 Amen. So keep your place there in Romans chapter 12, the verses that we're going to be looking at it, particularly verse number two, but look down at verse number one, and we'll start there. But right before I get started, I'm going to make a bold statement this morning. And this morning is before I start the sermon. The bold statement is this. And I wouldn't make this statement before necessarily every sermon, but the bold statement is this. If you can successfully apply the sermon this morning, it will change your life. Literally. So that's a bold statement, but that's true about this. Now look at Romans chapter one and look at verse number one. And let's look at what I'm talking about this morning as an introduction. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that you present your bodies, a living sacrifice, wholly acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. So in Romans chapter 12, we're talking about things that we do in our body. We're talking about actually things that we do as saved believers in Romans chapter 12. Look at verse number two, and this will be the main verse that I'm going to ask you to save your place here in Romans chapter 12. But Romans chapter 12 and verse number two is going to be the main verse that I'm going to explain to you this morning where the Bible says, and be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. The E may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. So the point I need to make before I'm getting into the sermon this morning is Romans chapter 12 and verse number two is there's something happening there. There's something happening to this person in verse number two. And that's what I'm going to try to get across to you this morning. And if you can realize what I'm talking about this morning and actually act upon it, like I said, I'll say it again. It'll change your life. It'll change your life. The title of the sermon this morning is escaping the box. Escaping the box. Now there's this saying out there that I'm sure you've all heard before, whereas like you need to get outside the box. Or, you know, this guy is really good at thinking outside the box. It's actually, you know, an interview question that, you know, I've asked many times and many places will ask is, give me one example of a problem that you solved or a time in your life when you had to think outside the box. Now the irony of that interview question is that most people can't or don't think outside the box. Most people don't. So if you were going to hire somebody based, you know, solely on the answer to that question, you wouldn't hire too many people because, you know, most people just don't think outside the box. So just a simple way to demonstrate what I'm talking about is this little brain teaser as it would be called, I suppose. Here you have, you know, let me just demonstrate this concept of thinking outside the box and what I'm talking about. We're going to apply that spiritually to our lives this morning. But here we have nine X's. We have nine X's in a matrix, in a square matrix. And the brain teaser or the challenge is this. It's to connect, there's two criteria to the challenge. It's connect these nine X's using four lines and you can't remove your pen from paper or your marker from the whiteboard in this case. This is the challenge of this brain teaser that demonstrates kind of thinking what I'm talking about this morning. Most people right away who just look at this problem and right away they'll start doing things like they'll go, okay, well, this is easy. One, two, three, oh, five. You know, that's one. The first thing most people will do is try to just kind of go outside and just draw lines to get it. Oh, well, I must have to use diagonal lines. Then a lot of people will just go, okay, it's one, two, three, four, oh, five, right? Or, sorry, five. But the point is, is that most people will try these approaches like this and they realize that they can't be done with just four lines and keeping your pen on the paper. So most people will have a difficult time with this. Not until you realize that the constraints that I gave you were to, you know, keep your pen on the paper and draw four lines. It was not to necessarily stay inside the box. This is why this is such a good demonstration of what I'm talking about. So the answer becomes, if you start outside and you don't constrain yourself by the square, because did the square that I draw really have anything to do with the challenge itself? No, it didn't. So if you start out here and you go like this, so now you see that all we have to do is go outside the actual boundaries itself and we can solve the problem. But most people, they kind of just give themselves this constraint that they have to stay within the boundaries of the box, even though that wasn't, you can take the board back, Garrett. But most people, they'll struggle with that because they're staying within those boundaries, okay? So, but that wasn't one of the boundaries. As a matter of fact, the whole point of the sermon this morning is that the boundaries of that riddle, they were made up in people's mind. So most people will, you know, just not be able to solve that because they've given themselves that boundary of the box itself. Whereas somebody that just comes at it and they listen to the instructions of the challenge itself and they realize that, hey, that wasn't one of the rules. They'll realize that most people will say, okay, well it obviously can't be these simple, basically the two simple solutions and they'll start looking for other ways that they don't have the constraints of what other people give themselves. So that's the whole idea this morning is Romans chapter 12 verse number two is talking about something that happens to people that you will take some getting outside of the box in order to accomplish Romans 12-2. So a lot of people will think, you know, people will