Elevate Your Commitment ⎸ Rich Casanova ⎸ Elevate Part 4

FA Admin: Welcome to the Faith Alive Sermon Podcast. This is a replay of a past sermon from Faith Alive Church. Whether you missed it, want to hear it again, or share it with someone you know, we're glad you're here. This sermon is by Rich Casanova, Director of Church Operations. I'm very humbled to be able to be part of this, part of what we are doing together, right? And I'm gonna tell you a little quick thing. Now, I'm a little bit more well, I'm always hyper anyway, right? But here's the thing. I just got back, I did a five-day Backpacking adventure with my youngest or my oldest son and my youngest son. And I have to be honest with you, like my steps are getting a little slower. So we're climbing some hills, and I could see the boys start to disappear. But they weren't faster than me. I was just enjoying the scenery more. Yeah. So one time while I'm enjoying the scenery up this big hill, some young kids, you know, kind of smart Alex, really, to be honest with you. they had little open-toed shoes and a little light backpack and they're having granola, right? And they go past me, right? And I'm like, yeah, yeah, you don't, right? And I said, Hey, when you get to them other boys up there, tell them their dad's not back here straggling. I'm enjoying the view. So they went by my son's and they said, don't worry, he's still back there. So thank you for allowing me to be up here today and and and just to share with you. And and like I tell you. This isn't gonna be like this is a pretty, I mean, I'm not trying to admonish or trying to anything like that, but I'm gonna challenge you. I love challenge. Your goal should be to be better tomorrow than you were today, every time. So I'm gonna challenge you a little bit. So get ready. You gotta buckle up your chin strap a little bit because we're getting ready to do some work here. but I wanna challenge you today to elevate your commitment. And we're gonna be speaking out of Romans chapter 12, verses one through eight. But I will tell you. This is this is just really on my heart about fully surrendering. So God transforms fully surrendered people into fully committed disciples who build his church. So I want you to understand. Sometimes we just we brush up against Jesus, right? We come on Sunday, that's how I used to be. Maybe you're not like this. I'm sure most of you are not. I was like this. I would come to church on Sunday, I would attend, and I would sit way in the back near the exit. And I would listen respectfully, and then as soon as it was time, I'm out of here. Right? So I would brush up against Jesus every Sunday, but I never fully committed to him for a long time. And that's what I want to challenge you with today. Because there comes a point in your walk with Jesus when you have to decide am I just interested or am I surrendered? Because these are not the same thing. It's possible to admire Jesus. And still not fully follow him. It's possible to attend church, sing the songs, know the language, agree with the message, but still keep certain parts of our lives away from God's hands. And that's what I'm gonna challenge you with today. But not in a negative way, not in a beat-on-down way, but in an honest way, to tell you, look, I'm just a human. We all struggle with these things, right? So we gotta work together to solve these problems and to accept these challenges. Because Jesus never called people to simply agree with them. Called people to follow him. And following costs something. When we decide to follow Jesus, it costs something. Think about the men and women Jesus called in scripture. Peter left his nuts. Just done. Come with me and be a fisher of men. Okay. How many of you would do that? You're at work, you're hammering a nail, whatever, bang, bing, bing. Hey, follow me, put your hammer down. Okay. All right? They just followed him. They surrendered. Peter left his nets. Think about Matthew leaving this tax booth. Paul left behind it, he had great reputation. He had great respect within the religious community. Great respect. He was a scholar. People looked up to him. He left all that behind. And look what it cost him. He left all that behind. So Different people, different stories, but they all eventually say face the same question. Am I willing to put everything on the line for what God is calling me to do? And that's where Romans chapter 12 takes us, because Paul spent the first 11 chapters reminding us and explaining the incredible mercy of God. But then he gets to chapter 12 and essentially says, in light of everything God has done for you, what are you going to do with this life he's given you? And that's the big challenge. Because Romans 12, verse 1 says, And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice, the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. See, Paul doesn't say, Give God what's convenient, give God what's easy. He doesn't say, give God what's left over. He doesn't say, give God Sunday morning. He says, put your life on the altar. And here's where it gets a little bit uncomfortable because we live in a culture that constantly asks, What's in it for me? We customize everything around our preferences. And without realizing it, we can bring that same mentality in the church. Did I