Let’s talk commitment today. Our missions statement says that we are a united body of believes committed to grow in Christ and reach others for Christ.
This is what the mission statement says. Why do so many seem to start off right—say the right words, start attending Bible study and worship—and yet somewhere along the way they get derailed?
Why is it such a common experience? Most people who witness for Jesus regularly will tell you it is relatively easy to get someone to profess faith in Jesus. Getting them to be faithful is another matter.
As a pastor I must admit I get frustrated at those who claim to be Christians and join the church, but never really follow our Lord. Why?
We can look at our mission statement as a statement of who we are, or who we want to be. I think we want to see people become Christians. But how committed do we ourselves want to be so that can happen?
What does commitment mean? It means obligation, responsibility, guarantee, assurance, pledge, promise, resolution, resolve, determination, and decision. In other words, we are resolved, determined, and obligated to grow in Christ and reach others for Christ.
Do we want to grow in our faith enough to commit to a Bible study class with other Christians? Do we love Jesus enough to commit to a ministry of service to our church and community?
This event in the life of Jesus from Matthew 19:16-26 is the story of “The Rich Young Ruler.” But I prefer to call it “The Case of Divided Allegiance (Text).
Here is a young man who asks in the clearest possible way how he can get a hold of eternal life: What good things must I do to get eternal life? (v. 16).
What would you do if someone asked you about eternal life? What an opportunity to share the plan of salvation with someone who seems eager and ready. We pray for opportunities like these.
If it was me, I would have told him that Jesus loves him and has a wonderful plan for his life; that Jesus died on the cross for him, and all he has to do is believe in Jesus. Jesus doesn’t do that.
For more than half of Jesus’ ministry His popularity was like that of a rock star’s today—crowds of people, everyone wanting to see, hear, and touch Him. They especially wanted Him to do miracles.
So Jesus stops and tells the people it is not about miracles, or health, wealth and prosperity—it is about allegiance to Him—that there was a cost to follow Him—commitment was necessary.
And in Luke 14:33 Jesus says to the crowds, In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has, cannot be my disciple. This verse summarizes what Jesus was saying to this young man.
Jesus knows him, or at least about him. He knows he’s wealthy. So Jesus gives the young man a test. He had to choose between his possessions and Jesus.
He failed the test. No matter what he said he believed he could not be Christ’s disciple if he were unwilling to place his allegiance and trust in Christ.
Many Christians claim they are willing to do whatever it takes to reach others for Christ. What they mean is, “I’ll do whatever it takes as long as you do my kind of music; or it fits my schedule; and I get to sit in my pew.”
Everything seemed to be so right to share the Gospel with this young man, ask him to say the prayer, and he would be saved. He certainly came to the right person. Yet he turned away, unsaved because he would not commit himself and give his allegiance to Jesus.
Let’s look a little closer at this young man:
Some scholars believe the young man was trying to trap Jesus. I don’t think so. I think he was very earnest. Notice, He asked about eternal life. He knew what he wanted—and he knew he didn’t have it. It’s good to want eternal life.
He was young. How wonderful it is to let Jesus into your life at a young age. He was also rich. What a catch he would be. And, he was influential—probably some sort of religious leader. Think about it—he was devout, honest, wealthy, prominent, respected and influential. And oh, did I say he was rich? What an addition he would make to the church!
Yet he was obviously in turmoil. His religion had given him no peace or joy. His wealth had not brought him satisfaction. Nor, according to his question, had it brought him hope. He desperately wanted to hope.
Now when the Bible talks about eternal life it is not just talking about life after this one and living forever. It refers to the quality of life that is characteristic of someone who is a Christian. You begin eternal life the very moment you accept Christ into your life. It is being alive today in Jesus Christ. This was missing in the man’s life.
He didn’t seem to be presumptuous or superior in his attitude with Jesus. In fact, he seemed to feel his need deeply. We all know people who know they don’t have eternal life—but they also don’t feel any need for it.
They don’t really have any interest in spiritual things. This young man was very interested. We know people who call themselves Christians, but have no interest in learning or growing in their faith or in serving Christ. They have a divided allegiance.
There was urgency in his question. According to Mark’s gospel, he ran to Jesus—he came in the daylight—he came publicly.
He pushed his way through the crowd that was always around Jesus and blurted out his question. Master, what good thing must I do to get eternal life? This took tremendous courage for a man in his position to ask.
He was admitting before everyone that he didn’t have eternal life, nor did he know how to get it. Religiously he knew that something was wrong. It was the outcry of a heart in deep need.
Of course he exaggerated when he claimed he kept all the law. Outwardly he was a moral man, not a gross sinner; he lived an exemplary life. He conformed to the strict standards of his religion.
Inwardly he knew it wasn’t enough—he knew he wasn’t right. He had a deep void, and he came to the right person to fill that emptiness. I’m telling you, this guy was ready. What a great opportunity! He was a “can’t miss” convert. He would make a wonderful church member. Sign him up.
Rich, young, influential—just think what he could do for our church! These are the kind of people that you want to give their testimony—to write a book—to make large donations to the church.
