Daily Christian Commitments
Galatians 2:20
Introduction.
John Adams: “There are only two creatures of value on the face of the earth: those with the commitment, and those who require the commitment of others.”
While I believe that all people have value,
this shows the importance that ought to be placed on commitment.
Commitment is severely lacking these days.
Divorce rates have lowered by about 8% in the last 10 years, but are still high, ~40%.
The reason is that fewer people are getting married, choosing rather to cohabit.
Failing to get married while cohabiting shows as much a lack of commitment as divorce does.
It is often viewed as a prelude to marriage—like taking a test drive.
But the truth is if you both have the necessary commitment, you won’t need to take a test drive.
About half of cohabiting couples ever get married.
Divorce is more likely among couples who have lived together before marriage.
Where is the commitment?
Commitment is lacking among many people in relationships, so it’s no surprise it’s lacking in the church, too.
How many people do you know have fallen away?
Who among us has not failed to do something we said we were going to do?
God requires a commitment from us, for He has made a commitment to us.
A commitment is a promise that you intend to keep.
The New Testament is God’s commitment/covenant to us.
Our commitment to Him is shown in the life that we live.
We show Him our commitment in our repentance, our evangelism, and our worship.
Body.
Commit to Repentance.
- This is a commitment to be made in order to become a Christian (Acts 2:38).
But it is not a one-time thing like baptism.
Baptism is a one-time event, but the blood continues to be applied as long we walk in the light (1 John 1:7).
Faith, repentance, and confession are ongoing (talk about faith/confession later).
We must continue in the faith (Col. 1:21-23).
We must always be willing to confess Christ before men (Matt. 10:32-33).
The same is true of repentance!
As Christians, we have died to sin (1 Pet. 2:24).
We are to live for righteousness!
How can we live in sin any longer? (Rom. 6:2).
Remember, we “have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20).
A dead person has no desires and cannot sin.
But because Satan is resilient, even Paul said that he dies daily (1 Cor 15:31).
He had disciplined his body and brought it into subjection (1 Cor 9:27).
Let us make the commitment to die daily to sin.
We all have weaknesses in certain areas.
If we resolve each day not to succumb to that weakness, we will have died daily.
We talk about New Years resolutions, but how many of us actually keep them?
Let us talk of daily resolutions not to sin.
“Today, I will not do X,” – eventually it becomes habit, and it will be a part of us!
Commit to Evangelism.
This hearkens back to the ongoing confession (Matt. 10:32-33).
This is not a one-time event, but something that one must continually do.
If we should deny Him before men, we are in trouble.
If we do not continue in repentance, we can deny Christ with our evil deeds (Tit. 1:16).
We are essentially saying we don’t really believe this stuff and be considered a hypocrite—this could irreparably harm our Christian influence.
If we lose that, whose souls can we win to Christ?
This is something that must take effort as any commitment.
Occasionally you may encounter someone you can effortlessly talk to about Christ—these people are few and far between.
In our society and culture, matters of faith are often avoided, particularly in the public square.
It is viewed as divisive—“why can’t we all just get along and avoid such difficult subjects?”
We also fear being ostracized—we want to be liked, particularly when we’re younger.
So we must take the initiative to talk with people about these things.
Ask people simple, open-ended questions to get them talking about their beliefs—similar to Fishers of Men course.
What are your thoughts on God? Who is Jesus? What do you think about the Bible? Since there is only one Bible, why are there so many churches believing and practicing different things?
You might be surprised at some of their answers, but do not argue.
Then you can offer, “Why don’t we have a study on that sometime?”
The worst they can say is no, but the door is left open.
Then have a plan as to what you’ll study if they say yes.
Let us commit to evangelize—souls are at stake!
Just like with repentance, “Today I will talk to someone about Christ.”
It then becomes a habit, and it will be a part of who we are.
Commit to Worship.
Continuing in the faith encompasses all we’ve discussed and more, but there is nothing more central than our worship.
If we are truly committed to the Lord:
Won’t we make every effort to gather with His people to worship Him?
Won’t we want to spend time with our brothers/sisters in Christ?
But it’s not just about physical attendance.
We must be here in heart and spirit as well.
Worship does us little good if our minds are elsewhere.
We don’t do this to have fun, to enjoy the people here, or simply because that’s what we do (tradition), but to honor God.
Jesus quoted Isaiah (29:13; Matt 15:8) referring to the Pharisees who “draw near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.”
God does not want the kind of worship that does not include the heart.
We love John 4:24, but do we forget that we must also worship “in spirit”?
To worship properly, we must be here in mind, in body, and in spirit!
Let us commit to worship!
Just as before, each Sunday, “Today I will worship God.”
If you come both times Sunday and once on Wednesday regularly, it will become habit and a part of who you are.
Conclusion.
Let us commit commitment as Christians.
John Adams, in showing his commitment to this country, the day he signed the Declaration of Independence, said, “Live or die; sink or swim; survive or perish; I am committed to this Declaration of Independence. I am committed, and if God wills it, I am ready to die that this nation may be free.”
Do we have the same level of commitment to our Lord as John Adams did for this country?
I pray that we do, and that we show it in our daily lives in repentance, evangelism, and worship.
This world may not understand commitment, as is evidenced by divorce/cohabiting rates, but a Christian must!
But before we can truly commit to these things, we must first commit to Christ first and foremost by becoming a Christian, turning to Him.