How To Remain Committed When All You Wanna Do Is Quit
INTRODUCTION
Philippians 3:7-14
7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
NKJV
WHAT IS COMMITMENT?
As I was preparing this message I kept trying to settle on a proper definition for the thought I wanted to convey. You see, Webster’s definition of commitment did not convey the message that the Lord had laid upon my heart. Webster defines commitment as:
· An act of committing to a charge or trust, as
o A consignment to a penal or mental institute,
o An act of referring a matter to a legislative committee, or
· An agreement or pledge to do something in the future, as
o Something pledged
o The state of being obligated or emotionally impelled
Now these are all good definitions, but they didn’t suit me. So, I came up with my own definition. I decided to define commitment as self-sacrificing devotion. I chose this definition because I have come to realize that my commitment to the Lord is based on devotion. Now that word devotion implies an ardent love or affection and the word love implies the willing ness to sacrifice what you want to show how much you care for another. Therefore, I define commitment as self-sacrificing devotion.
I also chose to use the Apostle Paul as my example of a man totally committed to Christ. Paul had everything a young Jewish man could want. Look at Phil 3:4-6 with me…
Philippians 3:4-6
4 though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
NKJV
Here we find that Paul was an Israelite, that he was circumcised on the eighth day in strict accordance with the Law, that he was from the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews, and a Pharisee. His father was very wealthy and was also a Pharisee and all the family was considered Roman citizens. Paul was born in Tarsus but raised in Jerusalem at the very feet of Gamiliel, the most famous Rabbi of his day. Paul was extremely intelligent and was probably a candidate for the Sanhedrin. He had it all, but one day around noon his entire life changed forever when he met Jesus on the road to Damascus.
On that day the most zealous persecutor of the church became the greatest evangelist to ever live. On that day he became totally committed to Christ because he finally realized that the Lord loved him unconditionally, no matter what he had done.
AN EXAMPLE OF COMMITMENT
At the time Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians, he was in jail awaiting trial. As you read his letter it becomes clear that his focus is the Christ-centered life and the hallmark of that life is joy. Remember, Paul had surrendered everything to Christ yet he was still able to say things like:
· For me to live is Christ, and
· To live and die in Christ is joy, and
· To give up all to win Christ is joy
Christ had laid hold of Paul on that Damascus road and his sole passion was to glorify Christ in all he did. He longed for this same experience to be repeated in the life of the Philippian believers. He prayed that they would abound in the love of Christ and, like himself, would know the experience of Christ personally.
You see, Paul had endured many things for Christ since his conversion. His father disinherited him, his family was ashamed of him, and his friends turned their backs on him. We read in 2 Corinthians 11:23-27…
2 Corinthians 11:23-27
23 Are they ministers of Christ? — I speak as a fool — I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. 24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness — NKJV
Wow! Paul endured so very much, yet, through it all, he never QUIT! He remained committed to Christ.
Let’s return to our text.
Philippians 3:7-14
7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
12Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
NKJV
WHAT SHOULD WE COMMIT TO THE LORD?
First let’s look at what we should commit to the Lord. In Ephesians 4:7-13 we find that the Holy Spirit bestowed special gifts upon every believer for the purpose of building up the church. Each believer is given a gift and that gift is to be used to further the Kingdom of God. We are not to waste those gifts by not putting them to use. Ephesians 2:10 tells us that we are created in Christ Jesus for good works. Even though we can do nothing to earn our salvation, we should seek to serve the Lord by serving others. God’s intention is that our salvation will result in works of service for others. WE are not saved merely for our own benefit but for His – to glorify Him and build up the church. In James 2 :17-20 we read….
James 2:17-20
17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe — and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? NKJV
At first glance, this verse seems to contradict what Paul says in Romans 3:28….
Romans 3:28
28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. NKJV
Deeper investigation, however, shows that the teachings of James and Paul are not at odds. Both Paul and James define faith as a living, productive trust in Christ. Genuine faith cannot be “dead” to morality or barren of works. While it is true that our good works can never earn salvation, true faith always results in a changed life and good works. True faith involves a commitment of your whole self to God. Therefore, we should be committed to God because of what He has done for us – out of gratitude and love!
WHAT HINDERS OUR COMMITMENT?
What keeps us from being committed? What holds us back? The greatest hindrance is Satan, the Father of Lies!
Paul often used athletics to teach about life. Many times he compared himself to a runner in a race. Now I have some experience with running races and let me tell you I have never run for longer than a mile without the thought of quitting coming to mind! When your muscles ache and your joints creak and you are sore from the previous day’s effort, or the course is difficult, you often think of quitting. The longer the run and the more difficult the course, the harder it is to stay focused and not give up. To not just quit! Long distance runners will tell you that negative thoughts hinder them more than any physical malady or affliction. You see, it is very hard to maintain your focus when your mind and body are sending you signals to just give up. So, runners must train their minds to ignore those thoughts just as hard and diligently as they train their bodies to complete the distance.
