Why Commit? (part one)
Thesis: Why should I commit my way to the Lord’s way? Because I will then dwell in the promised land of safe pasture and God will give me the desires of my heart. All I have to do is commit my way to Him and he promises he will do these things.
Text:
Psalm 37:1-5
1 Do not fret because of evil men
or be envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.
3 Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:
Introduction:
Many today say they don’t want to commit. But the truth is they make a commitment to not commit which is a commitment. They commit to not commit.
The truth is you can decide to commit or not decide to commit which is a commitment any way.
Webster’s Dictionary tells me that - Commit means to entrust, to give charge, to perform, to pledge.
In my search for the definition of Commit I actually looked at one dictionary which did not even have the word commit in it. I guess they were not committed to commitment.
As I continued my search for an explanation of what it means to commit I discovered that commit also means to hand over for safe keeping. In other words to commit something of value to someone else to keep safe secure. I paused for a moment and thought that’s what the Lord does when I commit to him – he takes my life and keeps it safe and secure.
I pressed on in my search committed to finding out what commit meant. I also realized that commit means to pledge allegiance to something. In essence it’s like when we use to pledge allegiance to the flag in school every morning. The flag and saying the Pledge represented our commitment to the United States of America but then I thought but many today feel it’s Unconstitutional to commit to saying the pledge because no one should be forced to commit to a country if they don’t want to. So many schools have done away with committing to commit to the pledge of allegiance and to the USA.
I pressed on in my research to see and understand that to commit means that you become involved. Webster’s Dictionary told me that you commit only when you become involved. I paused after reading that and thought I agree you can only be committed when your involved in that which you are committed to.
I then explored another Dictionary called Thorndike and Barhardt’s Advanced Dictionary. They told me that commit usually means and is applied to a person who commits to doing something wrong. This means they commit to criminal behavior or they commit to sin. Wow I thought this advanced dictionary implies that to commit usually applies to doing something wrong rather than doing something good.
As I continued my study of what it means to commit I came across a story of Michelangelo from Maxwell’s book 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader pages 16-18.
(Read the Story)
I discovered that Michelangelo was committed to painting the Sistine Chapel and doing his best because “God would see!” if he really was committed to this task for the Lord.
My week moved on and I stayed committed to discovering what commitment really was. I was surprised to receive a letter from my Brother-in-law Tim this week: Reference parts of it to the Church!
Tim had to learn in life that since he rejected the Lord he then committed to doing things his way which was the wrong way, the way of sin, the way of evil and he has discovered that evil ways lead to repercussions that pay heavy prices. I praise the Lord he has re-dedicated his life to Jesus Christ. I believe the Lord has forgiven him and he is happier even though he is in the worse jail in the country. Learn a lesson here church – sin pays a a heavy price! You may make a commitment to liver your life apart from God but believe me soon as you cut the root from God you begin to wither!
Illustration of my Model Building Class.
I had an interesting week this week teaching a model building class. I had a bunch of students ranging in age from 9-13. I became a little frustrated with some of them this week when they refused to follow directions and as a result they where always confused and lost in building their models. Sometimes they would do it wrong and say “I am missing parts!” I would bring them back to the directions and say did you follow directions “No they would say I skipped that part.” I would point them back to the right step and they would say “Know I get it!” and proceed. Others would say, “My models messed up, it’s defective.” “No” I would say it’s because you skipped steps 1-3! GO back and do it right. Amazingly when they followed directions the model looked great. When they did not they got lost, frustrated, upset, discouraged, and some wanted to just quit. All because they refused to follow the directions and work the process through as designed by the blue print.
