Reflection
Read:Luke 14:25-35
Discussion
When you hear the word commitment, what comes to mind? Maybe it is an agreement between an employer and employee for wages and work. Maybe the vows of marriage between a husband and wife: until death do we part. Maybe it is the forever-long dedication to a child to love them through all of life’s ups and downs.
Christ calls us to commit. There is a hard connection between that call of Christ on us and our response in commitment to Him. This is “both and,” not “either or.”
We are both called by Christ and required to commit to Him. We cannot commit to Him if we are not first called by Him and once we are called by Him our hearts cannot do anything short of running in commitment.
This is a work of God and how it all works is somewhat a mystery to us. That a sinful heart could be changed by the call of Christ and that His mercy impact us so completely that we long for nothing more than His glory is both mind boggling and amazing. Amazing grace. Amazing love. What an amazing God we serve.
Connection
Can you recall the time when you heard the call of Christ on your life?
If you could describe your experience of salvation in a sentence, what would that be?
How has your view of God changed in the intervening time since you first encountered His salvation?
If you could share one truth about Christ with a lost person, what would it be?
Expansion
Salvation and Preservation
God saves people by their faith in Him alone according to His grace alone through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ alone, not on the basis of any human work. All of the redeemed are immediately indwelt by the Holy Spirit and justified before God beginning the transforming sanctification of the whole person the fruit of which is shown by their attitude and conduct. Having been saved by faith, we are justified in Christ before God, forgiven of our sins, and held eternally secure by Christ alone forever where we will one day assume a glorified condition with Him forever. From beginning to end the salvation of people is entirely a work of God to bring glory to His name.
Acts 8:27-30, Ephesians 1:3-14, Ephesians 2:1-10, 2 Timothy 1:8-9, 2 Timothy 2:24-26, John 1:12-13, Romans 6:16-18, Romans 9:10-24, John 6:43-45, 1 Timothy 2:3-4, Ezra 18:23, Romans 10:10-21, 2 Peter 3:9, John 12:32, Romans 14:10-12