R407 Real Commitment

God has an encouraging word for you and me today. The Bible-based preaching of Dr. Don Wilton and a message on real commitment in just a moment I was in Texas to the book of Romans chapter 12 as we study God's word together and between now and that I just want to remind you that so many people are asking about. And yes we do have copies of the wonderful resource. 31 days of prayer for my nation discovered on our website@twonline.org you can also call about your copy at 866-899-WORD 866-899-9673 while you're there, pick a copy of new book from Dr. Wilson call Saturdays with Billy about the 25 years that he enjoyed being the pastor of Americans. Past all the details are online@tewonline.org.org moment I'm going to read to you. Romans chapter 12 verses one to a passage that is perhaps one of the most well-known passages in one that deals with the issue of real commitment. Commitment is perhaps the missing ingredient. But don't you think.

In fact, I think it would be true to say that in many arenas of life that if people would come to a fresh understanding of what it means to be committed. Perhaps we would have a fresh understanding of what it means to live this life the way God intended us to live where the one is on a ballfield playing a game or whether one is in a marriage, or whether one has children or whether one is at work, commitment is the name of the guy.

If I had a business today and I was hiring some new workers.

I daresay that I would probably want to know about the label of commitment before I knew about their level of expertise related to the work that they will guide I can do something with someone that's committed to daily living in a world in which the word commitment is becoming so loose and people are falling in and out of marriage and people all giving up on their responsibilities. People are no longer prepared to stick to the toss going to endure that which God has set before them.

Commitment is a major factor. As far as God is concerned.

In fact, the Bible tells us that we will never become disciple makers unless we are willing to commit our lives completely to the Lord Jesus Christ guy Gary Romans chapter 12 verses one into the apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Spirit of God speaks to you and to me about the essence of our commitment to God and I'd like to read to you just a few verses and I'm going to stop once or twice does what he says. Therefore, now that's a good place to stop right there because I want you to know that all their fools in the Bible all day for a reason and if we going to follow that line of thinking. We got to understand that here in Romans chapter 12 it is no less true.

In fact, Paul is about to make some staggering statements of monumental significance based upon what he has just told us in Romans chapter 11, so let's have a look at Romans chapter 11 in verse 11 that we have a doxology O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable his judgments and his paths beyond tracing out who is not in the mind of the Lord is been his counselor who has ever given to God that God should replace him from him and through him and through him all things, and so to him be glory for ever and forever and forever.

Therefore, I urge you see Paul is not making a statement, yet, based on something that is being blown by the winds of time Paul is making a statement here that is indelibly enshrined, it is put into concrete in the heart of God's word and in the heart of God's grace. Paul says therefore I urge you, my brothers and sisters in view of God's mercy there. It is because of the depth of the riches of the wisdom of the knowledge of God.

In view of God's mercy. I beg of you to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God because this is your reasonable act of worship. Now want to just stop there for a moment, quieter, I think that it would be true to say that we have worship God already we worship God in our beings. We we worship God. When we came to church today. We worship God without tithes and offerings. We worship God with the music and with the praise in the worship but isn't it interesting to note characters juncture that the apostle Paul makes a statement.

He says that your spiritual act of worship rests firmly upon your level of commitment as commitment and worship together and pull says that if you are a born again believer, you will print is within itself. Your act of worship to Almighty God. Look at verse two. On this basis do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but wrong to be transformed by the renewing of your mind that what will this do for us. Then you will be able to test and approve what is God's will, his good, pleasing and perfect will have a remarkable stipend. I wonder if you've ever found yourself sign. How can I ever know if I'm in the will of God. Paul gives us the onset be committed. Wonder if you've ever's found yourself sign.

I wonder if what I'm doing is what God wants me to do. I wonder whether I should go to this place or whether I should do this or whether I should date this personal whether I should say these things in mind the will of God and the apostle Paul. Hearsay is the one way in which you can taste and prove God, and know that you are in the will of God is to be committed to God that something very interesting here. Paul even tells us my friends that we can go so far as to test God. Can you believe that. I guess it's much like when the young man asks the young lady if he wants to marry. He wants to marry her, to which the young lady says yes I'll marry you, but in our heart.

