Commitment

Matthew 22:36-38

The difference between a person who says he is saved and one who has truly become a disciple of Christ is commitment. A commitment is something that we deposit or entrust to someone else for safe keeping. To be committed as a Christian means that you have handed over to Christ your life and that you will seek to please Him and not yourself.

The disciples understood what it meant to be committed. All of the apostles were insulted by the enemies of their Master. They were called to seal their doctrines with their blood and they did so with great character. History records for us that each suffered for their faith in Christ.

• Matthew suffered martyrdom by being slain with a sword at a distant city of Ethiopia.
• Mark expired at Alexandria, after being cruelly dragged through the streets of that city.
• Luke was hanged upon an olive tree in the classic land of Greece.
• John was put in a caldron of boiling oil, but escaped death in a miraculous manner, and was afterward banished to Patmos.
• Peter was crucified at Rome with his head downward.
• James, the Greater, was beheaded at Jerusalem.
• James, the Less, was thrown from a lofty pinnacle of the temple, and then beaten to death with a fuller's club.
• Bartholomew was flayed alive.
• Andrew was bound to a cross, whence he preached to his persecutors until he died.
• Thomas was run through the body with a lance in the East Indies.
• Jude was shot to death with arrows.
• Matthias was first stoned and then beheaded
• Barnabas of the Gentiles was stoned to death at Salonica.
• Paul, after various tortures and persecutions, was at length beheaded at Rome by the Emperor Nero.

Such was the fate of the apostles, according to traditional statements. They were committed to their Lord. Tonight I want us to look at five biblical commitments God wants each one of us to make.

I. God Wants Us To Be Committed To Loving Him.

Note: Matthew 22:36-38

A. With all our heart.

1. To love Him with all the heart is to fix the affections supremely on Him, more strongly than on anything else.

2. And to be willing to give up all that we hold dear at His command.

B. With all our soul.

1. This means giving up our life.

2. And to even die if He commands.

C. With all our mind.

1. This is to submit our intellect to His will.

2. To devote to Him all our intellectual attainments.

3. To submit all our faculties to His teaching and guidance.

II. God Wants You To Be Committed To Lovingly Serve Your Neighbor

Note: Luke 10:25-37

A. By loving him (my neighbor) as myself, seeking the welfare of those around me as I would my own. V27

1. The bottom line is that we are to care for the needs of others.

2. Jesus lived His entire life on earth for others.

3. Not just for those who loved Him, but for those who hated Him as well.

B. By showing mercy.

1. We need to show our community the mercy of the gospel.

2. But they will never listen to us until they are convinced we care.

3. Once a person realizes that we care, they will listen to whatever we have to say.

4. I am not advocating social causes and programs, but I am talking about genuine Christianity.

III. God Wants Us To Be Committed To A Plan For Personal Spiritual Growth.

A. Plan to spend time in the Word of God

Note: John 14:21-24

B. Plan to spend time in prayer

(LUKE 18:1) "AND HE SPAKE A PARABLE UNTO THEM TO THIS END, THAT MEN OUGHT ALWAYS TO PRAY, AND NOT TO FAINT;"

C. Plan to memorize God's Word.

(PSA 119:11) "THY WORD HAVE I HID IN MINE HEART, THAT I MIGHT NOT SIN AGAINST THEE."

D. Plan on incorporating the principles of God's Word into our everyday lives.

IV. God Wants Us To Be Committed To Our Membership In The Local Church Family.

A. There is a right way to behave in God's family.

(1 TIM 3:15) "BUT IF I TARRY LONG, THAT THOU MAYEST KNOW HOW THOU OUGHTEST TO BEHAVE THYSELF IN THE HOUSE OF GOD, WHICH IS THE CHURCH OF THE LIVING GOD, THE PILLAR AND GROUND OF THE TRUTH."

B. God wants us to care for each other.

Note: I Corinthians 12:18-27

V. God Wants Me To Be Committed To The Great Commission

Note: Matthew 28:18-20

A. Evangelize the world.

B. Baptize those who believe into the church.

C. Disciple them through the teaching of God's Word.

Are we committed to loving Him? Are we committed to lovingly serving our neighbor? Are we committed to a plan for personal spiritual growth? Are we committed to our membership in the local church family? Are we committed to the great commission?

Commitment will make the difference in our lives.