TITLE: Three Vital Commitments
SUBTITLE: You Present You
TOPIC: Commitment
TEXT: Romans 12:1-2
[Adapted from a sermon by John Hamby, A Call To Commitment, which can be found on Sermon Central.]
I want to introduce you to a hypothetical church member that we will call Kenny.
§ Kenny began his ecclesiastical journey at First Church, but he left because the congregation was too large and every one on the platform wore a tie.
§ After leaving First Church, Kenny and his family moved to Christian Worship Center because they had a great choir.
§ Before long, Kenny found fault with the pastor of Christian Worship Center, so he moved his family to Christ Community Church because of the great bible teaching.
§ In August of last year the youth program at New Life caught his eye, so Kenny moved his family to New Life.
§ Two Sundays ago Kenny and his family moved to Temple Revival Center. Temple is in the seventh week of a revival that started the Sunday after Thanksgiving. The evangelist has oil coming out of his hands and is telling people their Social Security numbers. Kenny and his family are now members of Temple, at least until something else better comes along.
John Hamby, A Call To Commitment
According to pollster George Barna, 40% or about 110 million of the adult American population attends church on a typical weekend.
§ Where are these millions on any given Sunday morning?
§ On any typical Sunday morning thousands of churches have more empty pews than full ones?
§ Some Churches have closed there Sunday evening services, not because they have a better plan, but because of low or no attendance.
§ Why is it that the average Sunday School in America has less than 66 in attendance and that the average worship service is attended by 84 people?
§ Why is it that only 50% of the number on any church membership roll can be expected to attend?
You might be interested in knowing that George Barna’s 40% includes Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Catholics and so on. A more accurate figure for the evangelical community is 8%.
According to a 1996 Barna Research statistic, "three in ten adults (31%) see hell as an actual location: ’a place of physical torment where people may be sent.’" (1996) Yet less than one out of every ten regular attendees of Christian churches give 10% or more of their income - a "tithe" - to their church. In addition to this, 5% of those who claim to be Church members do 100% of the work.
Simply stated:
10% of the Church’s membership supports the Church financially.
05% of the Church’s membership does 100% of the work.
If 110 million people really believe in a real heaven and a real Hell, how can they be so uncommitted in their attendance, their finances and their labors?
Charles Stanley’s answer to all of these questions is tragically simple:
QUOTE: God’s people have made a decision about Jesus….but have never made a commitment to Him.” [Charles Stanley. Confronting Casual Christianity. (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1985) pp. 23-33.]
There is a difference between a decision and a commitment, between commitment and involvement.
According to statistics at least 50% of all marriages will end in divorce. Why? Could it be that 50% of these couples make a decision but do not make a commitment? Every one of them made a decision! They stood before a preacher and made promises, recited vows and exchanged ring. They made a decision! They kissed each other and walked out together, but they weren’t committed to the health and welfare of their marriage. They made a decision, but they did not truly commit their lives to each other. On the other hand, the other 50% made and kept their commitment to one another and today they are living in holy matrimony instead of a hellish mess.
The same is true of the Church. The reason that some Churches are not making more of an impact in our society is that many church members made a decision about Christ, but have not made a commitment to Christ.
QUOTE: George Barna suggests that many Americans may have fallen in love with faith rather than the object of their faith. He said: "It’s much less demanding to be devoted to the idea of faith than to invest yourself in a true relationship with the living God. The data raise the question of just what people have become infatuated with: the idea of being a person of faith or the reality of having an intimate, growing relationship with Jesus Christ."
ILL: When the pilot of a giant airliner is speeding down the runway, there is a point where staying on the ground is no longer an option. When he crosses that line, he is committed to being airborne. Either he will take off or a disastrous crash is imminent. He can no longer change his mind. He, by virtue of his actions, is committed to fly or die.
Unfortunately churches are filled with members who are not committed to being airborne. They have been planning on it, meaning to, wanting to, thinking about it, going to, aiming to, hoping to, but tragedy of tragedies, they’re still sitting in the hanger.
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)
The presentation that Paul calls for is a voluntary act—"you present you."
Under the OT sacrificial system the animal to be sacrificed was committed to the priest, who killed it and burned it on the altar. In the NT economy the believer is told that he must present himself as a “living sacrifice.” In Paul’s mind the believer is both the offerer and the offering. He is not offering something extrinsic, rather he is giving himself in total commitment to God.