go to work and they'll see people do things in their lives. As a matter of fact, you know, if I could have done that a little quicker, people will say, oh, why didn't I think of that? You know, so they'll see a riddle like that and they'll say, why didn't I think of that? But the problem is, is they'll see the next challenge and the next challenge and they still won't think of a way that's outside the box itself because they just, they put themselves in boxes is the point I'm trying to get at. So the short answer is this, success in the Christian life, Romans chapter 12 verse number two, it depends on you getting outside of the boxes in your life. So, you know, think about how this applies to church and how this applies to your Christian life. This is the main goal of the Christian life is to not be constrained by boxes that we put ourselves. Look, folks, we live in boxes, unfortunately. All right, that was a small example, a little brain teaser, but we literally live in boxes in our life. You know, and most people are in more boxes than they even know or realize. Okay, most people are in a lot or maybe even care to admit. So I want to talk to you about boxes that we live in this morning and how to get out of those boxes. All right, they're boxes, these boxes that I'm going to talk to you about this morning, they'll completely hinder or literally stop, you know, your spiritual growth, your spiritual life. I'm going to give you some examples this morning. Obviously, we can't go through a comprehensive list of boxes, but some people, I'm going to give you some examples of boxes, but there's really two main problems with the Christian today. Either people don't know that they're in the box, they don't know about the box, or they do know and they won't leave the box. Those are the two problems in Christians' lives today. So I'm going to give you some examples. The first thing I'm going to do this morning, all that was means of introduction. We're talking about getting outside the box in your Christian life. So I'm going to give you some examples of boxes that people are in in their Christian lives. And then on the back end of the sermon, I'm going to give you some benefits to, if you get outside of those boxes, what will actually happen to you in your Christian life. The benefits that you will be able to accomplish in your life. So let me just give you some examples of boxes. Let me give you some examples of boxes. And this first one doesn't really apply to us, because obviously we're here, we're in church, we're soul winning, we're doing what we need to do in a good church in the Christian life. But the first box that I want to use as an example that is a major box for people in their lives is where you live. Okay, look at Matthew chapter 4 and verse number 18. Look at Matthew chapter 4 and verse number 18. Where you reside in your life is a box for many, many people, for many Christians. Look at Matthew chapter 4 and verse number 18. The Bible says, And Jesus walking by the sea of Galilee saw two brethren, Simon called Peter and Andrew's brother, casting a net into the sea for they were fishers. This is where Jesus, he calls the very first two disciples right here in Matthew chapter 4. And he saith unto them, look what he says right away. He said, Follow me and I'll make you fishers of men. Look at verse number 20. It says in straight way, they left their nets and followed him. Right after this he calls James and John and the same thing happens. But turn to Luke chapter 9. So basically, Jesus, he comes along and he sees Peter and Andrew's brother, they're fishing. And the first thing Jesus says is like, come with me. He's saying, leave where you are right now and follow me and I'll make you fishers of men. Now look at Luke chapter 9 and verse 58. Now you say, follow him where? You know, follow Jesus where? Is he asking them to like move to a different city? Is he asking them, hey, you know, leave your home and let's make another home over here in Jerusalem or whatever? No, it's an extreme case with these first disciples because look at Luke chapter 9 and verse 58. Look what Jesus says here to somebody that wants to follow him. Here's somebody that says, comes up to Jesus and says, hey, I want to go with you. I want to do what you're doing. I want to go along with you. Look at verse 58. He says, and Jesus said on him, foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the son of man hath not wear to lay his head. So think about this for a second. Jesus was not asking Peter and Andrew to move. Jesus was literally asking them, hey, leave your home, leave your place of business, leave everything that you have here, and become wanderers with me. Is what Jesus says to Peter and Andrew. He's like, where, look, here's the point. The point is where you live, and most people would agree with this. I think whether they're in a box or not in a box here, where you live should solely be driven by where you can best serve the Lord with your life. I mean, that's a statement that I believe that most Christians should at least believe, because the Bible says that very thing. So you should be in a church that preaches the whole word of God. What does that mean? Where can I best serve the Lord with my life? You should be in a church that preaches the whole word of God, the popular parts and the not popular parts. You should be in a church that sends out soul winners. You should be in a church that its main focus is just getting the lost of this world, the gospel. And there's so many people headed to hell, and the Bible tells us, preach the gospel to every creature, we should be doing that. You should be in a church with that focus. And where you live should be completely dependent on just that. I mean, it's not rocket science finding a good church. Most people that aren't even in a good church know where a good church is. Most people actually know this. That's not