Through out the week I learned to repeat “You must commit to reading and following the directions, because you cannot be a model without following the directions.” One kid said to me,” This is hard!” I said, “That’s why you have to commit to taking it one step at a time, But the key is you must be committed to following the directions and to doing it right for it to turn out right in the end”
The truth is this same principle applies to living life. To have you life turn out right requires you to follow the directions while you are building it, if you skip parts you get messed up confused, frustrated and discouraged. So God will come along to us at these teachable moments and tell us Mike you must go back and redo step 6 my way and it will work. But you must commit to following my directions for your life for it to turn out right.
T.S. - Lets look at Why we should we commit to the way of the Lord according to Psalm 37! David tells us why we should commit and he knew by experience the benefits of being willing to commit your way to Gods way. He actually uses a time in his life to teach us about the importance of staying committed to the Lord in good times and bad times.
1. David tells us that evil men will suffer the consequence of refusing to commit to God by facing the reality of death.
a. Psalm 37:1, 2 “Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.”
i. His first lesson on commitment is that we need to follow the instruction-the direction- that we should not worry and be envious of evil men and their wrong doings.
1. I must admit I get worried over the condition of our nation because of the evil that men and women do.
2. Lord tells me not to worry about it- you do what is right – do good commit to me! I have all things in control. You just do your part.
a. The truth is if I allow the evil to get to me or to influence me it will drive me to give up. I cannot allow that to happen. I must stay committed even if everyone else decides to defect to the other side.
b. I cannot worry over what others do or do not do!
c. I also cannot not become envious over how the wicked prosper. The truth is they may look wealthy, happy or prosperous but inside they are not. And like David says they are withering away.
i. This week I watched a show called the 101 most shocking entertainment moments.
ii. I was amazed to see so many famous people who appeared to be prospering and very wealthy all of a sudden ended their lives in tragedy.
1. I saw how well known celebrities lives ended in suicide, in drug over doses, in alcoholism, murdered, depressed and hopeless, and how they ended up divorced over and over.
2. I must admit I knew some of these celebrities from TV and the Movies and I thought I wish I had what they had. But the truth is they did not have what they needed most and that was the Lord.
3. They withered away just like David said they would.
4. You might wonder where David got this insight from. Truth is he observed a guy by the name of King Saul. He watched him wither away!
5. David knows by observing what happened to Saul that those who do not commit to the way of the Lord will wither away and die just like plants without nourishment and sunshine.
6. If you recall Saul started out blessed – he looked good - he was green and healthy but when he broke his commitment to the Lord he started to wither and die at that moment.
b. The truth is if you commit you actually receive life and purpose for life.
i. It’s back to Warren’s statement: “Set your mind on eternity not the here and now!”
1. 1 Peter 4:19
12Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. 13But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 17For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18And,
“If it is hard for the righteous to be saved,
what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”
19So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
* Scripture here tells us that we need to commit to the Lord and to doing things his way even if it is hard. We have to make sure that we personally are committed to the cause of Christ. If we are committed to it- if we pledge allegiance to the cross it will drive us through and we will have lives that produce good fruit. We cannot allow those behaving badly to influence us to drop our commitment to the cause of Christ.
ii. Quote C.S. Lewis and Rick Warren pg. 37 from Purpose Driven Life:
1. “There are two kinds of people: those who say to God ’Thy will be done’ and those to whom God says, ‘All right, then have it your way.’ Tragically, many people will have to endure eternity without God because they chose to live without him here on earth.” Warren adds “When you fully comprehend that there is more to life than just here and now, and you realize that life is just preparation for eternity, you will begin to live differently. You will start living in light of eternity, and that will color how you handle every relationship, task and circumstance’ (37, Warren).
iii. I know many of you here today have imagined what it would be like to be a celebrity and to be rich and famous and have money and fame. Truth is GOD WANTS YOU TO KNOW –“DO NOT ENVY WHAT THEY HAVE but BE COMMITTED TO ME AND MY WAY AND YOUR LIFE WILL ACCOMPLISH MORE THAN WHAT 10 OF THEM HAVE DONE.”
iv. Maxwell notes that in this life there are four types of people when it comes to commitment:
1. Cop-outs – People who have no goals and do not commit.
2. Holdouts – People who don’t know if they can reach their goals, so they’re afraid to commit.
3. Dropouts – People who start toward a goal but quit when the going gets tough.
4. All-outs – People who set goals, commit to them, and pay the price to reach them. (page 20)
T.S. –David is exhorting us in Psalm 37 to get focused and be committed to the right kind of life. This means being committed to doing things God’s way because then we will grow and sprout. David also tells us in Psalm 37 that those who are committed will do good works which will bring great rewards especially peace in life.
