CHRISTIANS MUST BE COMMITTED
DR. JIM DIXON
HEBREWS 3:1–4:1-2
1978
Francis Schaeffer, the Christian philosopher and theologian, tells us that this world is on the threshold of a great catastrophe. He tells us that this is in part because the United States and the West have divorced freedom from its Christian foundations. He tells us that the United States and the West have divorced freedom from its Christian boundaries; we have perverted freedom into license. He tells us that any nation that is becoming morally corrupt may know for a fact that political and economic collapse is not far behind. Jude, the brother of James and the brother of our Lord Jesus, said as much when he wrote 2000 years ago and warned us of those who had perverted grace into licentiousness.
I listened to Alexander Solzhenitsyn on television Thursday night. He was on Channel 6. He was giving an address to the 1978 graduating class of Harvard. Solzhenitsyn is a Russian exile. He is diametrically opposed to communism. He loves his homeland. He has many times spoken very powerfully of the dehumanizing effect which communism has had upon his people. But Thursday night he addressed his attack upon the United States and the West. He has many times in the past expressed his fear that the United States may no longer be capable of providing a viable solution to the world’s problems. He has many times in the past expressed his fear that the United States may be falling dangerously behind the Soviet Union in the nuclear and conventional arms race. He has expressed his fear that we may no longer have the muscle to support the free peoples of the world. That is certainly controversial, and it is political. But Thursday night Solzhenitsyn said that he is now more concerned with America’s morality than he is with America’s weaponry. Solzhenitsyn said that the United States has become a nation that is morally soft, a nation that is weak. We have become morally bankrupt.
He says that all the glorified technological accomplishments of the 20th century cannot begin to redeem America of its moral poverty. He said that we have become a hedonistic society, that we have become caught up in the instantaneous gratification of human desires, that we have not learned the discipline of patience. He said that some of the communist countries of Eastern Europe and the nation of Russia have become strong; people have become self-disciplined, having to endure under the horrible weight of a communist oppression.
He said that even if we could offer, even if we could provide freedom for those peoples, they would no longer look to us as examples of how to use that freedom because America has abused the freedom that is ours. He said that the battle for the world has begun, and it is a battle between the fleshly and the spiritual. He said that America is more interested in human appetites than it is in the will of God. He said that we have become so preoccupied with human rights that we are no longer able to defend ourselves against human wrongs.
He said that we have become soft; we have become weak. He said any nation that would defend itself must possess a citizenry that is willing to die. He said that America has a people who are increasingly caught up in the cult of material comforts.
I am not qualified to judge whether or not Alexander Solzhenitsyn is correct or incorrect in the statements he has made. I pray that he is wrong, only God knows. But it is a great burden on my heart as I approach ministry in the years ahead; and it should be a great burden for you and your ministry as you approach ministry in the years ahead—a burden that the church of Jesus Christ does not become soft, that the church of Jesus Christ does not become weak, that we do not become morally compromising.
In all honesty, I do believe that there have been times when the church of Christ has been soft. There have been times in various places and in various ways where the Christian church did not stand up against moral and ethical wrongs in the world. Perhaps living in a country that places a high premium on tolerance and permissiveness we might be afraid to speak against any act as wrong for fear that we might be called narrow-minded, for fear that we might be called prejudiced, for fear that we might be considered even bigoted or discriminating. But the church of Jesus Christ has certainly reached the point of apostacy when it is no longer able to discern evil.
I think, too, that there have been times around the world where Christians have been guilty of accumulating for themselves teachers to suit their own liking. Teachers who allow them to feel comfortable in the midst of their current lifestyle, who do not challenge them to Christlikeness. It is undeniably true that throughout the visible church of Christ there are some who do not truly believe, who are not truly committed to Jesus Christ as Lord of their lives. I do not judge anyone, and I trust that you do not judge anyone either. Only God knows our hearts. But the spirit bears witness that there are some who would come to Jesus Christ solely for a relationship of convenience, who do not want commitment in their life with Christ.
Sometimes I think we have been guilty of wanting the blessings that come from a life committed to Jesus Christ, but we have not been willing to pay the cost that such commitment requires. Jesus Christ wants your commitment. The Christian life is a life that is exciting. It is happy. It is joyous. It is purposeful. But it is also a life that has a cost. It is a life that requires commitment and sometimes sacrifice. The cost that it requires is nothing compared to the infinite rewards that Christ gives. Nevertheless, the cost is greater than some are willing to pay. Jesus Christ wants your commitment.
When I was dating Barbara, we had gone out a few times—Disneyland, Marineland, Knotts Berry Farm. We had taken in the big three. We had probably gone out a few more times, and I was beginning to like her. That is why I was spending all that money. But while I was beginning to like her, she did not know it; and she was beginning to like me, but I did not know it. One day I received a letter in the mail, and it was from Barbara. I opened it up, and it was a poem. The poem went like this. “I am I / and you are you / I am not in this world / to live up to your expectations / and you are not in this world / to live up to mine / I do my thing / You do your thing /. If by chance we find each other / it’s beautiful / If not / it can’t be helped.”
Now I want you to understand that I am not really into poetry, and I tend to approach these things fairly analytically. So I began to take this poem apart, to try to figure out what she was saying to me. “I am I / and you or you.” I thought about that, and that certainly seemed true enough. “I am not in this world / to live up to your expectations / and you are not in this world / to live up to mine.” I thought about that, and I could see where there was a sense in which that might be true. But it seemed a little bit detached, and that bothered me.
