Commit To God

Title: Time to Commit to God

Subject: It is time that we see a real commitment to God, church and community.

Introduction: Israel ignored God for years, God raised up judges and priest to lead them. There were sporadic times of Revival for them but they were continuously oppressed because they refused to continue in serving the true God. One incident sees them taking the Ark to a specific place and appointing a specific person to care for it. It remained there ignored for 20 years. We see in 1st Samuel 7:1-4, 1And the men of Kirjathjearim came, and fetched up the ark of the LORD, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the LORD. 2 And it came to pass, while the ark abode in Kirjathjearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years: and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD. 3 And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. 4 Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only.

Core: Prepare your hearts unto the Lord was the charge from Samuel. Commitment to serve God, to study His word to seek His will isn’t that what a prepared heart requires. Four Sundays from today we will begin a group of meetings we call a revival, understand that you must prepare your heart for revival. A prepared heart for service to God, commitment to God, church and community is needed in order for revival to be kindled and for the revival fire to spread. Revival needs to spread across our community, the state and the nation and finally spread around the world. You need to prepare your hearts unto the Lord and commit to serve Him alone.

Body:

I. Our nation was founded by men of Faith and with independence came religious freedoms.

A. Through the centuries of this young nation there have been periods of revival

1. Last year 2014 the theme for our church was renewal

2. Renewal of Heart

3. Renewal of Soul

4. Renewal of Strength

B. Was that accomplished?

1. You must search your own heart

2. Your own soul

3. To decide if you gained Strength

4. Real deep down Spiritual strength

C. We started with a Revival last year

1. Bro. Gary came we had great attendance

2. But how much of that remained how many really continued to attend faithfully

3. To be faithful to God

4. To serve Him and do His will.

D. Yes we had a few new members to join and our average attendance did increase slightly this past fiscal year.

1. When it was time to set the budget for 2015 though

2. We had to adjust down by several $1000

3. We do now have a few children in Sunday School off and on now

4. But not like it should be.

II. So where are we heading in this year of 2015

A. Commitment at least that is the Theme for the year

1. Commitment starts in your heart and mine

2. A heart that was to be renewed last year

3. Renewed to serving God 1st Samuel verse 3 tells us Samuel said to the people of Israel “If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts”

4. You see that is a renewal of Heart but what is that heart to be renewed to according to Samuel, he says “Prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only”

B. Prepare for service

1. Commit to serving God

2. Serve God alone

3. Don’t serve sin

4. Don’t serve the cares of the world

5. Don’t get caught up in worldly lust

6. To serve the living God, Hebrews 9: 14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

7. Galatians 5: 16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

8. Walk in the Spirit, Commit to confession of sin as you commit it in order that you are filled with the Spirit.

III. Three challenges can be seen here in 1st Samuel 7

A. These are:

1. Commitment to serve God Alone verses 1-4

2. Commitment to Corporate Confession and Prayer 5-9

3. Commitment to Confident Action 10-13

4. All these are part of a commitment to God, Church and Community.