like worship? I don't really like that song. Well, it isn't for you. Hmm. right? I didn't really like the message. I don't like the way Rich is a little bit loud. I don't care for that. Did they have something for me? Did it meet my needs? But somewhere along the way, discipleship has to move from what's in it for me to Jesus, what's required of me? Right? We have to put ourselves aside. You know, when I was a was with the ES team, which is the MSP's version of Aswati, we had a saying on there. First my equipment, then myself, or excuse me, first my equipment, then my teammate, then myself. We always put ourselves last. And that was what we wanted to to the new people to embrace that. It's not about you. It's not about how you feel or if you're tired or anything. It's about putting, taking care of the things that God gives you, giving him the grace, giving him the praise, giving somebody gave it to you, right? Who are we not to? So be thinking about that. Jesus, what's required of me? 'Cause the church was never intended to be a place where we simply consume a religious experience. We don't come here to be entertained. We come here to be fed. We come here to get close to the Holy Spirit. We come here to feel the presence of Almighty God. That's why we come here. And I love that, right? That's why we're here. It's not a place just to come for an hour. And it was for me. I'm sure it's not for you, but it was for me. I came to church because I was trying to impress Miss Tina. Right? I did. I mean, that's not very great to admit, but I'm just being honest, right? I came to church to impress Tina. Little did I know how God works, right? Thank God, right? So, hey, it's a body we're called to belong to, a mission we're called to participate in, and a savior we're called to surrender to. So today's message is about surrender. And I'm telling you, I used to hate that word. I did. Surrender means quitting. It means losing. At least that's what I thought. I didn't understand that there is I felt that there was weakness in vulnerability. That there was weakness in surrender. I didn't like those terms. But I found out. vulnerability is strength. Because I can't do anything on my own. I found out that surrender is strength. Because once I gave it up, once I let God have it, man, things really began to excel. And not by my own power, but by the power of God who can do anything. He can take someone like me who was not following, who was very stubborn. You don't have to amen that, honey, very Just always on the verge, right? Believe it or not, I used to be, what are you looking at, guy? You ever you ever meet that guy? What are you looking at? Now look at me, all nice and smiling. Hey, how you doing? Think about that, right? So it's about surrender. Because once I surrendered everything to God, my marriage, I became a better husband, I became a better father, I became a better son, a better brother, I became a better operator. All those things began to excel, not because of what I would do, but because of what God could do through me. And I just am so I'm so sold on that whole surrender. Give it up. Give it up. Thank you. Give it up. In a I I wanna to remind you that Because before God asks for your gift, he asks for you. Before he asks for your ability, he asks for your availability. Be open. Be open. God, what do you have for me? Where do you need me? Before there's ever a dream team, before there's ever an FA group, before there's a ministry position to fill, there's an altar. So maybe the question God wants us to wrestle with today isn't do I attend church? And listen, I I don't want to sound disrespectful. I'm so thankful that you're here. I'm so thankful that you're online watching. Thank you for coming and spending time with us with Jesus. But I want to challenge you and encourage you to fully commit. Because that's when you begin to have satisfaction in your soul. That's when you begin to have healing in your heart, is when you fully commit. So please, hey, if it's your first time here and you're like, I just got here. What do you want me to do? This is about encouraging you. This is about challenging you to go deeper. Maybe the question we should be asking is: Have I put my whole life on the altar? Because there's a massive difference between attending something and being committed to it. Attendance says, I'll be there. Commitment says, you can count on me. And when God's people move from I'll be there to you can count on me, something begins to happen. Families begin to change, communities change, churches change, lives change because God always Has done extraordinary things through ordinary people who were completely surrendered to him. This God's holy word is full of fallible people that God has used for extraordinary. Thank God. He gives us that example because he knows we're just humans. We're gonna make mistakes. I've made way more than you, I'm sure, right? But that's comforting to me. Moses wasn't a good speaker. He was a tremendous leader, but he wasn't a good speaker. Today we're going to look at three truths from Romans 12. We're going to look at elevation beginning on the altar. We're going to look at that every gift matters. Commitment creates momentum. And it all begins with one question. One question. What part of your life