Flow - Day 3: Commitment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYLka5Aythk

The New Revised Standard Version The Rich Young Man

16 Then someone came to him and said, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; 19 Honor your father and mother; also, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “I have kept all these; what do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

Hey guys! You ready for worship? I figured we’d change things up a little bit. You know tonight we are talking about commitment. And commitment and courage are kind of like two sides of the same coin. So last night was all about courage right, courage to step out of the boat, courage to make those little decisions every single day that allow us to be people who change the world for Jesus.

Commitment is going beyond just the courage to make small decisions, and is really about following through with them, and making that a habit in our lives. Because we can do the right thing on occasion but we aren’t really committed. We can go to church sometimes, go to youth group sometimes, help out those in need sometimes, and still not be fully committed to Jesus.

Commitment is making a declaration, saying “This is who I am and this is what I’m about” and then sticking to it.

So that little skit, and the scripture that I read are kind of a story about what a lack of commitment looks like. The rich young man wants something right? He wants eternal life. He’s interested in what Jesus is offering, and he’s quite sure he’s close to getting it right? He’s been doing the right things, and not doing to bad things. And Jesus’s answer to him is like, yea thats good, but sell all your stuff give it to the poor and follow me.

And he can’t do it right. His stuff is too important. His money is too important. He’s concerned about what he will lose, and he’s decided that it’s just not worth it. He can’t fully commit to the life that Jesus is asking him to live, and its a bummer. He’s even sad about it. Maybe he’s sad because Jesus told him to sell all of his stuff, but maybe, just maybe he’s sad because he’s had a revelation. He’s had a moment of clarity, where he was placed face to face with the truth about himself. He wasn’t as good as he thought he was. He wasn’t who he had been telling himself and the world that he was. He wasn’t actually committed to being moral and good, he was only in it for what he might gain.

And I don’t blame the guy. This is natural. It’s the normal way that the world operates. It takes some serious rearranging of ideas and values to fully commit to following Jesus, and a part of that process is coming face to face with our own need for those ideas and values to be rearranged. When we realize that we are in need, it’s kind of natural to be bummed a bit about it.

So today you talked about what it means to commit to walking on the water, what it means to make commitments in your lives, and you probably filled out a commitment card. And I want to say thanks, for whatever you committed to. Remember those commitments when you leave here, they are super important, and I hope that this message tonight and all of the experiences that you have had this week at camp stay with you and remind you of the wonderful love that God has for you and the decisions that maybe you’ve made this week about your life and God’s place in it.

You know, our buddy Peter, we’ve talked a lot about him this week already. So a little while longer after the incident we talked about last night, with Pete’s “you are the Messiah” and then trying to tell Jesus what to do thing, we get another kind of weird story. It’s all connected so basically if you remember, Peter was like you’re the Messiah, the ruler of the world. And Jesus was like yup, and I’m going to die, but it’s going to be ok. And Peter’s not having that right, but Jesus settles him down and teaches about the cost of discipleship right, having the courage to take up your cross and follow him, etc. So this is the next scene, and today we’ll read from Matthew’s Gospel. This is chapter 17

The New Revised Standard Version The Transfiguration

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. 3 Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 5 While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” 8 And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.

Ok. This is like a super weird story. But I think it’s great. So there’s probably some words we should talk about.

Transfigured, means that Jesus was transformed. Like he was still Jesus right, but he was somehow different. He’s shining, and it’s like he’s showing off the reality of who he is. His face shining like the sun has this very like heavenly and God like overtone. It’s kind of this proof that, this is no ordinary man.

And then all of a sudden are these other two guys, who are with him. And these two people are very important.

Who knows who Moses was? Right yeah, Moses was like one of the most famous guys in the Old Testament. He was the guy who set the Israelites free when they were being held in slavery in Egypt. He talked to God a bunch of times right? First at the burning bush when God told him to go tell Pharoah to let the people go, and then again when God gave the Israelites the law and the commandments. And when Moses came down from the mountain, can you guess how he looked? His face was shining like the sun from being in God’s presence. Pretty cool.

And then you have Elijah, this is kind of a less well known guy, we talk about him a little less. Does anyone know who Elijah was? Elijah was a prophet who was very outspoken, and he set out to bring reform to Israel when the king was doing some really bad stuff like worshipping other gods and killing all of the people who were telling the Israelites to worship the true God.

What all of these guys have in common is that Jewish tradition holds them in such high esteem that they were believed to have escaped death in the normal fashion and gone to heaven in their physical bodies. Jewish tradition believed that Moses died, but that God raised him and brought him to heaven, and Elijah was carried off to heaven in a chariot.

But even more important than that is their relationship to God’s commands. Moses was the vessel that God used to introduce God’s desires and ethics (what’s right and what’s wrong) to humans, and Elijah was God’s vessel for correcting and reintroducing these ethics when they were lost.

All of that leads to Jesus, who is said to be the fulfillment of all of their work, the one who brings God’s message to the world and the one who makes it possible for humans to live up to it. Does that make a little bit of sense?