She says I'm going to put into the test.

We are always putting one another to the taste on always constantly.

I remember when I coached rugby and cricket British sports before I entered the ministry every now and again I would have a bright star who would play on my bold team and I would put them on the bench just to taste, just to taste it, you can almost see the shock what we on the bright rising star how the world he got a Windows game without me and I say we wanted to sit on the bench and let's see what we can do. You see, it's not whether you win or lose. It's how you play the game in here writing to the church at Rome, the apostle Paul has some staggering statements to Mike and we lose in on Saturday morning at men's prayer breakfast. I said two things that I believe China and Mongolia had done for me.

Number one. It taught me the ultimate faithfulness of God. God is faithful doesn't matter where you are and what you on what you've done and how you've done it where you going.

God is faithful God is not faithful because he wants to be faithful God is faithful because he is bright.

God is faithful you say why is he faithful because God is faithful. It doesn't matter where we are. Doesn't matter what kind of government. It doesn't matter what kind of imprisonment. It doesn't matter what kind of the persecution. It doesn't matter what the weather's like it doesn't matter how much we have all we don't have, God is faithful, and the second thing that my trip to China Mongolia told me was the extreme commitment to God's people.

I met some people that are so deeply embedded in my heart even as I speak to you this morning some people who are committed beyond reason.

Some people have laid down their lives to the ultimate goal here in Romans chapter 12 is talking to you and me is talking to our teenagers and he's talking to our retirees and he's talking to young mothers and these talking to preachers such as myself and he saying to us, listen, if you and I ought to come into a relationship with Almighty God, we must be prepared to lay lives down one hundred percent. As I came back from China, God spoke to my heart.

I said, Lord, do you want me to go to China as a missionary because if you do I'll go vote you want me to go to Australia. Do you want me to go to Africa because if you do I'll go get up in front of my church and tell him God has called me and I will go and God laid upon my heart Don Wilton I have called you to first Baptist Church of Spartanburg, South Carolina. Closing your streets of Calcutta. That's where I want you to be an God calls each one of us no matter where we are, no matter what circumstances.

But God says if you going to test me and you going to prove me. You gotta be willing to be committed to me how to pull lot out blathers for us number one, we gotta be committed to you to our heavenly father. This one. Therefore, I urge you, the first commitment that Paul tells us about is the commitment to you.

You see friends.

He says I urge you to offer your Seo in the NIV in your Bibles. It is to offer your bodies in the King James version it is to you all to present your body, it means that Paul is reminding us that what God wants of us is to give ourselves completely to him regarding give way to God, we gotta submit to God. We've got to allow dog reported to guard regarding the God we brought us back and we go to allow God to have his wife. That's what it means to you and Paul was so passionate about it. He even used the word. Did you notice that that word, I urge them means big do not pull the Paul said listen, I'll get on my knees in front of you and I'll beg you, I will beg you, I beg you with everything at my disposal because of what Jesus Christ is not upon the cross.

I will you take you to God to give up your life to God to hand over to God to surrender to God. To say there is nothing in my hands. I claim it is simply to thy cross directly. That's what Paul was talking about number one commitment to you. Number two, the commitment to be alive to God what he says that he says I urge you, brothers and sisters in view of God's mercy, to offer or to yield your bodies as a living sacrifice. Now this is interesting here" invokes the whole picture of the sacrifice we know what a sacrifices in the Old Testament they would like an animal. They would slaughter the animal put it on an altar and they would offer that as a sacrifice to God. Paul says listen you have to be willing to be taken to be slaughtered to be put on an altar, but never to die.

Paul says listen this is this is remarkable your folks, Paul here perhaps is saying it is easy to stand in front of a firing squad, and to be sure today for your faith, but it's another thing to live where God has placed you, and to be sharpened in all your life as a living example of faith.

Please forgive the interruption.

There's more of this great powerful teaching from Dr. Don Wilton, the common just a moment the Dr. Don Wilton remind you we are here for you annexing with resources. Yes, the new book by Dr. Wilton.

