I commit myself by God's grace and sufficiency to endeavor to glorify Jesus Christ by living in obedience to His word. I commit myself to regularly participate in community worship. I commit myself to avail myself of the biblical instruction provided through the church's ministries. I will develop my spiritual gifts and use them to serve others. I will seek opportunities to fellowship with other believers through the church.
I will deepen my understanding of the gospel of God's grace and seek to demonstrate its truth in my life. I will grow in willingness and sensitivity to share Christ with others. I will regularly and earnestly lift up the church's people, ministries, and leadership in prayer. I will participate faithfully in the financial support of the church, recognizing tithing to be a principle that God blesses.
I will respect the leaders God has appointed and submit to their authority in matters of faith, practice, and church life. Perhaps those words sound somewhat familiar to you because what I've read is the proposed covenant of membership that was mailed to the congregation last summer. Some of you will recall that this proposed covenant generated discussion at the annual meeting and a wide variety of opinions about it and was then tabled with no action at that point.
As a result of the discussion which I heard on that occasion, I decided that we needed to reinforce the biblical support for the ideas of this covenant. And so I created a series in the fall called Christ Church, The New Community. And in order to defuse any emotional baggage around the covenants, I tried to disguise what I was doing.
We talked about the new community of oneness, of order, the community of fellowship, Christ's community as a church, a place of commitment, generosity, worship, prayer, thanksgiving, and holiness. All of those themes arise out of the proposed covenant that we talked about last summer.
I was troubled when near the end of the fall, one of my staff members came to me and said, Gaylen, your messages are being greatly appreciated as information, but I don't sense that there's any response of commitment in the congregation to what you're describing the church to be.
Well, that troubled me again because I recognize that there is a culture that has developed in contemporary Christianity which has a deep appreciation for truth, but which believes that there is no response entailed in knowing the truth. The attitude seems to be, I can hear the word of God, but I don't have to do anything about it. Just load me up with the Bible, and someday I will get around to applying it when I feel like it.
But James tells us that it's impossible to rightly hear the word of God without being a doer of it. The goal of a sermon or a series of sermons for that matter is not merely to inform or to inspire, but rather it is to transform. We have many who sit in the pews of evangelical churches across America today who are experts at evaluating sermons, taking lengthy notes on what they hear, and who enjoy the stirring emotions of great music and preaching.
But they resist being challenged to apply what they hear to their lifestyles. And so we come today to the end of this series on the church, which has extended beyond the Christmas season, as we've talked heart to heart with Jesus, and we talk about this matter of commitment. What I hope is that we will understand that one cannot be a disciple of Jesus Christ without being a follower, and to be a follower requires commitment.
We turn today to John chapter 21, the fourth of the Gospels, where we see Jesus' last words to His disciples. John concludes without a great commission. He brings his Gospel to a close without telling about Jesus' ascension to heaven. Interestingly, he brings the narrative to a close with the record of a conversation between Jesus and Peter. So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?
He said to them, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. He said to him, tend to my lambs. He said to him again a second time, Simon, son of John, do you love me? He said to him, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. He said to him, shepherd my sheep. He said to him the third time, Simon, son of John, do you love me? Peter was grieved because he had said to him the third time, do you love me? And he said to him, Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you. Jesus said to him, tend my sheep.
Truly, truly, I say, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished. And when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you and bring you where you do not wish to go. Now this he said signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he said to them, to him, follow me.
Peter turning around saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back on his breast at the supper and said, Lord, who is the one who betrays you? Peter, therefore, seeing him, said to Jesus, Lord, what about this man? Jesus said to him, if I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me. Thus ends the narrative of the gospel. As John records it, he finishes his gospel with a few personal notes of his own.
This conversation between Jesus and Peter underscores the necessity of personal commitment to Christ's lordship if one is making a claim to be a disciple. In fact, I think in this text, there are several lessons that we learn about commitment. What Jesus expected of Peter and I believe of us as well. The first lesson is this, that commitment is based on love, not law. Commitment is based upon love, not law. Peter had denied his lord three times.
