Miss for Children's Church at this time. Yep. Kaylee and John. Alright. And you can take your Bibles if you like.

Turn to Romans chapter 12. I'm just going to read verses one and two or you can just look up here on the screen if you like this morning. Romans twelve one and two. If you came for Sunday school, those verses should be familiar to you because we also use them in Sunday school this morning. I I picked early on a verse that it's going to show up this morning in our message as well as my life verse.

Galatians two twenty. And I do refer to it often but I think maybe if I had to pick over, I picked the first two verses of Romans 12 because they seem to come to mind in my life more than pretty much any other passage of scripture. So, Romans twelve one and two, I beseech you therefore, brother, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice Holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and perfect will. Good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, thank you Lord for this day. Thank you Lord for all that you have done for us and Lord, indeed, it is our reasonable service to give ourselves, our time, our energy, our talents, our will back to you. That we might be used of you in this world to bring glory to our maker, to our savior and king, and to bring souls to our savior. In Jesus name, we do pray.

Amen. Football season has begun For some of you, that means absolutely nothing. For others of you, it means more than maybe it should. Or maybe it's not football, maybe it's racing that you're into. That's a big thing here in the South.

People get really excited about their sport or their team, and we call them fans, which is short for fanatics. And in the world in which we live, that is considered rather normal and nothing to be concerned about that people are fans of the Tampa Bay Bucks or the Rays or whoever you might be fans of and I mentioned those two because I'm not fans of either of them in particular. We'll leave who what I'm teams I'm fans of a secret for the moment. Alright. Yeah.

Not much of a fan, I guess. So, but but anyway, we call those people fans that they get excited about their their sports teams and the world in which we live that's considered the norm. Fans can be, however, borderline crazy and faithful to their team no matter what. They will even sometimes alter their appearance. They will color their hair.

They will paint their faces or paint letters on themselves. I saw that at the University of Georgia game, Bulldogs game on TV briefly yesterday. They may put on pig noses. When I was growing up, I was Washington fan and they had the front line, their offensive line was called the hogs because they were so big and so, all people would come with pig noses on em. Some of them wear blocks of cheese on their head.

Some of them have big black spikes growing out of their head. Yeah. Yeah, John. Alright. Be quiet.

Raider fan. I don't crazy. Anyway, and they do all this and they stand there and they seem just unashamed. When, you know, looking, you know, it looks kind of, you know, kind of out there but yet they're unashamed. Yet, somehow, when it comes to our faith, our love, our service to the Lord, it seems to, it seems to be something that we're sometimes a bit afraid to be out there.

Maybe a little ashamed. Why is that? God is looking for some fanatics today. Not people that paint their hair a particular color where spikes on their head or get a big cross tattooed on their back. That's not what we're talking about.

We'll tell you what we're talking about in a minute. Christ is looking for some fanatics today. Zealots, who for the cause of God and his will. Are willing to step out. Should we not strive to be like Christ?

Stepped out for his God and faith and for us unashamed who he was, unashamed of what he came to do If so, that we too should be fanatics for the calls of Christ and our faith, our love, and our service for him. Take for example, the words of Paul. Now, these are words of Paul but we're going to look at a few more here. Words of Paul, Romans one sixteen. Paul wrote, for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God and the salvation to everyone that believeth to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Paul wrote in Galatians two twenty, which happens to be my life verse. He says, I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. That seems a bit fanatical to me.

I don't know about you. I know it certainly seems fanatical to the world. Why would somebody say, I'm living but my life is now Christ's life. And I've given it over to him. Acts twenty twenty four, Paul writes, but none of these things move me.

Neither count on my life dear unto myself. So that I might finish my course with joy in my in the ministry which I have received the Lord Jesus to testify the gospel of the grace of God. Paul was being told when he went to Jerusalem to preach the gospel. That he was going to suffer. And Paul said, none of these things what?

None of these things move me. I am set on finishing the course that God has set me on to preach the gospel, the grace of God. Philippians one twenty one, Paul said this, for me to live is Christ, to die is gain. Sounds a bit fanatical. What were Paul and the disciples?

They were fanatics. They were zealots. They were committed, dedicated, fervent, all out, 100% in their faith and love and service to Christ. Thus, they were said to have turned the world what? Upside down.

