Why Commit? (part 2)
Baby Dedication: Kathleen Rose Converse (Katie-Rose) this Dedication ceremony is all about Commitment to the way of the Lord. This is what I talked about last week in my message and what we will be exploring again today both in this ceremony and in my message.
Baby Dedication:
Most of you know that some churches baptize infants but we in the evangelical realm believe that baptism is for those who have come into the Christian faith by verbally repenting of their sins and experiencing the new birth found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. So in the place of infant Baptism which you cannot find in scripture we choose to practice Baby dedication to be Biblically accurate.
In Scripture we have two counts of godly parents dedicating their children to the Lord. We see it with Hannah’s dedication of Samuel in 1 Samuel 1:27, 28 and Joseph and Mary dedicating baby Jesus to the Lord in Luke 2:21-24. Truth is the parents are the ones making the commitment to dedicate their children to the Lord and promising to raise them in accordance with God’s Word so that their children will be blessed by the Lord.
Deut. 6:4-9:
4Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.5Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. 7Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
Psalm 103:17, 18:
17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD’S love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children
18 with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.
Mark 10:13-16:
13People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. 16And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.
Call the parents forward:
To the Parents:
We see through Scripture and throughout church history that godly parents have presented their children to the Lord. Therefore you follow a noble heritage that sees the value of presenting their children to the Lord. In doing this covenant act between you two and the Lord you enter a holy alliance with the Lord for your child. You believe that this child is a blessing from the Lord and you acknowledge that the Lord will hold you accountable for raising this child His way.
Charges to Parents:
Do you now solemnly confess that it is your hearts desire to dedicate this child to the Lord for his service?
Response of the parents: We do!
Do you commit to pray for and with this child?
Response of the parents: We will!
Do you promise to instruct this child in the ways of the Lord and in the Christian faith?
Response of the parents: We will with God’s help!
Do you promise to teach your child to read the Bible?
Response of Parents: We will with God’s help!
Do you promise to faithfully take your child to the house of the Lord?
Response of Parents: We will with God’s help!
Do you promise to do everything within your power to bring your child to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ?
Response of Parents: We Will!
Charge to the church: (Have everyone in the church stand and respond with we will.)
Will you pray for Katie Rose and instruct her in the way of the Lord faithfully?
Response of church: We will!
Will you teach her about the teaching of the Bible by your words and your lives?
Response of the church: We will!
Will you help teach her to read her Bible and to pray to the Lord Jesus Christ?
Response of the Church: We will!
Will you be a living example of a Christian for Katie Rose to follow and model?
Response of the Church: We will!
(Take Child in arms and pray)
Katie Rose Converse, I dedicate you to God in the name of the father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. May you young life be nurtured and matured under the gracious influence of the Holy Spirit and your parents. May God protect you physically and deliver you from temptation. May he early call you into His Kingdom and ultimately into His service, using you to advance His glory and to hasten the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
Sermon: "Why Commit?" Part Two
Thesis: Why should we commit our way to the Lord? Because it is the right thing to do for us and it¡¦s good for your family and for your nation.
Texts: Psalm 35:5
5 Commit your way to the LORD¡K (Main text)
trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn
The justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret, it leads only to evil.
9 For evil men will be cut off,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy great peace.
12 The wicked plot against the righteous
and gnash their teeth at them;
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he knows their day is coming.
14 The wicked draw the sword
and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
to slay those whose ways are upright.
15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.
Video Illustration: From Chariots of Fire - Scene where Eric tells the British representatives that he will not run on Sunday because he made a commitment to the Lord. His decision to stay committed landed him in the history books and a place in Heaven for all eternity. He refused to re-write the instruction Manuel and he chose to do it God’s way. He committed to the Lord and he would not waiver. Notice even though public opinion and the leadership of his country was against him he stayed committed to the cause of Christ.
Introduction:
Learn the truth be committed to the Lord and his Word because it will lead you to truth even when the world and society has lost its way. Friends Democracy is not what leads to truth. There is only one way to see if something is from God or not and that is by knowing what your Bible says. The Bible is the authority we are to follow for defining what is right and what is wrong. There is no other more accurate source than the Bible.
