I Am Committed to My Church
2 Chronicles 29:1-5
I want to introduce you to a mythical church member that I am going to call Kenny. When we first meet Kenny he is attending services at First Church but he left because the services were too formal, every one on the platform wore a tie. He and his family then wandered over to Grace Church because they had a great choir. But before long, we hear they are “happy” at the Christian Worship Center. But before long they move their membership to the Community Church because of the great bible teaching. After that the youth program at New Hope catches their eye. Now at least for the moment, they are at the church uptown, at least until something else catching their roving eye. What ever happened to commitment?
If Christians really believe in a real heaven and a real Hell, how can we be so silent? . . .
God’s people have made a decision about Jesus….but have never made a commitment to Him.”
There is of course a difference between a decision and a commitment. According to statistics at least 50% of all marriages will end in divorce. Why do you suppose that is happening?
It is because these couples made a decision but did not make a commitment. Every person who married made a decision! They stood before a preacher and made promises and recited vows. They made a decision, they kissed each other and walked out together to live but not necessarily “happily ever after” and not necessarily together. So why did they divorce? The answer is that they made a decision, but they did not truly commit their lives to each other
The same is true in the church that many have made a decision about Christ, but have not made a commitment to Christ.
When the pilot of a giant airline is speeding down the runway, there is a certain point where it staying on the ground is no longer an option. When he crosses that line, he is committed to the air, he will take off or a disastrous crash is imminent. As the pilot can no longer change his mind he is committed.
I want to challenge you this morning to “get off the ground.” In Romans 12:1-2, the Apostle Paul issues a clear call for commitment when he says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. (2) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (NKJV)
1. What the church desperately needs is more Christians
Who simply love their church! the way God loves the
church!
2. You see, God loves the church sacrificially! He gave His Son for it!
3. God loves the church unconditionally ... When He’s pleased with it & when He’s not pleased
..
4. God loves His church eternally! He will never, ever stop loving the church!
* I want to share with you my 3 beatitudes for a church member who truly loves his church the way Jesus wants him to love it!
1. Commitment to the Local Body
The author Jerry Bridges comments in an article on commitment, “As I have watched the parade of people through our church, and other churches. I wonder why so few commit themselves to a local body of believers in a significant way.
1. Many sit and soak and do little else, and they flee at the first sign of trouble or pressure.
2. They fail to become involved or to give; the priority for corporate worship falls far down on the list.
3. They criticize all that is wrong with a specific local congregation. . .
4. We need to accept the challenge to commit ourselves to responsible membership.”
A. The local church is the first level of commitment outside of our personal relationship with the Lord.
1.The local church with all its imperfections is still the Lord’s major avenue through which he accomplishes his work.
2. The church gathers for worship, teaching and fellowship to gain power to carry out the ministry as each member is scattered to their various places of responsibility in the world.
3. The member who “forsakes the assembling together” (Heb 10:25) forfeits the power of a corporate identity.
B. But some people just do not see church attendance as a necessity.
1. They see recreation as a necessity.
2. They see Yard work as a necessity.
3. They see Entertaining as a necessity.
4. They see Viewing sporting events as a necessity.
5. But church attendance and participation rank with visiting Grandpa’s grave,--You have every intention of doing it …., unless of course something else important comes up.
6. In far to many lives, church attendance seems to be relegated to last place.
7. All of these are good thing ..until they are placed ahead of the LORD—When that happens they become idols!!
8. Be In your place!!!!
B. Commitment to church is deeper than just attendance
to the worship services, but it does begin there.
1. But if we are really to get to know the people of our church
it will be in the context of involvement in a small group such
as a Sunday school class.
2. You will never truly feel a part of this
church by attending the Sunday morning services
and going home. Be Involved!!!
C. Commitment to a local church also demands
loyalty.
1. Some of you need to make a commitment to
get involved in the life of the church.
