God's Prescription: Five "R's"
God has a remedy or prescription for every believer. This prescription, if carefully followed, will result in spiritual health and the ability and stability needed to tackle the environment we live in (the persons, problems and pressures around us). This prescription is made up of five parts, each beginning with the letter "R."
With your mind RECOGNIZE the Lordship of Christ and RENOUNCE (give up, refuse to recognize) the Lordship of Self (Me, Myself, I). Settle the question of who is Lord. Is Christ Lord or is He not? Does He have the right to control my life or does He not? Is He Supreme or not? Should I be Lord (Boss) of my life or should He? Who should run my life---the Lord or me?
We learn in Romans 12:1 that the only reasonable and logical thing the believer can do is to P________________ his B___________ to the Lord. This is the only thing that is really logical and that really makes sense in light of what Christ has already done for us. Does the Lord want part of you or all of you? If God has your body, what does this include? Circle the following statement that would demand the most of a believer:
"Present your body to the Lord."
"Present $100.00 to the Lord.""Present two hours of your time every Sunday morning to the Lord."
Christ gave His all for you (Romans 5:8) and He demands all of you!
|
THE PARABLE OF THE CHICKEN AND THE PIG: A farmer once approached a chicken and a pig and asked a heart-searching question: "Will you contribute to a ham and egg breakfast?" For the one it was merely a contribution. For the other it involved an absolute sacrifice! The believer is to place himself wholly into the hands of God, even as the believers in Macedonia did, "And this they did, not as we hoped, but first GAVE THEIR OWN SELVES TO THE LORD" (2 Cor.8:5). We can do this as we remember that our Saviour gave His all for us! What
God claims, I yield. |
Christ is either Lord of all or He's not Lord at all! Is He really Lord? Have you settled it? Who is on the throne of your life?
 |
Who is on the throne of my heart? SELF |
 |
| I'm my own boss! I'll do what I want! I'll do my own thing! No one tells me what to do! |
He's my boss! I'll do what He wants! I'll do His will! Christ tells me what to do in His Word, the Bible! |
Christ is the Lord, the Boss and the DICTATOR (in a good way--one who has complete power and absolute control). [The term "dictator" usually refers to a sinful man who has obtained absolute power in a country and the results are disastrous. Thus the word is most often used in a negative sense. When God is the Dictator, however, only good can result.] The submissive believer must stand at attention when He speaks, ready to obey His every Word. The wrong attitude is this: "I'll follow my wishes and my plans today; perhaps tomorrow I'll follow what God wants."
The correct attitude is
this: "I accept God's will and I am willing to do what He wants WHENEVER (even right
now), WHEREVER (any place He sends I'll go), HOWEVER (His way is best) and WHATEVER
(regardless of the cost or sacrifice that may be involved). Not only must I RECOGNIZE that
He is THE LORD, but I also must recognize that He is M___ LORD (John 20:28).
By an act of will (see chapter 5), the believer must make a decision to submit to His Lordship and to actually let Him be Lord in every area of his life. It is not enough to know there is medicine in the cabinet. That medicine must be taken and used (swallowed!). A person must resolve to take the medicine or it will do him no good. A believer must resolve to let Christ be Lord.
In Hebrews 4:2 we learn that God's Word did not profit the children of Israel. It did them no good. Why not? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
The living God is very good at His job (being LORD and KING). We must let Him do His job in our life! In Romans 12:2 we are told not to let the world squeeze us into its mold. Those who have Christ as Lord are not to dress like, look like, speak like, act like, and think like the world. The word "conformed" is speaking of a worldly influence coming from without (the world tries to mold me and work itself into me). The word "transformed" is speaking of a godly influence coming from within--God working in me (Philippians 2:13) so that His life and light comes forth (Philippians 2:15-16):
RESOLVE to trust Him and let Him actually be Lord. Don't just SAY He is Lord, but SHOW He Is Lord,
I am resolved to go to the Saviour,
Leaving my sin and strife;
He is the true One, He is the just One,
He hath the words of life.