This last week has once again raised the question of what is right and wrong when it comes to family relations. Today we witnessed a covenant relationship being made between two parents - the Lord and their child. This relationship witnessed here this morning is what according to the Bible is what a family looks like and should act like (Do things God’s way commits to Him)...
Genesis makes it plain that the family a marriage is a covenant relationship between a male and a female. Genesis 1:27, 28:
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."
Notice it’s between a male and a female and it’s very clear in verse 31 God
looked at what he created and said ¡§it is good!" He also told the two to be fruitful and
Increase - in others words have kids - grow the population- But later he makes it clear
that must you train them up in the Lord remember Deut. 6 a verse in our dedication service.
CNN reported on President Bush’s statement:
He stated, "I believe marriage is between a man and a woman and I believe we ought to codify that one way or the other and we have lawyers looking at the best way to do that."
His response was due to the latest Supreme Court ruling overturning a Texas State Law on the subject of homosexuality.
So CNN set up a pole for people to vote about this situation:
They asked, "Should marriage be legally defined as only a union between a man and a
woman?"
Here was the latest tally as of Friday: 2551776 Voted Yes 51%
2487744 Voted No 49%
This week we have seen how another denomination which has voted in a Gay Bishop and
In essence they stated to their church members that his gay relationship was just fine. So
he was gay and a minister what’s the matter with that, It’s okay for us!
I heard statements like these this week from the radio, TV and News papers coming from
individuals involved in this case:
The Holy Spirit spoke in New Hampshire when that state voted him in as Bishop.
The Holy Spirit is doing a new thing in the church!
God is speaking to his people.
God made him that way so it’s okay!
We live in a different culture today so it’s okay!
God does not care what one’s sexual preference is!
This is a great day for the church! (Stated after he was elected)
I heard similar statements after the Methodist, and ELCA Lutherans did basically the
same thing.
How is a person to respond to comments like these? What is the truth on this subject -
the Bible and homosexuality? Is it sin or does God accept it as okay.
My first response is to reflect on one of the 10 Commandments this one in particular
It states, "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not
hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name." (Exodus 20:7).
Whenever we face issues like this one the best course of action is to investigate what the
Bible has to say about the subject at hand. I believe our subject has a lot to do with the
Recent attack on family values, on the Word of God and on our society as a Godly
nation.
So How committed are you to God’s Word and His plan for the family and our society?
Enough to defend the truth that God’s plan is what the Bible describes as God’s way!
T.S. - So let’s look at what the Bible has to say about homosexuality!
I. The first scenario in the Bible which addresses our subject of homosexuality and God¡¦s Word is found for us in Genesis 19:1-29
a. The first thing I want you to notice is the time frame of our true story. It is before the Lord Gives his law to Moses on Mt. Sinai. So understand that our time frame is pre-law.
i. Really the Bible covers three time frames - Before the Law, The Law and after the law the New Covenant Era - The grace era- The NT covers this time frame which we are currently in.
b. We have a scenario between God and Abraham about a wicked set of cities called Sodom and Gomorrah.
i. God sends his angels to Abraham to say they will destroy this wicked city. Abraham pleads for this city but the city had choose it’s own path of destruction by rejecting the truth of God.
ii. The Angels go to the city Lot meets them at the gate.
iii. The Angels go to his house for a meal.
iv. An incident occurs all the men of the city come to Lot’s house in verse 4 with a demand, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so we can have sex with them."
1. Can you believe it?
v. Lot goes out to encourage the men his friends to leave they refuse - notice he even offers his daughter to them but they reject them they want the men. So they try to force their way in to take the men who are angels and then the Lord strikes these men with blindness (6-11).
vi. The rest of the story is well known God gets Lot’s family to safety and destroys the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (12-29).
c. I notice a few spiritual lessons from this true life story.
i. These cities were full of evil and one of their evil sins was homosexual behavior.
ii. These cities were such a threat that people and prayed for God to do something - see Genesis 18: 20, 21.
iii. God will always punish sin and not accept it as okay.
iv. Sin always pays a heavy price on a society.
v. Sin will bring a city down and a nation down.
T.S. - We have looked at the first major scenario between the Bible and Homosexuality with Sodom and Gomorrah now let’s look at the second address to sexual sins in Leviticus.
