SELF-CONSECRATION

1 CHRONICLES 29:5

A. "WHO THEN IS WILLING TO CONSECRATE HIS SERVICE THIS DAY UNTO THE LORD?"
  1. With these words, David appealed to the leaders of the people and to the congregation to make special sacrifices for the building of the house of God:
  2. He had been denied the building of the house of the Lord himself because he had shed too much blood:
B. SELF-CONSECRATION UNTO THE LORD IS THE BURDEN OF MY MESSAGE
  1. God claims the loving surrender of our life to His service:
    1. He has the right to our life because He is our Maker - Gen. 1:26, 27; Deut. 4:32
    2. He says to man, ". . . thou art mine" - Isa. 43:1
    3. ". . . I have created him for my glory" - Isa. 43:7
    4. "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works . . ." - Eph. 2:10
  2. God claims us and all we have because He is our Redeemer:
    1. ". . . thou . . . hast redeemed us O God . . ." - Rev. 5:9
    2. ". . . I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer . . ." - Isa. 49:26; 54:8
    3. He has redeemed our soul from destruction - Luke 1:68
    4. ". . . ye are bought with a price . . ." - 1 Cor. 6:19, 20
  3. Nature of our self-consecration:
    1. Present our bodies unto God as a living sacrifice - Rom. 12:1-3
    2. Dedicate all we have to the Lord -- body, soul, and spirit - 1 Thess. 5:23
    3. Such consecration includes our talent, all the power of our mind - Matt. 25:14-30
    4. How inclusive is our dedication to our God and His cause!
    5. When we come to Him and give ourselves to Him, that means all we have and are!
C. LET US CONSIDER SOME OF THE GROUNDS OF OUR SELF-CONSECRATION
  1. We have already established the facts:
    1. That God has a full right to us by reason of creation and redemption.
  2. But here are still other binding reasons:
    1. We are free moral agents and God will and cannot do anything for us until we of our own free will have placed ourselves into His service - Rev. 22:17
    2. "Who then is willing?" Only willing service is acceptable to the Lord; it must be voluntary to be acceptable.
  3. David's appeal was blessed wonderfully:
    1. Because the people offered willingly of a free heart - 1 Chron. 29:6-9
    2. It was a joyful consecration by all the congregation - 2 Cor. 9:7
    3. Our Lord taught us that "It is more blessed to give than to receive" - Acts 20:35
  4. Shall I dare to believe that everyone in this congregation will consecrate self to God this morning?
  5. Friends, do it earnestly and with no reservations: Rom. 12:1-3
  6. The result of such a self-consecration cannot be measured by us at this time:
    1. It will bring a new experience to all of us. Our relationship with the Lord will take a new and added meaning.
    2. Others will catch new inspiration and who knows the end results from such a consecration!
    3. It will make our witnessing for the truth much more effective. EXAMPLES -
      1. Think of the reformation day of ancient Israel in the days of Elijah - 1 Ki. 18
      2. Or recall the results of Queen Esther's resolve to dedicate her life to the saving of her people - Esth. 4:16, 17
      3. We must never forget the dedication of our early Pioneers to the cause of truth.


Design © John Bryant 2011