the part that they struggle with. The part that they struggle with is the box that they're in, which is where they live. Look, but here's the irony, is when you find a church, a good church, you will find people in that church that have forsaken all else, that have gotten out of that box, that have left everything behind, and they've just relocated on that criteria itself. As soon as you find a good church, you will find people like that in that church, guaranteed. But here's the thing, most people can't do that. Most people can't do that. They just can't. It's not that they can't. I mean, this is America. You can move wherever you want. It's that they won't. Why? Because they're in that box. That's why. They'll stay in that mediocre church. They'll maybe even cause trouble in a mediocre church. They'll complain in a mediocre church. Because why? Because they're in the box of where they live, and they can't get out of that box. So they won't leave that box. Look at Matthew chapter 19. Matthew chapter 19. I mean, maybe they don't know they're in a box. Maybe they think that the situation that they're in is different than the situation that anybody else that's gotten out of that box. That's not the case. That's a fallacy, actually. Look at Matthew chapter 19. How do I know that? Because Jesus literally says that there should be nothing that stops you from climbing out of that particular box. Look at Matthew chapter 19 verse 29. Jesus says that everyone that have forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my namesake, shall receive an hundredfold and shall inherit everlasting life. Jesus here is saying that no matter what, he's like, no matter what, if it's houses, if it's money, if it's family, if it's even children he names there, or inheritance, look, he's like, none of that should keep you in that box is what Jesus is saying. So the point is, is the person that's inside that box and the person that is outside that box, the only difference between those two people is not those things. And the people that are still inside that box of where they live, and they just find it hard to move to a good church, and this is just one example, folks, is because they think, they tell themselves, well, the people that were able to move, they didn't have that house. They didn't have that job. They didn't have that 401k. They didn't have that inheritance. That's not true. Those people had all those things. Those people had all those things. The difference is, is those weren't walls to those people. They stepped out of the box. They stepped out of the 401k box. They stepped out of, you know, whether it was grandma or whatever, they stepped out of those things. They just didn't see the same boundaries that other people saw. Look, we all have the same boxes to jump out of as Christians. It's a little exalting, actually, to somebody, you know, who doesn't move, should never go up to somebody that has moved for a church and say, well, I can't move because of this, because they've jumped out. They've over, the only difference between those two people is one has overcome the boundaries and the other has not, and the other will not, all right? The difference is they hopped out of the box. Turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 6. We're a separated, let me give you some more examples. We're a separated Baptist church. The Bible teaches separation. So you'll hear sermon after sermon in this church about how you should be separated from this. You shouldn't be involved in that. You shouldn't be doing this, you know, TV, media, whatever other institutions are out there. You know, we should be separate from those things. As Bible-believing Christians, we should separate from things. Look at 2 Corinthians chapter 6. The Bible says in verse 17, Look, separation is an action. Separation is something, it's not something that you do in your mind. Separation isn't something like where you see something and you're like, I think that that's bad. I think that that's evil and I don't agree with that. No, separation is actually moving away from something. I mean, it's the word. Separate is an action that you take. Look, and if no action is taken and you just think things are bad and you just feel bad about things, then Christian growth will be stopped. No growth will happen. Example, just raising children. Just think of all the different philosophies over the last couple of decades, and I'm sure the philosophies are changing today about parenting trends. What you should do and what you shouldn't do raising children. Look, parenting trends are a box that people are stuck in. Parenting trends are a box. Turn to Proverbs 13, I'll just give you one example. Proverbs 13 verse 24. This one was pretty big when our kids were small. When we were raising kids, it's probably getting worse today. I can only imagine, but parenting trends are a box. How about this box of discipline or no discipline on your kids? People are saying, don't be harsh and discipline your children physically, but look what Proverbs 13 verse 24 says. The Bible says, he that spareeth the rod, hateeth his son. But he that loveth him, chasteneth him be times. This is where the true meaning of love and hate needs to be known for a parent right here because hate isn't a feeling that I have. Love isn't some feeling that I have. It's action. Love is action. Hate is action. And the Bible says, you're like, what? I don't want to spank my child because I love him. No, the Bible says, literally, if you don't spank your child, you hate him. You say, but that's not how I feel. It doesn't matter how you feel. The actions you take define whether you love or hate your child. But people will get stuck in these cultural norms and that becomes a box for them. I've met plenty of Christians today who are literally under fire for disciplining their children according to the Bible, spanking their children. Disciplining