Embracing Christ Part II.
Text: Romans 12:1-2
Introduction:
This morning I would like to build on what we began talking about last Sunday morning. More than anything I desire to see you live in the fullness of all that God has to offer you. Let’s recap: We talked about...
• How God wants us...
A. To be a child of His
B. To want to serve Him
C. To show the world the way
• Making Jesus Lord
A. Who do men say that I am?
B. Who say ye that I am?
• What does it mean to say Jesus is Lord of my life?
A. The Lordship of Christ means that we stop living for ourselves.
B. The contrast between a slave and a “bond-servant”.
This is where we will pick up and continue today...
I. We live in an era when people want to preach a gospel without commitment. People want to hear about all that God will do for them but they are not interested in investing anything of themselves in return.
A. The greatest thing you can give God is your time.
1. When we don’t spend time with God, He misses us.
B. Surrendering your life to Christ and accepting Him as Lord is only part of what a Christian must do in order to live under the Lordship of Christ.
1. The Lordship of Christ is something that must be lived every moment of everyday. It’s a lifestyle of service that carries magnificent rewards.
Acts 17:28
“For in him we live, and move, and have our being;”
I. John 4:9
“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.”
II. Overcoming the difficulties of living under His Lordship.
A. Many Christians are victims of frustration and discouragement because they have a false understanding of the way in which the Lord rules in the life of the believer.
1. Before we can fully experience the fullness of what God has to offer us we must first voluntarily and consciously surrender to His ownership of our lives.
o Read & Expound Colossians 3:1-4
B. We can make significant progress in overcoming these difficulties by focusing on these three things found in our text: Read Romans 12:1-2
1. V.1) We must separate ourselves from the world. We do this by presenting our bodies as a “living sacrifice” to God.
a. This must be done rationally, with mature thought, with Godly meditation and be based on our conscious decision.
2. SEPERATION IS THE MENTOR OF GREATNESS.
a. Great men of old practiced this principle and benefited greatly from it. Abraham (from his family), David (from his king), Moses (from his heritage), Jesus (from God almighty)
• Question: What do I need to separate myself from in order to achieve greatness?
3. V.2) “Don’t let the world around you press you into its mold.” In other words, we need to cease thinking with the mindset of the world.
a. We renew our minds according to the will of God.
C. If we are to experience the Lordship of Christ, then we must daily evaluate our lives according to the Word of God. In this way we are renewing our minds.
1. We should season this experience with prayer in a quiet place alone with Him.
2. This gives God the liberty and opportunity to speak with us, allowing His Word to penetrate our hearts and impact our lives in very real, yet practical ways.
Ephesians 3:19
“And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge,
that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.”
• The only things under the Lordship of Christ are those that you put there.
Lester Sumrall
III. Words of Encouragement concerning this level of commitment.
Read Isaiah 41:10-11
A. As you progressively submit to the Lordship of Christ, don’t be discouraged or back away from the changes you will see and experience.
1. Maintain a positive attitude.
2. Hold fast to that which you know is true.
3. Always, Always, Always keep your eyes on Jesus.
B. Don’t be ignorant of satan’s devices.
1. Satan constantly tries to mess with our emotions, tries to discourage us, accuses us and tries to discourage, frustrate and depress us.
2. One of his most talented weapons is to get us to second guess God and ourselves. Don’t fall into this trap.
3. If you are facing these challenges you are making progress because you’ve got satan nervous.
II. Corinthians 2:11
“Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.”
James 4:7
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
C. Don’t let failure discourage you. Galatians 6:9 “...and be not weary in well doing...”
1. The way to win is to focus, not on the failure but on the future.
2. Find comfort in the text from last week...
John 15:16
“Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.”
Closing:
• Always remember that, without a doubt, the Lordship of Christ is the best thing for your life and the plan of God for you. He will never plan anything harmful for you. Look to the future with hope, anticipating with joy the work of the Lord and the blessings that come with obeying Him.