He had been forgiven and restored to fellowship with Jesus on that first Easter. But this conversation seems to parallel that incident. Three times, Jesus now asks Peter to confirm his love. And it is, in fact, loving affection that keeps commitment from becoming legalistic. Jesus wanted Peter to know that whatever he was going to do in the future needed to be based upon his love for him, not some demand. So he said, Peter, do you love me? Peter, do you have affection for me?
The commitment that Jesus wanted out of Peter had to be based upon that love. And so Jesus causes Peter to affirm that love three times. Commitment that is based upon law is commitment that is not very satisfying and usually doesn't last too long. The commitment that is based upon love is a commitment that lasts forever. You husbands are to provide for your wives. You're to protect your wives. You're to nourish them, to care for their needs. And you do that, I trust.
To the best of the ability that God gives you. Now why do you keep that commitment? A commitment that you spoke before God and the people in your wedding ceremony. Why are you faithful to your wife? Is it because of the law? The law of the state says you have to take care of your family? No, it is because you love your wife. And it is that love that drives the commitment. It is that love that your whole marriage is based upon. You as parents care for your children.
Is it because the law demands that you take care of them? It does. Or is it because you have a deep affection for your offspring? Well of course it's because of the love. The point is that our Christian commitment likewise will never be satisfactory to us if we see it as a matter of legalism. If we see our commitment as simply a matter of law keeping instead of genuine and deep affection for Jesus Christ. Commitment must be based upon love, not law. Secondly, I see this lesson.
Commitment precedes assignment in Christ's continuing work. It doesn't follow it. Commitment has to precede our assignment in the work of Jesus Christ. It doesn't follow it. Some people have the idea, Lord you show me what my assignment is and then I'll decide if I want to commit to it. It doesn't work that way. Commitment has to precede our assignment to the work of Jesus Christ. Are you struggling today to know where you fit in to God's plan and what he wants you to be doing in this world?
That's normal. We all go through periods like that in life. Sometimes we get us settled for one period and then the Lord makes us uncomfortable and our nest is not like it used to be and we decide well now Lord what are you trying to say? Where am I supposed to fit in? And we go through a process again of evaluating and deciding this is God's assignment for me.
But I can tell you from my own personal experience that before God will ever give us our assignment, there has to be commitment to him as our Lord. Commitment that says Lord whatever my assignment is I will do that. Commitment has to precede our assignment in Christ's work, not follow it. Jesus had a place for Peter. For Peter who had blown it, do you ever feel like you've blown it? That you've failed the Lord? I think every Christian has spells like that.
Sometimes we haven't blown it and somehow we have the guilties anyway. And sometimes like Peter we have genuinely blown it as Peter did when he denied his Lord. The neat thing is that Jesus came to him again and said do you love me Peter? Because Jesus had more for Peter to do. Even when you and I have blown it, God has something more for us to do down the line. But we must come to that place of commitment first. And say Lord you know that I love you. That is my commitment. I love you.
So Jesus said to Peter feed my sheep, tend my lambs, shepherd my flock. None of us can be useful to Jesus Christ and his work until we have committed. Until we have said Lord take my life. Take my life. Take everything I am. I give it to you. I consecrate it to you. When there is that sense of dedication and loyalty, then our will will be engaged and we will say Lord whatever it is, I am willing. Have you come to that point in your life?
Someone here today may be struggling with going into the ministry. God has talked to you about that and you have resisted it. The problem is that the commitment hasn't been there. You see when the commitment is there first then whatever Jesus brings to us will be wonderful. Whatever the sacrifice may be entailed, it is acceptable because our commitment is to him and we love him. We love him. Commitment is based upon love. Commitment precedes our usefulness to God in his work.
And think of the privilege that you and I have to be a part of what Jesus Christ is doing in the world. Believe me, if you are a child of God you have a place in it somewhere. God has something for you to be and to do as a part of his overall plan in the world right now today. Before we can discover the joy of what that place is, we must decide to put everything in the altar to hold nothing back and to declare Jesus Christ Lord of all. And that is my plea today to all of us.