At least that's what some accuse them of in Europe. Is the main difference that separated them from us? The miracles they performed, the prophetic revelation they directly received from God or was what separates them in many ways from us is their level of faith and dedication to Christ. And I would say more likely, it was their faith and dedication to Christ that set them apart, that made them successful and that we in Christianity today are lacking in. Or many are.

They did move mountains and so can we. They did bring down giants and so can we. Well, we must recognize the battle belongs to who? The battle belongs to the Lord. We must place ourselves, our lives, our families, and all that we are in his hands to be used of him or else we won't amount to much.

Our salt having lost its savor will have what? Will have little effect. On the world around us. Where is a Gideon? There's a song in the Wilde's book I sing.

Where is a Gideon? Where is a man? Who be a leader and follow God's plan? Where is God's champion? Who be the one to stand like Gideon?

I'll be that man. It's a good song. Good question. Where are the Gideons? Where is the man, woman, or child who will give their lives to Lord, who will trust him?

You know, it doesn't take much to be a Gideon. Go back and look at Gideon. He was hiding, threshing wheat when God came to him. When God came to him, he was extremely hesitant. He said, Lord, well, okay.

I think, did you say it? Well, you just, why don't you, we'll do this fleece thing, you know? And then, he got an army to go on to the enemy and God says, now, your army is too big, Gideon. We gotta whittle it down. Like, what?

Whittle my army down? Gideon was not a great man of faith but Jesus said, if we have faith as a what? A mustard seed. We can move mountains. Doesn't take a whole lot to be a Gideon.

Just to be a faithful, dedicated, fervent, servant of the Lord. Who was willing to be used. And allow God to make us into the person. In Ezekiel 22, in verse 30, God said this, he said and I sought for a man among them that should make up the hedge, that should stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found what? I found none.

This was near the end of Judah in Southern Israel was under attack from Babylon and Jeremiah had prophesied the end was coming. And the people just refused to repent. They would not repent. They would not turn back and judgement came and God said to Ezekiel, I sought for a man to stand in the gap and I found none. I fear less today we are seeing a bit of that in The United States Of America.

God is looking for Christian fans, fanatics, zealots, dedicated fervent Christians, who are willing to sell out. For Jesus and be unashamed of who they are. Who are willing to speak out for Jesus. Will you be that person, that Christian who really truly is unashamed? To be a Christian to be a servant of Jesus Christ What does it mean to be a fanatic, a fervent Christian?

Three things quickly this morning. Number one, you're going to be a Christian fanatic. You must be sincere. I can preach and I can jump up and down and I can shout and I can but it's your heart and my heart and our faith that matters. Not my exuberance this morning.

Where is your heart? Is your faith sincere? Because you will not be a fanatic for Christ. You will not make a difference in this world. You will not say, I'll stand in the gap.

If you're not sincere in your faith. Why would you? If you're not genuine. Why would you? If you really don't care.

Sincerity is vital. Genesis seventeen one, when Abraham was 90 years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abraham and said unto him, I am the almighty God. Walk before me and be thou perfect. The word that's translated perfect can also be translated sincere. Be sincere of a perfect heart, okay?

Towards me, God says. Be sincere. Joshua twenty four fourteen. Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and truth. Put away the gods which your father served on the other side of the flood and in Egypt and serve you the Lord.

Be sincere. Be real. Be genuine. Is this truly who you are? Is this really what you believe?

Let it be so and get rid of those idols. If you're not, it's not who you really are. Getting rid of the idols isn't going do any good because the problems where? Problems in your heart and that's where the victory begins. First Peter one twenty two, seeing you also have purified your souls and obeying the truth of the spirit unto unfeigned or sincere love of the brethren.

See that you love one another with a pure heart fervently. Starts when sincerity, it leads to fervency and service to the Lord. If you're not sincere, then we're not going to get the other. Let's see here. Wrong verse.

Alright. So, there was a religious crowd in Jesus' day that everybody looked up to. They were called the what? The Pharisees. Yeah.

And the Sadducees. The Pharisees lacked something. They lacked sincerity and faith. They didn't trust God but themselves and sought only the praise of man. Their devotion was not real.

