Commitment Message

I am going to make available all the messages (or sermons) that I have preached. At this stage there are only 2 that I have preached twice each (at different churches of course). I will be preaching next Sunday so I will have another one soon to share. These are only notes so if you want further detail, please leave a comment or email me and I will try and expand for you. Enjoy!

Commitment

Commitment - an engagement or (esp. financial) obligation that restricts freedom of action or the process or an instance of committing oneself; a pledge or undertaking.

Lack of commitment from generation y – typical character trait

Thus:

• High divorce rate because people don’t like the commitment
• Not doing something that they promised would be done
• Turning up when they feel like or doing something when they want to

Societal change is also pervading the church and Christianity itself

The past two years, we've laboured to add hundreds of Christian classic books to the site. During that time, around 100 people indicated they would like to help format the books; however, only 12 people actually ended up doing the work.

~ There's a lack of accountability and respect for authority. There's a lack of loyalty (or commitment) in general. People think that they need no one else, 'Every man is an island; I can survive on my own even as a Christian'.

Illustration, man had stopped attending church, pastor goes around to visit, doesn’t say anything to him but they just sit in the lounge room, pastor picks out a coal from the fire and places it on the tiles in front of the fireplace, they watch it dwindle, once it stops glowing, puts it back in the fire and leaves.

If we are committed to doing what God wants, we will do what he wants even when we don’t feel like it. God can change our attitude to commitments – look at Jonah.

~ The good news about the lack of commitment is the abundance of opportunity to excel in the Kingdom of God. You don't need to be someone with special abilities; you just need to be someone with the right amount of will power.

What are you committed to? - University

Why are you committed to it? – I believe it is where God wants me to be and so I must do my best

Commitment is like a promise – once the commitment has been undertaken or the promise made – you should honour it

Soldiers – committed to fighting for their country

Job – committed to continue serving God

Ruth – committed to being with and looking after Naomi (Ruth 1:16-18)

Jacob – committed to marrying Rachel (Genesis 29) – 14 years of work “seemed like only a few days to him” (Genesis 29:20)

Disciples – committed to following Jesus when he asked them to follow him

We see people’s priorities in the way they live their lives.

~ The person who watches hours of TV every day, but can’t come to Bible study because of studies.

~ The student who takes off every Friday at 2 p.m. to go home for the weekend, and is just too busy during the week to do anything else.

~ The person who is in the play, the local sports club, is a representative on a council and attends another Bible study besides yours. They’d come more often if they just had the time.

~ The person who has other plans on a Sunday and just can’t make it to church

~ The person who is a ‘Sunday Christian’.

Some are overcommitted and thus cannot honour all the commitments while on the other hand there are those who are under committed but cannot commit to something.

Maybe they are not being given the opportunities to take on commitments and responsibilities because it has to be done ‘properly’ and according to tradition.

People want to know that they are valued – they need encouragement in the commitments that they do

Romans 12:11 - As we are ‘Christ-followers’ we should imitate Christ as much as possible, thus we should be committed. Jesus was committed – death on the Cross – more than that; there was the intimidation, scorn, separation from God, etc

All of us know that commitment is sadly lacking in the lives of many Christians. Several years ago, former Annual Conference Moderator, Earle Fike, made this observation during a training seminar in our district. He said, "Why is it that when people's schedules get too full and they become over-committed with their time, that it is the church that gets dropped first? Why not drop that extra work commitment, or that hobby? Why not drop out of the (sport) instead of Bible study? Why the church?"

Time management exercise – see where time is spent

To do list – motivation to get things done.

The people in a church need to be committed because people are the church. If the church wants to be a ‘light on a hill’, they must shine forth with commitment.

More importantly though is a person’s commitment to the Lord. I believe a person’s commitment, or lack of, is a direct reflection of how close they are to God. I think my commitment is higher when I feel closer to God. (Rev 2:4 – Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. (NIV))

1 Kings 8:61 - Are we committed to serving God?

Revelation 3:16 – Are we committed or not? Are we committed to evangelising to the lost? Are we committed with work/school/relationships? Are we committed to using our time wisely? How committed are we?

Job 6:15 – Are we like this? I am glad that God is committed to looking after us. He is faithful, merciful, and dependable.

The next time you are about to commit to something, ask yourself will I be committed enough to take this commitment on?

Commitment does not always come without sacrifice – look at Jacob, Ruth, and Job and of course our best example: Jesus.

Remember:

Proverbs 16:3 – “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed”.