Pentecost 6 (3)
Notes
Transcript
51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; 53 but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them. 56 Then he and his disciples went to another village. 57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” 59 He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” 62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”
Have you made a commitment lately? Have you signed a document that confirms that you have made a promise to fulfill according to its rules and regulations?
Every time we use a credit card we are agreeing to some form of the following agreement. We realize that if we don’t pay the full amount due we are subject to very high interest rates and that if we neglect to pay we are also subject to additional fees. Many people make multiple commitments of this type every week.
PAYMENTS AND DEFAULT YOUR PROMISE TO PAY You promise to pay us the amounts of all credit you obtain, which includes all Purchases, Balance Transfers, and Cash Advances. You also promise to pay us all the amounts of interest charges, fees, and any other transactions charged to your account. If a bank branch or office sponsors your account, you promise to pay it any unpaid account balance it pays us within 30 days.
PAYMENTS ON YOUR ACCOUNT You must pay each month at least the Total Minimum Payment Due shown on your monthly statement by its Payment Due Date. Payments must conform to the requirements set out on that monthly statement; these requirements may vary without prior notice. You may pay the entire amount you owe us at any time. Payments made in any billing cycle that are greater than the Total Minimum Payment Due will not affect your obligation to make the next Total Minimum Payment Due. If you overpay or if there is a credit balance on your account, we will not pay interest on such amounts. We will reject payments that are not drawn in U.S. dollars and those drawn on a financial institution located outside of the United States. We reserve the right to reject any payment if your account has a credit balance as of the day we receive that payment. Generally, credits to your account, such as those generated by merchants or by person-to-person money transfers, are not treated as payments and will not reduce your Total Minimum Payment Due.
But this is not the only commitment we make in our lives. Some are quite casual. We promise to meet someone at a certain place at a certain time. We promise to return an item we have borrowed. We promise to call when we have arrived safely or to be home at a specific time.
Some commitments are more intense. Agreements we make when we are hired. Land contracts. Work orders. Marriage vows are some examples.
Today’s sermon is about commitment. The commitment that Jesus had in carrying out his mission and the commitment that he expects his disciples to have in following him.
Part One: Jesus Shows His Commitment
Part Two: The Type of Commitment Jesus Expects of Us.
Specific Sin: Many Christians are very casual in their commitment to Jesus.
51 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.