Jesus Christ - A Picture Of Commitment Series

SERMON BRIEF

Date Written: March 28, 2007

Date Preached: April 01, 2007

Church: OZHBC (AM)

FOUNDATIONAL ELEMENTS

Series Title: Doctrines of the Faith

Sermon Title: Jesus Christ

A Picture of Commitment

Sermon Text: Mark 14:32-41

“…13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" 14 And they said, "Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets…” 15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God…"

INTRODUCTION:

Here are 10 Things You Never Hear in Church

• Hey! It’s my turn to sit in the front pew!

• Pastor, I was so interested that I never noticed your sermon went 25 minutes over time.

• Personally I find witnessing much more enjoyable than golf.

• I’ve decided to give our church the $500 a year I was spending on LSU season tickets… I can watch them on TV anytime…

• I want to volunteer to be a permanent leader for the Royal Ambassadors AND I want to teach SS.

• Money should not be the issue...if the ministry NEEDS that much then let’s spend it!

• It is so exciting when we sing hymns I’ve never heard before… I just love it!

• Since God is here, let’s keep going with the service.

• Pastor, we’d like to send you and your wife to a Pastor/Wife retreat and Bible seminar in the Bahamas.

• Do you know that there is nothing that inspires me and strengthens my commitment to God and this church more…than a good building campaign and commitment program!

That may make us laugh, but in the humor I hope that you find some spiritual truth. Every single statement dealt with commitment to Christ and this church’s fellowship!

Every statement exposed the commitment to their personal walk with Christ and revealed that it came first in their lives! For the believer COMMITMENT and DEDICATION to our walk in Christ is the only way we can grow in Him!

For many of us we make what we call a commitment to Christ by coming forward in a service or praying the sinner’s prayer… but really we have simply gone thru the motions and there is NO real commitment on our part… and it is evident in the fruit of our lives.

Well preacher I am involved in church, that means I am committed… doesn’t it? Well let me share with you just what the difference is between simple involvement and total commitment?

I guess the best way to explain this is by way of an example or an analogy. Let’s take the breakfast meal that many of us enjoy. Let’s say we have a plate of bacon and eggs and a large glass of milk.

When we look at that breakfast we can see examples of involvement and examples of total commitment. In the milk and the egg, the cow and the chicken are simply involved in bringing breakfast to your table, but when we look at the bacon we can see that the pig is totally committed.

So we can see that there is a difference in simply being involved in church activities and being totally committed to the call of Christ in your life!

In October of 1981, when Michelle and I got married, we made a commitment to one another and that commitment was sealed by a legal contract—you know it as a marriage license.

But as the years go by, we don’t maintain that commitment to one another because of any contract. The reason that we stay committed to each other is because of the love that has grown out of that very commitment.

That legal document known as a marriage license, issued by the state of Alabama, is now a keepsake in our household and it is NOT viewed as a contract.

Likewise, as a believer, if you are looking at God’s discipline and His requirement to submit to His will as some form of forced contract, you are going to struggle!

If you see God’s desire as something that forces you to wait patiently while God does His thing… THEN you will eventually give up and walk away.

However, if you view God’s discipline in your life as a keepsake, a loving reminder of your commitment to Him and His faithfulness to you, you will wait in faith and remain confident that God’s answer is coming.

In Italy in the 19th century there lived a leader who is still looked upon as a great and mighty leader for their country, his name was Giuseppe Garibaldi and he lived from 1807 to 1882.