Resistance To Commitment

Resistance to Commitment

Resistance by it’s very definition means to withstand or fight against.. so the question I have is, How hard is it for you to resist? For me sometimes, it’s almost impossible! Here’s what I mean. You’ve already had two pieces of cake, there is only one piece left. You know you shouldn’t, but how hard is it to resist. The cashier at the super market gives you back five dollars too much change, you know the store has ripped you off before and despite that you had to stand in line for ten minutes, how hard is it to resist? Some jerk driver cuts you off and then proceeds to drive seven miles under the speed limit, how hard is it to resist? Finally, your Savior calls you to total Commitment in your life, how hard is it to resist! This morning, we will be looking at Resistance, and why we sometimes resist God’s call for commitment in our lives!

I. RESISTANCE BECAUSE WE ARE AFRAID

I know it sounds crazy, but just hear me out. Sometimes I think we resist commitment, because we are afraid. What are we afraid of you might ask, for one thing we are afraid to fail! We don’t like the idea of someone rejecting us, laughing at us or making fun of us. I don’t know about you, but the idea of someone teasing me, really scares me. So, how do we get beyond that fear of failure? One way is by leaning on the words of (Deut 31:6 where God has said, Never will I leave you; Never will I forsake you.) You say Chris, those are good words and all, but I’m still afraid. Is there any more help? The answer is,Yes! (Heb 13:6 states,... The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?) The answer to this question is, Nothing! As long as Jesus is you helper, your strength and your provider. The only thing people can do, is reject Your Message. A message given not by you, but by a Living and Awesome God! As God told Samuel, they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me as King!

Another reason, I feel people resist that total commitment in their lives, is because they are afraid, not to fail, but rather they are afraid to succeed! Many times in our lives, God opens doors for us to serve Him, but we don’t walk through the door because we know God has great things in store. You don’t have to look any further than the prophet Jonah. It would remember, God called Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach the Word to the pagan people there. Johan, didn’t think this would be a good idea so, he takes off for the city of Tarshish. You know what happens after that, a whale (great fish) swallows Jonah and to make a long story short, he go’s to Ninevah. While preaching in Nivevah something

Unexpected happens (Jon 3:8 says, The Ninevites believed God) and because they believed God, He decides not to destroy the city. This doesn’t make Jonah very happy and Jonah is so upset that these pagans have believed, that he just wants to Die! All I can say, is poor Jonah! And all I can say, is poor committed Christian, who is unwilling to walk through the door of commitment, because he’s afraid to succeed! Refusing to walk through the door because your afraid to succeed, can only be summed up by one word, and that is selfish!

II. RESISTANCE BECAUSE OF SELFISHNESS

We say God, I’ll give you my Sunday morning and because I’m feeling generous, I’ll throw in my Sunday night. But God, don’t even think about asking for my Saturday night. You see because that’s the night I go bowling. And God, Mondays aren’t going to work out either. You see, I have to work late and then the Cowboys are playing the Packers on Monday night football. Oh and by the way God, I should mention that the rest of the week is sort of hectic right now with the wife and family and all, so I’ll get back to you, when I have more time. Sometimes I’ve noticed that we have a tendency to brush off God, because of things that WE want to do. I know I’ve done it, how about you? (Jas 3:16 says, For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every practice). I don’t know about you, but I’ve found in my own life, when everything is about me,me, me. Things in my life seem to be in disorder. I find myself losing the battle with temptation and sin in life. However when I read the words of (Phil 2:3-4 where it says, Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others) When I start to get my priorities in check, I find that my commitment is not far behind. I find that when I start to let go, my attitude changes and becomes more like a totally committed Christian! So this morning, I need to ask, How are your priorities? Do they reflect the life, you say your living or does there need to be some serious adjustments!