There is a third lesson about commitment that I see in this conversation between Jesus and Peter. It is that commitment to Christ means commitment to his church, not to one's own goals. Peter, do you love me? Lord, you know that I love you. But Peter, go out and do your own thing. And Peter, go out and realize your dreams. Peter, go out and be all that you can be. That isn't what Jesus said. Jesus said, Peter, if you love me, then I want you to look after my work in the world.
I want you to be involved with my sheep, my flock, my church, to use the term given to it as the New Testament progresses. Peter, if you really love me, then I want you to plug in. I want you to do what my will is in ministering in the church. Peter's affirmation of love and devotion was to be demonstrated, you see, by his commitment to the flock of God. And my sheep feed and shepherd them. It truly is impossible to love Jesus Christ without loving his flock.
I hear people who say, I think in a joking way, well, I love the Lord, but it's Christians. I can't stand. And I guess all of us can smile at that and we identify with it a little bit because sometimes Christians are hard to love. But my point is that we can't genuinely, devotedly love Jesus Christ without committing ourselves to what Jesus committed himself to, the church. For Jesus loved the church and gave himself for it. Can we do any less than that?
Do we understand how precious the flock is to him? Do we understand the depth of his love and his commitment to us? How can we then claim to love Jesus and be careless about his people, his church? The kind of Christianity that says, I love Jesus and serve him, but forget about the church is a fraud. It's not genuine biblical Christianity, which says, I love Jesus Christ and because he loves the church, I love the church.
And because he gave himself for the church, I give myself for his people as well. And then the final lesson that I want to point out this morning in this conversation at the close of John's Gospel is this, that commitment means submitting to Christ's lordship, not questioning it. Commitment means submitting, not questioning the lordship of Jesus Christ. You remember when Peter first heard those two words, follow me? He was a fisherman over by the Sea of Galilee.
And now Jesus has another conversation at the end of his earthly ministry with Peter. And again, these same two words come to his ears, follow me, follow me. Those are words of command and lordship, follow me. Notice what Peter does. He turns around and he sees John and he says, Lord, what about him? Jesus says, Peter, that's none of your business. That's my business. You follow me. You see, true commitment submits to Christ's lordship. It doesn't question it for oneself or for others.
True commitment is obeying the command of Jesus Christ, follow me. We live in a generation to whom Jesus again addresses the question, do you love me? He comes to us today with that same question, do you have affection for me? And I'm just sure that 99% of us here this morning with Peter would say, Lord, I do love you. Lord, you know my heart. You know all things. I do love you. So Jesus, as he did really with Peter, says, then demonstrate it.
Accept your responsibility in my continuing work on the earth and the church and follow me wherever I lead you. Are you willing to demonstrate and to certify your love for Jesus? Remember, commitment is based upon love, not law. Remember commitment has to precede our understanding of what the assignment is. It doesn't follow it, it precedes it. Remember that commitment must be to the church of Jesus Christ as to him, not to ourselves.
That means submitting to his Lordship, not throwing up questions. As I listened to the various viewpoints expressed at the annual meeting regarding the proposed covenant, I was frankly astonished. I sat right here on the platform and while not trying to summarize all of the views expressed nor to question the sincerity of anyone who partook in that conversation, the underlying message that I heard that day with my imperfect, admittedly, ears was this.
We like everything the covenant says, but don't ask us to commit ourselves to it. We believe that what it says is what the Bible says, but please, it's legalistic to say I have to commit myself to it. And you know it is, if that commitment isn't out of love. In the proposal last summer, the elders suggested that we sign the covenant indicating that that was our commitment, and whether that will be the case in the future, I don't know, I doubt it.
But it was interesting to hear some of the comments about signing the church covenant. You know in our culture today we signify our commitment by our signature. Isn't that why we sign legal documents? We're committing ourselves to this piece of property, so we sign the deed. We commit ourselves to pay the bill on the credit card, and so we sign the credit slip. We say this letter expresses what I want to say, so we sign it committing ourselves to the content of it.
We write out a check for a certain amount to the company, and we sign it saying I'm committed that there are funds in my account to pay for this. We receive packages from the UPS by signing a signature, and yet when it comes to the work of Jesus Christ and committing ourselves to it, we're not willing to sign a piece of paper. Some anonymous author has captured the essence of commitment in words entitled, The Fellowship of the Unashamed. I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed.