2. David notes that those who commit – trust - place their allegiance in God will then seek to do good (Psalm 37: 3).
a. “Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.”
i. David says those who are committed to the Lord will be recognized by the good that they do.
ii. One thing that I have noticed about individuals who have committed themselves 100% to the Lord is that they start doing good – it’s natural for them and things start moving in the right direction- supernaturally.
iii. When the Temple was dedicated by Solomon upon its completion he told the nation of Israel this “But your hearts must be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time” (I Kings 8:61)
1. Solomon who had received wisdom from God knew that the temple would not last unless the people of God committed themselves to 100% service to God.
a. They had to commit to live according to God’s plan and to regimentally everyday practice the necessary sacrifices as spelled out by God. If they forsook the Lord and broke their commitment to Him then they would suffer the consequence.
2. So their was an expectation that the people would do good on a daily basis!
iv. What does it mean to do good?
1. The New Testament tells us that you will know who has committed to the Lord by their fruit. In essence by their good works.
a. Galatians 5:22-26 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
b. Galatians makes it clear what type of good a committed believer will do on a daily basis.
b. In Solomon’s day the reward for this doing good by Israel was that they would continue to dwell in the Promised Land and be safe.
i. I honesty believe that the USA was and still to a degree has been protected for many years by the hand of God. For many years we have lived in an era of safety because God’s hand has protected the USA. I believe because we have been committed to Him but times are changing rapidly- there is no longer the commitment to God that once existed in this country and this country and all those in it will face the consequence of their choice to break their commitment to God.
ii. The sad truth is the USA has for the last 40 years started a major slide away from doing “Good”. Instead we have people doing things their way- choosing to commit to themselves and to evil rather than to doing and living good.
1. We see how far our nation has fallen by the immorality in this nation.
2. We see it blatantly on TV and in Movies like never before.
3. We see a blatant disregard for the word of God openly.
4. We see people re-writing and dismissing the truth of the word of God.
a. Just this week we see a major denomination deciding if homosexual relationships are godly.
b. I heard one gay supporting minister this week say the Holy Spirit approves of homosexual behavior. Friends this is a lie from the pit of hell.
i. The Holy Spirit does not contradict the Word.
ii. THE WORD IS WHAT WE ARE TO BE COMMITTED TOO BECAUSE IT PRODUCES THE GOOD WORKS.
iii. In Acts 20:32 Paul says this “I commit you to God and to the Word…”
iv. He said in 2 Cor. 5:19 “And he has committed to us the message (The word).”
v. God has given us his word and he has not changed his mind on what is sin. The Word is the law- the truth- the way- no other way works.
1. Side note he has not changed his mind on adultery-living together outside of marriage either it’s still sin and it will continue to be sin even if everyone in this nation practices it on a daily basis.
c. Read the Word they are NOT – Romans 1:18-32
5. We see in Congress the ones who are waging war against any judge who has a strong Christian witness. They do filibusters to stop their nominations why- they don’t want people doing good in our country.
a. They want judges who will vote to continue killing babies.
b. They want judges who will not oppose the sin of homosexuality.
iii. But we the people must rise up and decide to make a commitment to follow God in spite of what others would try to stop because the fate of our nation depends on it.
