FOUNDATION PRINCIPLES OF CHRISTIAN DEDICATION

By Garry Knighton
Church of Christ/North - Shreveport, La.

FOUNDATION PRINCIPLES
OF CHRISTIAN DEDICATION

Romans 12:1-2

    INTRODUCTION:

       A. It is the desire of our God that we all become dedicated to His cause.

       B. God does not like and will not tolerate one of His children sitting on the top
of the fence leaning one moment toward Him and the next toward the world.

      1. That is not dedication.

       C. You can tell dedicated people by just observing their lives and most
   important interests. (Dedication shows).

       D. We would all like to be dedicated people, but some of us lack the
   knowledge it takes to be dedicated. Some lack the concern. Some lack
   the encouragement of others.

       E. We need to set in our minds today that before God we must be dedicated
people.

            1. We do not have an option in this matter.

       F. Today, let's lay down some "Foundation Principles of Christian
   Dedication."

   I. THE GROUND OF DEDICATION... GOD'S MERCY - v. 1a.

       A. Therefore - covers 1:16 - 11:36.

            1. When you understand what God has done in your behalf, then you will
   begin to be dedicated.

                 a. A cure for sin - the gospel 1:16.

                 b. Brought us a realization of sin - 1:18-3:20.

                c. Instructs us to understand Grace - 3:21-5:51.

                 d. Arranged for our Sanctification - 6:1-8:17.

       e. Left us motivation to serve - 8:18-39.

       B. We must realize that without God's mercy we would still be in our sins and
   hell bound.

       C. What is mercy? - (a disposition to be kind and forgiving).

            1. Mercy and justice are different.

                 a. Mercy can be rendered. (Salvation is a gift.)

                 b. Justice must be met. (It was met at the cross).

  II. THE CHARACTER OF DEDICATION -    v. 1b.

       A. It is voluntary.

           1. One cannot be forced to serve in the Lord's army.

            2. Our service to God is by invitation... of the gospel - II Thess. 2:14.

            3. One serves God out of love.

       B. It is complete.

            1. Notice the emphasis on the "Presentation of the bodies."

            2. The body is external and it is important that it be part of our presentation
   before God.

            3. I Thess. 5:23 - "And the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and
   may your spirit and soul and body be preserved entire, without blame at
   the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

            4. Our dedication must be more than intellectual. We must use the totality
   of our being in service to God.

       C. It is sacrificial.

            1. Under the O.T. they would sacrifice dead bodies of animals to God.
(Life was taken and it ended).

                 a. God does not want a one time thing; what He wants is a life time
dedication.

                 b. We are to learn day by day how to use our bodies to serve God.

            2. He is not speaking of "dying" for Christ.

                 a. Some "Ascetics" misunderstood this in 3, 4, 5th centuries.

            3. Sacrifice has always been viewed as worship.

                 a. What Paul is saying is that we should worship God with every action
of our bodies.

       D. It is practical.

            1. Present your bodies for service.

            2. Our dedication must be practical in order for us to share it with the
   people of the world.

            3. People are not impressed with how much a man knows as they are
   about how he can relate what he knows to the everyday life's of others.

       E. It is a lives and Logical service.

            1. It is a thought through belief in what God has done in your behalf, which
   stimulates you to obey Him.

            2. Not in what you feel - (Subjectivism).

            3. Our dedication is based on what we have come to understand.

III. THE DEMAND OF DEDICATION - v. 2a.

      A. "Be not fashioned according to this world, "age"...."

            1. Every age of man thinks that their age has arrived.

                a. In science.

                b. In government.

                c. In fashions, etc.

            2. We must refuse to fall into the mold of the world.

            3. We are influenced by the course of our age.

            4. Dedicated sons and daughters of God must not be affected by the
   courses of this world.

       B. "BUT, Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind..."

            1. We need to have our mind "restructured" by God's ways.

            2. God's word can restructure the minds of men.

  IV. THE EFFECT OF DEDICATION - v. 2b.

       A. That you may prove the will of God.

            1. This is to have lived with the Word of God and to have experienced it
   until you know it works.

            2. "I know that God's precepts are good because I have lived and walked
   in them."

            3. The information that you learn by study becomes a reality through
   everyday experience.

CONCLUSION:

       A.   Are you dedicated to the service of God or are you just along for the ride?

       B. We must remember that God will not tolerate His children unless they walk
   in a dedicated manner before Him.

       C. Don't you want to express your desire to become a dedicated child of
   God today?

       D. Dedicated people are the only kind of people who ever finish a task.

       E. Will you be allowed to finish your journey to Heaven?

If you are using these outlines, please e-mail us and let us know how you are doing with them. It is our desire to assist you in your teaching and preaching as much as we can. Let us know if there are areas with which we can help you.
E-mail us at: garry@heartofgod.org