Today we will be looking at the topic of Commitment. The essence of commitment is expressed in the words of Ruth to her mother-in-law Naomi:
"Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me." (Ruth 1:16-17)
Ruth’s level of commitment seems to cut against the grain of the disloyalty and unfaithfulness that is practiced today. Today the sentiment towards commitment is expressed in the words, “I’m free to do whatever I please.”
Some years ago, the New York Times referred to this as “The Uncommitted Generation.”
Gone is the commitment to marriage – The “seven year itch” has been replaced by the “seven month itch.” Marriages of 20, 25, and 30 years or more are ending in divorce.
Gone is commitment in the marketplace – People used to be loyal to certain stores and their products. Store owners used to be committed to their customers—many would “know them by name.” Today we are no longer customers, we are consumers.
Gone is the commitment to the job – Gone are the days when the “average Joe” retires with 45 years and a gold pocket watch. Some say, “I’m just here for the paycheck” or “I’m just using this job as a stepping stone to expand my resume.”
Gone is the commitment to the local church – Gone are the days when people spent a lifetime at the same church. People used to be born, married and buried at the same church but today church hopping is just as common as bed hopping. The Uncommitted Generation says, “I’m committed to my church family as long as my needs are being met.”
Every church struggles with uncommitted followers of Christ. The problem is that we have a very committed adversary. As far as we can tell from Scripture, the devil does not take a break. He comes to kill, steal and destroy. He comes seeking whom he may devour. Satan is committed to do what he does best to hinder the advancement of the Gospel.
Larry Burkett (who’s gone home to be with the Lord) recalled that in the days of Communism, communist leaders had some radical ways of testing new party members’ commitment.
An FBI agent who attempted to infiltrate the Communist Party in the United States said they made him stand on a street corner in New York City and hand out copies of the Communist Manifesto. He would get spit on, even beaten up. But they made him do it for 30 days just to see what his commitment level was. They wanted to weed out the people who weren’t really serious about joining the Party.
Burkett said he didn’t recommend that strategy for churches (even though the Jehovah Witnesses do it), but the thought is on target because commitment is the key to success when you are going up against an adversary who doesn’t promise to play fair.
Many Christians dream of doing great things for God but few are the ones who actually see those dreams come to fruition. What is the difference between a dreamer and a doer?
The difference is commitment. Today we are going to listen to the words of Jesus in order to discover what commitment is all about. My desire is that God will use this message to transform God’s people from dreamers to a church of committed doers.
1. The Pattern of Commitment
2. The Path of Commitment
3. The Passing On of Commitment
4. The Person of Commitment
5. The Pursuit of Commitment
1.) The Pattern of Commitment
Luke 23:46 records the seventh utterance of Jesus as He hung on the cross. Luke writes, “And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.”
Jesus’ cry from the cross wasn’t a last minute confession of faith. His wasn’t a “deathbed confession” or like a “jailhouse conversion.” His wasn’t an “up against the wall" cry of desperation. Commitment to the Father was a way of life for Jesus. From the beginning to the end of His public ministry, He made it known that He was on the scene to keep His Father's agenda.
(John 5:30 NKJV) "I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.
(John 6:38 NKJV) "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
When speaking to the hypocritical Scribes and Pharisees Jesus let them know that He was committed to His Father's will. Jesus said in John 8:29, “for I always do those things that please Him."
Even as He wrestled with the expectation of suffering for our sins, He concluded with a statement of commitment to His Father's will: "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." (Mat 26:39 NKJV)
Examining the life of Jesus reveals a pattern of commitment to the Father.
The word, "commit" or "commend" as some translations have put it, is the Greek word that means, "to place alongside.” The implication is for one to deposit (as a trust or for protection) or to commit (the keeping of) something to another.
From His incarnation to His death and from His death, burial and resurrection to His ascension, Jesus committed Himself to the Father. This is in direct contrast to many who claim to be His followers in our day who start off fast and then run out of gas.
In the almost four decades that I have been a Christian and the over 30 years that I have been in the ministry I have seen these kinds of people come and go.
I call them, “Firecracker Followers.” They are the people who might be characterized by the words, "…on fire." They start out fast and loud. After they explode, you can’t find them anywhere.
