TOTAL COMMITMENT
DR. JIM DIXON
MARCH 7, 1993
MATTHEW 16:24-26
In 1985, the distinguished University of California sociologist Robert Bella conducted a study on the loss of commitment in the American society. That study was called “Individualism and Commitment in the American Life.” As a result of the study, Robert Bella and his colleagues concluded that the average American does not hold the supreme value towards commitment that once the average American did. The average American is not as committed to God, not as committed to family, not as committed to people as once the average American was. Indeed, the study found that for the average American individualism was the order of the day, that the highest value for the average American today was the individual pursuit of his or her own personal satisfaction, fulfillment, and happiness. Subsequent studies have shown that the so-called baby boomer generation and the so-called baby buster generation, despite lip service, are not really as committed to their children or as committed to their marriages or as committed to their nation or as committed to their church as prior generations were.
Indeed, most people in this current generation are supremely committed to themselves and to the pursuit of their own fulfillment and satisfaction. The irony is that we really can’t find fulfillment apart from commitment. And the Bible tells us that it’s only when we come to commitment to God and to His Son Jesus Christ that we begin to experience true fulfillment, true satisfaction. Jesus Christ demands commitment from His people. He said, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me. Whoever would save his life shall lose it. Whoever would lose his life for My sake and for the sake of the gospel will find it.” Jesus said, “Whoever loves mother or father more than Me is not worthy of Me. Whoever loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.”
Jesus Christ said to His people, “You will be hated by all nations for My namesake, but he who endures to the end will be saved.” Jesus Christ said to His people, “Be faithful unto death, and I’ll give you the crown of life.” Jesus Christ said, “He who has put his hand to the plow and looks back is not worthy of the kingdom of God.” Jesus Christ calls His people to commitment. And this morning as we focus on the subject’s commitment, I have two teachings.
The first is this: first of all, submission to the authority of God is what total commitment requires. Total commitment is expressed in absolute submission to the authority of God. Now, in India today, there is a great economic need for working elephants. If you’ve ever been to India, you know that elephants even today comprise a significant portion of the Indian workforce, and elephants are trained to do some very specific tasks that require specialized skills. Of course, elephants can carry great burdens on their back and can lift a great amount of weight with their trunk. Now, many people, when seeing the way elephants perform in India, wonder how in the world these elephants ever came to be so submissive to human authority. How did they become so tame? Well, there’s a process. I know you’re excited because you’re about to hear it. The Indian people actually take elephants and isolate them from other elephants. They do this for a three-day period. Now, that might not seem particularly traumatic to most of us, but an elephant is a highly social animal. It is a very hard thing to be separated from their peers for three days in isolation, and they begin to approach emotional and mental breakdown by the third day.
I mean, they really need companionship. At the end of the third day, it is then that the Indian people begin what they call the harassment procedure, and they begin to use loud noises and all kinds of distracting movements to bring the elephant to the point of emotional breakdown. When the elephant reaches the point of emotional breakdown, it is only then they begin to train the elephants. The elephants learn submissiveness to human authority.
How tragic, but it is a necessity in India. God wants you to know that while He wants you to be submissive to His authority, He’s not going to pound you into submission. That is not God’s way. God invites you this morning to freely choose to submit to His authority and to his power.
In 1909, a young man, pale and thin, stood in the Hofburg Museum in Vienna, Austria, looking at a relic through a glass window. The relic was called the spear of Longinus. It was Gaius Cassius Longinus who allegedly was the Roman soldier who thrust his spear into the side of the crucified Christ, bringing forth water and blood. Allegedly, the spear of Longinus, having touched the Son of God, was endowed with power. And it was viewed as a kind of talisman, as a kind of charm through which the power and authority of God might be harnessed.
It is said that Constantine the Great possessed the spear of Longinus, that he wielded it to his own purposes, seeking to control the authority and power of God. It is said that the spear of Longinus also came into the hands of Charles Martel, who drove the Arabs out of France in the eighth century. It is said that the spear of Longinus was also the possession of Charles I, who was of course more famous as Charles The Great, or Charlemagne. It is also said that Frederick Barbosa had the spear of Longinus, the conquering emperor of the Holy Roman empire.
