COMMITMENT
Luke 9:57-62
Introduction: The word “commitment” carries with it the idea of
entrusting ones’ self
to the care of another (committed to the hospital). Also inherent
in the word is the idea of remaining faithful or true to a pledge or promise. We
also understand the word to mean “a steadfast determination in seeing that we
fulfill to the utmost our obligations.”
A. In this
lesson we will consider what it means to be committed to Christ
1. Jesus
must be the focal point of all we believe and do
2. Unless
we see Jesus as the focal point, we are setting ourselves up for big
disappointments
B. We
will gain a better understanding of how we can measure true commitment
I. What
does it mean to be committed to Christ?
A. Most of
us understand what commitment is
1. The
boss wants you to work overtime or you make sure that you get a good night
sleep so you wont be late for work (committed to our jobs)
2. When a
family member is sick or needs attention or care we will take the time to tend
to them, provide the necessities of life, recreation and some of life’s good
pleasures (committed to family)
3. When
the bills come (rent, mortgage, utilities, phone, credit) we know we need to
come up with the money to pay them (commitment to our financial obligations)
4. We
understand the seriousness of the commitments that I have just mentioned;
however, do we take our commitment to Christ seriously or are we more committed
to these other things?
a. Some
will miss services for their jobs
b. Some
will neglect the work of the Lord to tend to family things such as ball games
and picnics, etc.
c. Such a
regard toward one’s commitment to Christ is not only pathetic it is sinful and
must change
B. One
must be willing to follow Christ wherever he leads us (John
1. We must
trust him to lead us in the right way (Psalm 23:3)
2. We
cannot allow ourselves to get side-tracked with other interests
a. Loved
ones (Luke
b. Things
of this world, e.g., possessions, jobs (Luke
c. Is a
great commitment that we cannot take lightly (Luke
C. We not
only must do what the Lord says, but we also must do as he says
1. See
Luke
a.
b. Let us
not be found giving lip-service to the Lord (Matt. 15:7-9)
2. Rather
than keeping our commitment, we end up doing what we want to do the way we want
to see it done
a. Commitment
involves surrendering our will in acceptance of the Lord’s (Matt.
b. Since
we have accepted his grace, we have an obligation to do the Lord’s will (Luke
II. To whom are we to be
committed?
A. As
Christians, we are committed to Christ
1. He is
Lord and teacher (John
2. He is
head of the church in everything (Eph.
B. All we
do in the context of our assembly is a result of our commitment to the Lord
(sing unto the Lord; remember the Lord; pray unto God in the name of Jesus; we
give of our means as we give ourselves unto the Lord and in proportion the
prosperity we have received from the Lord
1. There
are those who are more committed to the church than they are to Christ
(denominationalism; very prominent in institutionalism and may even be among
us)
a. Wrong
incentives for singing (sounds good and makes me happy; or builds me up) we
sing to praise God (Heb.
b. Wrong
incentives for evangelizing (so we can have a bigger church or a bigger
contribution) we evangelize to save souls (Luke
c. Wrong
incentives for giving (meet the church’s budget)
2. As a
preacher my commitment is to Christ and his cause
a. Paul –
1 Corinthians 2:2
b. Preaching
of disciples did not center around the Church when preaching to the lost; they
sought to bring folk to Christ not to the local church specifically
(1) Not to
down play the importance of the local church; one will not go to heaven who
neglects it
(2) Neither
will one go to heaven who neglects his wife or kids; one will be taught to
observe what Christ commands and will so heed because he recognizes his
commitment to Christ
III. Measuring
one’s commitment – we need to be careful how we measure a persons commitment to
Christ
A. You are
not doing as much as me or giving as much as me or as studious as me, thus you
must not be committed
1. Remember
the widow (Mark
2. Remember
the talents (Matt. 25:14-30)
B. Don’t
compare what others do or do not do to yourself (2 Cor.
1. God is
the ultimate judge concerning one’s true commitment
2. We
can’t compare others to ourselves when we are falling short ourselves (Matt.
7:1-5)
Conclusion: Let us all seek to be true to our commitment to
Christ and such will make for a better church.