is still waiting to be placed on the altar? Because elevation begins on the altar. Romans chapter 12, verses 1 and 2. And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice. See, God doesn't want part of your life. He wants permission to transform all of it. Notice that word permission. Ask him. See, when we try to do things on our own, we put ourselves before God. We beg we get stubborn, we get prideful, we get unforgiving. And it holds us back. And we give God permission to be God. You know, one of my prayers every day, Lord, save me from myself. Save me from myself. I've learned to to not only pray that prayer, but to live that prayer. Because I get in my own way too many times. God doesn't want part of your life. He wants permission to transform all of it. I love that. See, Paul spends the first 11 chapters of Roman explaining what God has done for us. But then Romans chapter 12 begins, and so. I love that, right? Here's all God has done all these things because of his mercy, because of his grace, because Jesus gave everything for you. And so that's the key word. Now give yourself completely to him. Give yourself completely. That's important because Christian commitment is not our attempt to earn God's love. Commitment is our response to God's love. God I He's done so much for me. I I say it almost like stuttering because it's like astounding to me. God gave me three wonderful children, seven grandchildren. God gave me a beautiful wife. And let me tell you, she's way out of my league. I know that. Don't tell her that. She knows that. But thank God. Thank God for his mercies. Thank God that he took someone like me, floundering, doing different things, and surrounded me by people like yourselves, a church family who accepts each other. For who we are. Thank you, God, for that. And I will tell you, we can't, we got to remember that Paul says give your bodies to God. He doesn't say give an hour on a Sunday. Give of your time, your talents, your relationships, your resources, your plans, your future. All of you be belongs on the altar because you can't elevate your commitment while holding back your surrender. You'll only go so far. And look, I don't mean this from a braggy way. I was a good operator. I was. I was experienced. I did, I did good, but I could only go so far. I, my own personal, could only take me so far. Once I gave it over, I began to excel in other ways that I didn't know were possible. So I've lived that. I could not elevate my commitment while holding back your surrender. What most people miss when we think about this is Paul calls us a living person. Sacrifice and that's almost a contradiction. Because sacrifices normally did what? They died. The lamb died, the the bull died, the turtle dove, whatever died, right? But this sacrifice keeps on living. Which means surrender isn't something we do once at salvation. Yes, you do that, but it's not just once. We keep choosing the altar. Jesus says something very similar in Luke chapter 9, verse 23. If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way. Take up your cross daily and follow me. Another translation says, then he said to them all. Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. So a couple key words in that. Notice that word daily. Yesterday's surrender doesn't automatically produce tomorrow's obedience. You gotta surrender every day. Some of us have to do it more than once a day. Sometimes I leave here full of the Spirit, ready to go, Lord, praising God. And about twenty minutes later somebody's right on me and they're waving their hands and being ugly, right? I gotta surrender it again. Right? I have to do it more than once a day, often. One time we left here, and in 20 minutes, my wife was reminding me, Rich, we just left church. And I said, Yeah, I know, but hey, it means I gotta go back, right? I just gave them job security. Daily, daily, surrender that. Surrender that. Ask yourself here's the challenge. What do I keep picking back up off of the altar? Is it my schedule? Is it my comfort? My finances? My plans? Hmm. I lay it down, but then I pick it back up. What is what am I doing? That is it my willingness to serve. Whatever God puts his finger on, put it back on the altar. It's not yours. You're never meant to carry all that. Put it on the altar. Give it up, but don't be tempted to take it back. See, when God changes your heart, he begins changing how we serve. Because surrendered people don't simply attend church, they become the church. We saw that at back to school. Man, I gotta tell you, I was so humble. People just came up to me. What do you want me? What do you want me to do? I didn't always have an answer for them. Because I needed them to be fluid and be able to talk to people and do things. And I just said, hey, and man, they stepped up and did it. The people cutting hair here, they cut 113 heads in two hours. Come on. Come on. Amazing. I haven't seen haircuts that fast since boot camp. Man, there he is. Fine. Right? We gave away 400 gift cards. And let me tell you something that was even just amazing. There were families coming through that said, hey, we don't need this. Please save that for someone in need. How humbling is that? You, because of your surrender, because you said, Yes, I'll do whatever you want me to do. Just