God which is your spiritual worship being holy

it's different it's standing out it's being an alien of this world as we are called to be

an alien this is not our home this isn't where we should be residing and participating we should be

leading and standing out holy doesn't mean morally good it means belonging to God set apart for a

purpose not common or ordinary it doesn't mean go with the flow that's what our society would tell

us today just just go with it just go with it just love everybody find that in the bible

our form of worship is not when we stop singing the songs it's it's not when we're singing the

songs it's when the music stops that's our form of worship our form of worship is when we walk

out the back door and our sunday begins that's our form of worship our form of worship is when

we're driving down the road and somebody cuts us off that's our form of worship our form of

worship is when we hear we see and hear false things and we address them that's our form of

worship when we take on the name of Christ and we walk the walk we used to say we used to have

a saying when we were growing up roll up or shut up that's how we presented it like back it up if

you're gonna run your mouth and say this is who I profess to be then back it up be a man be a woman

of God stand firm on biblical truths and back it up what you're saying not just on Sunday mornings

we all guess what we all talk the same talk here it's easy it's easy it's easy for me to get up and

preach a sermon to believe in God and to believe in God and to believe in God and to believe in God

but what about out there verse 2 this is when it starts to get good verse 2 tells us not to conform

to the patterns of this world the world is referenced in chapter 12 means the age this

current age so so Paul this is what I'll say this is so relevant for today Paul speaking to them in

their day and as we read it he's speaking directly to us in our day the world meaning the age so when

you talk to somebody and you say you know we don't agree with the world and people will look at you

funny and say what do you know what you are what does that mean you don't live in this world no

no I don't agree with the age of today with the system and the mindset of the present age when I

reference world I don't know I don't agree with the system and mindset of this present age that's

what I disagree with yes of course I live on this world but I don't agree with the system of this

world to conform when you see the word conform there in in chapter 12 verse 2 it means to be

molded right so you think about molding molding clay or or silly putty in your hands that's what

it means to conform as you're being molded to the culture and world of today it means

to be pressed into a confined pattern it literally means to take on the form or appearance of

something else and that is what Paul is warning the believers the brothers in chapter 12 verse

1 and 2 don't look like them don't it don't don't appear as if you're one of them don't walk around

as believers of Christ in like you're in a masquerade ball right no I'm just like you I'm

just like you that's what Paul's warning us against in this age is not to mask around as if

we are something other than believers in Christ world is always trying to shape your values

beliefs and priorities now most of you are adults you you should be able to navigate that the world

is coming after my baby's values and beliefs and priorities the world is coming after your baby's

values and beliefs and priorities the world is coming after your grandchildren's values

and beliefs and priorities and they want to eliminate anything that has to do with the

word of God turn on your tv flip on the internet view what's going on it's distorted it's untruth

and they're trying to destroy not only your generation but generations to come the world

is trying to shape us but the word is foundational truth of God it is the foundation it's the most

important part I was just talking to a brother earlier and he said you know he well is Anthony

because everybody knows he does concrete we are talking about concrete right we're talking about

foundational stuff it may not I guarantee he does some real amazing work but some of the stuff

that has to do with concrete is foundational stuff

it may not look the prettiest you might not even notice it but if you take it away everything falls

apart and that's what the word of God is it's our foundational truth and it's very often completely

separate from the world's vision or point of view the world tells us this do what makes you happy

follow your truth follow your heart you deserve to be happy the word says in Matthew 16 24 Jesus

tells us to deny yourself to take up your cross and follow me the world says do what makes you happy

follow your heart the word says don't do what makes you happy deny what makes you happy and

follow me notice polar opposites the world promotes pride as both an emotion and a life

choice it distorts family values trying to manipulate and change God his instituted

foundational truths the world tells you to that to stand on God's word is hate and love is to accept

lies and distortion distortion in family makeup distortion and marriage between one man and one

woman distortion with gender the word of God says in Ephesians 4 15 but speak the truth in love we

will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head that is Christ tell the

truth in love this isn't a the Bible is not a belief system of accommodation that is a false

narrative it's a false belief the Bible clearly lays out what marriage is what gender is there is

nothing in between there is no gray God's biblical truth in love and guess what love

doesn't necessarily mean that I give you a hug love means that I speak the truth into your life

so that you can spend eternity with Jesus instead of eternity without him

The world will tell you this, a baby in a womb is not a human.

That's what the world says all over.

It's a cultural belief.

The baby in a womb is not human.

And I'll tell you this, I got a grandbaby now.

And I've got three kids.

And I listened to their heartbeat in the womb.

They meant something to me before I saw them.

The world will tell you they don't mean anything until they come out of the womb.

Guess what the word says?

You guys want to hear it?

The word says in Jeremiah 1.5, before I formed you in the womb,

I knew you.

Before you were born, I set you apart.

I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.

God knew us before we were in the womb.

We had a purpose and a plan.

And if we have a purpose and a plan, then we must be something special.

And so that to me means we hold a lot of value and we have life.

But the world will tell you the opposite.

The word also says this in Psalms 139, 13 through 16,

For I formed you, my inward part.

You knitted me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works.

My soul knows it well.

My frame was not hidden from you.

When I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth,

your eyes saw my unformed substance.

In your book were written every one of them.

The days that were formed for me, when as yet there were none of them.

That's the truth.

Got a problem with that?

Then you're a part of the world.

The word of God clearly lays that out.

This isn't a Lee thing.

This isn't a political conversation.

This is a conversation about the word of God and the truths that lie within the word.

Are you a world person?

Are you a word person?

The Bible says that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God.

That's what it says.

We cannot stay in our sin.

We cannot stay in the cultural beliefs.

We cannot stay in the cultural beliefs of today.

So how do we recognize that sin?

How do we combat that sin?

It's clearly laid out.

Jesus himself struggling in the wilderness, not eating for days and days and days.

And when his body was at his weakest, the enemy came and tempted him

and offered him the treasures of the world and food and all of these powers and abilities.

And Jesus answered every question.

Every question or every response was the same way.

It is written.

It is written.

It is written.

Guess who was a word person?

Take it up with him.

It is written.

If we have questions about the norms in society today, and what is acceptable and what is

not acceptable, go back to the word.

Don't watch CNN or Fox news and try to get your information on who's voting for what.

I don't care who's voting for what.

The vote was already completed.

Be a word person.

People who don't conform are rare.

They stand out.

We look up to them.

We honor them.

That guy is a difference maker.

That guy is extraordinary.

That guy stands out, right?

I would say probably a large percentage of everybody in this congregation today love

the words of Charlie Kirk.

Why?

Because he was a word person.

He stood out.

He was different.

Guess what he did?

Spoke the truth in love.

That's it.

You can do that.

Do that with your families.

Do that in your local communities.

Do that outside of church.

Speak the truth in love.

That's it.

That's the equation.

That's what makes people the one percenters as Christians today.

Be a one percenter.

Don't be a 99 percenter.

Be the one that everyone thinks is just kind of out there.

Right?

What was the DC talk song, Jesus Freak?

Be that guy.

Be the guy that everybody's like, he's a little off his rocker.

Why? He talks about Jesus everywhere he goes.

Be that guy.

Be the guy that speaks the truth in love.

Christianity cannot be accommodation.

And I'll tell you why.

Because Jesus references it in the book of Revelation.

He references to the lukewarm believer.

You know what he says?

I will vomit you out of my mouth.

I will vomit you out of my mouth.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

But I'm just trying to love their behaviors to Christianity.

Like, you know, it's kind of like that friendship gospel.

I'm just going to be, man, I'm going to be really nice to these people.

until they just come to church and then I'm going to continue to do it.

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