The Foundation of Committment
class=MsoNormal> The Foundation of Commitment Romans 12:1&2
Intro: Dedication is the foundation of commitment. Without it the believer is unable to offer God anything else. Paul explains this dedication process here in Romans 12. He emphasizes three things. First, it is our body which is to be dedicate as a living sacrifice to God. Second, we are to avoid being conformed to this world, but strive to be transformed by the word. Finally by doing this we can find God’s perfect will for our lives….. After we’ve dedicated our bodies there are some foundational
§I. We are to commit our Salvation to the Lord ( how can we do that?)
§ II Timothy 1:12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
§ A. Knowing the person of the Lord Jesus Christ ( ever committed to someone you didn’t altogether know….Tell about Rick Beasley driving asleep)
1. Why is it important to be involved in personal Bible study?
A. That I might know Him and the power of His resurrection(phil. 3:10) We can dispute any claim men might have that He’s dead……bones found… He lives within my heart…………..
B. As I pray to Him, He can speak to me through His word…… many Christians have just a one way conversation with God………………..
2. Why is it important for me to be involved in a corporate Bible study?
A. We have the promise of His presence—Matt. 18: 20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
B. We have the promise of power----19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
§II. We are to commit our works to the Lord
§ Prov 16:3 -- 3 Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.
A. It should be personal knowledge--- We of all people should know the secret of success, committing our works to the Lord. Our plans in life will never be fruitful for the Lord unless we first commit them to Him. The Bible says in Psalms 127:1 Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
The Bible also speaks about how foolish it is to leave God out of his plans. Luke 12: 16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
§ B. It should be public knowledge (James 4:14-16)---( tell about My Great Grandpa and my heritage )We in our public living should be a living sacrifice in the workplace when doing business, so that when we negotiate contracts and do business the whole world might see what God looks like when He cuts a deal.
§III. We’re to commit our goals to Him
§ Ps 37:5 5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
§ A. We must make God our guide in life
§ 1. Examine our goals----- We live in culture today that where the majority has put themselves into so much debt that the only commitment that people can make is to there lenders. ( tell funny about guy calling wanting to know if you’re going to work) Have you committed your goals in life to the Lord? If we commit the right goals to Him, He’ll bring it to pass……..How do we know?
§ 2. Examine the glory-----God centered goals will bring glory where it is due.
§ B. We must trust those to Him------God made me and He knows what will meet the deepest recesses of my need in life. Many in our land today have goals of houses, lands , vacations and self sufficiency. Can I tell you today that there is nothing wrong with these things if I commit it to God and trust in Him. He knows what I need. Where I get into trouble is when I take over the leadership position
§IV. We must commit our suffering experiences to the Lord.
§1 Pet 4:19 19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.
§ A. There’s two choices when it comes to suffering
1. Commit it to the flesh--- To commit to the flesh means to be secret agent Christians. I want what Jesus offers but I don’t want what Jesus is. “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows. Many Christians today are failing to stand for the Lord Jesus. They listen to the dirty jokes at work, They watch the blasphemous shows on t.v. They look and act like the world and obey not what the scriptures says. They don’t want to be isolated and the subject of ridicule. I want to tell you this morning that the spirit of antichrist that is here will not stop with just your ability to be in secret but is bent on forcing Christians to deny the Lord and its coming at break neck speed. 2 Corinthians 6:17 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.
§ 2. Commit it to the Lord-----know that to follow Jesus Christ will bring suffering and persecution. But He will never leave us nor forsake us(Heb.13:5… and if God be for us who can be against us (Rom. 8:31…………….
A famous evangelist told the following incident: I have a friend who in a time of business recession lost his job, a sizable fortune, and his beautiful home. To add to his sorrow, his precious wife died; yet he tenaciously held to his faith -- the only thing he had left. One day when he was out walking in search of employment, he stopped to watch some men who were doing stonework on a large church. One of them was chiseling a triangular piece of rock. 'Where are you going to put that?' he asked. The workman said, 'Do you see that little opening up there near the spire? Well, I'm shaping this stone down here so that it will fit in up there.' Tears filled my friend's eyes as he walked away, for the Lord had spoken to him through that laborer whose words gave new meaning to his troubled situation.
Lord help us if we fail to commit for the reason of skipping suffering------------- -2 Timothy 3:12---------12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.[1]
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[1] The Holy Bible : King James Version. electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version. Bellingham WA : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1995, S. 2 Ti 3:12