Matthew 19:16. Master, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?
Some people think the young man asked the wrong question. They say he asked a works-oriented question—“What good thing must I do…” But what else could he have asked? He came from a works-oriented religion.
All his training taught him to think that his religion was the way to earn God’s favor. Everything he did in life was in accordance to the rules and regulations of his religion. So he asked about eternal life in the only way he understood.
There are people today who think that because they are Baptist or Catholic, or Presbyterian, or whatever, that they are Christians and automatically are guaranteed eternal life. Boy will they be surprised!
Religion and being religious will not give you eternal life. Busyness in your church will not give you eternal life. Only a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ—committed to Him—His salvation and Lordship—is eternal life.
But it was a simple, honest question asked by a man in search of the truth. If we are honest, there is something we must do to inherit eternal life: we have to believe in Jesus.
But now the story really gets strange. Jesus told him something that is preposterous to our ears: Matthew 19:17. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.
Jesus, what’s wrong with you. You didn’t talk about yourself. You didn’t tell him you love him and have this wonderful plan for his life. You didn’t tell the man he needed to believe in You. You didn’t ask him to make a decision. Jesus You didn’t close the deal.
Instead, Jesus, it seems that you put a wall up in front of the man. To suggest that the law is a means to eternal life is just wrong. Why, Jesus, did you tell him that? Was because he was a good person?
And he knew he was a good person. Maybe Jesus told him to keep the commandments to help him understand something very important. The young man was missing something necessary to salvation: he was missing a sense of sinfulness.
He was a good person and as far as he knew he was doing all that was needed. And so he couldn’t acknowledge that he was a sinner. He had a desire for eternal life, and that’s good. But everyone wants to go to heaven.
So Jesus confronts him with the fact that he was a sinner—that he, in fact, did not keep all the law.
Salvation is for people who know they are sinners, hate their sin and want to turn away from it. It is for those who realize their way isn’t working and want to turn their lives over to God and commit themselves to Him.
Those who don’t give Christ their allegiance are like this young man—they don’t get it. To them Jesus is nothing more than fire insurance. You know what happens in the church today—we offer love, joy, peace, and happiness, but forget to remind people that they are sinners.
People accept Jesus and come into the church, but their lives are unchanged and there is no commitment of their lives to Christ and His church. Like this young man, unwilling to confess our own sinfulness. So Jesus gives him a test to try to help the young man understand.
Finally Jesus gave him the ultimate test: Matthew 19:21. If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.
The key word here is “perfect.” If from the time he was a baby he had lived an absolutely perfect life and had never sinned, then he would be accepted into eternal life. Jesus is telling him that’s impossible.
The young man’s claim that he kept all the commandments was challenged. Jesus, in effect, said to him, “If you really love your neighbor, then give him everything you’ve got. If you really love him as much as you love yourself that should not be any problem.”
Here’s the test: would he obey Christ or not? He came to Jesus; he asked the question; now would he listen and obey? Jesus is not going to force him to do anything.
Jesus is also not saying that you can earn your salvation by giving all your stuff away to charity. He is saying, “Who’s going to run your life—you or I?”
Jesus knew exactly where this man’s heart was, and he challenged it. He wanted the young man to also recognize it. Jesus was telling him, “Unless I can be the highest authority in your life, there is no salvation for you.”
I know you’re thinking, “Do we literally have to give away everything we own to become Christians?” No. But if your allegiance is totally to Christ, you do have to be willing to forsake all if Christ asks you to.
One of the most dramatic events in Christ’s ministry took place in Matthew 16. Jesus had asked His disciples what people were saying about Him. People were calling Him John the Baptist come back to life. Some believed He was one of the prophets reborn—Elijah, Jeremiah, or others.
But Jesus wanted His disciples to declare their faith. Who did they say Jesus was? Peter responded, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (v. 16).
Following that declaration Jesus began to explain the true purpose of His mission—to die on the cross. Ironically Peter opposed God’s plan and Jesus rebuked him saying,
“Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of me” (v. 23). Jesus is declaring the necessity of full allegiance to Him.
Nothing in a Christian’s life can take precedence over Jesus. To be committed to Him means we must be eager to do what He wants. We must be eager to serve Him in every possible way. We must be eager to love others like He does, and we must be eager to grow in our faith.
Jesus was telling the young man that he must be willing to submit to the sovereignty of Christ over his life. He failed the test. He was not willing to give Jesus control of his life. Matthew 19:22. When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
He really did want eternal life; but not on Jesus’ terms. He wasn’t willing to confess his sins and surrender himself to Jesus’ lordship.
Salvation is by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8). The Bible is clear about this. Saving faith is a commitment to leave sin and follow Jesus Christ at all cost—to give Him your undivided allegiance. You may not understand everything, but there has to be a willingness to commit to Jesus and obey Him. To come to Jesus is to say “Yes” to Him. Jesus then takes first priority and becomes the supreme Lord of your life.
We are a united body of believers committed to grow in Christ and to reach others for Christ. This is what it takes to give our full allegiance to Christ.