Daniel: Sold Out To The Lord

Opening Video: Story of God

Daniel: Sold out to Jesus

Thesis: Daniel was a man sold out to the Holy Spirit and as a result it influenced his life situation, rather than letting his life situations influence him. Our commitments in life reveal what our hearts treasure.

Text: Proverbs 16:3 “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”

Illustration: Mr. Holland’s Opus – The scene is at the end of the movie when he has been let go because of budget cuts. He wonders if he made a difference. He is escorted into the auditorium where he is surprised to find that it is packed full of people who he influenced as a result of his commitment to teach them music. A former student now governor tells everyone that Mr. Holland touched every one of his students and that, even though he may not have finished composing his musical symphony, his students represent his living symphony. His commitment did make a difference – it impacted many lives.

Introduction: Daniel was a man similar to Mr. Holland he was a man who committed to the Lord and to others and it made a difference in others lives. Daniel was a man committed to the spirit of God. His commitment to the things of God influenced his life situation, rather than letting his life situation influence him.

Christianity without commitment is always Christianity without Christ.

Commitment is the mindset that refuses to compromise its relationship with Jesus Christ. To commit to something means – to have a mindset that has pledged or promised to live your life fully to that committed area. When we commit to being a Christian we in essence commit to being a witness for Jesus Christ. This means conducting ourselves in manner worthy of the name Christian. It means that whoever we come in contact with whether they are Christian or not will know who I have made a covenant with.

The other night I was channel surfing and came a cross a scene on Seinfeld where Kramer was trying to convince Jerry that he should not make a commitment to the girl he was seeing. Jerry asked him why? Kramer responded, “Because when you commit – you’re committed to marriage prison.” He spoofs it like a mental patient is committed because he has lost his mind. Jerry bursts out, “No I want to commit to her.” Kramer right back at him, “No man no he said. Listen to what happens if you commit. You can no longer watch television and eat supper. You have to sit down at the dinner table and talk to her man.” Jerry responds, “No way, you’re kidding?” Kramer, “Yeah man you become a slave to her you have to do the “I want to know talks.” He continues, “You have to tell her what was good and bad about your day.” Jerry responds,” Get out of here!” Kramer says, “It’s over man and you are committed to prison and its pure torture.”

Commitment has received a negative rap today in our society we laugh about the Seinfeld show’s play on commitment being negative and bad but really our society has become a culture lacking more and more commitment to godly causes such as patriotism, charitable organizations, churches, God, Jesus, the Bible, Christian schools, and yes, even to each other in marriage.

I find it perplexing that those who God says to commit together in marriage lack commitment to each other - so we have people just living together – and those who are not to be committed together in marriage want to be allowed to commit together. Have you thought about that? Something is drastically wrong in our society “Gays” want to be able to commit to each other in marriage which is condemned in Romans 1, Leviticus, Genesis and many other texts. But the ones God says who should commit together in the sacred act of marriage do not want to do that – they want to forgo commitment to God and to the divine sacrament of marriage and live in sin.

Proverbs 16:25 warns us, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”

Commitment is an essential part of the Christian walk. When we say we need to be committed to Christ it means the following:

1. When we commit it means we have the mindset to stick with it to the end.

2. When we commit we stand on our values even if others disagree.

3. When we commit we determine to not compromise our ethics.

4. When we commit we refuse to be polluted by the world’s ways.

5. When we commit we take responsibility for our actions.

6. When we commit we trust God when we face impossible situations.