3. Be faithful to the services.
4. Get involved in a Sunday school class.
5. Get to know the other people of the church.
6. Invite people outside of your current circle to your home. Be loyal to your church.
II. BLESSED IS THE BELIEVER WHO GIVES HIS
CHURCH HIS LOYAL ALLEGIANCE!
There is a statement I want you to hear from
Neh.10:39 "We will not forsake the house of our ..."
A The word forsake means: neglect, to let go, or to
let loose."
1. It is a word that describes how a man, after 25 years
of faithful marriage, would leave his wife for a
younger woman!
It literally means to forsake or desert!
2. Now just as it is inexcusable for a man to forsake his wife, it is inexcusable for a Christian to forsake his church!
I want to give you several ways you can forsake or neglect your church!
B There are some people who neglect their church by just not coming!
1. They just don’t show up ... They have filled the church with their absence!
2. Even though we miss them, they don’t really miss us!
A little boy was absent from school one day, and the next day when he came back, the teacher said, "George, did you miss school yesterday?" He said, "No ma’am, not a bit!"
3. There are a lot of church members who have
forsaken the church and don’t even miss it!
D. Another way we can neglect our church is by
just simply not caring at all!
1. I’m afraid that there are too many in the church
today that just don’t care!
2. They don’t care if anybody gets saved, baptized, if
they ever build a building, raise money for the
building fund, etc. It just simply makes no difference to them!
Sometimes when things go undone in our
church, It is because nobody doe
A story about four people named
Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody!
There was an important job to be done, and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.
III. BLESSED IS THE BELIEVER THAT GIVES HIS CHURCH HIS LASTING ATTENDANCE - HEB.10:25
Your church deserves your consistent, constant,continuous attendance!
A. I never cease to be amazed at the excuses that people give for not coming to church!
* Sometimes I think about writing a book on them!
Article: "Pastor Quits Sports" Here are the reasons why:
1. Every time I went, they asked me for money.
2. The people with whom I had to sit with weren’t friendly and didn’t speak to me.
3. The seats were too hard and not very comfortable.
4. I went to many games but the coach never came to visit me.
5. The coach made a decision that I didn’t like.
6. I found out that I was sitting with some hypocrites ... They didn’t come to see the ball-game, they just came to see what everybody was wearing.
7. Some games went into overtime and I had to wait in line at the restaurant.
8. The band played some numbers that I’d never heard before.
9. It seems like the games are always scheduled when I want to do something else.
10. When I was growing up, my mom and dad used to force me to go to ball-games.
C. Most used excuse is "Too many hypocrites ... I live
just as good as your members do!"
Yes, I know that there are hypocrites in the church, and yes, I know that there are people who don’t go to church who live better lives than some people who do go to church!
But don’t judge the barrel by a few bad apples!
CLOSE
I heard about a preacher who visited a farmer to invite him to church.
The farmer said, "Well, I’m never coming to your church, Preacher."
The preacher said, "Why not?" * The farmer said,
"Because I know some of the members of your church & I live a lot better than they do."
Sometime later, the preacher bought a pig from the farmer.
He said, "I want you to sell me the smallest, ugliest, sickliest pig that you’ve got."
Well, the farmer, amazed, gave him exactly what he asked for.
After he paid for it, he said to the farmer, "I’m going to take this sick, small, ugly pig to everybody in the community and tell them that I bought it from you."
The farmer said, "Now Preacher, that’s not fair, I’ve got a lot of hogs that are nicer and bigger and fatter than that hog."
The preacher said, "Buddy, if it’s fair for the church, it’s fair for the hogs!"
I thank God for our church & I love my church!
1. I love it enough to COMMIT MY SELF TO IT.,
2. I LOVE IT ENOUGH TO GIVE IT MY LOYAL ALLEGIANCE
3. And I LOVE IT ENOUGH TO GIVE IT MY LASTING ATTENDANCE!
Do you really and honestly love your church?
