Connected But Not Committed

If you are connected but not committed then you need revival.  We need a spiritual awakening that will affect the sinner and the people in the church. Every generation needs movements of God. You have to decide just how close you're going to be with Jesus.

I think commitment has always been a problem with God's people.  Even the Israelites had a problem with commitment.  Our culture permits a lack of commitment even in marriage.  That's why we see a lack of commitment and that's why people don't get involved with the local church.  Our society promotes this lack of commitment and it has spilled over into the church, but this is not biblical.

Look at Luke 9:57-61, Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, "Lord, I will follow You wherever you go." And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."  Then He said to another, "Follow Me."  But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."  Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.  And another also said, "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house." But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

Jesus wants us to follow Him!  When Simon Peter was in the garden with Jesus he was ready to cut a man's head off.  When you're close to Jesus you won't compromise.  Peter began to follow Jesus from a far off. It's possible to follow the Lord but not be committed to Him.  If you ever start following him from a far off, it's just a matter of time before you'll be fighting for victory in your life again.  If you're going to keep the victory there are certain things you'll have to get victory over.

1.  The Impulsive Disciple

They get excited about the fishes and loaves and the miracles.  They have seen miracles with people who have been bound and then freed.  But Jesus said, the fox have holes and the birds have a nest but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head. Jesus says, don't let your enthusiasm make you think there will be no cost to following me because of the enthusiasm and being high on miracles.

The impulsive disciples fall away, most of your walk will be facing your issues and calling upon God.  Jesus showed the way to salvation in John 10:9, "I am the door.  If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture."

Throughout our lives we will go through many doors, but finding the doors to life is key.  There will be open doors and there will be closed doors in the journey.  You can enter into the church door or the bar doors. Jesus wants us to not count the cost when following Him. There are some tough things to go through to win the prize of following Him, but there is ultimately victory in following Him. We'll have to be anchored to the bedrock of His Word.

The impulsive disciple forgot to count the cost of following Christ and you will face some tough issues following Christ.

2. The Reluctant Disciple

This disciple has some reservations. He delays following Christ. Luke 9:59.  He doesn't want to completely break from the past.  This type of disciple wants to hold on to their little habits and sins. They want to hold on to their secret sin and things that are damaging to them and damaging to the cause of Christ.

They want the blessing but they want Him on their terms. That's the devil still holding you because he don't want you to be completely committed.  This is what Jesus is dealing with with these people.  They want to stay connected to the church but they won't sell out and completely commit to the church.

Our society has a Jesus to fit everybody's individual needs. We have a white, red, and black Jesus.  We have a Jesus for homosexuals.  But Jesus is a Holy Jesus. He didn't come to save people in their sin but from their sin.  The devil does not bless anything that comes to steal, kill and destroy.  

Jesus wants you to take up His cross and follow Him.  He wants total commitment.  Jesus is telling the people, you don't want to take care of your past failures, your past sins and pick up your cross and follow Me.  We hear Jesus but the reluctant disciple won't listen because he won't fully surrender.  Jesus said, Give me first place and I'll add everything that you need.

3.  The Bargaining Disciple

The bargaining disciple says, if you'll just let me do this or you'll do that, I'll do this for you.  I bargained with Jesus and it took 20 more years to get right with the Lord too. Never compromise the Lord's word on what it takes to follow Him.  You don't just need to be committed to the church but committed to the Lord as well.  This type of disciple wants to delay and compromise.  He's not ready to obey the Lord.

The disciples left everything in their life and dropped everything they were doing and followed Jesus.  Did they understand what it would cost them?  Of course not.  But they knew they had a revelation about Jesus.  That He was the living Son of God.  The person that is committed is willing to leave it all. Some people won't leave their sin. How can God use you in sin?

What if He asked you to leave your job?  You see, there's going to be a cost when Jesus changes your life and you become fully committed to Him.  But whatever you give up, God's plan will be a much better plan.  He says, I know the plans I have for you and I know your thoughts, and I want to give you goodness to an expected end.

It's a dangerous thing to backslide.  You cannot serve two masters, or walk on two roads at the same time. You have to make a choice, and make a commitment in life.  There is a broad road to the world, and it's easy to find the bars and honky tonks and sin. The narrow road is a lot different, you'll not be popular on that road.

That's the dangerous part of not being committed.  The broad road leads on to other sin.  The narrow road is where you take up your cross.  The road you take will determine your destination.  Christ put in a huge bid for your soul.  Will you go to hell because you couldn't make up your mind?  The road less traveled is the one toward Jesus. Did you take the road less traveled or did you follow Christ?

4.  The Decisive Disciple

Jesus is coming for a passionate Bride.  There are some in the church who won't make it.  Jesus is saying He don't just want to be your savior but your all.  Certainly He wants to save the lost but He wants to be Your Lord. 

Look at Matthew 24:44, "Therefore you also be ready for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."  Is Christ the center of your world?  Is He your song?  The percentage of Christians backslide and have to come back for lack of commitment.  The outer perimeter with Christ is dangerous. When you find yourself on the outer perimeter, the devil will get all of you eventually.

The devil can't defeat you if you'll stay close to Jesus.  With Jesus you'll walk through your storms.  The devil is a strategist.  If he can cut you off from your closeness to Jesus he will get you. Stay committed to Christ and His church.  We're in a dangerous hour, where Jesus said many will leave and give time to strange doctrine in this last hour.

Jesus said draw nigh to me and I'll draw nigh to you.  Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. What would it take for you to deny or betray him?  Let us all examine ourselves.  Let us make our elections sure.

audio link:http://www.westmorelandphc.org/