In such a situation there is no such thing as “a partial commitment.” It is impossible to be “sort of committed.” You are either committed or you are not committed. It is not possible to be a partial sacrifice.
ILL: “A pig and a chicken were walking down the road together. As they walked along they read a sign advertising a breakfast to benefit the poor. The chicken said to the pig, “You and I should donate a ham and egg breakfast.” The pig replied, “Not so fast, for you it would just be a contribution, but for me it would be a total commitment.”
[Paul Lee Tan. Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations. (Rockville, Maryland: Assurance Pub., 1984) # 5211]
ILL: There is no such thing as a kamikaze pilot who completed 40 missions.
Likewise, to commit ourselves to God means that we yield ourselves to him, surrender to him, abandon ourselves to him, entrust ourselves to him and place ourselves completely at His disposal. True commitment is not something that you take back.
Verse two says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed…”
There are two words in the original Greek that deserve special attention. The first is the word translated “conformed” this is the word that we get our English word “scheme” from. It refers to an outward conformation that is contrary to inner reality. As believers indwelt by the Spirit of God, we have no business allowing the world to shape us into its image.
The second word is the word translated “transformed.” This is the term from which we get our English word “metamorphosis.” It refers to an inner change, which has outwardly observable manifestations. This is not something you do yourself, rather is a progressive work of the Holy Spirit that requires the cooperation of the believer.
That which began with total commitment ends with the “proving” or recognition of the genuineness of God’s will—that it is good, acceptable and perfect.
In light of the importance of total commitment, I would like us to consider three clear calls to commitment that every believer has to face.
COMMITMENT TO A PERSON
We are called to commit ourselves to a person—Jesus Christ. Matthew tells us that…
Matthew 4:18-20 – While Jesus was walking along the shore of Lake Galilee, he saw two brothers. One was Simon, also know as Peter, and the other was Andrew. They were fishermen, and they were casting their net into the lake. Jesus said to them, "Come with me! I will teach you how to bring in people instead of fish." Right then the two brothers dropped their nets and went with Him."
Jesus calls us to follwership. The term "come" carries with it two important messages.
§ First, "come with Me" demands a change of location and at times a change of vocation. If we are going to follow Jesus, then we must "leave" where we are and what we are occupied with. We must occupy ourselves with following Him.
§ Second, "come with Me" demands immediacy—"come now." There is no time for deliberation or for the arrival of convenience. Peter and Andrew demonstrated their understanding of the urgency of Christ’s "come," for in verse twenty Matthew tells us, "Right then the two brothers dropped their nets and went with Him."
Jesus calls us to follwership! He calls us to leave our nets—whatever keeps us from following Him—whatever prevents us from obeying His call—and to immediately follow Him.
COMMITMENT TO A PURPOSE
In addition to being called to follow Jesus, we are called to learn from Jesus.
The phrase "I will teach you" conveys the idea of being equipped and enabled. It suggests that Jesus wants to replace our ignorance with His wisdom and our weakness with His power. He will do everything necessary to get us into the business of fishing for people.
1. He will teach us the skills,
2. Give us the tools and
3. Empower us to be effective communicators of the Gospel,
but we must do the going and we must do it immediately.
The purpose of Jesus is clearly stated in Luke’s Gospel.
Luke 19:10 - The Son of Man came to look for and to deliver people who are lost.
Luke 5:32 – I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.
Jesus passed this task on to His disciples when He said, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to every creature" (Mk. 16:15).
All too often we relegate the fulfillment of the great commission to missionaries on some foreign field, but it is an at home task as well as a foreign task.
ILL: Author and preacher Tony Campolo said that when his wife, Peggy, was at home full-time with their children and someone would ask, "And what is it that you do, my dear?" she would respond, "I am socializing two Homo sapiens into the dominant values of the Judeo-Christian tradition in order that they might be instruments for the transformation of the social order into the kind of eschatological utopia that God willed from the beginning of creation."
Then Peggy would ask the other person, "And what do you do?"
John Ortberg and Ruth Haley, An Ordinary Day with Jesus (Zondervan, 2001), p. 122.
If we build a successful ministry, win the world and yet fail to reach our own children with the Gospel, we will reap grief. If we do not reach our children, then who will reach them and with what? Our first line of responsibility concerning evangelism is in our own family and home. It is a responsibility we cannot shun without great grief and hardship.
