## 4-H Christians

## Romans 12:1-2

During the summer between my 7th and 8th grade in school, my parents moved to a farm. My life changed drastically. I was now in the country, over a mile from the nearest grocery store. I used to live next door to a mom and pop store and I spent a good bit of my childhood there picking up snacks and goodies to supply me with real nourishment between the meals my mother would fix, but now that would change.

My dad wasn't a 'real' farmer. He and mom purchased this small farm thinking of retirement. We had a few cows, sometimes pigs, and of course lots of chickens. Dad would even plow and plant a field each year. He tried soybeans and corn, but most of the time he would raise hay in that field.

I was unaccustomed to the concept of 'chores'. Up to this time the most work I had to do was clean my room and occasionally set the table. Like I said, my life changed drastically. I was soon introduced to things like cleaning stalls, slopping hogs, gathering eggs, and milking cows. At school, people began to talk to me about agriculture. Soon I was involved in an organization called the FFA - which stood for Future Farmers of America. Yeah, right. There was no way I was going to be a farmer! Another organization also sought me ought. It was the 4-H club.

The local chapter was small, and I enjoyed the interaction with the other young people, but it was still basically an agricultural based organization. The FFA no longer is known as the future farmers of America. I recently was informed that the scope of that organization has moved beyond agriculture to embrace all sorts of other career choices. So now it is simply called FFA.

But the 4-H clubs continue to be administered by the United States Department of Agriculture Cooperative Extension System. 4-H was founded in 1902 by A. B. Graham in Clark County, Ohio, and now serves over 9 million members in almost 100,000 clubs. The four H's stand for "head, heart, hands, and health." The 4-H pledge is as follows: I pledge

My head to clearer thinking, My heart to greater loyalty, My hands to larger service, and My health to better living, For my club, my community, my country, and my world.

Think about it, 9 million young people pledging themselves to an ideal, to an organization or cause. What if we had that kind of commitment to Jesus and the precious gospel of salvation by faith? Think about the eternal impact for the cause of Christ!

(Romans 12:1-2) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

4-H Christians will pledge their:

I. Head (to clearer thinking)

"…be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…"

A. Not conformed, but transformed.

1. Conformed = fashioned like.

2. Transformed = change inside out

3. It would be the difference of me putting on a chicken costume or actually becoming a chicken!

4. You might say that is impossible…but that is exactly what Paul is talking about.

(2 Corinthians 5:17) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

B. How does this happen?

1. Our thinking must change.

2. Not what we think about religion.

3. Not what we think about church.

4. Not what we think about Christians.

5. But what we think about Jesus Christ.

(Matthew 16:13-16) When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

C. This is Biblical sanctification.

1. Is about a change of our thinking.

2. When our thinking changes, so will the direction of our lives.

3. Paul challenges us to be transformed by the renewing of our mind.

4. This isn't mind over matter, and it isn't turning over a new leaf.

5. This is the put off / put on principle that Paul gives us in Ephesians.

(Ephesians 4:22-24) That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

4-H Christians will pledge their:

I. Head (to clearer thinking)

II. Heart (to greater loyalty)

"…A living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God."

A. Loyalty demands commitment.

1. Dictionary definition of 'loyal' = faithful to a cause, ideal, custom, institution, or product

2. We can be loyal to many different things in our lives.

3. Veterans show their loyalty to their branch.

4. Folks here in Bloomington: IU / Bobby Knight and Texas Red Raiders

5. As Christians, we need to pledge our hearts to greater loyalty to Christ!

(Mark 8:34) And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

B. Commitment requires sacrifice.

1. Jesus said, 'Let him deny himself'

2. Paul calls for us to be 'living sacrifices' unto God.

3. That calls for major commitment.

C. Commitment of our all we have.

1. Our time, talent, and treasure.

2. For most of us, the biggest struggle is the commitment of time.

3. Give money? No problem, we can always get more.

4. Give our talents? Sure, for most of us that isn't much of a sacrifice.

5. But give our time? We want to draw the line here - time is fleeting we only have a limited amount of it and we become selfish with what we have!

6. But the Lord is worthy of our loyalty, much more than most things to which we give our time.

4-H Christians will pledge their:

I. Head (to clearer thinking)

II. Heart (to greater loyalty)

III. Hands (to larger service)

"…Your reasonable service."

A. Reasonable = Gr. Logikos or logical.

1. Sometimes Christians are criticized as being illogical people.

2. Those who are willing to pledge their thinking, loyalty, and service to God are considered 'Nuts' by many.

3. Hey, that is fine with me…as Barney Fife would say, "At least he is a happy nut!"

4. Considering what the Lord has done for us, in giving His Only Begotten Son to die on Calvary in our place…

5. So that we might have eternal life through our faith in His finished work.

6. It isn't unreasonable to expect us to serve Him, is it?

B. Does the Lord 'need' us?

1. Not really, but we need to serve Him.

2. As we do, we acknowledge that He is our Lord.

3. When we fail to obey Him and serve Him with our lives, we are actually saying He is not our Lord.

(Luke 6:46) And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

C. Our service to the Lord is not out of fear, but out of a thankful heart.

1. Note, that it is expected by the Lord.

2. He gives the example in Luke 17:11-19

3. Jesus asked the question, "Where are the nine?"

4. Why did He ask that? He expected more would acknowledge His grace in healing them of their leprosy.

5. Leprosy in the Bible is often a type of sin.

6. If we have been cleansed from our sin, why then are we not grateful enough to serve Him?

7. It is a logical expectation, isn't it?

4-H Christians will pledge their:

I. Head (to clearer thinking)

II. Heart (to greater loyalty)

III. Hands (to larger service)

IV. Health (to better living)

"…that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

A. What is the will of God?

1. When it come to the will of God, so many Christians act like it is some big treasure hunt.

2. They head off on to a quest for the answers to life…God's will.

3. In my generation people would 'drop out and turn on' in an attempt to find themselves and discover the purpose of life.

B. We do not have to find God's will.

1. All we need to do is commit to doing the will of God.

2. God has already revealed His will to us in His Word.

3. As we read His Word and obey His Word, we will know more of His will for us.

C. Life in the will of God is a good life.

1. It doesn't mean we will not have trials or difficulties…

2. But it means we will be able to deal with them as the Lord enables us.

3. Jesus tells us that His desire is that we have life…but more than that.

(John 10:10) The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

4. He came that our life might be abundant and full.

5. That is the description of life in the will of God!

4-H Christians will pledge their:

I. Head (to clearer thinking)

II. Heart (to greater loyalty)

III. Hands (to larger service)

IV. Health (to better living)

The first step to becoming a 4-H Christian is to know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior; to have a relationship with Him. That relationship is one of faith…faith in what Jesus did for us on Calvary. If you do not know the Lord this morning, will you come?

Believer, why settle for less that what the Lord intended for you? Don't be satisfied with mere existence…enjoy a life full and abundant as we commit our head, heart, hands, and health to Jesus Christ.