your children according to the Bible is just another form of separation. It's one that you have to leave the box of what this world is telling you and just do what the Bible says. You have to climb outside of that box. Separation is a warehouse full of boxes. Every aspect of separation, look, separation means you're leaving what the norm is. You're leaving what the mass majority of the population is doing. By separating from that, you're climbing out of those boxes. You're leaving those boxes behind. Here's another one. Education today. I'm going to say that in quotes. Education today is a box. This is a big box. This is a strong box. What am I talking about? I mean, how to educate your children. That's what I'm talking about from day care, to public school, to college, to university. That's a box today. That's a strong one. I'm surprised, you know, just a note on that. As we call it education, the reason I put it in quotes there is I'm surprised more and more every day how little people that have stayed in these boxes, how little they actually know. They say today that 25% of high school graduates in the public school system are functionally illiterate. 25%. That's one in four. That's one in four. I mean, what does functionally illiterate mean? Functionally illiterate means that you can't use... It's a more broad statement than you would even think and it's a little scarier than just not being able to read. But being functionally illiterate means you can't use reading, writing, or calculation skills in your life to benefit your life or benefit society. That's the actual dictionary definition of being functionally illiterate. One in four children that come out of just high school. They're functionally illiterate. College today is no different. I mean, I'm literally shocked at seeing kids that come out of college for four, six years and they don't know the very basics of the degree that they studied. See, but what has become this box, the scary thing about this particular box is that it has not become about education. In the college and university system it's more about a title now. It's more about a piece of paper now and it's less about education. But you know what, it's easy to see why this is happening. It's easy to see why this is happening because as somebody spends their whole life just hopping from box to box to box, like what do I do? They're in pre-K, they go here. Okay, now they start first grade, they go full days and they go here and then they go into grade school and then they go into middle school, they go here and then after they're out of middle school they're marching from box to box to box. Now we graduate from high school and I can't read but where do I go? I go here and then I stay there for four years, six years, eight years, however many years it takes and you know basically, guess what? You become, your mind becomes atrophied. You become an institutionalized person and it's not, look, these institutions and then these institutions tell you there could be no success anywhere else. They tell somebody, they tell somebody that doesn't go through those institutions, you want your kids to be uneducated, the big swear word, right? You must want your children to be uneducated but what does the Bible say? What does the Bible say? Turn to Ecclesiastes chapter seven. Is that what we want? No, what the Bible says is that real education should be the goal. That's what the Bible says. Look at Ecclesiastes chapter seven and look at verse number twelve. Ecclesiastes chapter seven and verse number twelve. The Bible says, for wisdom is a defense and money is a defense but the excellency of knowledge is that wisdom giveth life to them that have it. The Bible literally says, turn to Proverbs 16. The Bible literally says that wisdom is life. I mean that's pretty serious. In Proverbs chapter four verse 13 you turn to Proverbs 16. The Bible says, take fast hold of instruction. Let her not go. Keep her. For she is, again it says, thy life. It's saying that instruction, education is thy life. It sounds pretty important to me from the Bible. Proverbs 16, 16, look at what the Bible says about wisdom. It says it is much better. How much better is it to get wisdom than gold and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver? So the Bible is saying, no, it's like, get outside of these boxes where there's no real education happening. Look, even though it's a wrong education and it's teaching anti-God, anti-Bible things, even if you did successfully learn it, the problem is they're not even successfully learning it. It's a loss on both sides but the point is, real education should be the goal, not pieces of paper, not titles, real education and the Bible says, and we just need to have faith. Look, when you get outside boxes you just need to have faith that the Bible is true. You just need to have faith that the Bible is true that if you do get real education and you do really learn wisdom that it's going to be more valuable than gold and that in itself is going to be your life. Look, these are all things that will hinder your spiritual growth. These are just a couple of examples. You know, just separation, where you live how you raise your children. People are stuck in these boxes. They're stuck in these boxes and they literally they can't get out. They can't get out of these. Now here's a trend. Here's something that I've noticed on people that have gotten out of these boxes in their life. Here's a trend that I've noticed. I love trends, I love noticing patterns in things. Here's a trend that's pretty much a hundred percent. I was trying to think of a person that I knew that was outside of this trend. I couldn't think of one. But here's a trend that I've noticed. Here's a trend that everyone that has escaped the boxes in their spiritual lives example, like where you live. Anyone that I know that has literally moved for a church relocated themselves