Commitment to a Holy Life
Obedience.
It is a dirty word in our day.
We are all like little children; no one wants to
obey anyone else. The words “obedience” and
“submission” are a constant reminder of our
indwelling sin. But whether we like them or not,
they get to the heart of our problem of living a
holy life.
Jesus said, “If you love Me you
will obey Me.” It is our responsibility to obey Him.
We cannot obey Him unless we submit to His
sovereignty. There can be no holiness in our lives
if we do not obey Him. “He who has My commandments
and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who
loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will
love him, and will disclose Myself to him,” said
Jesus in John 14:21.
Obedience is the road to
holiness.
Over the years we have
developed habitual patterns of disobedience. We have
patterns of sin in our lives. Am I willing to give
up these habits that keep me from being all that God
wants me to be?
Every time we sin we make it
easier to keep on sinning. We reinforce these
patterns, or habits, until we make a commitment to
make a new habit not to sin. Have you made it your
aim, goal, passion, not to sin? Have you made it a
commitment to live a holy life?
The only way to break old
habits is to make a commitment to start forming new
ones. God cannot do that for us. It is our
responsibility.
In Romans 8:13 the apostle Paul
brought out the contrast between a habitually
dominated pattern of living according to the flesh,
and an obligation to habitually, under the power of
the Holy Spirit, be “putting to death the deeds of
the body.”
The responsibility of the
Christian is to yield to and cooperate with the Holy
Spirit in putting to death or destroying the
strength and vitality of sin as it tries to reign in
our bodies.
The old venerable theologian
John Owen observed, “Mortification from a
self-strength, carried on by ways of self-invention,
unto the end of a self-righteousness is the soul and
substance of all false religion.” In fact, it is a
pretty good description of legalism.
The only way we can put to
death sin in our lives is by submission to the
presence of the Holy Spirit in our inner being.
It is our responsibility to
obey Him. “The Spirit alone is sufficient for this
work,” said Owen. “He is the One who gives life and
strength to our efforts.”
How do we break these old
habits of sin? How do we destroy the powerful grip
of sin?
Jesus said, “Blessed are the
pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew
5:8). It is in the heart that the changes must take
place. “The heart is the center of the inner life of
the person where all the spiritual forces and
functions have their origin” (TDNT).
That is where the commitment to
an obedient life must begin. If I love the Lord God
I will obey Him. I will seek to please Him if I have
settled the love of my life.
The world system seeks to
squeeze us into its mold by the constant bombardment
of temptations to indulge in our sinful nature.
Have you made a
once-and-for-all commitment to the Lord to live a
life that is pleasing to Him? That is where every
true born again Christian must begin. “Lord Jesus I
give you my life. I thank you for dying for me on
the cross and giving me eternal life. I thank you
for forgiving me of all my sins, and cleansing me in
your precious blood. I thank you for the indwelling
presence of Your Spirit. Lord, I give myself to You
and I ask that You enable me to live a holy life.”
Make a personal commitment to Christ today.
Commit every day to the Lord.
Begin your day with a renewed commitment to live
God’s kind of life. “Lord, I want to please You
today in everything I do. I give You this day, come
and live Your life in and through me.”
Keep your heart sensitive to
the leading of the Holy Spirit. Spend some time in
God’s Word so you will know what God’s will is for
the Christian. Living the Christian life will not
come automatically. It is your responsibility to
love and obey your Master.
Selah!
Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006
Anyone is free to use this material and distribute it, but it may not be sold under any circumstances whatsoever without the author's written consent.
Unless otherwise noted "Scripture quotations taken from the NASB."
"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE" © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://www.bible.org/. All rights reserved.
Wil is a graduate of William Carey University, B. A.; New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Th. M.; and Azusa Pacific University, M. A. He has pastored in Panama, Ecuador and the U. S, and served for over 20 years as missionary in Ecuador and Honduras. He had a daily expository Bible teaching ministry head in over 100 countries from 1972-2005. He continues to seek opportunities to be personally involved in world missions. Wil and his wife Ann have three grown daughters. He currently serves as a Baptist pastor and teaches seminary extension courses in Ecuador.
Bible word studies for sermon preparation, messages, devotions and personal Bible studies with abiding principles and practical applications.
Reports on what God is doing through Bible believing evangelical Christians in Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru, India and Ecuador. Jesus said, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you" (John 15:7).
Study the master theme of the Bible with these prophecies and types in the Old Testament of the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
Free Sermons and Bible studies indexed by Scripture reference and doctrinal studies .
