Give Your Entire Self
How should we respond to the gospel message?
The apostle Paul tells us in Romans 12:1 … After 11 chapters of unpacking all that God has done for us in Christ, Paul says,
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
Paul tells us that the only reasonable response to what Jesus has done for us is to give our entire selves as an offering of worship to Him. In other words, the cross demands consecration. And none of us are as consecrated to the Lord as he deserves.
Where is God calling you to step out in faith in consecration to Him?
It could be introducing yourself to that neighbor you’ve never talked to, maybe it’s singing at church for the first time, or confessing a hidden and habitual sin in your life, or maybe it's giving sacrificially instead of safely, perhaps it is joining the core team of a church plant with many needs.
Cities Church, I exhort you this morning: Because of what Jesus has done for you, consecrate yourself afresh to Him.
And this reminds us of our need to confess our sins…
Prayer of Confession
King Jesus, in the words of the great hymn we say, take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee. Forgive us for all the times that we have said or sang those words with half-heartedness.
We confess that you are worthy of infinitely more than we can give. We confess that we give you parts of our lives, when you demand and deserve our whole lives. You are worthy of it all, and we only give you some.
We recognize that all of our sin stems from a failure to treasure you as we ought, and so we repent of all half-heartedness and all lukewarmness in our lives.
And we ask for your great mercy now as you lead us in this time of silent confession…