Now there are obvious similarities between a physical race and the race of the Christian life – the race of faith. You see Satan does not want us to finish the race set before us so he puts negative thoughts in our minds to keep us from completing what we have started. Have you ever experienced this? How many of you have come home from work or school and decided that you are just too tired to go to Bible Study, Prayer Meeting, VBS, or AWANA? How about Sunday mornings? Have you ever turned the alarm off and rationalized going back to sleep instead of getting up for Sunday School or Church? We tell ourselves that we deserve to sleep in this weekend. After all, we were up late last night and worked hard all week. Have you ever been asked to teach a class or help with the little children or just take charge of some project or help meet some need and found yourself making every excuse in the book not to do it? How many excuses have you made this week for ignoring the opportunity to share Jesus with someone? Every excuse you made was the work of Satan, the great deceiver! You see, like the runner we must train our minds to ignore those thoughts of discouragement. We must learn to maintain our focus under all circumstances. No matter how tough the course may be. We must never give up!
I believe that another reason many of us aren’t as committed as we should be is that we are harboring a grudge of some sort. Maybe someone has hurt our feelings or we didn’t get a job we wanted, or someone did some wrong to us, or maybe things just didn’t go our way. Have you ever felt like that? Maybe you thought to yourself, well I’ll show them they can’t get along without me! I’ll just sit back and watch and secretly feel happy if it all falls through! They’ll come crawling to me on their hands and knees begging for help and I just won’t listen! I’ll make some excuse or say I’m just too busy or too tired. Let them do it on their own! The next time they ask for help I’ll just turn and walk away. Does any of this sound familiar?
HOW CAN WE MAINTAIN OUR COMMITMENT?
Let’s see what we can learn from Paul in these areas. We read in verses 13 and 14 ….
Philippians 3:13-14
13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
NKJV
Paul was totally focused on the prize at the end of the race. He didn’t glance back, for to do so could mean the loss of stride and speed. He didn’t let obstacles like grudges or hurt feelings hinder his work for Christ. He didn’t have time to! He wouldn’t allow it! As far as he was concerned those things weren’t worth remembering! He knew where they came from and just plain didn’t have time for such foolishness. He never laid around on the couch or made excuses. He had work to do for the Lord. He said he was reaching forward, stretching, pressing on, and expecting the prize. He was expending all his effort in serving the Lord and found excitement and joy in doing so. You see, in races the winner’s prize, the laurel wreath of the victor, was often placed at the finish line as an added incentive to the contestants. Paul was striving for that prize, the prize of the upward call of Christ, the prize which will be presented at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Paul lived each day awaiting that call.
When the pressures build up and you feel like you are being pulled in so many different directions, you just want to give up and stay home. To maintain your commitment is just too hard. To show up for a Bible Study or to teach a lesson or to deal with the children is just too much! You are not Superman or Superwoman! You can’t do it all; you can’t do it on your own. Well you are right! You can’t! But in Hebrews 12:1-3 we read that we must keep our focus on Jesus and if we do we will not grow weary or loose heart and in Philippians 4:13 we learn that we can gain the strength to do all things through Christ Jesus. If we let Christ live His life through us we can accomplish everything He would have us to do. We can face the pressures we feel, we can continue doing the things we should. When the going gets rough, we must focus on Jesus. When we feel discouraged, we must focus on Jesus. When we want to give up and quit, we must focus on Jesus. Through Him we can accomplish everything and do it with joy in our hearts.
Have you ever stopped to think what your life would be like today if the person who led you to the Lord on that special day or night had made an excuse for not being wherever it was they met you? How different would things be? Aren’t you glad they were there? You know I believe the Lord places us at certain locations at certain times for a special purpose. He lets us make the decision whether or not to show up, but He has a plan for us if we will just follow where He leads. Think about that the next time you feel like making an excuse for not being where you committed to be or doing what you committed to do.
I read a story recently about a missionary who was asked, “What pay do you receive for the hardships you endure and the sacrifices you make, living and working among these people?” The missionary took from his pocket a letter, worn from much handling, and read two sentences from it, written by a Chinese student: “But for you I would not have known Jesus Christ, our Savior. Every morning I kneel before God and think of you and thank God for you!” “That,” said the missionary, “is my pay!”
George Muller said, “Giving is not measured by what you surrender to Christ but by what you withhold.” The same is true of commitment! What you hold back from Christ measures your commitment!
CLOSING
In closing, I would ask you:
· What are you holding back from Christ?
· What are you willing to give up for His sake? Your career, your job, your social life, your friend’s approval, your plans for the future, your current pleasures?
· What has priority in your life?
What if Christ should return today? Would He find you ready? Would He find you giving your all to reach the finish line or would He find you standing on the sidelines – a spectator? Paul said that his goal was to know Christ, to be like Him, and to be all Christ had in mind for him. This goal absorbed all his energy. What an example to us! We should not let anything take our eyes off our goal – Christ! Are you willing to sacrifice self for Christ?
As we bow our heads and prepare for a song of invitation, let me ask you:
· How does your commitment compare to Paul’s?
· Do you allow every little thing to get in the way of serving the Lord or do you press on, forgetting what lies behind?
· What is standing in your way that needs to be overcome?
· What is hindering you?
· What are you not doing this morning that you know you should?
· What are you doing that you shouldn’t?