Point of Grace Worship 11.16.25 “Consecrated Unto Thee” Part 3
Romans 12:1-2 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Consecration – to make “holy”, to “set apart” for God,
God makes us “holy” (set apart for Him) through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
Now, we respond to that gracious by “consecrating” ourselves to Him. Consecration is an active response to the gracious action God has taken in saving and redeeming us as His special people. We now freely by faith “offer ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.”
How can we “consecrate” the actual parts of our living?
Praying and Doing
“Pray”
It is so very helpful to regularly bring the different arenas of our lives under the authority, rule and reign of Jesus through prayer – especially those areas where we tend to resist His leadership and those areas where we are vulnerable to the enemies lies and attacks.
“Jesus, All I am and all I have and all there is … Belongs to You”
“Jesus, I give You everyone and everything.”
“Jesus, I now bring the Kingdom reign of God over my life and over all my kingdom and domain especially ……(ie. my body, sexuality, finances, entertainment choices, my time, my words, my relationships ….)
“Jesus, You have my first ‘Yes’…. I declare ‘Yes’ to You first” in each arena of my life …. ……
“Before I go to my culture, my common sense, my upbringing, ‘what seems right in my own eyes’, and my ever ‘demanding to be heard’ anxiety … my first ‘yes’ goes to Jesus.
Jesus gets my ‘yes’ first and my first ‘yes’.” And when I fall short… and choose other ‘yeses’ first… and I will … my failure is met with His grace because He said ‘yes” to me first before I could ever say ‘yes’ to him. His ‘yes’ me first sets me free to re-commit myself to saying ‘yes’ to Him always.”
“Do” - How do I “act” in accordance with my consecration prayer?
Why is it so important that our “money and wealth” be consecrated to God through financial giving?
Biblical Giving – Returning to the Lord a sacrificially generous percentage of what He has already given us is an obedient act of consecrated worship of the One who sacrificially gave Himself for us.
Leviticus 27:30-33
30 “‘A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord. 31 Whoever would redeem any of their tithe must add a fifth of the value to it. 32 Every tithe of the herd and flock—every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod—will be holy to the Lord. 33 No one may pick out the good from the bad or make any substitution.”
Malachi 3:8-11
“In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty.
2 Corinthians 8:1-5
And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. 5 And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.
Jesus, in all areas of my life including my finances. You have my first, Yes!
My first “Yes” in my financial life is a sacrificially generous percentage of what You have graciously given me, returned to You as an offering. This is my true and proper worship.
Jesus, All I am and all I have and all there is … Belongs to You.
Jesus, You have my first ‘Yes’…. I declare ‘Yes’ to You first …. In every arena of my life…”
Amen