II. The second major scenario in the Bible having to do with homosexuality and the Christian faith is found in Leviticus 18, 20.
a. This period in Bible time is the period the era of the Law given to Moses by God on Mt. Sinai for the nation of Israel so she could maintain her holiness and be in the right position with the Lord.
i. Leviticus 20:7, 8 "Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God. Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the Lord, who makes you holy."
ii. The nation needed to follow these rules if they wanted to stay in the Promised Land God would give them.
b. Leviticus 18 talks about unlawful Sexual Relations.
i. The Lord covers the following subjects as being unlawful:
1. Incest
2. Adultery
3. Fornication
4. Child Sexual abuse
5. Homosexuality - Leviticus 18:22 "Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable."
6. Sex with animals
c. At the end of this chapter the Lord gives the warning not to defile yourself lose your holiness by practicing these sins.
i. The Lord adds through Moses that these sins were the same sins the nations before them did and the land vomited them out and the land will do the same if Israel falls into these sexual sins.
ii. See Leviticus 18: 24-30
iii. He also tells us in Leviticus 20 this about these types of sexual sins: "If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads."
1. One note most of these sexual sins were to be dealt with by the death penalty.
2. Praise God for our NT era of grace!
3. But it does show how serious the Lord views these sins actually any sin!
d. So what does our text teach us?
i. To keep our holiness a gift from God we must not do these sexual sins because they will make us unholy and then unable to be in God’s presence.
ii. The second lesson is that if a nation practices these sins then the land will vomit that nation out.
iii. God will judge any nation that allows these practices to continue and he will remove them from their land. Just like he did the nations prior to Israel and Israel herself.
T.S. - We have seen what the Bible had to say in the period of the law about homosexuality so now lets move to the New testament era of Grace and see it’s view.
III. Lets explore our 3rd major address of the Bible and it’s view of homosexuality found in Romans chapter 1:18-32:
a. The time frame of this instruction on homosexuality and sin is after the Law period and in the grace period the time of the New Testament, the time of the New Covenant, the time in which we live today.
i. Romans 1:18-32:
18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator who is forever praised. Amen.
26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
28Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32Although they know God¡¦s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
ii. The Bible here once again makes it clear that homosexual acts are sinful and they are not of God or from God.
1. They are the result of individuals who have rejected the truth of God for a lie.
2. They are the result of depraved corrupted evil minds driven by evil lusts.
a. Those who practice these sexual sins these indecent acts will be judged by God for their perversion.
b. No the Holy Spirit is no doing a new thing- the Devil¡¦s spirit is doing and old thing and is trying to deceive people into thinking it’s God.
c. Remember this from the Word:
i. 2 Timothy 3:16-4:4
16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
1In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage¡Xwith great patience and careful instruction. 3For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths
ii. 2 Peter 2:1-3
1But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them¡Xbringing swift destruction on themselves. 2Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.
d. The Bible does warn those who call "Evil good"
i. Isaiah 5:20:
Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil,
who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter.
3. Those who practice homosexual lifestyles practice a lifestyle that is unnatural. It was not given to them by God because God tempt no one with evil- God did not make them like they are they choose their own path.
4. They are minds that have heard the truth on this subject but still decide to reject the truth of Scripture on this subject.
Conclusion:
How committed are you to the cause of Christ?
Have you 100% committed your way to the Lord’s way?
Have you committed to allowing the Bible to be your guide and not clergy who have deviated from the truth because they rejected the truth of the Scriptures?
Do you understand that the enemy the Devil is out to destroy the marriage unit so he stops the growth of godly families that follow God?
Do you understand what’s at stake if you compromise the Word of God?
Truth is homosexual behavior is wrong- it¡¦s sin- God has not changed his mind on this just read Revelation 22:18-19:
18I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. 19And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
How Should the Christian Respond?
Homosexuality needs to be addressed Biblically which we did today. Truth is it is sin just like all the other sins mentioned in the Bible. There is no greater or lesser sin- sin is sin.
But we the New Life Community have a pressing responsibility to speak the truth in love not in condemnation. We must show the love of God for the homosexual, we must show compassion to those who are gay. We do not have to agree with their sinful ways but we can show them the truth that Jesus loves them and died for them but they must repent of their sin to be forgiven of it. Then they need to turn away from that which is sin and turn to God. Then he will bestow on them the gift of His holiness so that they also can dwell in His presence for eternity.
