On Consecration – Sunday Sept. 17, 2017
Here is a message given on the need for consecration.
From the outline notes:
Questions:
Have you found the secret of spiritual death to self and old man being crucified with Christ? (Rom 6) Do you walk in the light on the ground of Christ’s resurrection?
Do you believe you walk in the Spirit the same as the early Christians did? Do you hear Jesus’ voice, and are you guided by Him so that you follow Him? (Inner assurance.)
Do you have a deep sense of righteousness, peace, and joy? Do you walk around singing psalms, hymns, spiritual songs, singing in your heart making melody to the Lord?
Do you love Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and neighbor as yourself?
Do you live a life that would attract non-Christians so that they would want to live a life just like you? Do you bring people to the Lord? Are you wise in winning souls?
Is the desire of your heart to become like Jesus? Do you believe it is possible in this lifetime? (Rom 8:29) Man after God’s own heart, or a “handmaiden of the Lord?”
When you see Jesus on judgment day do you want to hear “well done thou good and faithful servant?” Do you think you are ready to see the Lord today?
Consecration sets us up for the above!
Scriptures from outline:
1 Peter 1:13-16 – Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”[c]
Prov 16:3 – Commit your works to the Lord,
And your thoughts will be established.
1 Cor 6:19,20 – Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body[c] and in your spirit, which are God’s.
2 Cor 8:1-5 – Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: 2 that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. 3 For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, 4 imploring us with much urgency that we would receive[a] the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. 5 And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God.
10 And in this I give advice: It is to your advantage not only to be doing what you began and were desiring to do a year ago; 11 but now you also must complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of what you have. 12 For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.
Phil 2:12,13 – Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
Rom 12 – I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Rom 12 follows Rom 6-8. Salvation is by grace through faith (Eph 2:8). Our work is to believe and obey.
Eph 2:8-10 – For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Works vs. grace? NO! Works in grace.
1 Cor 15 – 9 For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 11 Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
Col 1:29 – 29 To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.
Mission Minded
• Principle: God is a good Father, a just Master, and He equips His servants, his sons and daughters, for what He asks of them.
• God is Almighty! Do you think the life you live and the life of those around you is the best God can do?
• We get what we really believe.
• We show what we really want by what we do
• We show who we really love, by who we choose to spend time with (and obey)
The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins
Matt. 25:1-13 – “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming;[a] go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.
11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour[b]in which the Son of Man is coming.
