Principles of Christian Living. Lesson 9 Lesson Text—Psalm 37:3-6 Psalm 37:3-6 3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and

Principles of Christian Living

Lesson 9

Lesson Text—Psalm 37:3-6

Psalm 37:3-63 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.


5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.


Psalm 37:7-97 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.


8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.

Focus Verse—Psalm 37:5

Psalm 37:5Commit thy way unto the LORD;

trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

Focus Thought

Commitment is a necessary

element in living for God. When we

are totally committed to God, we

easily commit to each other.

I. Commitment Is Necessary in Living for God

CULTURE CONNECTIONThe Essential Elements for

Better Relationships

What is the key to deeper, stronger, and better relationships? While not the only keys, two of the most necessary keys are more commitment and higher trust.

I. Commitment Is Necessary in Living for GodIn the opinion pages of the March

28, 2010, issue of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Trudy Rubin wrote an article titled “Worldview: To Help U.S.-Pakistan Efforts, More Commitment Needed.” In the article she wrote, “Will the United States and Pakistan ever trust each other enough to cooperate fully in fighting the Taliban and al-Qaeda?

I. Commitment Is Necessary in Living for God“This was the question haunting last

week’s high-level strategic dialogue between top officials of the two countries, which aimed to put their prickly relationship on a new, deeper footing. Although Pakistan’s delegation was headed by its foreign minister, the urbane Shah Mahmood Qureshi, it also included its stern-faced, powerful military commander, General Ashfaq Kayani.

I. Commitment Is Necessary in Living for God“Washington promised to speed up

delivery of economic aid and military equipment, along with compensation for Pakistan’s increased efforts at battling militants on the Afghan border. ‘This is a new day,’ declared Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who hopes to shrink the yawning trust deficit between the two countries.”


The components of trust and commitment are vital to relationships, whether one is contemplating relationships between nations, between individuals, or between a person and God. Do you desire a deeperrelationship with Jesus Christ? Commit to Him and build trust. Do you need a better relationship with your spouse? Commit completely to your spouse and build trust. Better relationships are dependent upon higher levels of commitment and trust.


Contemplating the Topic

Try to imagine that your network of relationships with others is a vast, impressive structure like a great capitol building, an immense skyscraper, or a vast museum. Like an impressive structure, much of the framework of your life is built by your relationships with other people.

Imagine that the first floor of this building consists of your Christian brothers and sisters.


The second floor is your family; another floor, your coworkers; another, friends and neighbors; and so forth. Ask yourself how well-built your building would be if its structural soundness and integrity were measured by the quality of your relationships with those people. Would your building collapse? Are your friendships frail, insincere, or fraught with strife, distrust, or other problems? Would one floor be beautiful while other floors were dingy and dirty from dysfunction or neglect? Would your building be able to stand?

I. Commitment Is Necessary in Living for GodGod’s people—His church—are the

temple of the Lord. We are being “builded together for an habitation of God” (Ephesians 2:22), and He wants the structure to be sound, strong, and well-maintained.

Only relationships that are founded on God’s principles can attain to their highest potential. Even when seemingly good relationships flourish outside and apart from the will of God, they still are inferior to what God could make of them.


If we would form all our relationships according to His master design, they would be far more beautiful than anything we have ever seen. Relationships that lack critical components eventually will deteriorate. People can build functional relationships without godly principles and form powerful attachments that perpetuate the relationships. Invariably, however, at least two undesirable results will develop in relationships built apart from godly virtues.


First, such relationships will degenerate like bones without calcium, and as predictably as genetic mutations, they will become diseased. If the relationships endure, they will prove to be in conflict with God’s greater will for the individuals.

Second, when these kinds of relationships begin to break apart, separation anxieties occur, and pain, hurt, and bitterness typically follow. Few things in life are more painful or stressful than losing a dear friend or family member when a relationship ends.


Following God’s plan will help to prevent diseased and failed relationships.

Think about the most important relationships you have right now. Is your family tightly knit or falling apart? Do you get along well with people on your job or is there jealousy and infighting? Are your relationships robust and sound, or are they frail, flimsy, and collapsing?

Today we will discuss the foundational component upon which we may build strong relationships—

commitment.