1. We must commit at this time: Upon receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986, Elie Wiesel encouraged listeners to... "Take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." We, too, must be willing to take a stand.
c. In 2 Chronicles 16:1-14 the seer of God Hanani gave a message to King Asa that because he did not rely on God he would face the consequence of his lack of commitment to Him.
i. Text:
1In the thirty-sixth year of Asa’s reign Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and fortified Ramah to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the territory of Asa king of Judah.
2Asa then took the silver and gold out of the treasuries of the LORD’S temple and of his own palace and sent it to Ben-Hadad king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus. 3“Let there be a treaty between me and you,” he said, “as there was between my father and your father. See, I am sending you silver and gold. Now break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel so he will withdraw from me.”
4Ben-Hadad agreed with King Asa and sent the commanders of his forces against the towns of Israel. They conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim and all the store cities of Naphtali. 5When Baasha heard this, he stopped building Ramah and abandoned his work. 6Then King Asa brought all the men of Judah, and they carried away from Ramah the stones and timber Baasha had been using. With them he built up Geba and Mizpah.
7At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him: “Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. 8Were not the Cushites and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen? Yet when you relied on the LORD, he delivered them into your hand. 9For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.”
10Asa was angry with the seer because of this; he was so enraged that he put him in prison. At the same time Asa brutally oppressed some of the people.
11The events of Asa’s reign, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 12In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the LORD, but only from the physicians. 13Then in the forty-first year of his reign Asa died and rested with his fathers. 14They buried him in the tomb that he had cut out for himself in the City of David. They laid him on a bier covered with spices and various blended perfumes, and they made a huge fire in his honor.
1. He stated in verse 9, “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You (Asa) have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.”
2. You see the nation walked away from GOD AND LOST their pasture of peace.
3. Many here today need to hear and understand this word applies today to their lives.
a. When you choose not to commit to God’s way you actually are committed to evil’s way and this is a foolish thing to do because God sees.
b. He also wants you to know that he cannot strengthen you in your life if you have walked away from his path. The result is you have no peace in your life!
d. Prophetic word to the USA: “If you continue on your path people of the United States I will totally lift my hand of protection from your soil. I will give you over to your evil ways and I will allow you to seek your own path of destruction through civil war and you own onslaught immorality. It has been My divine hand that has blessed your country and I been your protection. But if you continue to refuse to get under My umbrella of security and safe pasture then you will be removed from your land. Repent and commit your way back to me and my ways and you we see the blessings that I have for you and your country. Refuse to commit to me and my ways and see if what I say does not come to pass. An unwillingness to commit your ways to me will bring more war, more terrorism to your land. Do not look to your neighbors to blame or to those around you but look at your own heart and see your lack of commitment to my ways. Revival of this land starts with you!
e. It’s time for COMMUNION is the time to rededicate – re-commit your self to the Lord- Now is the Time! The truth is commitment starts in the heart! Maxwell states, “Some people want everything to be perfect before they’re willing to commit themselves to anything. But commitment always precedes achievement.”
i. Today is the day for you and I to re-commit our life to the Lord for the sake of this nation and this country. Communion is the right time to do this and we need to commit to looking at our own hearts and lives today.
ii. Read 1 Corinthians 11:23-32 (Message)
Let me go over with you again exactly what goes on in the Lord’s Supper and why it is so centrally important. I received my instructions from the Master himself and passed them on to you. The Master, Jesus, on the night of his betrayal, took bread. Having given thanks, he broke it and said,
“This is my body, broken for you.
Do this to remember me.”
After supper, he did the same thing with the cup:
“This cup is my blood, my new covenant with you.
Each time you drink this cup, remember me.”
What you must solemnly realize is that every time you eat this bread and every time you drink this cup, you reenact in your words and actions the death of the Master. You will be drawn back to this meal again and again until the Master returns. You must never let familiarity breed contempt.
Anyone who eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Master irreverently is like part of the crowd that jeered and spit on him at his death. Is that the kind of “remembrance” you want to be part of? Examine your motives, test your heart, come to this meal in holy awe.