put me in, coach. You became the church. And you ministered to people. And I guarantee we heard stories, so many stories. I didn't talk about this in the first service. I gotta hustle, but I gotta tell you it's so cool. One family's walking out, and the mom says, Well, I guess we found our church. And the little boy says, Where? And she says, Here And he goes, This is a church? Cool. Huh? I couldn't tell him we don't have monkeys every Sunday and you know car but But you ministered to people through your love, through your kindness, through your willingness to serve. I guarantee one somebody coming through that had never heard the good news of Jesus Christ, at least I'm sure more than one, but at least one. And you touch them with that. Because let me assure you that every gift matters. Romans 12, verses 4 through 8. Just as our bodies have many parts, and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ's body. We are many parts of one body and we all belong to each other. In His grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you're a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it's giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. Those are awesome gifts. But I here's what I really, I really think that's important about this. Paul compares a church to a body, different parts, different gifts, one mission. But notice something beautiful. Paul never compares the gifts because we all have different gifts. You were made perfectly, you were made wonderfully. Your gift matters. That might just be, hey, I I just smile a lot. My great grandfather, he was well advanced in age, right? I was a little guy. He used to sit around like this all the time. And I asked my dad, I said, what's he smiling about all the time? My dad's like, he's he can't hear nothing. Look how happy he is. Some of you have such kind smiles. That's a gift. Kindness is a gift. Showing someone something. Let me show you where the kidman is. Is it your first time? Whatever, right? That's a gift. And I'm telling you, it's critical and crucial. Every one of you, everybody online, everybody has a gift. Don't compare to other people. It's not about that. It's not about that. And that's another beautiful thing that Paul does. He celebrates them. Some lead, some encourage, some serve, some teach, some give, some show mercy. Every gift reflects the character of Jesus. The enemy loves comparison. God loves contribution. I can't, I can't do it like that person does. I can't do this or that. It's not about that. Every one of you. Fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of the Almighty God. So whatever that gift is, use it. It ministers to other people. See, if you aren't using your gift, someone's missing what God intended to give you, give through you. I'm not here because of anything I've done. I'm here because people took the time to pray for me, to pour into me, to have faith in me, to watch me stumble and help me back up again. Unbelievable. I wouldn't have had as much patience with me as others have had with me. I'm just telling you that, right? But heaven measures faithfulness differently than popularity. See, the church is healthiest when everyone discovers where they belong and everyone understands that they have a part to play. And let me assure you that you do. That'sn't just to make you feel better. That's the reality of it. That's the reality of serving an almighty God. Everyone has a role, everyone has a purpose, and everyone belongs. So your greatest impact begins when you stop comparing your gift and start contributing it. Don't worry about that. Contribute. So here's your challenge. Ask God this week, where have you designed me to serve? Take one intentional step. Explore our what's next process. Explore your gifts. Join a group. Begin serving where God has gifted you. Because when surrendered people discover their cer their purpose, momentum begins and commitment creates momentum. Romans 12, chapter ele ver chapter 12, verse 11. I g I like this one because I just like this first, this first three words. Never be lazy. I love it when God speaks very plain like that, right? Never be lazy. I don't feel very like being doing nothing today. Yeah? Never be lazy. Right? Healthy churches don't happen accidentally. They're built by ordinary people, you and I making extraordinary commitments. The commitments you make to even get here is extraordinary. The commitment you make to serve others is extraordinary. The early church didn't change the world because they had better buildings and fancy lighting and and big bands. Those things are awesome. But they changed the world because they had surrendered hearts. Momentum isn't created by a few people doing everything. It's created when everyone does something. Join in. Be part of it. It's fun. It's awesome. It's crazy. It's every day a holiday and every meal a feast, every formation of parade, only in the Marine Corps. Every greeting, every unseen moment matters. Me and Tina came here twice because the second we came here three times because the second time somebody remembered us again. Hi Rich, hi Tina. Like, hi, how are you doing? Right? Every unseen moment matters. I will tell you this, and I always tell my my mates this that they're taught and instructed. I'm like, look, you'll never