Our primary commitment in life must be to God. All other commitments must be subordinate to that. Our secondary commitments must be to other people, following godly guidelines.

The strength of our commitments, or the lack thereof, determines our ultimate destinies. If we live every day under the influence of an unshakable commitment to God, we will experience God’s glory. We also will discover the enormous value of righteous commitments in all our relationships: family, friends, and acquaintances.

I. Commitment Is Necessary in Living for GodConversely, those who have never

made a genuine commitment to Jesus Christ can never actually experience the full potential of earthly relationships. Without divine wisdom and guidance, our relationships are at best ill-founded and misguided, and at worst, evil.

I. Commitment Is Necessary in Living for GodBefore we can commit to Jesus

Christ, however, we must recognize the ultimate worthlessness and hopelessness of all personal and worldly agendas. We must surrender—consign to God—all our former commitments to self-fulfillment and self-indulgence. There is great power in being totally committed, totally abandoned to the will of God and His purpose and plan for our lives.


Searching the Scriptures Commitment Is Necessary in

Living for God

It is possible to be a true Christian only when one makes a total commitment to Jesus Christ. True commitment is complete, wholehearted, and without reservation. In Luke 14 Jesus expressed the essence of commitment to Jesus Christ.

Luke 14:26-28“If any man come to me, and hate

not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and

sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And

whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my

disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down

first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?”

(Luke 14:26-28).

Luke 14:29-31“Lest haply, after he hath laid the

foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying, This man began to

build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war

against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether

he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him

with twenty thousand?” (Luke 14:29-31).

Luke 14:32-33“Or else, while the other is yet a

great way off, he sendeth anambassage, and desireth

conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that

forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:32-

33).

I. Commitment Is Necessary in Living for God“Forsaking all that he hath” is a

radical act. Self-denial is more than a religious buzzword. It is an act of giving up self-interests for the sake of pursuing God’s holy purpose for one’s life. The analogies of preparing to build a building or readying for war both stress the underlying theme about making a sufficient commitment to see the building built or the battle won. Every worthwhile goal demands a full and enduring commitment.


In a sense, commitment is synonymous with consignment. For example, a consignment store offers merchandise that has been delivered to the vendor for a proxy sale. If someone consigns an item to a vendor, he gives him the full rights of barter, negotiation, and closure. The vendor is then free to dispose of the item within the terms of the consignment.

God calls for us to consign our lives to Him. We enter into covenant with Him after the model and template of many people of faith in the Scriptures.


The story of Abraham, for example, shows how he consigned his life to God. In exchange for God’s promises to bless him in certain ways, Abraham forsook his past and followed wherever the Lord led him. Consigning one’s life to God is essential to living in a holy covenant with Him.

Every Christian who boasts of being in covenant with God must remember that covenants are bilateral. Before we can make a rightful claim to the benefits of covenant, we must deliver ourselves unencumbered to God under His terms within the covenant.

I. Commitment Is Necessary in Living for GodAn unencumbered property has no

liens against it, no claims, and no attachments. The new owner has unfettered, unlimited rights. When we commit to God, we are delivering all we are and do unto Him without any claims or attachments and for His complete control. Anything less is not real commitment.

The Oxford Dictionary says that commitment is “an obligation that restricts freedom of action (especially financial).”


Like a financial commitment, committing ourselves to God restricts our freedom of action. This means we can no longer do as we please, but we do everything in a way that pleases Him. Commitment requires this measure of obedience and service.

Our commitment to God begins with a sober choice. Once inside the Promised Land, Joshua addressed the people of Israel.

Joshua 24:15 “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the

LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your

fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the

Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the

LORD” (Joshua 24:15).


“We will serve the Lord” means “we will be God’s bondservants.” The apostles claimed to be servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. Servants are entirely committed to serving their masters. Having no rights of their own, they are in a sense under consignment and restricted from any action that breaks the terms of their covenant.

The story is told about the chicken and the pig and their respective roles in providing breakfast for the farmer. For the chicken, breakfast was only a contribution.


But for the pig, it was a total commitment. As trite as that analogy seems, it demonstrates the difference between our making a contribution to God’s kingdom and making a full commitment. If we are not dead to self, we are not committed.