Jesus spoke of these kinds of folk in John 2:23-25 - “Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.”
They are the people in Jesus' days that were only followers of Christ while he was healing and feeding folk. In other words, Jesus was their "meal ticket;" When the loaves and fishes were gone so were they.
It’s like something Johnnie Cochran would say: “When things are going swell, they will dwell.” But “when things are getting dry, they will fly.”
Commitment is expressed by a pattern of faithfulness. Jesus is our example of commitment. He was no “fair-weather” friend. He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.
2.) The Path of Commitment
As Jesus was approaching the day He would die on that cruel Roman cross, He turned up the heat and tested the commitment of those following Him.
(John 6:53 NKJV) Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.
(John 6:60 NKJV) Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?"
(John 6:66 NKJV) From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.
Jesus wasn’t asking anyone to do something He wasn’t prepared to do Himself.
(Phil 2:5 NKJV) Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
(Phil 2:6 NKJV) who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
(Phil 2:7 NKJV) but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and
coming in the likeness of men.
(Phil 2:8 NKJV) And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
The path of Jesus' commitment to the Father would ultimately lead to His death on the cross. The path to the cross wasn’t an easy path. It was paved with obstacles--it demanded a certain character; it demanded a certain kind of love; it demanded a certain level of commitment.
You see, Jesus didn’t die for those who were worthy of His death; Jesus didn’t die for those who were righteous. He didn’t die for those who had “arrived.” Jesus didn’t die for those who “had it all together.”
Jesus died for guilty, lowlife, wretches—sinners like you and like me. I know that this not the kind of thing you say in this psychologically-correct, self-esteem-starved day in which we live. But what I am saying is exactly what the Word of God teaches. Listen to the Apostle Paul’s commentary on this:
For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom 5:6-8 NKJV)
Jesus didn’t die for those who were thinking about Him or those who wanted to be better people or those who wanted to be right with God. He died for those who weren’t even thinking about Him. He died for those who weren’t even seeking Him and those who wouldn't give Him the time of day.
Human nature says “do good for those who do good to us”, but we despise the person who despises us. We find it hard to love our enemies, bless those who curse us; do well to those who hate us and pray for those who spitefully use us and persecute us.
Jesus went to the cross for those who despised Him. This act of love and sacrifice came as a result of His commitment to the Father. Our pattern for commitment is Jesus. The path for commitment leads to His sacrificial death on the Cross.
But the Bible teaches that though it cost Him His life, others were willing to follow Him to their deaths. How could this be? Jesus’ commitment was infectious and contagious and passed on to others.
3.) The Passing On of Commitment
I am told that the best time to pass on commitment is when a person first becomes a follower of Jesus Christ.
* When new Christians are told that committed believers give at least 10% of their income to Jesus who saved them—they say “If this is what committed believers do, I’m in.”
* When new believers are told that committed believers plug in to a weekly Bible Study to learn the Word of God and fellowship with other believers—they say, “If this is what committed believers do, give me the place, date and time; I’m in!”
* When new Christians are told that committed believers share their faith on a regular basis so that people can get saved just like they recently were, they say, “If this is what committed believers do, I’m in.”
Most new believers have no problem with commitment—if they are taught from the beginning that committed believers live this way.
Do you want to know who has problems with commitment? It is the person who has tried to follow Jesus for several years before learning what true commitment is all about.
It is for this reason Jesus set the bar high so that those who were interested in following Him would know what the cost is before they commit. Jesus would encourage people to “count the cost.”
When the walls of communism fell in Russia in the 1980’s the Gospel was brought in and many people were saved. A pastor friend of mine who had recently returned from Lafia, Russia, was amazed when he met church members who willingly walked several miles to get to church. In the same breath he said that he has members at his church who have a hard time walking from the car to the church building when it is raining.
Commitment is contagious. Jesus' commitment was so contagious that it was passed on to His disciples and transformed them from a pack of cowards to a band of men who were “more than conquerors.” This commitment was so contagious that, after the resurrection, each of His disciples, except Judas, were willing to die for Him.
* Peter - was crucified upside down, because he said he was unworthy to be crucified after the same form and manner as the Lord was.
* James the Great - was beheaded at the hand of Herod Agrippa in A.D. 44.