I am resolved to follow the Saviour,
Faithful and true each day;
Heed what He sayeth, Do what He willeth,
He is the living Way.
--Palmer Hartsough
I must RELY on Him to be Lord. I must put all my weight upon Him and depend on Him to support me. "Lord, I expect You to be LORD of my life, LORD of my problem, LORD of my situation and LORD of everything. I look for you to do it. I know I cannot do it. I cannot rely on myself. I am actively looking for You to be LORD in my life."
Notice the word "TRUST" in Isaiah 26:3-4. How often am I to TRUST in the
Lord and rely on Him (verse 4)? _________________ (not only now, but tonight, tomorrow and
always!). Those who trust and rely on Him will never be disappointed. He will never fail
to hold up those who put their full weight on Him.
In Isaiah 26:4 the expression "everlasting strength" literally means "the everlasting ROCK" or "the ROCK of Ages." He is the ROCK foundation and we must REST upon Him! As it says in Isaiah 30:15: "in R_____________________ and R____________ shall ye be saved (delivered, rescued)."
NOTE: The first two R's can be found in Isaiah 26:1-2. The Jews must
RECOGNIZE Jehovah, that He is reigning, that He is the center of the Nation, that He is
Lord and King, and that He has the right to rule (verse 1). The Jews must RESOLVE to be
righteous in His righteousness, for there is no rightness or righteousness apart from Him
(verse 2).
Is there any other foundation (1 Cor. 3:11)? _____ Is there a need to look for another
foundation? ____ Therefore, if you are not on the foundation, then RETURN! If you are on
the foundation, then STAY THERE (just REST)! Don't run, don't shift, don't drift, don't
change your position, don't move! "Be unmovable" (1 Corinthians 15:58). Just rest! Did the Jews rest or did they refuse to rest
(Isaiah 30:15)? ____________________________
Notice the second part of Isaiah 30:15: "in Q________________ and in confidence shall be your S______________." Quietness refers to that relaxed state of mind of one who is not troubled or agitated. As the believer rests on the solid foundation, he is to relax and enjoy the Lordship of Christ.
If I were in control of things, then I would need to get upset and worried. Since the LORD is in control and since He is the Master of every situation, I can just relax and enjoy His presence and provision.
The difference between RESTING and RELAXING can be illustrated: A man is walking down a country road carrying a heavy sack on his back. He is very weary due to the long journey and the heavy load. A farmer then comes along with a tractor pulling a wagon behind it. He stops and invites the weary traveler to hop on the wagon. The man gets up onto the wagon and sits down, but the heavy load is still on his back. He is RESTING all his weight on the wagon, but he is still carrying the heavy load, and needlessly so. Finally the farmer encourages him to remove the sack from off his back and to set it down on the floor of the wagon. He does so. Now he is not only RESTING all his weight on the wagon, but he is also RELAXING and enjoying the ride and the freedom he now has from the weight that had so long burdened him.
*************************
These five steps can be illustrated by the simple act of sitting in a chair: 1) I recognize that the chair can support me; 2) I resolve to actually sit in it; 3) I rely on it by putting all my weight there; 4) I rest on the chair and stay right there; 5) I relax and enjoy the benefits of sitting on the chair.
Suppose you had to face major surgery. How could you practice these five steps in relationship to your surgeon and your operation?
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
We must do the same in our relationship with the Great Physician, the LORD Jesus Christ!
JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!!!
IS HE YOUR LORD?
YOU CAN CONFESS THAT HE IS LORD . . .
NOW (Romans 10:9)
or
LATER (Philippians 2:11)
YOU CAN BOW YOUR KNEE TO THE LORD . . .
NOW (Acts 9:6)
or
LATER (Philippians 2:10).
When does God want you to do these things (2 Corinthians 6:2)?
When is the best time for you to say "HE IS MY LORD!" and to keep on enjoying His Lordship (His ability to be Lord)? WHY?
What authority does He have over your life? Do you run your own life or does He run your life?
Back to WHAT IS A PERSON
Back to SUNDAY SCHOOL MATERIALS & HELPFUL BIBLE
STUDIES