It was believed that the spear of Longinus was such a talisman, such a charm that a person was actually able to control the power of God through it. And the young man, thin and pale that stood looking through the glass window at this, was named Adolf Hitler. And the spear of Longinus became one of the obsessions of his life. 29 years later, in 1938, when Adolf Hitler was approaching the apex of his power, he went into Vienna, Austria, and he took that spear and he had it brought back on a special train under special guard to the city of Nuremberg. And there he had a place in a specially prepared vault in the Nuremberg Castle. He felt confident that somehow through this talisman, which had once touched the side of Christ, he would have the power and authority of God.
Of course, on April 30th, 1900, 45 American soldiers and allied forces swept into Nuremberg and they stormed Nuremberg Castle and they came to possess the spear of Longinus. It was only hours later that Adolf Hitler in a Berlin bunker took his own life. Today, the spear of Longinus is back in the same museum in Vienna, Austria.
Now this past week ABC aired the Steven Spielberg George Lucas movie on television called “Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade.” Of course, the subject of that movie is the Holy Grail and the movie starring Sean Connery and Harrison Ford focuses on a quest for the holy grail, the cup which Christ used at the last supple. Of course, there are many legends and myths that surround the Holy Grail, legends concerning King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
But the reality is that in the early centuries of Christianity, there were women and men who sought the Holy Grail. They sought the cup of Christ because they viewed it as a kind of talisman. They viewed it as a kind of charm, that having been touched by Christ had the power and authority of God. They thought if they could just get ahold of the cup, they would be able to wield, to use, to control, the very power and the very authority of God.
Now, in a lesser sense, today in Israel, in the city of Nazareth, you can find people who are selling feathers from the wings of the angel Gabriel. You can go to Nazareth today. You can find people who are actually trying to sell bottles of Mary’s milk, allegedly from 2000 years ago. You can go to the city of Jerusalem today and you can find people who are selling pieces of wood, allegedly from the cross of Christ. They’ve sold enough wood from the cross of Christ to build Noah’s Ark.
Now, the incredible truth is that thousands of people the world over come to Israel and they buy those things. Some of them actually believe that in some measure they’re some kind of talisman, some kind of charm that will enable them to control and use the power of God, the authority of God for their own needs. Now, God today wants each and every one of us to understand we cannot buy His power or authority. We cannot borrow His power and authority. We cannot even use or wield or control His power or authority. When it comes to the authority and power of God, we have two choices. We can either fight against it (and inevitably we’ll lose) or we can submit to it.
Here’s the great truth of holy scripture. If we choose to submit to the power and authority of the living God, if we make this choice, then and only then will the power of God begin to be manifested through us. You see, there’s a certain measure of power you can see in Mother Teresa. There’s a certain kind of authority that you can see in Mother Teresa, but that power, that authority, is only manifested in her because she is supremely committed. She is supremely submitted to the authority of God Himself. And so you see, God calls each and every one of us to submit to His authority. And biblically that submission to divine authority is supremely expressed in obedience to the Word of God.
Now, in the Bible, the word of God is called the Logos. Sometimes in the Bible, the gospel is called the Word of God. The gospel is called the logos, and submission to God requires that we repent and we believe in the gospel. That takes commitment. In generations past, it has taken unbelievable commitment because in the Jewish culture, in the days of Christ, and in the first few centuries following the death of Christ, when a woman or a man accepted Jesus Christ, when they responded to the gospel and they repented, they were sometimes excommunicated by their parents. They were sent out, they were cast off by their own families. That’s why Jesus said, “I’ve come to set a man against his father and a daughter against her mother.” That’s why Jesus said, “Anyone who loves mother or Father more than Me is not worthy of Me.” That’s why Jesus said, “Anyone who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” To respond to the word of God. The logos. The gospel takes commitment.
Now, sometimes in the Bible, the Word of God, the logos, refers to Jesus Christ Himself. Jesus Christ is called the logos. He is called the Word of God, and submission to God’s authority requires that we embrace the reign of Christ—we invite Him to sit on the throne of our heart as King. Sometimes in the Bible, the logos, the Word of God, refers to holy scripture itself. The Bible is called the Word of God. It is called the logos. And submission to God’s authority means that we obey that. We obey what God has said in this book. This is what total commitment requires, that we obey what God said in holy scripture. God is looking for men and women today who will obey His Word.