* Philip - was scourged, thrown into prison, and afterwards crucified, A.D. 54.
* Matthew - was slain with a pickax in the city of Nadabah, A.D. 60.
* James the Less - At the age of ninety-four he was beaten and stoned by the Jews; and finally had his brains dashed out with a club.
* Matthias - was stoned at Jerusalem and then beheaded.
* Andrew - was taken and crucified on a cross.
* Mark - was dragged to pieces.
* Jude - The brother of James, called Thaddeus, was crucified at Edessa, A.D. 72.
* Bartholomew - Was cruelly beaten and then crucified in India.
* Thomas - Called Didymus, was martyred by being thrust through with a spear.
* Luke – Is said to have been hanged on an olive tree in Greece.
* Simon - was crucified, A.D. 74.
* John - was cast into a cauldron of boiling oil in Rome. He escaped by miracle, without injury. Afterwards banished him to the Isle of Patmos, where he wrote the Book of Revelation. He was the only apostle who escaped a violent death.
* Paul - gave his neck to the sword.
Commitment is contagious. But a lack of commitment or indifference is also contagious.
Earlier we learned that the New York Times referred to this generation as “The Uncommitted Generation.”
Much of the disloyalty, unfaithfulness and fickle-mindedness we are seeing in our day has developed over time and has been passed down from one generation to the next. This is the principal that says, “Some things are better caught than taught.”
For example, our children are watching us. They are listening to us. They observe us as we take a sick day when we are not sick or just have nothing more than a headache or the sniffles. They learn from us when we are willing to end a friendship over a petty disagreement. They watch what we say and do when a church member rubs us the wrong way. They observe us to see how we handle the challenges of marriage.
Many of those who have divorced were themselves children who saw their parents’ divorce. Many who today snort crack grew up under parents who smoked marihuana and shot heroin. These parents grew up under parents who abused alcohol.
The sad thing is that what we do in moderation, our children do to the excess. What we indulge in our children overindulge.
4.) The Person of Commitment
When it comes to commitment, Jesus uttered some of the most challenging words of His public ministry:
(Luke 6:46 NKJV) "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say?
A definition of commitment: Commitment is a decision to follow through on a promise. Interestingly, the Latin root of “decide” is decidere, literally “to cut off all other possibilities.” That’s the meaning of commitment—to cut off all other possibilities.
This definition is illustrated in Jesus' infamous qualification for discipleship:
"If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. "And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. (Luke 14:26-27 NKJV)
He is saying that your level for commitment to Him must rise above your commitment to any other person or thing in life. Your devotion to Him should be so intense that everyone or everything else takes a back seat to Him--everyone and everything should be cut out of first place. Cut off all other possibilities!
You may have heard the story of the chicken and the pig. Both wanted to serve breakfast to the farmer who they loved so dearly. The chicken suggested a menu consisting of bacon and eggs. The pig snapped back, “All that’s required from you is a contribution, but I have to be totally committed!”
Like the chicken, some Christians think they are committed when all they have done is given a contribution.
* It’s like the person who finds it easier to pick up some chicken from KFC for the church event when they have the ability to fry some.
* Or the person comes out “every now and then” to assist with the cleaning of the church when they should be a regular part of the housekeeping team.
* It’s like those who find it easier to pay a complement to the youth leader when they should serve as part of the team
Contributing to an effort is ok and very much needed in the church but don’t merely contribute or “chip in every now and then” when you should be committed to it.
The contributor says: "I don't have the time…"
The committed Christian lives in light of the Scripture that says: Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. (Eph 5: 15-16 NIV)
The contributor says: "If I'm going to get hurt while helping you, it is not worth it."
The committed Christian says: By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. (1 John 3:16 NKJV)
The contributor says: "What's in it for me…"
The committed Christian says: "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Gal 2:20 NKJV)
The contributor says: "I've got mine, let them get theirs…"
The committed Christian believes: But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. (1 John 3:17-18 NKJV)
Are you a committed Christian or are you just a contributor? This is the commitment that Christians are called to.
You will not reach this level of commitment until you come to the realization that “Only one life ‘twill soon be past, but only what’s done for Christ will last.”