If you give no thought (or worse, don’t care) about the broken body of the Master when you eat and drink, you’re running the risk of serious consequences. That’s why so many of you even now are listless and sick, and others have gone to an early grave. If we get this straight now, we won’t have to be straightened out later on. Better to be confronted by the Master now than to face a fiery confrontation later.
So, my friends, when you come together to the Lord’s Table, be reverent and courteous with one another.
f. Play -- Spiritual Patriotic music in the background give time for people to repent and get right with the Lord.
i. Open up Communion after a time of reflection!
T.S. – We have taken the time to allow the Holy Spirit to speak to our hearts about our commitment to the cause of Jesus. We now need to commit to delighting in the Lord or we will find ourselves right back in the same condition within days.
3. David tells us that we must learn to delight in the Lord. So what does it mean to delight in the Lord?
a. “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” What’s your desire?
i. Do you desire a spiritual renewal in this country?
ii. Do you desire to see morality as described by the bible reemerge in our society.
iii. Do you desire Christians in government office?
iv. Do you desire to see schools be a safe place again?
v. Do you desire to see this country be a safe pasture again?
vi. Do you desire to see people delivered from evil?
vii. Do you desire to see this community transformed with spiritual values?
viii. Do you desire to see crime decline?
ix. Do you desire to see drug abuse decline?
x. Do you desire to see the church full of changed people?
xi. Do you desire to see the economy improve?
xii. Do you desire to be a part of the solution rather part of the problem?
xiii. Do you desire to see your family impacted with positive influences?
xiv. Do you desire to see your wayward kids come back to the Lord?
xv. Do you desire to see hope?
xvi. Do you desire to see the light at the end of the tunnel?
xvii. Do you desire to be ready for eternity?
b. Then delight in the ways of the Lord and live by them.
i. Truth is when you delight in the ways of the Lord- you live by them they control you and guide you. Whatever you delight in is what drives your life.
ii. So what do you delight IN? It needs to be Jesus – It needs to be his way- Commit – Commit – Commit to His way!
c. David proclaims in our Teaching in Psalm 37:5 “Commit your way to the Lord; trust him and he will do this…!”
i. He is saying come on people do it – He is alive – It does make a difference- commit don’t resist and enjoy his presence.
ii. Anyone who has ever used a computer spell checker has seen some of the insane recommendations a spell checker will make for seemingly common words that, for some reason, were not included in the checker’s dictionary. A Lutheran Bishop, James Rave, was writing a column focusing on the need to lift up the name of Jesus in the marketplace. When he had finished typing the words into his word processor, he ran a spell check. The program stopped at the word "Jesus" with the comment, "Does not exist." This prompted a later column in which the bishop reminded his readers "Jesus does not exist in anybody’s vocabulary, including a spell-checker’s, until you intentionally insert it."
Conclusion:
The truth is that the one who is more committed is the one who wins. Maxwell states that this act separates the doers from the dreamers.
Maxwell gives good practical advice on How to improve your commitment:
1. Measure it.
Sometimes we think we are committed to something, yet our actions indicate otherwise. Take out your calendar and you checkbook register. Spend a few hours tallying up how you spend your time and where you spend your money. Look at how much time you spend at work, in service (to the Lord), with family, in health and recreation activities, and so forth.
Figure out how much money you spent on living expenses, entertainment, personal development, and giving. All these things are true measures of your commitment. You may be surprised by what you find (21).
2. Ask yourself the questions and answer honestly.
The second thing to do according to Maxwell is to ask your self the question “What am I willing to die for?”
Are you willing to commit to your faith commitment which you just made here today at Communion? Or are you going to walk out that door this morning and forget that you made a commitment to do things god’s way? That you made a commitment to do good? Or are you going to become a cop-out and a drop-out.
Truth is you are either committed to God or you are committed to Evil’s way! There is no in between!