know. You'll never know how many lives you saved by being an instructor, by teaching someone something a little, by pouring into someone who's having a rough time. You won't know. Same with us. You won't know. But you know what? God knows. And they know. And that's all that matters. Pour into someone, be committed. It's created when everyone does something, every volunteer, every prayer. Every act of generosity, every invitation, every child served, every greeting, every unseen moment matters. God builds his church through committed disciples. Everything you do matters because commitment turns spectators into disciples and disciples into difference makers. So here's my challenge. Move from attendance to ownership. This is God's church. We are all here together. Don't simply ask, what can this church do for me? Ask, Lord, how can you use me to build your church? Today is the day to take the next step. Because this is exactly why we've created clear next steps here at Faith Alive. Why? We have a roadmap to discipleship. We have a roadmap that you can go from day one of attendance to all the way to becoming a certified pastor if that's your call. Everything along the way is mapped out. Because God is a God of order and discipline and clarity, not a God of confusion and chaos. And we want to help you with that. Some of you have attended for weeks, months, even years, but God may be calling you to move beyond attending into belonging. So for some of you, your next step is just what's next? Discover who we are and where you fit. For others, it's joining the dream team using the gifts God has already placed inside you. For some, it's stepping into biblical fellowship, encouragement, discipleship, and community through FA groups. These aren't just programs and processes to have. This is a way for us to live out Romans chapter 12. It's a way for us to be committed, to be involved. So imagine what. God could do if every person in this room fully surrendered their lives. I'm a big dreamer. It isn't about putting bodies in the seats here. It's about putting souls into heaven. Amen? There's people that are unreached. There's people that are unreached. Never heard the good news of Jesus Christ. Becoming a disciple, following Jesus, being fully committed. That's going to make a difference. Can you imagine if everybody was fully committed and fully surrendered? Families would be strengthened, children would know Jesus, the lonely would find community, the hurting would experience hope. Our community would be different because we chose commitment over comfort. God's not asking for perfection. He's asking for surrender. Because surrendered people become committed disciples, and committed disciples change the world. Consumers attend church, committed people build it. You know, today might be the first day that you ever heard the good news of Jesus Christ. Maybe you've heard it for years and you want to rededicate yourself to be committed all the way, all the way in. I'm excited for that. Will you join me in prayer? Father, thank you for giving your son completely for us. Today we respond by offering ourselves completely to you. Search our hearts and show us anything we've kept off the altar, Lord. Help us discover the gifts you've placed within us and give us the courage to use them to build your church. May we move from simply attending to fully belonging, from watching to serving and from consuming to building. Heavenly Father, use us to impact our community because your people are. Have fully surrendered themselves to you. Father, I know there are people in here who have never fully surrendered their hearts to Jesus Christ. If that's you today, then I want you to pray this prayer earnestly, and we're all going to join you together. Or maybe it's been a long time and you want to rededicate yourself to the Lord. So let's pray this together. Please, please repeat after me. Heavenly Father. I love you. I thank you for being a God of mercy. Father, I accept you into my heart. To be fully committed to serving you. You are the Lord of my life. Father, I believe That you died and rose again. That you took on all the sins of the world, and because of that I am free. As we say that prayer together, as we as we say that again, let that fill your heart. Heavenly Father, thank you, God, that you are the provider, you are the healer, you are the protector. Thank you, God, that we can interlock our shields of faith. If we're a community, Lord, that interlocks our shields of faith, then we become an impenetrable wall. Thank you, God, that you have all authority. Lord, I pray a special blessing over all. Just pray that you would cover them, that you would clothe them with your mercy, with your forgiveness, with your kindness, with your protection, with your healing, healing in their physical bodies and healing in their hearts. And I declare this. I declare this in the mighty, master's name of Jesus Christ. And we all agree together and shouted. Guys, have a wonderful day. Thanks for listening to the Faith Alive Sermon podcast. We hope this message encouraged you. If it did, be sure to subscribe or share it with someone else who may need it. If you want to get connected or reach out to one of our pastors, go to our website at faithalive.church. We'll see you next time.