You will not reach this level of commitment until you come to the realization that Christ is your all and He’s everything to you. This leads to our last point: The Pursuit of Commitment
5. The Pursuit of Commitment
A young man, who was desperately in love with a young lady, in a letter to her wrote:
“I’m willing to endure the frigid cold of the arctic, and Cross the burning sands of the desert, and Climb the highest mountains, and Swim the widest ocean, just to be in your presence.”
Then he closed his letter by saying, "p.s. I’ll see you Tuesday night if it doesn't rain!"
Do you know why people have a hard time with commitment?
Commitment is viewed negatively because it limits our ability to feel independent and free. Commitment is viewed negatively because it limits our ability to change our minds on the spur of the moment and to focus on self-gratification rather than helping others.
People willingly make commitments only when the expected outcome exceeds what they must sacrifice as a result of that commitment. In other words, if there is a profit…if there is a big payoff…they will commit.
Jesus’ principle of "profit and loss" is different from the world's version. Jesus says in Luke 9:24, "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.”
Jesus’ version of profit and loss says that if you save your life you will lose it. In John 12:25 He says, “He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”
When a person has a problem committing, their problem isn’t with the object of their commitment—the spouse, the job, the church or the bill collector; the problem is with the source of their commitment.
In other words, if you have to “look inside of yourself…If you have to muster up the commitment you need from the inner recesses of you, you’re going to have problems.
If the source of your commitment is you it will fizzle out with worry, anxiety and selfishness (Mark 4:19). But if the source of your commitment is God, it will last. Commitment rises or falls, increases or decreases, sinks or swims, depending on the kind of commitment you have toward God.
When you commit yourself and your ways to God, you are no longer alone in your commitment. A spiritual transaction occurs. Psalm 37:5 says, “Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.”
For example, when it comes to commitment in marriage, in Ephesians 5, Paul tells the wife “to subject herself to her husband as unto Christ.” He tells the husband to love his wife “like Christ so loved the church and gave himself for her.”
In Ephesians 6, Paul tells children to obey their parents “in the Lord.”
In 1 Peter 2, Peter tells the employee to submit to the employee with all respect for “this finds favor with God.”
In Ephesians 5:21 the members of the church at Ephesus were told to submit to one another “in the fear of Christ.”
In 2 Corinthians chapter 8:4, Paul praised the Macedonian believers for financially supporting him as he served the Lord. He said that they “gave according to their ability and then beyond their ability.” In the verse that followed Paul tells us the key to this level of commitment: “they first gave themselves to the Lord and then to us by the will of God.”
When you fail to commit in your marriage, in the church or on your job, your problem isn’t with the marriage, church or job, your problem is the source from which are drawing your strength.
God has promised to commit Himself to you if you first commit yourself to Him.
If you are having difficulty committing your finances to Him, in the book of Malachi God says, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this," says the LORD of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven, and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.” (Mal 3:10)
If you are fretting about committing your time to the Lord because you are busy trying to make ends meet, Jesus says in Matthew 6:31-33, “Do not be anxious then, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'With what shall we clothe ourselves?' For all these things the pagans eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.”
When you are born into the world you are given a choice as to who you will commit to. Will you commit yourself to God or will you fulfill the lusts of your flesh?
Will you commit yourself to serving the King of kings or will commit your life to the service of the devil. This choice is illustrated in the story of the lamb and the wolf:
The lamb was desperate. A huge wolf was on its heels and rapidly gaining ground. Seeing a temple nearby, the lamb made a quick decision and dashed through a narrow opening in the wall.
The wolf smiled a wicked smile as he said to the lamb, "You might as well come out; the priest working in that temple will sacrifice you if he catches you in there." The lamb thought for a moment and then replied, "I choose to stay here. It is better to be sacrificed to God than to be devoured by you."
Satan devours all who are in bondage to him. God liberates all who are committed to Him. Which do you choose? Commitment separates the doers from the dreamers. Are you here to only offer a contribution or would you like with the help of the Lord to make a commitment?
There are three commitments I would like for you to consider today:
1.) If you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you need to commit yourself to Him for deliverance from the penalty of sin.
2.) If you are already a Christian you need to commit yourself to Christian service.
3.) If you are a Christian without a church home, you need to commit yourself to a family of believers.