And so this all relates to commitment, because look at what Peter is up to. Peter is like, hey this is incredible, let’s stay here forever. We’ll make some tents for y’all to stay in up here, it’ll be awesome. We can stay here forever. Peter’s like totally committed to this situation. He’s all in. But Peter’s not the only one who’s committed.

God is committed to his mission in the world. So God interrupts him and speaks. And what does he say… “This is my son with whom I am well pleased, Listen to him”

This is very important, because it tells us something about the nature of commitment. Commitment is something that we can understand and be a part of as humans, because God has committed himself to us. And he has done so through the work of these 3 shiny people up on this mountain in this super weird story.

He committed himself to Israel through the covenant made at Mt. Sinai with Moses, and he showed his commitment to Israel by empowering and sending Elijah to fix the mess that was made when Israel broke the covenant. And now, through Jesus, he is making a new covenant with all of humanity. Our part in this thing is the same as it has always been, listen to God. Listen to Jesus.

And in the language of the biblical authors, the word listen isn’t just like “hey hear this” it means hey “do this.” Listening in the Bible is a command to go and do that which you are hearing. So what God is doing here is saying, hey these people are a reminder to you that I have committed myself to you over and over again throughout history, and what I want from you is a commitment too. And it begins with listening to and obeying the things that Jesus taught his disciples and the people around him to do.

So I’m going to probably keeping giving Peter a hard time, because he’s kind of always only half understanding what’s happening, but at the same time, this is us too. We often think we know whats going on, or what’s going to happen next, only to be surprised by the fact that we are kind of clueless. Peter’s like yes, I’m ready to commit, if it’s good lets just stay up here. I wanna be with you Jesus, I’m committed to you man. And God is like no man, thanks, but the commitment means you’re going to have to listen to my son. And my son said already to you what’s got to happen. You can’t stay on the mountain, you’ve got to go and do what he came here to do.

And then at the end of the scene Jesus and the disciples leave the mountain and Jesus gives them some instructions.

The New Revised Standard Version The Transfiguration

9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” 10 And the disciples asked him, “Why, then, do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” 11 He replied, “Elijah is indeed coming and will restore all things; 12 but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but they did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man is about to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist.

Kind of a weird thing, but remember what I just told you about Elijah, he came to tell Israel to repent and turn back to God. That’s exactly what John the Baptist had said as well.

I always kind of wondered why Jesus tells them not to tell anyone what they had seen. I’m beginning to believe that it was so that nothing would stand in the way of his mission to die on the cross. If people heard this particular story, especially the people in Jerusalem, where Jesus and the disciples are headed, they might be convinced not to crucify him.

And Jesus is committed to his mission. He’s committed to completing the task ahead of him. He committed to us.

So remember, I said that the basis for our commitment to God is that God is committed to us. And Jesus showed that commitment to his disciples and invited them along for the ride, giving them the opportunity to show and live out their commitment to him.

He invited the rich young ruler, and he couldn’t do it, at least not yet.

And that’s kind of where we are. We’ve got to decide for ourselves whether or not Jesus’s commitment to us means that we are going to make the ultimate commitment to him.

You see Jesus has called all of us and given us the courage to make a commitment. A commitment to not only declare that he is our Messiah, our savior, the one who frees us from the bondage that we have to ourselves, but also frees us from the life and consequences that come from being so wrapped up in sin that we can’t even begin to live the wonderfully beautiful life that Jesus has for us.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Right here, in this moment, right now, our lives can change. And I know that a lot of you have maybe taken this step already, and I know that maybe some of you just aren’t quite ready yet, and that’s ok.

Last night I asked you “who do you say that Jesus Christ is.” And your deeply personal answer to that may have changed. You may be realizing that Jesus is so much more than you had previously imagined.

If your answer to that question is that “Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the God of the Universe who came to show me how to live, died so that I won’t have to deal with the consequences of my own sins, and rose from the dead to give me and the rest of the world victory over evil, then let me tell you… it’s time for you to make a commitment to be about Jesus forever.

This is not a decision that I can make for you. You have to decide for yourself if you are going to make this leap, to go from dead to alive. But I can tell you that I made that decision a long time ago, at a place just like this, and it changed my life forever.

So I want all of the campers to just bow your heads. Counselors, can you just take a look around at your campers. Guys if you are ready to commit, and there is no pressure, none of your friends can see. if you are ready tonight or this week to give your allegiance to Jesus, to make a commitment to follow Jesus forever, and you have never done that before in your life, just raise your hand.

If you’ve made a commitment to Jesus before, but honestly you’ve been slacking and you want to recommit to following Jesus with everything that you have will you raise your hand?

Ok, in a moment we are going to pray together, and this prayer is just a prayer of preparation. It’s a prayer that will prepare you to make an internal decision. I encourage you campers and counselors to have a discussion if you’ve made a decision to commit your life to Jesus. I’m always available as well to talk to you about this extremely important decision that you are making.

Pray it out.