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LIVING A CONSECRATED LIFE

(Living whole heartedly for Jesus)

(The key to living a life of purpose and meaning)

- We have one life in this body to make an impact for eternity and to help see God’s Kingdom expanded

- HOWEVER IN THIS WORLD THERE ARE MANY INFLUENCES THAT CAN DRAW US AWAY FROM WHAT GOD HAS PLANNED FOR OUR LIFE

- God has a unique plan for every believers life

- For this reason it is so important that we do not allow the ungodly influences in this world to draw us away from God’s best plan for our life

- It is so important that we do not waste our life here on earth just living for the here and now and miss what God has planned for our life. The Apostle Paul wrote,

“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.” (Romans 12:2)

- God’s plan for our life unfolds over time. As we are faithful in the little things He entrusts to us greater privileges and responsibilities

The Apostle Paul wrote,

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)

- HOWEVER AS CHRISTIANS WE ARE ALWAYS IN A SPIRITUAL CONTEST IN WHICH THE DEVIL TRIES TO DISCOURAGE US AND DISTRACT US FROM FULFILLING ALL THAT GOD HAS PLANNED FOR OUR LIFE

The Apostle Peter wrote,

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” (1 Peter 5:8-9)

- JESUS HIMSELF SAID,

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)

- Today I want to share about one major key to fulfilling all that God has planned for your life – Having a total commitment to living for Jesus

- Jesus Himself shared much on the importance of living a life that is totally set apart for Him – BEING A COMMITTED DISCIPLE. We see this in verses 57 to 62 of chapter nine of the gospel of Luke. (Jesus here shares what it involves to become a committed disciple of His.)

“Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.”

“And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”

“Then He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”

“Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”

“And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.”

“But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:57-62)

- Jesus here emphasised the importance of have a total commitment to God’s plan for our life – helping to populate heaven and living for eternal treasures

- Jesus here also emphasised the urgency to let people know of their need to have a personal relationship with Him and that we are not to be distracted by the things of this world and make other relationships a greater priority than our relationship with Him.

- It is so important as Christians that we do not allow the things of this world to cause us to be ignorant of God’s eternal plan for our life

- In reality we come into the world with nothing and we leave this world with nothing. Jesus made it clear here from His own experience, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” that we as Christians need to be also prepared to make sacrifices for the gospel’s sake

- It is only what we have done for eternity as believers that will matter when we stand before the Lord to give an account of our life here on earth – How we need to desire more than anything else to hear from Him the words “Well done my good and faithful servant”

- LIVING A LIFE THAT IS SET APART FOR THE LORD IS A MAJOR KEY TO ENTERING INTO ALL THAT GOD HAS PLANNED FOR OUR LIFE. The Apostle Paul wrote,

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” (Ephesians 3:20)

- If we do not choose to fully embrace God’s plan for our life we are more likely to be sidetracked from what God has called us to do in life and bear little eternal fruit in our life. Jesus said in His explanation of the Parable of the sower,

“Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” (Mark 4:18-20)

- True discipleship involves surrendering our life totally to the LORD

- However it is only in surrendering our entire life to Jesus Christ on a continual basis that we can fully embrace the new life, the abundant life that Jesus Christ spoke of

- We need to put off our old self and put on the new self created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness and allow the Lord to continually direct our steps in life

- This needs to be a daily choice

- Jesus Christ Himself clearly emphasised the importance of living a consecrated life,

“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.” (Matthew 16:24-27)

- THE APOSTLE PAUL HAD A GREAT LOVE FOR JESUS CHRIST. The Apostle Paul wrote,

“But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.” (Philippians 3:7-8)

- BECAUSE OF HIS GREAT LOVE FOR JESUS, THE APOSTLE PAUL HAD A GREAT PASSION TO LIVE FOR HIM.

- We see this in the epistles of the Apostle Paul. The Apostle Paul wrote,

“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21)

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

- BECAUSE OF HIS GREAT LOVE FOR AND COMMITMENT TO THE LORD THE APOSTLE PAUL DID MUCH FOR GOD’S GLORY INCLUDING EVANGELISING MUCH OF THE THEN KNOWN WORLD AND WRITING AROUND ONE QUARTER OF THE NEW TESTAMENT

- Every Christian has the potential to make a great impact in this world for eternity as God does not look at our ability but SIMPLY OUR AVAILABILITY AND OBEDIENCE – He empowers us to do great tasks

- Today I want to share some keys to help you to live a life that is consecrated to the LORD so that your life bears much fruit

1) WE NEED TO CONTINUALLY LIVE WITH ETERNAL PRIORITIES IN MIND

Jesus Himself said,

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)

The Apostle Paul wrote,

“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” (Colossians 3:1-2)

WHEN WE LIVE CONTINUALLY WITH ETERNAL PRIORITIES IN MIND, IT INFLUENCES THE WAY WE USE OUR TIME, OUR FINANCES AND HOW WE USE OUR GIFTS AND TALENTS

When living with eternity in mind we are careful to ensure that we maximise the use of our time, talents and resources for the extension of God’s Kingdom – We also have a greater urgency to help lead others to Christ. “And he who wins souls is wise.” (Proverbs 11:30)

Jesus also wrote,

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ Or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:31-33)

2) LIVING FOR THE LORD NEEDS TO BE A DAILY CHOICE – Otherwise we can get caught up in the rat race of life and begin to drift away from God’s best plan for our life

Jesus Himself said,

“If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.” (Luke 9:23-24)

It is so important in every season of our life and from day to day to know God’s will for our life as “the steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way.” (Proverbs 37:23)

The Apostle Paul emphasised the importance of knowing God’s will for our life so that we can make the most of every God given opportunity in life. He wrote,

“See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” (Ephesians 5:15-17)

AS WE CONTINUALLY COMMIT OUR PLANS TO THE LORD ON A DAILY BASIS WE WILL SEE ALL THAT GOD HAS PLANNED FOR OUR LIFE COME TO PASS.