People ridicule the Church, but in so doing they reveal their ignorance of the vital place the Church plays in God’s plan for the people of this planet. The local church with all its imperfections is God’s instrument. Those who “forsake the assembling of themselves together” (Heb 10:25) evidence ignorance of the benefits of corporate fellowship and forfeit the power of a corporate identity.
Together, as His Body, we can accomplish His purpose. Together, we can reach the world with the life-changing message of the Gospel. People intend to get involved, but something more important always comes up. And while we procrastinate people die without Jesus, people who might have been reached if we weren’t so casual in our concern for their souls.
ILL: 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. Now 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!
There is no Law made that can motivate you to become a passionate follower of Jesus. This kind of commitment is sourced in one thing—LOVE--but love of this kind will make you vulnerable.
ILL: In the movie First Knight, Lancelot (played by Richard Gere) is a wanderer and highly skilled swordsman who fights for whoever will pay him. Seeing a princess and her entourage under attack in the woods, he decides to save her. Attracted to the princess, Guinevere, he later visits her in Camelot, where an annual festival is taking place. Unfortunately for him, Guinevere is to be wed to King Arthur (Sean Connery) at a later date.
In one particular scene, King Arthur and Camelot’s values of serving others and something greater than yourself is contrasted with Lancelot’s selfish and solitary lifestyle. Following Lancelot’s success at "running the gauntlet," an impossible obstacle course of swinging boulders and axes, King Arthur privately meets Lancelot. Arthur is thoroughly impressed with Lancelot’s ability to run the gauntlet, and wants to know how he did it. Lancelot responds that fear caused others to fail, but "I have nothing to lose, so what have I to fear?" He has no home and no family. Proudly he claims, "I live by my sword."
As they walk toward the room that holds the Round Table, King Arthur tells Lancelot what Camelot’s values are: "Here we believe that every life is precious, even the lives of strangers. If you must die, die serving something greater than yourself. Better still, live and serve."
At the Round Table, where the High Council of Camelot meets, King Arthur tells him the table has no head or foot; they are all equal, even the King. Lancelot reads the inscription on the table: "In serving each other we become free." King Arthur remarks: "That is the very heart of Camelot. Not these stones, timbers, towers, palaces. Burn them all, and Camelot lives on. Because it lives in us, it’s a belief we hold in our hearts."
King Arthur invites Lancelot to stay in Camelot, but Lancelot wants to be on the road, wherever chance takes him. As he’s leaving, King Arthur tells him: "Lancelot, just a thought. A man who fears nothing is a man who loves nothing. And if you love nothing, what joy is there in your life?"
If you love a soul more than you love your own life and if you live to bring that soul to Christ, then I can promise you there will be pain, but I can also promise you that you will experience the highest joy.
We must be lovingly committed to the person of Christ and the purpose of Christ, but we must also be committed to the people of Christ.
COMMITMENT TO A PEOPLE
The Church is God’s idea and was purchased by the death of Jesus Christ. In light of that I would dare say that the people who make up the Church are important to the Christ of God.
For some gathering with the people of God and active participation in ministry are not as important as visiting Grandpa’s grave, calling their college roommate, going to a concert, or viewing an new wing of the art museum.
ILL: D. L. Moody was visiting a prominent Chicago citizen when the idea of church membership and involvement came up.
"I believe I can be just as good a Christian outside the church as I can be inside it," the man said.
Moody said nothing. Instead, he moved to the fireplace, blazing against the winter outside, removed one burning coal, and placed it on the hearth.
The two men sat together and watched the ember die out.
"Now I understand," the other man said.
Citation: Keith Long, Room to Grow (Hendrickson, 1999), quoted in Men of Integrity (3.2)
ILL: Most people choose a church based on the quality of its service, but for Rich Mullins, the most important ingredient was not the dynamism of the leaders, but the devotion of the people.
Eric Hauck (a close friend of Mullins) recalls being with Rich in a worship service only a few days before Rich died in a car accident. Some friends wanted to have a gathering for praising God. They encouraged everyone who had an instrument to bring it and play. Eric recalls that the music sounded awful. Even those who led the singing sang out of tune.
Someone asked Eric and Rich to lead the group for the rest of the evening. Rich went up to the microphone and said, "I love to be in the church. I love to listen to people sing and play with their hearts. In my profession (contemporary Christian music) we worry about being in tune and sounding good. But this music is the music that is the most pleasing to God, because it is so real, and it comes from the hearts of the children of God."
Eric concludes, "As he said this, he got choked up. It was the last time I saw Rich cry."