“I do my thing / you do your thing.” That certainly seemed detached, and that certainly bothered me. I took the letter, and I showed it to my roommates who were also students at Fuller. We pulled together our ignorance, and they told me, “Dixon, I think she’s trying to tell you to cool it.” So I called Barb, and I said, “Barb, what’s with this poem?” She said, “What poem?” I said this, “I am I / and you or you.”
It turned out that Barb really wanted a relationship of commitment with me. She did not want a detached relationship like the poem described, but she was afraid that I wanted a detached relationship. So she sent me this poem to see how I would react, to see whether or not I would like it or whether I would not. I think she was pleased that I phoned concerned.
As we grew to love each other and then to love each other more and more, we naturally wanted to give ourselves to each other more and more. Our commitment became greater and greater to each other. A relationship of detachment was not adequate, and it is like that with Jesus. He loves you very much; and if you love Him, you will want commitment in your relationship with Him. You will not want detachment. You will not want a relationship of convenience. Jesus Christ calls you to commitment. He does not want you to be soft. He wants you to be strong.
Barbara put me to the test. It may very well be that the Lord Jesus Christ will put the church of Christ to the test. Certainly, we will all have a day when we stand before Him face to face. It may be that even in this world, the church of Jesus Christ will be put to the test. Our measure of commitment will be made manifest. It may be that the Lord Jesus Christ is testing your commitment even today, He certainly is capable of doing that.
Matthew tells us of such a time. He says, “Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and cried, ‘Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon.’ But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she is crying after us.’ He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ But she came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’ And he answered, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.’ She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’ Then Jesus answered her, ‘O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.’ And her daughter was healed instantly” (Matthew 15:21-28).
I believe with all my heart that Jesus knew that what He was going to do for her before He ever laid eyes on her. Jesus did not think her to be a dog, but He did test her. He tested the measure of her faith, and He tested the measure of her commitment to that faith. He may very well test you because He does not want you to be soft. He wants you to be strong. He does not ask you to be concerned with what the world is doing. He does not ask you to be concerned with how other people are living or how other people plan on living. He only calls you.
When Jesus died and rose from the dead in great power and glory, He appeared to the disciples and had breakfast with them by the Sea of Galilee. After breakfast, He took a walk with Peter, and He began to tell Peter by what manner of death Peter was to die. He told Peter that he would die by crucifixion. He said, “When you are old, you’ll stretch out your arms and you will be carried where you do not wish to go.” Peter turned around and saw John coming behind him, and he said, “Lord, what about him? What are you going to do with him? How much time does he have?” Jesus said, “If it is my will that he remains until I come again. What is that to you? You follow me?” (John 21:21, 22).
That is what Jesus says to you today. Follow me. He wants your commitment. He does not want to have a relationship of convenience with you. He wants to make you strong. He wants to give you the full excitement of the Christian life, the Christian journey. This church is a church of 2,850 members, thereabouts. I believe that in this community, our church is well known. The Lord Jesus once addressed seven letters to seven churches. I have often wondered if he were to write a letter to us what he would say. We do have 2,850 members, but more than 2000 of our members do not go to koinonia. More than 2000 of our members are not involved in any adult education, in any instructional courses. More than 2000 of our members are not involved in any act of service in this body. They do perhaps come to church on Sunday morning.
We are not under the law, and we do not have to go to church a certain number of times a week. We do not have to go to a certain number of activities at church every week. But if we love Jesus, we are confident of His love for us. We will want to be involved in commitment. We will want to be together with other Christians who love Him and study His word. We will want to study to show ourselves an approved worker who needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (1 Timothy 2:15). We will want to put on the full armor of God that we might be able to withstand all the weapons, all the darts of the evil one (Ephesians 6:11). We will want to be strong. We will want to be useful, powerful servants of Jesus Christ in this age of the world and into the next.
Ida Fuller was the first woman to receive a social security check. She died in 1975 at 100 years of age. Her social security number was 00000001. During her lifetime she paid $22 in taxes, but she received more than $21,000 in social security from 1940 to 1975. She received almost $1,000 for every $1 she put in. Now, social security, as you all know, does not often work like that, but the kingdom of Christ does. It works like that. You give your life to Jesus, and He gives His life to you. You get a lot better deal than He does us because His life is exciting. His life is happy. His life is joyful. His life is powerful. His life is loving. His life is eternal, and He wants to share that life with you. But He needs your commitment.
There are too many Christians in the church of Christ who have very little royal blood in their veins because they have given very little of themselves to the King of kings and the Lord of Lords. Jesus wants your life. When you call him Lord, you are saying no small thing. You are saying, I will live for you. I will do what you want me to do. I will go or do want you want. Jesus says choose this day whom you will serve.
Shall we look to the Lord in prayer? Lord Jesus, You have said he who would save his life will lose it. He who would lose his life, for My sake and the sake of the gospel, shall surely find it. Holy Spirit, touch our hearts. Touch our lives that we might relinquish more and more of ourselves to You. That we might be willing to be trained for ministry. That we might be willing to go through the discipline of sanctification. That we might be willing to become spiritual warriors in this world. Lord, we want to be used by You in our lifetime. We pray these things in the great name of Jesus. Amen.