Sermon Notes, January 15, 2012
Pastor C.M. Pruitt
Pastor
C.M.’s sermon was titled “It All Starts With Commitment, Making a Difference in
Our World.” The text was 2 Chronicles
16:9, “The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those
whose hearts are fully committed to Him.” (NLT)
1776 a group of colonists declared their
independence from King George. The last
sentence of the declaration stated “And
for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of
Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and
our sacred honor.” These colonists
committed themselves completely: they were all in. It takes only a few who are totally committed
to make a difference. Join hands with
the One who created all and in saw you 2012.
Let him work in you to make our world a better place. Who am I going to live FOR? Live to please God. Do something by joining hands with Someone
who has it all. Here are five commitments
that will change your life.
I commit my life to Christ. “If
you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that
God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9, LT) Before I can do good for God, I must know
God. Jesus made it simple: recognize
that Jesus is God’s son; He paid the price for my sin; ask for forgiveness; and
invite Him in. The benefits of this
decision are that He gives me Power for living, Purpose in life, and the
Promise of Heaven when I die.
I commit to be a member of His family. “God has given us the privilege of being born
again so that we are now members of God’s own family.” (1 Peter 1:3, LB) We’re not meant to be on our own. “Be devoted to one another.” (Romans 12:10,
NIV) We need a church family around us,
to support us, and to be supported by us.
I
commit to be a model of the life of Christ.
Demonstrate what it’s like to be like Jesus. “Let us go on…and become mature in our
understanding, as strong Christians ought to be.” (Hebrews 6:1, LB) Becoming mature takes time. “Commit yourself to instruction; attune your
ears to hear words of knowledge.” (Proverbs 23:12, NLT) Get God’s Book inside your head. “They must be committed to the revealed
truths of the Christian faith and must live with a clear conscience.” (1
Timothy 3:9) Demonstrate God’s grace
from within. Demonstrate God’s grace
from within. We are to be
Christ-followers.
I
commit to be a minister of His grace.
“God has given each of you some special abilities; be sure to use them
to help each other; passing on to others God’s many kinds of blessings.”
(1 Peter 4:10 LB) He has blessed us to
bless others. “Your attitude must be
like My own, for I, the Messiah, did not come to be served, but to serve.” (Matthew 20:28, LB) God put you on this earth for a purpose. Use
your abilities, talents, and possessions to help each other.
I
commit to be messenger of His love. The best
news is that God loves me. He will
forgive me. He has a plan for you. “For God was in Christ, restoring the world
to Himself…This is the wonderful message He has given to us to tell
others. We are Christ’s
ambassadors. God is using us to speak to
others.” (2 Corinthians 5:19-20) We carry the message of His love to the
world. “Remember why He is waiting. He is giving us time to get His massage of
salvation out to others.” (2 Peter 3:15, LB)
You don’t have to do big stuff; just do something to demonstrate
the love of Jesus.
Jesus’ examples of commitment: “We aren’t
saved by knowing the commandments of God because we can’t and don’t
keep them. But God put into effect a
different plan to save us. He sent His
own Son in a human body like ours…and destroyed sin’s control over us by giving
Himself as a sacrifice for our sins.” (Romans 8:3, LB)
“He gave His life to free us
from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people,
totally committed to doing what is right.” (Titus 2:14 NLT)
“When you think of what He’s done
for you, is this too much to ask?” (Romans 12:1, LB)
“Commit everything you do to
the Lord. Trust Him to help you do it,
and He will.” (Psalm 37:5)
Like the founding fathers in the
Declaration of Independence, we need to be totally committed.
Prayer
Requests
- Pray for our church board, the
Pruitts and District Superintendent Phil Fuller as they lead us through
this time.
- Pray for all to draw closer to
Jesus and that hearts will be touched and healed.
- Pray for Liz Heiderscheit’s
sister, Arlene Edwards, who has been given six months to live.
- Pray for Ed Kowalski’s co-worker,
Sara Robinson, who is undergoing medical treatment for Lyme disease and
has been unable to work for over a month.
- Pray for Karen Kowalski’s
mother, Elaine Bortner, who will have knee surgery January 30..
- Praise the Lord that Cindy
Padgett’s sister, Brenda’s cancer has not come back. Her husband, Lew Cresell, is also doing well
with his cancer recovery. They
thank you for keeping them in your prayers
- Pray for the sick and hurting
in the congregation.
- Pray for those suffering
financial problems or hunting for jobs
- Pray for the salvation of our
families, youth, and loved ones
- Pray for the local homeless
shelters and food closets that are struggling financially.
- Pray for missionaries serving
around the globe.
- Pray for our military
(especially Richard Mc Pherson in
- Pray for our nation and its
leaders
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