Yes, this number 866899 word is more than just a connection to resources to be a lifeline for you. Where available, as Dr. downward say to be your 2 AM friend indeed at 2 AM no matter what time zone you're in right now. You always answer the phone at 866899673 beloved talk and listen and pray with you and connect you with great resources that 866-899-WORD 9673 email us at online@tewonline.org at our website TE W online.org would love to connect with you connect with resources to help you grow in your faith. Now back to more great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton. Sometimes when a criminal commits a crime and is executed for that crime. We find ourselves saying he got away easy.

He died too quickly. A lethal injection is too quick for someone who committed such a heinous crime. The electric chair, although painful, is too quick for someone who committed such a heinous crime and the apostle Paul here. He's not saying to us. I want you to go and I want you to give up your life in the although he is saying that Paul site. I want you to give up your life and I want you to be willing to be learned all of your life. I want you to be a living sacrifice. I want you on a day by day basis to stand at the foot of the cross. Number one the commitment to yield number two. The commitment to be alive.

Number three the commitment to holiness wholesalers.

I beg of you, by the mercies of God to yield your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, what was Paul talking about.

He was talking about the heart and the holiness of God. Paul was in agreement with what God's Word teaches us in Peter when Peter says be holy because God is holy.

What Paul is saying is, Paul is saying that you cannot test God unless you come into line with the character of God and what is the character of God.

The character of God is the holiness of God is the greatest challenge that we frail human beings price standing in line with the holiness of God. But then in the fourth place. He says you need to commit to pleasing God, look what he says they holy and pleasing to God. If you gonna make a commitment to God you go to please God, just as husband says I love my wife will he must please his wife, and vice versa. Why do we try to please one another because we love one another and what Paul is saying that nothing short of the sacrificial living sacrifice of the holy land committed to God can never please God. Paul sign wait a minute, God strikes a high bargain here. It's a tough thing to fall into the hands of an angry God. Paul here is reminding us my friends about the absolute importance of what it means to stand before the throne of grace and the site, Lord Jesus.

What ever it is that you want me to do.

I only want to please you. Number five, the commitment to be different now young people. This is a tough one here, if you look quickly adverse to, he says do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but rather be transformed. Now that's a tough one. See many of our young people went on a marvelous retreat last weekend, and God came down and so many made commitments to the Lord Jesus Christ. Folks, let me tell you it's one thing making a commitment to Jesus Christ in the mountains but it's another thing making a commitment to Jesus Christ at boiling Springs high school and a groom and a doorman in Spartanburg.

It's another thing to make a commitment to Jesus Christ in the workplace and in the family. It's another thing to make commitment to Jesus Christ in the malls and in the parking lots. It's another thing to be different from the world and what will says is if you are going to live for Jesus Christ. You gotta make a commitment to be different not because of yourself, but because of what Jesus Christ does in you through and for you many times people will come to me over the years and cited me pasta my Christianity is a private matter and nobody else needs to know about it though, so you're wrong.

Your salvation is a private matter. See salvation begins and ends in the heart of God. Only Jesus Christ can save you. Your salvation is a private matter, but you Christianity is the public working of your salvation. That's why Jesus said, let your light so shine before men, that others may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven and what Paul was saying here is that if you belong to Jesus Christ. You must commit to be different.

You cannot be the sorry as everybody else.

You got to stand, you go to stand out in your character the way you are who you are, but then he says one more thing. He says you need to make a commitment to renew your mind renew your mind. Look with me at the lost verse that he says, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, how do you renew your mind, you renew your mind by reading the word of God you renew your mind by being surrounded by the people of God, you renew your mind by being in the place and the house of God. That's why it's so important to be in God's house. That's why it's so important to be in Bible study. That's why it's so important to make a commitment for a 13 week discipleship training unit.

That's why it's so important to be surrounded by Christian friends and family and people that are going to bring you up and not break you down, pull says are you willing to make a commitment and if you make a commitment.

Guess what's going to happen. You prove God, you know what happens when you prove God, God says, let me show you how faithful I let me show you what I can do for you and I tell you, when God begins to show you what he can do for you. You and I can never God.