Church was an emotional experience for Rich, not because of how exciting the worship was, but because he felt he was communing with the saints. Jimmy Abegg, a member of Rich’s Ragamuffin band, said, "For Rich, even an hour in a bad church was better than not going at all."
James Bryan Smith, Rich Mullins: An Arrow Pointing to Heaven (Broadman and Holman, 2000
Commitment to church is deeper than just attending worship services, although it does begin there. Commitment to the Church is a commitment to people. It involves heart relationships that transcend economic and racial boundaries. It means that when you hurt I hurt and your joy is my joy. Instead of standing away from you when you go through a problem I come close. When you weep, I weep. When you laugh, I laugh.
If we are going to be a church, then we must do more than look at the back of someone’s head on a Sunday morning. We must get to know the people we gather with. Such relationships are built in small groups like a Sunday school class, cell meeting or prayer group. You will never truly feel a part of this church or any church by merely attending the Sunday morning services and going home. Be Involved!!!
If you have a heart to minister to young boys, then get involved in Royal Rangers. If you have a heart for street people, then talk to Ricky Nolan. If you want to learn more about ministry to young people, talk with Tod Hibbard. Get involved!
Perhaps you didn’t know it, but every Sunday morning at 10:00 A.M. we conduct Sunday morning Bible Classes for every age group that lives in you house. Our teachers prepare diligently and show up faithfully because they want to minister to your family. I believe you and your family will benefit from their ministry, so give them a chance.
Our worship team practices and prays for each service. They do their best to provide us with an opportunity to worship God. Encourage them. Support them. Pray for them. If you really want to bless them, worship with them!
Commitment to a local body of believers also demands loyalty to one another. When we criticize our church or one another to the outside community we are shooting ourselves in the foot or as my grandmother would say, “were cutting off our nose to spite our face.” Who is going to come with you to a church that you have torn down? You need to be loyal to the staff and workers of this church. If you have concerns then go directly to the person concerned, not to your neighbor or fellow workers at your place of employment. Some of us spend more time talking about each other to our neighbors than we do telling them about Christ. No, the people in this Church aren’t perfect, but then neither are you. Don’t be guilty of spreading seeds of discontent. Be loyal!!!
When you miss the services of your own church to attend “something special” at another church you’re sending a message. Show others the same kind of support you want them to show to you.
Some of you need to make a commitment to get involved in the life of Point Assembly. Others of us need to make a fresh commitment to be faithful to gathering of the saints here at Point. Still others need to commit to support the corporate efforts of Point Assembly with their prayers, presence and pocketbook.
Get involved in a Sunday school class. Become a contributor to the ongoing health and life of Point Assembly. Get to know the other people of this church. If you do you’ll discover people like Brian & Brandy Brown, Greg and Janice Hancock, Arnold and Jeanette Jordan, Trish, the Burke family and many others. Invite people outside of your current circle to your home for fellowship. Be loyal to your brothers and sisters who are a part of this local body of believers.
Use the gifts God has sovereignly placed within you for the edification of the members of this body and the advancement of the God’s kingdom. Allow God’s Spirit to express himself through you and thereby bless others. Quit hiding! Get involved!
CONCLUSION
Will you join me in making a commitment? If you have not committed yourself to the Lord, then you need to begin there, but once you have committed yourself to the Lord will you commit yourself to follow Jesus?
Will you join me in making a fresh commitment to the purpose of Jesus?
Will you commit yourself to the people of this body? Don’t allow yourself to be distracted from being a part of the church. Be Involved. Commit yourself to building new relationships with in the people of this fellowship. Be loyal. You will never get your neighbor to visit a church that you are constantly finding fault with. Talk about the good things God is doing through the members of this local body.
Will you make a commitment that you are going to look for opportunities to put your talents and abilities to work? The greatest ability is availability. Don’t wait for someone to ask you, volunteer to help.
If we all make those commitments today, this could be the best year I and you and Point Assembly have ever experienced! Together we can make a difference. Together we can make Point Assembly the Church God intended it to be!!!!
CREDITS:
I am greatly indebted to:
§ Selfish uninvolved Church people.
§ John Hamby’s sermon, A Call To Commitment, the skeletal model from which I constructed my version of his sermon.
§ A dear friend who asks me tough questions.
§ Other contributions were made by friends from the AOG EDG. Thanks, Mike, Nancy, Duane, Doug and others!!
WHEN & WHERE
Point Assembly on January 5, 2003.
