UN-BAPTIZED ARM

Romans 12:1

The story goes that Ivan the terrible ( ruler of Russia ) was a single man and the leaders of the country decided that he needed to get married. So they searched the world over for a suitable mate and found one in Greece. She, being a member of the church, could not marry a person who was not a member, so Ivan and 500 hundred of his soldiers went to Greece to become members of the church. One of the rules of the church is that a member could not be a warrior and this was a problem for the soldiers. They came up with a solution to the problem. On the day of Baptism all 500 hundred soldiers and 500 priest went to the water at one time. Each soldier drew his sword and held it up high and as they were baptized they held their arm and sword out above the water. They gave all of their body to the church except their right arm and their sword.

1. We ought to make an entire surrender because: of the mercies of God.
2. We ought to make an entire surrender because: sacrifice is essential to success.
3. We ought to make an entire surrender because: it is our reasonable service.

Passage Isaiah 53 :

Isaiah 53

¹ Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

² He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

³ He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

⁴ Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.

⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.

⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

⁷ He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.

⁸ By oppression ^[a] and judgment he was taken away.
And who can speak of his descendants?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was stricken. ^[b]

⁹ He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.

¹⁰ Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes ^[c] his life a guilt offering,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.

¹¹ After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light of life ^[d] and be satisfied ^[e] ;
by his knowledge ^[f] my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.

¹² Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, ^[g]
and he will divide the spoils with the strong, ^[h]
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.

That is what Jesus did for you and me. He gave his all for us, so we should give our all for Him. He gave an unreasonable amount to us and He only asks us to give a reasonable amount of our lives to Him. We can do that because of His mercy and grace that He gives us in abundance each and every day.

Make your choice today to give your all to Jesus. He will bless you for it.
God Bless