Now, of course, the Word of God and the Bible is not always rendered by the Greek word logos. Sometimes this phrase, the Word of God, in the Bible is rendered by another Greek word, the Greek word ramma. And the word ramma is a little more mystical. The word ramma tends to refer to the revealed word of God—the word God has revealed to you personally in your heart as God communes with your spirit in that still small voice. When you read the scripture and you feel like there’s a personal message for you; when you pray and you feel like God has a particular message for you or guidance for you; that’s called ramma, the word of God. Now, of course, the ramma must always be submitted to the logos. The word God has revealed to you in your heart must always be submitted to the Word God has written. I mean, God is not going to reveal to you something personally that violates what God has already said in His Word.
But you see, if you’re totally committed, if you really want to be submitted to the authority of the living God, then you’re going to take whatever God is saying to you, whatever word He has said, and you’re going to want to honor it. You’re going to want to be totally committed. And this total commitment, submission to the authority of God, is not based on discipline alone, is not based really on drudgery or duty. It should be based on passion. Passion. The Bible says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness.” Total commitment, submission to God’s authority.
But there’s another meaning here, more briefly, and the other meaning has to do with sacrifice for the work of God. See, total commitment requires submission to God’s authority and it also requires sacrifice for God’s work. Now, when Jesus Christ and His disciples were rebuked by the Jewish leaders for working on the Sabbath, Jesus said, “My Father is working still and I am working.” See, God is working in our world and the Spirit of Christ is at work in our world. And if you belong to Christ, if you’ve embraced Him as Lord and Savior, you’ve made a commitment to Him, then you’ve been called to enter into that work. And sometimes it requires sacrifice.
The work of Jesus Christ took him to a cross that He might pay the penalty for your sin and mine. And Jesus Christ now says to His people, “He would come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me.” Now, the meaning of those words are complex. The meaning is multiple. The meaning is deep. But part of the meaning in those words, the early church understood, had to do with sacrifice. We have been called into a lifestyle that requires some sacrifice for the sake of the Word of Christ, for the sake of the Word of God. The early church understood this. And of course, the apostles, many of them paid with their life. Matthew was killed with a sword in Ethiopian because of his testimony for Jesus Christ. Mark died when he was dragged through the streets of Alexandria in Egypt preaching the gospel.
Of course, later, Alexandria became one of the great centers of Christianity. Luke died when he was strung from an olive tree in Greece. Of course, Peter was crucified upside down in Rome near the place where the Basilica of St. Peter stands today. Paul was beheaded at Three Fountains in Rome by order of the Emperor Nero. Phillip was killed and he was strung from a pillar in the city of Hierapolis. Two years ago, Barb and I were there. We saw Phillip’s grave. James the Greater was beheaded in Jerusalem, and James the Less was pushed off the pinnacle of the temple. He died where he fell. Jude, the brother of our Lord, was shot through with arrows. That’s how he died. Of course, Andrew, the disciple of Christ, was crucified as he preached the gospel of Christ to his tormenters until the very moment he died. Bartholomew was beaten to death and Barnabas was stoned to death.
Matthias was stoned to death and then beheaded. Thomas, doubting Thomas, was run through with the sword. He was killed with a lance in the East Indies. In fact, according to church tradition, the only disciple who didn’t die a martyr’s death was the Apostle John. And John suffered. He sacrificed for the work of Christ. He wound up imprisoned in a prison colony on the island of Patmos because of his testimony for Jesus Christ. It was said that the foundation of the church of Christ was poured in the blood of the saints. And God wants you to understand today you are no less called to serve His kingdom. I’m no less called to serve His kingdom. God wants to see the same willingness, the same commitment, to sacrifice from us.