Their self centeredness was. They were not real in their faith or their love or devotion to God and others. They were not authentic. Jesus scolded them because they were what? They were frauds, okay?

They pretended to be something that in their heart, they were not and so, when it came time to stand up and take a stand for Jesus Christ, they opposed him instead. Jesus warned his disciples about this hypocrisy and the dangers that it posed them in the church of God. He said, you've got to be more than the Pharisees. Matthew five twenty, Jesus said, for I say unto you that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. In other words, unless you're real, unless you're sincere and your faith is real and your relationship with me is real.

Then, you're not entering the kingdom of heaven. And you're of no good to me where? On earth. A fervent person is real and sincere person, sincere person. They're sincere in their faith.

They really believe it. Do you really believe it? And if you don't really believe it, then you've got a bigger problem than whether you're going to be sold out for Christ, you first need to be surrendered to Christ as your savior. But only you can answer Do you believe in salvation? The salvation of Jesus Christ offers.

That's by grace through faith in him and not of works. Do you believe in God's power? That he can save your soul and do you believe as a Christian that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. You'd believe, do you believe God's word? It is powerful as a two edged sword.

Do you believe that it can change lives? Do you believe that it can change yours? Do you believe in God's love, his will? We love him because he what? Loved us.

First loved us. Do you believe in his love? Or is that real? Or is that just a put on for church? Do you sing, oh how I love Jesus?

From the heart or do you sing, oh how I love Jesus just because it's the words on the page. Is it real? Friday, we're going to have funeral up at Sylvan Abbey, Clearwater for Marilyn Sealy. And if anybody was real, Marilyn was real. Her love for God was written on her face when she walked in here.

Her love for God came out of her mouth in song. In the questions that she asked in Bible study and the comments she made in her love for others Marilyn was real. She was sincere in her love and devotion to her savior. When she sang, oh how I love Jesus, I knew that she meant what she sang. Can that be said of you?

In order to be a zealous Christian, you must first be a sincere Christian and you must furthermore be sincerely trusting and growing and willing to serve the Lord which brings us to the second one and that is dedication. You must also be dedicated, sincere, dedicated. What strikes me among other things about Christ's disciples particularly Paul is they were dedicated. They were not perfect. They were not perfect.

Far from perfect. But what they were is they were committed and dedicated to Christ. And as such, they had a profound effect on others for him. Because they were real and because they were committed. That's what this verse here.

That's what Paul is saying. None of these things move me. Neither count on my life dear unto myself so that I may finish my course with joy and the ministry which I receive the Lord Jesus to testify of the gospel of God. Paul saying this, I'm committed to this. I'm committed to Christ.

I'm committed to the cause of the gospel. I'm committed to what he called me to and and and I'm going to go. I'm going to go until God stops me. I'm committed. Nothing you say is going to stop me.

Only person who's going to stop me is God when he takes me what? When he takes me home. That was the apostle Paul. He was committed. Galatians two twenty again, I am crucified with Christ.

Nevertheless, I live. Yet, not I but Christ lives in me and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Paul says, yes, I'm committed. This is not my life. This is now his life.

I've given him the reigns of my life and he's now in charge. He's now in charge because my life ended when I on that road to Damascus or in that day in Damascus when he surrendered in faith to Jesus Christ, Paul says, my life ended and Christ's life in me began. And that was the dedication and commitment of the apostle Paul to Jesus Christ and the gospel. He was committed to it. Are we committed?

We dedicate. No, God probably hasn't called you to be an apostle. Maybe not an evangelist or a preacher even but God has called you to be a witness. God has called you to grow and to in the Lord and and to feast upon his word and to testify in your life by your actions and your words of the power and grace of God. Are you committed?

Sad to say, I think too many Christians are committed to their career or they're committed to their hobby. More than they're committed to who? More than they're committed to God. That's upside down. It's sad that we allow the entanglements of the world to take precedence over the one who gave his life for us.

This record of Paul's actions throughout the book of Acts Depicts the dedication of Paul. City after city hardship after hardship. And yet on he went. They and many others that followed dedicated themselves to the service of the savior above all else. Yet, we today are mostly fair weather Christians, convenient Christians, Sunday morning Christians, Many are content to give Christ his couple of hours a week or a few minutes a day.

