Pathway to Victory

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Hey podcast listeners. Thanks for streaming today's podcast from Pathway to Victory and Dr. Robert Jeffress.

We're dedicated to bringing you bold biblical teaching that transforms your life and strengthens your walk with God.

And you can study God's word alongside Dr. Jeffress in person on the 2026 Pathway to Victory cruise to Alaska.

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Have you ever witnessed the breathtaking majesty.

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Of massive glaciers rising from crystal blue waters?

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Or stood in awe as bald eagles soar over snow capped mountain? I want you to experience these unforgettable moments with me on the Pathway to Victory Cruise to Alaska, June 13th through 20th, 2026.

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Indulge in elegant staterooms, world-class dining, and expansive decks perfect for breathtaking views.

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There's something powerful about connecting with God and fellow believers in the majesty of his untamed wilderness. I truly believe this journey will refresh.

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You spiritually, physically and emotionally.

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Cabins are filling quickly, so reserve yours today. To book your spot on the 2026 Pathway to Victory cruise to Alaska, call 888-280-6747 or go to ptv.org now here's today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

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Hi, this is Robert Jeffress and I'm glad to study God's Word with you every day on this Bible teaching program.

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On today's edition of Pathway to Victory.

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Maybe this idea of spiritual transformation hasn't yet captured your imagination. You're not excited about it. You really haven't considered what such a transformation could mean for your life.

Just imagine for a moment you could go into a telephone booth and you could come out and you could be just like Jesus Christ.

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Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor, Dr. Robert Jeffress. If you had a quarter for every time you heard the word transform or transformation in church, you'd probably have enough money for a nice vacation, wouldn't you?

Well, today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress explains that transformation isn't just an overused word. It truly is worth getting excited about.

But first, let's take a minute to hear some important ministry updates.

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Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. Okay, admit it. You've had mornings that started with a frightful look in the mirror when you see all of your flaws and think, wow, I desperately need a makeover. Well, what's true in the physical realm certainly applies to the spiritual realm as well.

In our practical series called Seven Marks of a Disciple, we're identifying seven disciplines that will truly transform our lives. The team at Pathway to Victory has prepared a brand new discipleship resource. It's called Encouragement for the Heart of a Disciple. In this gorgeous full-color padded hardcover book, you'll learn how to apply the disciplines of forgiveness, obedience, trust, contentment, service, and prayer.

Plus, Encouragement for the Heart of a Disciple contains 80 breathtaking photos from God's creation. Each chapter includes a brief reflection paired with a scripture verse and a prayer that you can follow. We'll also include a collection of six pocket-sized prayer cards so that you can easily engage in conversation with Jesus throughout your day.

Again, the devotional book is called Encouragement for the Heart of a Disciple. Both the book and the prayer cards are an expression of our thanks when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory.

Okay, let's get started with our next study in God's word. This message is based on 2 Corinthians 5:17, where Paul said, "Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature. The old things passed away. Behold, new things have come." It's a message titled "Discipleship is Transforming."

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Today my sermon is about spiritual transformation. Try to contain your excitement, would you? I can already see from up here some of your eyes are starting to glaze over. One guy out there just punched his wife. Wake me when it's over, Gertrude. Let me know when it's over. Have you ever noticed why phrases like spiritual transformation conformed to the image of Christ becoming a disciple, a follower of Christ? Why have those phrases become so boring to us? I think part of the reason is we use them so often without ever considering what they mean to us. You know, the idea of transformation. Apart from the Bible, the idea of transformation is very, very exciting, especially in other contexts.

I remember when I was four years old, every afternoon I would dress up in my blue tights, I would put on my red cape, I would sit in front of our black and white television set and watch the adventures of Superman. Remember Superman? Mild manner reporter Clark Kent would go into a telephone booth and he would transform into that man of steel who was faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Look in the sky. It's a bird. It's a plane. It's Superman. Dun dun dun, dun dun dun dun. Man, I get goosebumps just thinking about it. Didn't you love Superman? Now, 50 years later, the special effects are a lot better, but the plot line still fascinates us. The idea of an ordinary person transforming into a supernatural person. Well, it's the plotline of our favorite movies and our favorite television shows. I mean, let's face it, there is something about reaching down inside of ourselves and accessing a supernatural power that lifts us above our humdrum, everyday existence. There's something about that that is intriguing.