Why did Jesus praise the widow who just put the small amount of money in the Jerusalem treasure? Why did he praise the widow’s mite? Not because of the size of the contribution—the amount of money was very small, of course,—but because of the sacrifice. Jesus said she gave all she had. And in every area of our life, Jesus Christ calls each one of us to sacrifice for the work of His kingdom, to sacrifice with our time, to sacrifice with our money, to sacrifice with our abilities and talents. And this sacrifice shouldn’t be rooted in just drudgery or duty or just raw discipline. It really needs to be rooted in passion.
Now, as a church, we need to be impassioned for the work of Jesus Christ. I think we need some measure of revival right here at Cherry Hills Community Church. I do believe we love Christ as much today as we did 11 years ago when the church started. I believe that the ministries of this church are as anointed today as they were 11 years ago and as they have been through the years. But we’ll never be what Christ wants us to be unless our commitment deepens. We’ll never be what Christ wants us to be unless we have revival in our midst.
You know, a week and a half ago, I was talking to a friend and colleague of Paul Cho. Paul Cho is the pastor of the largest Christian Church in the world. That church is in South Korea. Paul Cho’s Church has a sanctuary which seats 27,000 people. I am not impressed with this church because of its size. Size in and of itself means nothing. But what impresses me so much about Paul Cho’s Church is the commitment of the people. There’s unbelievable commitment.
You see, every morning of the week, every morning, every day of the weekend, at 4:30 AM the sanctuary is open for prayer. It is open at 4:30 AM and all 27,000 seats are taken. Every morning of the week, 27,000 people fill that church to pray. One night of the week, every week, is devoted to a prayer vigil, an all-night prayer vigil from 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM. And all night long from 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM all 27,000 seats in that sanctuary are filled. When someone gets up at 2:00 AM or at 4:00 AM to leave the sanctuary, somebody else is there waiting to take the seat. They have thousands of small groups in that church, men and women who just come together committing their lives to each other, committing themselves to Christ. Every Sunday, those South Korean people, they put 1 million, $500,000 in the offering.
You might be sitting there thinking, well, you know, South Korea, they don’t have anything else to do. But you see, South Korea is a highly industrialized nation with sophisticated technology. They have color television sets, they have American programs as well as Asian programs. They have movie theaters with American movies as well as movies of their own. They have a tremendous fondness for sports and athletics. They don’t take time at 4:30 every morning to pray or they don’t take time to pray all night because they have nothing else to do. They do it because their passion is the work of God. And how did that happen? Not only in Paul Cho’s church, but in other churches in South Korea, how did it happen? Because it’s happening in churches all over South Korea. They’re just overflowing, and the people are coming to pray in the middle of the night. And why? Because the Holy Spirit of God is moving in that country, and they are experiencing revival. How we need revival in the churches of the United States of America, and how we need revival in this church. We really need revival. And you know, the problem with revival is you can’t schedule it. I wish you could schedule it. You can’t make it happen. But one thing is true. I mean, it is true that we can pray for revival. And it is true that long ago in South Korea in Paul Cho’s church and in other churches, there was a remnant of people totally committed to Jesus Christ who began to pray for revival.
We need a remnant of people here who love Jesus Christ, totally committed to His work, totally committed to King and Kingdom, who will pray for revival here in this church, that we might truly be the people of God. You know, it is the goal of the South Korean Church—not just Paul Cho’s church, but the Christian churches in South Korea—by the year 2000 to send more missionaries into the world than the entire United States of America. And they’ll do it because they are totally committed. We need them to send a few missionaries here. So we have this message from God, a call to commitment, which means submission to the authority of God, obedience to the Word of God, sacrifice for the work of God.
We come to communion this morning, the sacrament of holy communion. And of course, the word sacrament comes from the word sacramentum. The word sacramentum quite literally means “holy oath.” It means sacred oath. In the Roman world, Roman soldiers took the sacramentum when they pledged themselves unto death to the emperor and the empire. The early Christian Church understood that when they came to communion, which they sometimes call the sacramentum, they understood it wasn’t just a time when they thanked God for the gift of His Son. It wasn’t just a time when they remembered how Jesus Christ’s body was broken for us and blood shed for us. It was also a time when they committed themselves anew to Christ and to His kingdom, submitting anew to His divine authority, pledging themselves to obedience to His Word and to a sacrificial life for the sake of the work of the kingdom of God. Let’s pray together.