Why, because God is faithful now friends. What about you this morning we going to ask you to come this morning. No matter where you are, no matter who you are, no matter what you've done. We going to ask you first of all, the day would you make a commitment to yield a God to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ. Guess what the Bible says.

The Bible says that if you are willing to repent of your sin. That is you willing to acknowledge that you're a sinner that you willing to confess your sin to Jesus Christ and then you're willing to trust Jesus as your Lord and Savior receive them into your heart by Friday that step one site pasta but I don't understand all these things listen to me friends, faith means that you and I do not necessarily know why God could ever want to save people like you and me but we willing to take a 90s where are you willing to try quantities were the guy now some of you have trusted Jesus even this week if you given your heart to Jesus, I'm going to ask you to come and join me at the front and side I've given my heart to Jesus and some of you say pasta I have made a commitment I want to make a commitment. I want to stand up for the Lord Jesus Christ. I want to be different.

I want my life to be on the line. I want this joy. I want the satisfaction of knowing that my life represents a line that is testing and proving God we going to invite you to come today publicly and unashamedly from upstairs downstairs from the choir no matter where you are today we going to ask you to come if you need to join this church and make a commitment to serve Jesus right ear. Even now in the worship center people are responding to moving, perhaps God is moving in your heart and you sense not just the great teaching of Dr. Wilton in the great power of the living word of God, the Bible itself, but you know you need to make response would you open your heart to what our pastor Dr. Don Wilton to share next are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ.

I'm so happy to hear that wanting to pray this prayer with me today. Dear God, I know that you love me very, very much and I know that the Lord Jesus Christ came died on the cross so that I might be forgiven of my sin. Today, I repent of my sin. I confess my sins and I invite you Jesus name I pray, if you prayed that prayer. Let me be the first one to welcome you to the family of God. This is one I hope that you know how much I'm going to be praying how very important this is for me.

Call us so we can talk to you connect to the right place you can begin this wonderful June and in just a moment I mimic come back with the final if you were praying along with pastor moments ago to rededicate your life to Christ. Give your life to Jesus for the very first time we want to welcome you to the family of God.

We also will put some resources in your hands that will help you grow in your faith.

It's absolutely free if you call us at 866-899-WORD. That's 866896733 can also connect with us on our website TE W online.org you can connect all these resources including the Dave Encouraging Word devotional from Dr. Don again that's online@tewonline.org for the phone number 866899673 and yes you can order the books and order the resources that phone number is much more than that first two says Eric's first prayers, intercession and thanksgiving need for four teams and those in authority why nothing in the times that we live our lives are anything but peaceful and quiet peace can find it in daily prayer and Bible reading. God wants to give us. We just need we would be honored to pray for you we would be honored to pray for his peace in your life The Encouraging Word the 24 hour live prayer line you can call 866-899-WORD 866-899-WORD 9673 and talk to a real person who will be glad to pray with you Encouraging Word as a viewer listener supported ministry.

Thank you for listening for a wonderful week of broadcasting here The Encouraging Word and whether listing on the podcast the radio broadcast. However you're connecting. You can find more details on our website@tewonline.org that you missed part of today want to share with a friend.

All the details of how to watch and listen to the ministries of The Encouraging Word is online@tewonline.org and before you get away with a closing thought from our pastor and chief encourager Dr. Don Wilton before we go to worship you know you and I have in the middle of our hearts, our beloved nation how much I love him so proud to be an American. You know this will cost us by so many of our Armed Forces across we hear from many love the they are out and I want you to join with praying for them.

God would protect that right now show we got Jesus I'm joining with thousands of people trying for our members.

Our Blu-ray right members of our community will many overseas strange and difficult places families left behind.

Lord Jesus, listing every way. I times gone for this week are broadcasted over the weekend will be sharing God's word and wonderful ways, including the DayStar broadcast worship services and more. If you'd like to join us discover the place online TE W online.org for all the resources today's broadcast. You can watch her here again again all online TE W online.org that's TE W online.org for calling out resources, 866899