Untitled Sermon (7)

With all your heart: wholly devoted to God

With all your soul: Devoted beyond this world. When you choose God, this world melts away, and that is scriptural. Jesus said “I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” John‬ 17‬:‭14‬-‭16‬ ‭ESV‬‬

If you are saved, your eternal resting place will be with our God. You are a citizen of heaven from the moment you place your trust in Christ.  Because of this, you have a kingdom mindset. Romans 12:1-2 says “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

When you are saved, God places the Holy Spirit within you to guide you along through life. To help direct your steps in following Him. Does this mean you are perfect? Certainly not. Does this mean that you will not fail at times? By no means. As long as you are in this body, you will make mistakes, but those who are saved have been cleared of this mistakes already.

But, those who are saved, guided by the HS, are transformed in their minds. How they make their decisions changes. How one speaks to others changes. Your conversations change. Your relationships change. Your friend groups change. Your weekend activities change. Your habits change. How you think, changes. How you treat others changes. Everything in life changes.            You are reborn. You are a new man or woman in Christ.

Which leads to our final point-

With all your strength (mind or might):

With all that you do, you do to please the Lord. It’s a struggle, guys, and it is not always easy.

“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭5‬-‭8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Want to please God? Follow His word. Jesus said those that loved Him kept His commands. If you want to love the Lord, then you must know His commands which means you must read His commands. After reading, you must apply. James 1:22 says “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” Take God’s word, read it, apply it to your lives, and live changed. Live reborn. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Look at life through the lenses of Christ.

Then keep this in mind, and I will close…

You will be persecuted, but this means you are headed in the right direction. Jesus said that He was persecuted, and that His servants (us) would be persecuted as well because a servant is not greater than the master.

Romans 8:17-18 tells us ““and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. ‭ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

We will suffer if we do it right. Misery loves company j