But the good news I have for you today is that idea is not only intriguing, it's possible. And it's what God has planned for you. Now, does that sound a little more exciting? That's what we're gonna talk about, spiritual transformation. If you have your Bibles, I want you to turn to Galatians, chapter four. Galatians, chapter four. Last time we began our series, seven Marks of a Disciple. What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus Christ? And I made this statement. I want you to write it down again on your outline. The essence of discipleship is a changed life from a transformed heart. That's what discipleship is about. It's not about getting up at 6am to go to a Bible study. It's not about memorizing 100 verses. It's not about being in a small group, accountability group. All of those things are good, and all of those things will help you become a disciple. But that's not what a disciple is. It's somebody who's had a transformation. Somebody who's gone from the natural to the supernatural kind of existence that God has planned for us.

It's about everyday Clark Kent's, if you will, transforming into supernatural supermen and super women. That's what God wants for us. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul said, if any person is in Christ, he or she is a new creation. Old things have passed away, new things have come. Do you know that if you're a Christian today, there lies within you the potential to live exactly like Jesus lived? That means to think the thoughts that Jesus thought, to possess the inner peace that Jesus possessed, to enjoy the freedom from material concerns that Jesus experienced, to have that connection to God's power that Jesus had. To respond to mistreatment in your life exactly like Jesus responded and to receive the praise from God that Jesus received. That's what we're talking about. And that's why we say the essence of discipleship is transformation. A changed life that comes from a transformed heart.

Now, because of that, throughout this series, I'm gonna use the words discipleship and spiritual transformation interchangeably, because that's what discipleship is. It is about a spiritual transformation. And the Bible says you have everything you need right now if you're a Christian, to experience that transformation. Look at Galatians 4:19. Paul referred to the Christians at Galatia this way. He said, my children, with whom I am again in labor, underline that word, labor until Christ is formed. Underline that word in you. Now, this verse is pregnant with meaning. Pardon the pun. Every woman here knows what labor is all about, don't you? If you're a mother? Labor is what precedes giving birth to new life. That word formed is the word morpho in Greek. Paul said, I am laboring, I am struggling until Christ is completely formed in you, until you morph, if you will, into Jesus Christ.

That word formed, morphed is a word that literally is a biology term. It refers to that embryo, that fertilized egg inside of a mother. Think about it. That tiny miniscule egg has the ability to transform, to morph into a being that is millions of times the size of that tiny microscopic egg. And yet that little fertilized egg has all of the energy necessary to morph into something much greater. It morphs into a human being. It forms a brain that has the capability of developing a nuclear weapon that destroys the entire world. All of that lies within that potential, in that tiny embryo. Well, in the same way the Bible says when you become a Christian, you don't only receive the forgiveness of your sins, but the moment you trust in Christ, there is planted in you that fertilized spiritual egg that allows you to grow and change into the image of Christ.

Peter described it this way in 1 Peter 1:23. He said, for you have been born again, not of seed, which is perishable, but imperishable. That is, through the living and abiding word of God. If you are a Christian, that egg, that potential is within you right now. The imperishable seed. The idea that God wants you to live a transformed life is all throughout the Scripture. For example, Romans 8:29, Paul writes, For whom God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that Jesus might be the firstborn among many brethren. Or 2 Corinthians 3:18. Paul said, but we all with unveiled face, beholding, as in a mirror, the glory of the Lord. We are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory.

Now again, maybe this idea of spiritual transformation hasn't yet captured your imagination. You're not excited about it. And I think the reason is you really haven't considered what such a transformation could mean for your life. Just imagine for a moment you could go into a telephone booth. For those of you under 50, you may not know what a telephone booth is, but they used to have them. Remember telephone booths? Just imagine you could go into a telephone booth and you could come out and you could be just like Jesus Christ. And I'm not talking about that image people have of Jesus, you know, the Do Gooder who walked around the countryside, you know, munching on birdseed and saying nice things to people. You know, that's not Jesus. Think about what I mean when I talk about actually living like Jesus.

Think for a moment. What if you were completely free from worry about anything? That's how Jesus lived his life. He wasn't worried about anything. What if you could go through life completely free from worry? What if you were absolutely, for the rest of your life, content with your financial situation? Never once did your blood pressure go up if the stock market went down. Never once did you wonder where your next meal was coming from. You were completely free from any material concerns whatsoever. What about if you were free from ill feelings toward anyone? Anger, bitterness, resentment was no longer a part of your life.

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Part of your life.