I have Holy Spirit power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking, chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by presence, lean by faith, love by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power. My pace is set. My gate is fast. My goal is heaven. My road is narrow. My way is rough. My companions few. My guide reliable. My mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed.
I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I will not give up, back up, let up, or shut up until I have preached up, prayed up, paid up, steward up, and stayed up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until he returns, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until he comes.
And when he comes to get his own, he will have no problem recognizing me. My colors will be clear." How well that person has captured the essence of the idea of commitment to Jesus Christ. I want to tell you something, that commitment is what gives joy to living. John doesn't even give us a smile from Peter as he concludes this gospel. He doesn't tell us how Peter responded to this conversation when Jesus said to him, what is that to you, you follow me Peter. But we know how Peter responded.
We know from the other accounts of the gospels and the book of Acts that Peter heard what Jesus said. And on that day, on that day, in that conversation, he committed himself to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and he was never the same again. This man who was aggressive and yet afraid to own the name of Jesus later was willing to stand humbly and powerful before thousands of people and proclaim his faith in Christ. He was willing to suffer shame for the name of Jesus.
He was willing to undergo persecution for the cause of Christ, and ultimately if tradition is correct, Peter was willing to die on a cross, insisting that it be put upside down because he did not feel worthy to die in the same manner as his Lord. It is that same kind of commitment that will make a difference in our world today. It is that same kind of commitment that will fill our lives with a joyful purpose knowing that we serve a Savior who is worth it all.
Justin who was a Christian philosopher and martyr ultimately wrote to the Emperor Antonius Pius in the second century, these words. He was defending Christians. He says, Before we rejoiced in uncleanness, but now we love only chastity. We used to practice magic arts, but have now dedicated ourselves to the true and unbegotten God. We used to love money and possessions more than anything, but now we share what we have and give to all those in need. We used to hate each other and kill one another.
We would not eat with those of different races, but now since the manifestation of Christ we love our enemies and pray for those who hate us without just cause. In our world today there is so little distinction between Christians and non-Christians. Surveys of attitudes and lifestyle practices show time and time again in the United States that the difference between Christians and those who claim not Jesus Christ is minutiae. It is small. It is insignificant.
What we need today is a fresh infusion of commitment to Christ that is based on love, that is willing to say, Lord, whatever you assign me in your work, that I will do, which will not question the Lordship of Christ, and which says, Lord, I love you and I love your work in the world, and I give myself wholly to you. Would you pray with me?
May the Spirit of God motivate each of us in the deepest part of our beings to be able to respond to God the Holy Spirit in surrender to the Lordship of Christ. Where we have been resistant to that Lordship, where we have questioned it, where we have said no, may we come to those very areas this morning and say, Jesus, you have your way. You take my life. Let it be consecrated wholly, fully, solely to you. Lord, make this the prayer of our hearts. In Jesus' name, amen.
Thank the Lord. We have another verse or two to sing, but I wonder if some of you would like to join me here at the front in prayer. And not just be a time of commitment for you, but saying afresh to Jesus Christ, Lord, you know I love you. You know I love you. And every issue in my heart that has been between your Lordship and my life I remove. And I give myself without reservation to you this morning. I invite you to come as all of us sing together. Take my hand, it is thine own.
It shall be thy will. It shall be thy will. Take my silver and my gold. Take my intellect and words. It shall be thy will. Lord, help us to see today that not only the assignment that you have in your perfect will for our lives, but the vision that you have for our church depends upon our commitment, our commitment in advance. Thank you for what you have done in our hearts, culminating for some here today in a fresh commitment to your Lordship.
We pray that you will be pleased to take the pieces of our lives, the gifts that you have given to us, our talents, and to fashion those pieces in a way that we would become your instruments within the walls of this church and outside its walls in our community and around the world to be the flock of God and to see your kingdom advance.
We thank you that the power of the Holy Spirit is ours, and so we ask that we may be filled afresh with your Spirit in our lives, in our relationships at home, at work, in the church, in the world, that others may see Jesus in us and our lives will be distinct and different. And we too will be a part of the fellowship of the unashamed committed. Amen.