How is your Commitment, to Jesus Christ?
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23 Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.
Commitment to Jesus is grounded in the knowledge of his saving power and divinity and expresses itself in adoration and obedience to Jesus.
Jesus Christ commanded people to make the commitment to follow him
19 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”
21 Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22 But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
19 Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, “Follow me.”
Jesus frequently spelt out the cost of commitment to him
37 “If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine.
38 If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine.
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.
28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?
29 Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you.
30 They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’
31 “Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him?
32 And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away.
33 So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.
21 For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.
Jesus demand for commitment was sometimes met with a refusal
59 He said to another person, “Come, follow me.” The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”
61 Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.”
Sometimes people followed Jesus without being truly committed to him
2 A huge crowd kept following him wherever he went, because they saw his miraculous signs as he healed the sick.
61 Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining, so he said to them, “Does this offend you?
62 Then what will you think if you see the Son of Man ascend to heaven again?
63 The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
64 But some of you do not believe me.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning which ones didn’t believe, and he knew who would betray him.)
65 Then he said, “That is why I said that people can’t come to me unless the Father gives them to me.”
66 At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him.
Some committed themselves wholeheartedly to his invitation
20 And they left their nets at once and followed him.
22 They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.
Secret commitment to Jesus Christ
42 Many people did believe in him, however, including some of the Jewish leaders. But they wouldn’t admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue.
1 There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee.
2 After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”
True commitment to Jesus is seen in love and obedience to him
21 Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”
12 Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.
31 Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings.
15 “If you love me, obey my commandments.
23 Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.
24 Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me.
22 If anyone does not love the Lord, that person is cursed. Our Lord, come!
In Conclusion:
24 May God’s grace be eternally upon all who love our Lord Jesus Christ.
3 And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments.
22 And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him.
23 And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us.
24 Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us.
How is your Commitment, to Jesus Christ?