We're not late for work. Maybe for church. We can't miss a ball game. But we could miss a service or two. We won't let anything stand the way of a fishing trip but a little indigestion Saturday night.

Keep us from coming to church on Sunday morning or from our devotions. Or visitation or whatever our service to Christ may be that day. Are you really committed, committed to Christ, committed to the church, committed to your relationship with him? Are we more feather fair weather Christians? When it costs you something reveals when it's real and if we're dedicated.

Not when it's convenient. Finally, this morning, in order to be a zealous, fanatic Christian There needs to be a sense of urgency. Ephesians five sixteen Paul says redeem the time because the days are evil. You only got so many. They're going to end.

Romans thirteen twelve, Paul writes, the night is far spent. The day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness and let's put on the armor of light. What is Paul trying to relate there? Time is short.

There needs to be urgency. Say, well, I'll do it tomorrow. I'll do it next year. I'll do it. I'll do it ten years from now.

You don't know. But you have that. None of us do. The Lord could return today or I could go home to be with him tomorrow. The fact is, we don't know And even if we're here for twenty more years, our loved one, our neighbor, our coworker might not be.

Behold, today is the day of salvation and they need to hear it and they need to see it in our lives. There needs to be a bit more urgency in the hearts and lives of Christians today. First Peter four seven, but the end of all things is at hand, be you therefore sober and watch on the prayer. Revelation one three, blessed is he that readeth and he that hears the words of this prophecy and keep those things which are written therein for the time is what? For the time is at hand.

One more. Hebrews ten twenty four and let us consider one another's provoke unto love and the good works not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is but exhorting one another and so much the more as you see what? You see the day approaching. Do you not see the day approaching? Do you not see the world in which we live?

Is turning its back on God and running away as fast as it can? Do we not see certain things going on in the world that are setting themselves up for the coming of the Antichrist in the time of the tribulation? Do you not see that Christ is coming soon? And we need a bit of urgency. When you're a football fan and you're at the end of the game and your team is at the goal line and there's two ticks left on the clock and your team is down by five points and you gotta make that touchdown.

It comes down to the last play. Are are you drawn in? Are you excited? Are you watching? Are you cheering?

Because here it is. This is it. It's the game. That's just a game and that doesn't what? That doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things.

But your testimony for Christ, it does. Whether your neighbor goes to heaven or to hell, does. Are we, do we have a sense of urgency? Do we have a sense of excitement? Do we have a sense of we need to get about our father's business now?

Or are we just kind of coasting along? And are we ashamed? And unwilling to stand out for Christ. Christ needs committed, fervent, zealous Christians. To be a Gideon, to stand in the gap, and to show the world Jesus Christ.

Are you willing to be that person? Do you desire to be that person? If you do today, you need to get with your Lord. And let him talk to him about where some things need to change. And if you're here today and you never trusted Christ as savior, none of this other stuff matters until you come to Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ gave it all for you. He came and he died on the cross for you. He sold out for you. So that you could be saved. And spend any eternity in heaven.

He stood up for you. He invites you today to come and be saved. That's how much he loves you. Will you do that? Let's pray.

Dear heavenly father, we thank you Lord for this day that you have given to us. We thank you Lord. For your mercy, love, and grace that you have shown. Lord, I pray that you would forgive us. Of our complacency.

I pray that you would forgive us of our lack of urgency. I pray that you would forgive us for our insincerity. Lord, would you make in us people that are dedicated and real in our faith, in our service, in our love for Jesus Christ, that we would be willing to take a stand even when it might hurt. That we might be willing to pay the price if the price is for Jesus Christ our savior. You say great is the reward in heaven.

For those who suffer for the sake of Jesus Christ. Lord, for the most part, we're not to that point yet. We may be. Lord, we need to decide today. If we will take a stand, if we will be that zealous for Christ.

And stand for you. And Lord we pray if there's one here that's never trusted Christ as the Lord and savior of their life. We pray. That they would come to you today and know Christ as savior. That as we sing this hymn of invitation.

That they might just leave the place where they are and meet me down here. And come to you in faith. In Jesus name, we do pray. Amen.