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What if you were no longer a slave to any destructive habits or addictions that were robbing your life of true joy? What if your outward circumstances had absolutely no effect on your inward happiness?

Didn't matter what happened, you were still joyful. What if you could go through your life with the absolute assurance that God?

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Was pleased with you?

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Doesn't that sound pretty appealing? That's exactly the kind of life that Jesus has called us to experience. That's what spiritual transformation is about. Now, I think we need to be very clear in identifying what spiritual transformation is not. John Ortberg notes that there are a lot of cheap substitutes out there for spiritual transformation, especially in the Christian world.

I remember when we were growing up, our family didn't have a lot of money, but we had a deep love for ice cream. And I come by it naturally; I was trained to love ice cream. I remember after our Sunday evening worship services here. Remember those? They went the same way as the phone booth. But remember we'd have Sunday evening worship? I remember we'd finish here and we would rush to Ashburn's Ice Cream on Knox Street, trying to get there before the 9 o'clock closing time. We would go in, and we would each be allowed to buy a pint of ice cream for 50 cents. We could buy a pint of ice cream, but it had to last us for the entire week. Most of us finished our ice cream by Tuesday, and we were done with it. We didn't have enough money to restock our ice cream supply.

But there was a substitute for ice cream. I bet many of you remember it was called mellorine. Do you all remember Mellorine? It was the worst-tasting stuff you can imagine. Now, it was in the frozen department, just like ice cream. It looked like ice cream, it was frozen, but it didn't taste like ice cream. In fact, a couple of helpings of mellorine, and you would swear off ice cream forever. It was a terrible substitute. You could get a lot of it—49 cents a gallon, I remember for Mellorine.

Well, in a lot of ways, there are spiritual mellowings out there. What I mean is cheap substitutes for spiritual transformation. What are those substitutes? Well, one is theological information. A lot of people substitute theological information for true transformation. They think, well, if I can just learn enough facts about the Bible, if I can study theology enough, somehow that will make me like Jesus Christ. Look, if cramming your head full of theology and Bible facts makes you like Jesus, why is it that some of the people who know the most about the Bible are some of the meanest people on God's green earth? Have you ever wondered that? Why is it that some people who are such great teachers of the word of God fall into addictions and sexual immorality?

Now, I'm not belittling the importance of knowing the Bible. We've got to know God's word and hide it in our hearts. You can never apply more of the scripture than you know of the scripture. But unfortunately, you can know more about the Bible than you apply from the Bible. So don't ever confuse spiritual transformation with theological information.

A second substitute is what I call religious confirmation. John Ortberg again notes that many religious groups identify and make up their own boundary markers that distinguish them from other groups or other denominations. A lot of people confuse spiritual transformation with the confirmation to some man-made system of beliefs and behavior. Now, I'm not talking about biblical standards of beliefs and behavior, but I'm talking about man-made denominations. They feel like, well, we've got to do something to be unique, so we'll establish this list of things you have to conform to in order to be a part of our club.

As you know, our church is associated with the Southern Baptist Convention. But make no mistake about it, through the years, Southern Baptists have established their own man-made list of certain rules that you have to adhere to. Supposedly, if you ask the average guy on the street now, "What is a Southern Baptist?" they might say, "Whoa, a Southern Baptist? Oh yeah, those are the people who don't dance, drink, or have any fun, right?" That's the general thinking out there. That's a man-made list. Spiritual transformation is not about religious confirmation. It's not about theological information. It's about a supernatural change in our life.

Why is it we don't experience that transformation? Pastor, if we've already received the imperishable sin, if we have all of the potential to morph into the person of Jesus Christ, what keeps us from doing so? Well, there are four barriers I've identified that I want us to talk about in these final minutes. Four barriers to experiencing the spiritual transformation God wants you to experience.

First of all, the belief that spiritual transformation is not necessary. Perhaps that's the most pervasive reason we don't morph into the person that God wants us to be. We don't think it's really necessary. As long as we have our ticket to heaven, that's all that matters, right? We think of this transformation as kind of like a spiritual upgrade from economy to first class for those who want to pay the extra price of living that kind of Christian life. Does it really matter? We're all going to the same place, Heaven. We're all on the same plane. Does it really matter where you sit—in economy or first class? That's what people think about this idea of spiritual transformation.