to go to a good church whether that's faithful word whether that's Verity Baptist Church, wherever that is anybody that I actually know personally they're very successful in life in their lives. They're very successful at supporting their families they're very successful business people they're very successful at whatever job that they have if they have a job. But that's not an accident that's not some weird coincidence. The reason that they're very successful at all the other things in their lives when they've gotten out of these boxes in their spiritual lives is because once you get out of boxes and you start leaving boxes you're going to realize that it's easy to do it. The more you do it the easier it's going to get to get outside boxes. If you would just sit there and you would do brain teasers like that all day long you would get better at it. You would see the next brain teaser and you'd say okay, what's the constraint that I'm right away trying to tell myself is here that really isn't here? What way can I get outside the normal process that could solve this problem? See, just think about an example of somebody that starts a job and you'll understand what I'm talking about. Somebody starts a job they don't know how to do the job so what do they do? They go and some senior person starts training them in that job. They say okay, here's how we do it. We do this step and then we do this step and we do this step and they give you all sorts of things to read they give you all sorts of instructions, manuals all these different things and you're going to learn how to do these processes at this job but guess what? So as you learn those things every process every job, every company no matter what you do has problems it has challenges there's issues that they have to overcome people that solve those problems are people that don't live in boxes every time they're people that even though they learned the process to do it this way they learned the process to do it this way they realized hey that process shouldn't be a constraint for me I should think of things outside of that process maybe there's a way to rearrange the process do things a different way I had one of these yesterday I went to get a haircut I went to get a haircut and I had an appointment at 3.40 I can never find time to get a haircut I don't know what's wrong with my life or I can never find time to get a haircut at 3.40 just happened I was doing all these things and I showed up at like 3 o'clock and I walk into the haircut place and there's nobody there like nobody's waiting nobody's there there's just these three ladies that are in there and I had this one specific appointment with this one gal and she's over there she's kind of cleaning up her little station or whatever you call it and I was like oh could I just get a haircut now there's nobody here and the manager was there and she said well no she can't because she's got a break now and you know and I was like oh well just like slit me right before her break and she could take a break 10 minutes later and I'll make it worth her while I'll give her a little extra tip there you know she's like well you know we can't because you can only and then she starts like rattling off all these rules on like how you can only do so many haircuts before a break and then if that haircut is like over 7 haircuts then the other person has a chance at the appointment I'm just like I'm so confused I'm like I'm like hey I'm like ladies let's just think about this for a second just slip me in she takes a break 10 minutes later the schedule is all the same and they all kind of like and you know I'll tip her and she can I'll pay for her lunch you know and and they're all like okay okay you know and look we worked it out but like they're just they're stuck everyone's stuck in this we do it this way then we do it this way then we do this way everyone's in a box everyone's in a box when you look and here's the thing here's the thing you need to realize in your Christian life is going to be the same the box people the box people are always going to fight against the people that have escaped the box this is what you need to understand in your Christian life so if you do get out if you do climb out of that first box just remember that the people inside the box are going to holler at you it's the same at work you start thinking of things outside the box you're going to have all these naysayers and you can't do it that way because we've always done it like this but then you know if it's really a truly good idea you know it'll it'll stand on its own second Timothy 3 12 says yeah all that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution that's the box people being upset at the people that have escaped the box that's what that is I was thinking about just crazy stories in the Bible about crazy stories of people turn to Hosea chapter 1 of people that just did these just wild things just because you know that's what God they knew that's what God wanted them to do so our example is you know being just full blast on the Christian life just being living the Christian life without all these boundaries with all these boxes that are trying to keep us away from doing what the Christian life says I was thinking about some crazy stories and the craziest one I could think of was Hosea if you turn to Hosea chapter 1 Hosea chapter 1 look at verse number 2 so God Hosea was a prophet and he was a prophet during the last days of the northern kingdom of Israel so obviously they were during the last days of the northern kingdom of Israel they were some wicked people they had turned on the Lord and God was going to judge them and he judged the northern kingdom in a much harsher way than he judged any other nation then he judged the nation of Judah I should say but look at so he's trying to make a point to these people with his prophet Hosea look what he tells Hosea to do look