3) WE MUST CONTINUALLY MAINTAIN AN INTIMATE WALK WITH THE LORD AND HAVE A LIFESTYLE OF PRAYER

WE NEED TO CONTINUALLY STAY CLOSE TO THE LORD SO THAT WE CAN HAVE A SENSITIVITY TO HIS LEADING AND DIRECTION FOR OUR LIFE

As we spend time with the Lord He puts desires on our heart what to do in life

King David wrote,

“Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.” (Psalm 37:3-5)

If we continually involve the Lord in all that we do in life we will invariably make right choices in life that are in line with His will for our life

The Apostle Paul wrote,

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

In the book of Proverbs we read,

“Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established.” (Proverbs 16:3)

PROVERBS 3:5-6 CLEARLY SHOWS HOW WE SHOULD LIVE OUR LIFE AS A CHRISTIAN, SO THAT GOD’S PLAN FOR OUR LIFE COMES TO PASS

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Being continually led by the Holy Spirit helps us to make right choices in life and to stay in the centre of God’s will for our life so that our lives make a great impact in this world for eternity

Jesus Himself said,

“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” (John 16:13)

INTIMACY WITH THE LORD AND HAVING A LIFESTYLE OF PRAYER HELPS US TO LIVE A CONSECRATED LIFE THAT BEARS MUCH FRUIT

4) WE MUST CONTINUALLY BE COMMITTED TO JUST DOING WHAT JESUS TELLS US TO DO – This will often involve having to take steps of faith

We must be simply prepared to just do what Jesus tells us to do in life

We need at times to be prepared to face our fears and launch out into new things that God has planned for our life – When we step out by faith we can be assured of God’s faithfulness to never let us down and that He will help us to do what He is calling us to do in life

Peter walked on the water when he stepped out of the boat to come to Jesus. It was only when he took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the storms around him that he began to sink

GOD MOVES WHEN WE MOVE

In the book of Hebrews we read,

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1)

AS CHRISTIANS WE MUST BE SIMPLY COMMITTED TO DOING WHAT GOD CALLS US TO DO IN LIFE

When we choose to just do what Jesus tells us to do in life, we begin to see the miracles in our life

We see an example of this at the wedding feast that Jesus attended.

“On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.”

His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it.

When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom.

And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”

This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.” (John 2:1-11)

5) WE NEED TO LEARN TO DO THINGS IN GOD’S STRENGTH AND TO RELY ON HIS ENABLING POWER – God will anoint and empower us to do everything that He calls us to do in life

We must not depend on our own ability and efforts to do what God calls us to do in life

If we do we will never embrace all that God has planned for our life

As believers we need to be always prepared to step out and do what God is calling us to do in life

As we do this we see that God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness

The Apostle Paul wrote,

“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.” (2 Corinthians 3:5)

The Apostle Paul also wrote,

“And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:7-9)

TRUSTING IN THE LORD TO EMPOWER US FOR WHATEVER HE CALLS US TO DO IN LIFE AND RELYING ON HIS ENABLING GRACE AND POWER HELPS US TO LIVE A CONSECRATED LIFE and to live whole heartedly for Jesus.

As Christians we must simply choose to be committed to doing what God calls us to do IN LIFE and CONTINUALLY depend on His enabling ability to complete the tasks that He gives to us in life

As we do this we will continually embrace the God given opportunities that come our way in life

The Apostle Peter wrote,

“If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 4:11)

IN THE BOOK OF JUDGES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT WE SEE HOW GOD EMPOWERED AND ANOINTED A TIMID GIDEON WHO WAS HIDING IN A WINE PRESS TO LEAD AN ARMY OF JUST 300 MEN TO FIGHT THE MIDIANITES WHO HAD OPPRESSED THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL FOR SEVEN YEARS. WITH AN ARMY OF JUST 300 MEN AND GOD ON THEIR SIDE, THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL DEFEATED THE MIDIANITE ARMY OF 135,000 MEN

WITH GOD NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE

The angel Gabriel said to Mary the mother of Jesus,

“For with God nothing will be impossible.” (Luke 1:37)

SO IN CONCLUSION

Five keys to help you to lead a consecrated life which is set apart for Jesus and which bears much eternal fruit are:

1) WE NEED TO CONTINUALLY LIVE WITH ETERNAL PRIORITIES IN MIND

2) LIVING FOR THE LORD NEEDS TO BE A DAILY CHOICE

3) WE MUST CONTINUALLY MAINTAIN AN INTIMATE WALK WITH THE LORD AND HAVE A LIFESTYLE OF PRAYER

4) WE MUST CONTINUALLY BE COMMITTED TO JUST DOING WHAT JESUS TELLS US TO DO – This will often involve having to take steps of faith, AND

5) WE NEED TO LEARN TO DO THINGS IN GOD’S STRENGTH AND TO RELY ON HIS ENABLING POWER – God will anoint and empower us to do everything that He calls us to do in life

WE HAVE ONE GIFT OF LIFE TO STORE UP TREASURES FOR ETERNITY – God honours and rewards those who serve Him: I will finish with the words of the Apostle Paul,

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)

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