"Oh, that's too hard. That's too complicated. I'll meet you in heaven." But as you read the Bible, does God really give us an option on this? Does he tell us it's possible to be forgiven by Christ without ever following Christ? Listen to what Jesus said himself in John 3:36: "He who believes in the Son has eternal life. But he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

I want you to notice something very interesting in this verse. How do you have eternal life? By believing in the Son. That means more than just saying yes to a bunch of intellectual facts about the Son of God. How do I know that? Because notice the next phrase: "he who does not obey." It doesn't say "he who does not believe." It says, "he who does not obey shall not see life." In other words, Jesus uses the words believe and obey as synonymous terms. If you really believe, you're going to obey. If you are not obeying Jesus, it's because you really don't believe Jesus. That's an astounding word that we all need to take to heart.

In John 12:26, Jesus says, "If anyone serves me, let him follow me." Or skip down to John 14:24: "He who does not love me does not keep my words." Now listen to this. If you don't hear another word, isn't it illogical to think that we would spend all eternity bowing down and worshiping God, but right here, in these few years we have on earth, we would never want to submit to God? Or put another way, why is it we think that if we are day in and day out resisting God's commands in our lives, refusing to submit to God's will, that somehow we're going to automatically start submitting to God in heaven and be happy there? If we're not happy, why would we be happy up there doing that?

Listen to the words of Dallas Willard. He says one should seriously inquire if to live in a world permeated with God and the knowledge of God is something they themselves really desire. If not, they can be assured that God will excuse them from his presence. They will find their place in the...

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Outer darkness of which Jesus spoke.

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But the fundamental fact about them will not be that they are there, but that they have become people so locked into their own self-worship and denial of God that they cannot want God. That's why people end up in hell. They don't want to submit to God here. Why would they want to submit to God up there?

What I'm saying to you is this idea of spiritual transformation not being necessary is not found anywhere in Scripture. A second barrier to spiritual transformation is the belief that spiritual transformation is not desirable. The reason a lot of people don't become more like Jesus is deep down they don't have a desire to become like Jesus.

Some people here today or watching the broadcast may say, "Lord, I'm not like Jesus. I'm not sure I even want to be like Jesus, but I want to."

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Want to be like Jesus.

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You know, the first step in wanting to want to be like Jesus is to believe it's really something desirable.

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Perhaps someone is listening right now who's sensing a nudge from God. His spirit is calling on you to let go of the complicated activities in your life that do little more than drag you down. Please say yes to his call and allow the transformation of your heart to begin.

We'll pick up on this study again tomorrow on Pathway to Victory. In the meantime, here's a practical next step. You can take this study even further by requesting a copy of the brand new devotional book, *Encouragement for the Heart of a Disciple*. If you feel like you've fallen into a never-ending cycle of obligation and duty, the Biblical principles in this resource will set you free.

We're prepared to send you a copy when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. This padded hardcover book is intentionally written to inspire your daily walk, emphasizing the relief that comes when you allow God's Spirit to cultivate spiritual virtues in your life, such as contentment, forgiveness, and trust. Each chapter includes a stunning photograph from nature, complemented by a brief reflection, a Bible verse, and a short prayer to follow when you respond.

Today, we'll also include a collection of pocket-sized prayer cards so that you can easily engage in conversation with Jesus throughout your day. Both the devotional book, *Encouragement for the Heart of a Disciple*, and the prayer cards come with our profound thanks when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory.

David will repeat these exciting details now, and we look forward to hearing from you today.

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You're invited to request a copy of *Encouragement for the Heart of a Disciple* by Dr. Robert Jeffress. When you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, just call 866-999-2965 or, even easier, go to ptv.org. When your ministry gift is $100 or more, we'll send you the Encouragement Resource Set containing the new Devotional, six Clutter Free Prayer Cards, the *Clutter Free Christianity* Book and Life Application guide, and the *7 Marks of a Disciple* message series on DVD, video, and MP3 format audio disc set.

Now, if you'd prefer to send a check by mail, write to P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222. Again, that's P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, TX 75222.

I'm David J. Mullen inviting you back next time for the conclusion of this message titled *Discipleship Is Transforming*. That's Thursday here on Pathway to Victory.

Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. Experience the breathtaking majesty of America's last frontier on the 2026 Pathway to Victory cruise to Alaska.

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This seven day journey combines spiritual growth.

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Space is limited, so reserve your Cabin today. Call 888-280-6747 or go to ptv.org.

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You.

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Made it to the end of today's podcast From Pathway to Victory. And we're so glad you're here.

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