at verse 2 it says the beginning of the word of the Lord by Hosea and the Lord said to Hosea go take unto thee a wife of hordoms and children of hordoms for the land hath committed great hordom departing from the Lord look at verse number 3 so he went and took Gomorrah the daughter of Diblem which conceived and bear him a son so God's like I'm going to need you to make this the point that I'm going to make to the people I'm going to need you to go marry a prostitute not only are you going to go marry a prostitute but you're going to have to go and have children with her and he's like what no look at the very next verse he's like he just went and married her because why because he had no boxes he had nothing can you imagine what his brother was saying can you imagine what his parents were saying I mean can you imagine he brings Gomorrah and he's like it was like what what are you doing you know she's a woman of hordoms and then the very next chapter he has to dance three kids with her the very next chapter she like goes back to her hordoms and like she just leaves him but that is the point that God was trying to make and he literally told Hosea go do this and Hosea didn't have any boundaries in his life he didn't have any fake constraints in his life and the Lord said he did and the Lord told him to do something very extreme that the Bible doesn't tell us but I'm sure people were fighting against him arguing against what he was doing calling him crazy whatever we need to just expect that when you leave the boxes people that are still in the box want you back in the box so if you do start escaping boxes just be prepared for that just be prepared for that you know so look people that aren't bound by you wonder how these people in the world back to the main point of the sermon you wonder how these people in the world that these great inventors you know what it's not that they're geniuses it's not that there are some like these people that just like are just like have so much more brain power than everybody else the main difference Elon Musk kind of reminds me of this these wild wacky things you know just these completely why? because he's out of the box he doesn't have constraints you'll find you'll find by the way here's another trend that you'll find just from secular people that are very successful and have come up with some very wild successful things they did not go to college or they went to college and they quit because they're like this is lame there's no education here they wanted to actually go and pursue things in their life they literally aren't bound by walls they consider everything and if we apply that to the Christian life it's we don't even have to consider anything because God tells us what to consider God tells us what we need to do God tells us where we need to go God tells us where we need to live God tells us how to raise our children God tells us how to do all these details all we have to do is just get out of the boxes that are telling us not to that's it that's all we have to do when you think about the person that's operating in their life in a box and the person that's operating outside of the box if you just look at it from the worldly perspective of the guy at work you got one guy at work he's out of the box the other guy in the box it's not a fair competition this guy will destroy this guy because he doesn't have all these fake constraints on his life and that's what the Christian does in his life he takes what God says he doesn't even have to come up with the next machine or the next invention all he has to do is take what God says and just quit making fake boundaries quit listening to boundaries that people are trying to convince him or her exist so it's all about just putting aside these fake constraints that God literally tells us there should be no constraints in your life the boxes now go back to Romans chapter 12 the boxes the boxes that we are in look at Romans chapter 12 now and look at very closely at verse number two of Romans chapter 12 the boxes that we are in they literally stop the conforming of our minds the Bible says we're conformed to the world already this is why so the Bible says you're already conformed to the world so in order to not be conformed from the world there needs to be a change that happens there with what with your mind this is why people hear preaching this is why people hear Bible preaching you wonder why people will hear hard preaching and they'll say great sermon pastor they'll say great sermon pastor they'll say boy you really got me on that one but then they don't apply it in their life they hear a sermon and they literally they agree with it and they literally forget it before they walk out the door you say why is that it's because they live in boxes that's why that happens that's why people read the Bible people understand the Bible it's not that they don't understand it they read the Bible look if you're saved today you can read the Bible you should you'll understand the Bible and they'll agree with the Bible because the Holy Spirit within them they'll agree with the Bible but they don't act on it you say why because they live in a box that's why because they won't leave their box that is why look I'm well aware that most people will not apply this sermon you're like what look I had to get over that years ago or I wouldn't have survived you know in this position you know I had to get over that years ago that I would preach sermons and it would have literally driven me crazy but look I'm well aware that people just will not apply this sermon you say why preach it then because here's why here's why this topic that I'm talking to you about this morning why preach it because to give that one person that might apply it a chance that's why that's why preach it a chance to what? a chance to completely change their life a chance to live according to the Bible without walls do great things