Commitment?
The sermon emphasizes the importance of exclusive commitment to Christ, based on His commitment to the Father.
Major Ian Thomas emphasizes that true commitment is found in Jesus Christ, who exemplified perfect commitment to the Father, focusing solely on what the Father was committed to in Him. He clarifies that Christ was not swayed by the political or social issues of His time, nor is He aligned with any contemporary factions, but rather, His commitment was exclusively to the will of the Father. Thomas urges believers to understand that their commitment should mirror Christ's, being directed solely towards Him and His purposes, rather than being tied to organizations or societal needs.
Text
The Lord Jesus Christ is the Truth, and as in all other things that pertain, unto life and godliness" (11 Peter 1:3), He is the Truth about true commitment. He was committed to the Father for all that to which the Father was committed in the Son, and He was supremely confident that the Father who dwelt in Him, was gloriously adequate for all that to which He was committed. We know also that the Saviour's commitment to His Father was such that the Father was completely committed to His Son!
The Lord Jesus Christ refused to be committed to the parochial needs of His own day and generation; He was not committed to the political situation in Palestine, or to the emancipation of the Jewish nation from the Roman yoke! He was not committed to the pressing social problems of His time, nor to one faction as opposed to another, any more than today He is committed to the West against the East, or to the Republicans against the Democrats (as though either were less wicked than the other!). Christ was not even committed to the needs of a perishing world; He was neither unmindful nor unmoved by all these other issues, but as Perfect Man He was committed to His Father, and for that only to which His Father was committed in Him exclusively!
The basis of His commitment to the Father is the basis upon which the Lord Jesus Christ claims your commitment to Him; you are committed to Him for all that to which He is committed in you exclusively!
You are not committed to a church, or to a denomination, or to an organization; as a missionary you are not committed to a Mission Board nor even to a "field," and least of all are you committed to a "need"! You are committed to Christ, and for all that to which Christ is committed in You, and again I say exclusively!
From: The Mystery of Godliness
Sermon Outline
- The Basis of Christ's Commitment
- The Scope of Christ's Commitment
- The Basis of Our Commitment
- Committed to Christ for all He is committed in us
- Exclusive commitment to Christ
Key Quotes
“You are committed to Christ, and for all that to which Christ is committed in You, and again I say exclusively!” — Major Ian Thomas
“He was committed to the Father for all that to which the Father was committed in the Son, and He was supremely confident that the Father who dwelt in Him, was gloriously adequate for all that to which He was committed.” — Major Ian Thomas
Application Points
- We should be committed to Christ exclusively, without any other allegiances or commitments.
- Our commitment to Christ should be based on His commitment to the Father, and His confidence in the Father's adequacy.
- We should not be committed to specific needs or causes, but rather to Christ Himself.