for the kingdom of God who would say no to that turn to Romans chapter 12 are you in verse number 2 here's what needs to happen and be not conformed to this world but here's the key be ye transformed you literally have to transform from where you were it's not like you were in the right place you need to stay in the right place you literally need to be transformed you need to take that action to leave those boxes that you're in that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God you can change how your mind works even science will tell you that you can literally change how your mind works it's more than just deciding it's more than just deciding I thought that was a good sermon it's more than just reading the Bible and believing it it's actually doing it but most people can't they want to they say they're going to you say why because they're in boxes they're in boxes because of Matthew chapter 19 they're in boxes because of the houses because of the brethren because of the father, the mother, the wife because of the children I know people that are in all of these boxes every single one that I listed or lands great possessions basically any material thing is a box anyone related to you can be a box relatives are a weird thing relatives are a weird thing all of a sudden you're born and you just happen to be related to people and so you just have to live according to that culture for the rest of your life this is what Jesus is saying get out of these boxes get out of these boxes even property you just didn't have as much to give up as me you have no idea what people have given up you have no idea Jesus is saying any amount of anything in this world any amount of anything in this world big things, retirement inheritance they're all boxes and as you step out of boxes folks here's what you need to understand as you step out of boxes your mind will be renewed this is why you see success in people that have gotten out of boxes because they're good at it they figured out how to do it and they're better at it they don't jump into other boxes first of all but once you escape one you can get out of many of them it's easier to do it the second time the third time the fourth time the fifth time pretty soon you become a person that literally just questions everything this is also why you'll find many people that don't live in boxes in their life that have made major changes in their life and the spiritual life of my family that's all that matters I don't care where I have to go I don't care where I have to live I'm going to this church because I agree with that pastor and I want to be my children to grow up with children that believe those things and believe the Bible I want to live this unbounded Christian life what you will find is you will find those people you'll find a lot of them are conspiracy theorists too why? because they question everything they question everything they're like I don't believe something's true just because you told me it's true I don't believe something's true just because the news said it's true look I'm not saying we should all be over the top conspiracy theorists but this is why you see this trend because these are people that have left boxes in their life that's why that's why that's how you get out of the box it's a learned thing it's not something that's going to magically happen to you it's learned you have to ask yourself this morning you have to ask yourself am I hearing but not growing you have to ask yourself am I attending but not changing you have to ask yourself am I simply not being transformed am I conformed to the world and I'm not being transformed so if the reason that you are these things it's because there's a box that you're in that's why you need to identify it you need to hop out of that thing you need to get out of that thing you want great achievement for the kingdom of God in your life I ask that question sometimes to people after they get saved and nobody has said no nobody has ever said that they don't want to do great things for the lord in their life everybody wants that so if you want it look you can have it that's the good news this morning the good news is you can have it but the problem is Romans chapter 12 verse number 2 says that's the problem and the transforming is going to take getting out of those boxes it's a renewing of your mind that will do it that's the tool that's the tool it's looking at that puzzle and saying he didn't mention anything about the square he didn't mention anything about the square that's not a constraint that's only a constraint unless I make it a constraint it's only a constraint unless I believe it's a constraint it's only a constraint unless I'm not willing to draw outside of it that's it it's just look folks it's a different way of thinking it's a different way of thinking it's literally a renewing meaning you have to change the way you think it's a change turn to Philippians chapter 4 Philippians chapter 4 it's a change and guess what here's the nice thing about boxes here's the nice thing about boxes once you identify the boxes look at Philippians chapter 4 look at verse number 13 Philippians chapter 4 and verse number 13 and somebody bring this verse up to me yesterday but look what the Bible says literally here it says if you're saved look if you're saved if you're in Christ this applies to you the Bible says in Philippians 4 13 it says I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me you know what the Bible is saying here every box has an escape hatch every box you can get out of it's like I'm in this box and I can't get out that's not true every box has a way out you can just go and buy it and just get out of that thing know you're in it and really what it is is just knowing you're in it and be willing to leave it knowing you're in it and be willing to leave it get yourself out of boxes in your life what's power heads and have a word of prayer