The dearest idol I have known,Whate’er that idol be,Help me to tear it from its throne,And worship only thee. —William Cowper

A. Commitment Brings Endurance

A. Commitment Brings Endurance

Only when we are fully committed to Christ can we truly endure the trials of life.

Hebrews 11:13-15 “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having

seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced

them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a

country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, hey might have had

opportunity to have returned” (Hebrews 11:13-15).


The heroes of faith were committed. If Abraham had continually pined for Mesopotamia, he might have had occasion to go back, but he was not looking for a way back. He was looking for a city that God was building for him.

“By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. . . . For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God”

(Hebrews 11:8, 10).

I. Commitment Is Necessary in Living for GodNo one who puts his hand to the

plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God. Lot’s wife was literally compelled to leave Sodom, and her longing to return aborted her deliverance. If we want to survive until the end, we must commit ourselves to do God’s will.

B. Commitment Brings SuccessB. Commitment Brings

Success

Andrew Carnegie said, “The men who have succeeded are men who have chosen one line and stuck to it.” It takes commitment to succeed, but our commitment is worth no more than the cause to which we are committed. If we commit to an unworthy cause, we will end up disappointed. If we are committed to vain living, our life will end in vain.

I. Commitment Is Necessary in Living for GodBut if we commit to God’s eternal

purpose, we will find precious rewards along the way and eternal rewards at the end of the journey.

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

I. Commitment Is Necessary in Living for GodThe world, the flesh, and the devil

persistently opposed Jesus Christ. He was despised and rejected, and finally tortured and executed by evil men. But He was able to persevere “for the joy that was set before him.” Jesus looked ahead at the joyous victory His commitment would provide.

I. Commitment Is Necessary in Living for GodChristian, the main character in

Pilgrim’s Progress, saw the lights of the Celestial City far ahead and committed himself to reaching that goal, allowing nothing to hinder or stop him from reaching his destination. If we want to attain to the joy that is set before us, we must stay committed. The joy will come in the morning.

II. Commit Your Ways to GodCommit Your Ways to God

We who serve Christ are careful about making uncalculated commitments to our boss or the company for which we work. We guard against unqualified commitments to people who may not care about divine purpose. Committing to the wrong people is more dangerous than investing in a contract that will swindle us and take all our money. We have only one life to live, and we must give it to God, for only He can redeem us for our maximum worth.

A. Trust GodA. Trust God

Putting our entire life into someone else’s control requires an extraordinary amount of trust. If we struggle to trust God, we need only to compare our own untrustworthiness to God’s trustworthiness. Of course, the differences between the two are immeasurably vast. Who is most trustworthy, man or God?


God is infinite. We are finite. He knows everything. We are limited, inexperienced, ignorant, and unlearned. He sees all; we see almost nothing by comparison. He hears all; we cannot. He has all power in Heaven and earth whereas we have virtually none apart from Him. He can heal, save, deliver, and perform miracles. We cannot.

Knowing these things, it is illogical that we still tend to trust ourselves instead of trusting God. Why do we trust ourselves, yet struggle to trust God?

Jeremiah 10:23 “It is not in man that walketh to direct

his steps” (Jeremiah 10:23).

“There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the

LORD, that shall stand” (Proverbs 19:21).

God is trustworthy, even when no one else on earth is trustworthy. We can well

afford to commit ourselves to Him.

B. Rest in GodB. Rest in God

God gave the Sabbath for a day of rest—one day off every week. Every person needs physical rest. But in the New Testament, God gives all believers spiritual rest every day once they are baptized in His Spirit.

“For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest” (Isaiah 28:11-12).

I. Commitment Is Necessary in Living for God“For he that is entered into his rest,

he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his” (Hebrews 4:10).

Before we can experience God’s rest, we must cease from our own works. That demands commitment to God. We can only find His rest by abandoning our selfish will and committing ourselves to Jesus.

C. Wait Patiently on GodC. Wait Patiently on God

Though it took forty years of wandering in the wilderness, Israel finally possessed what God had promised to them. God will do all He promised for us too, as long as we persevere with faith and confidence in Him.

Joshua 21:43-44

“And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their

fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. And the LORD gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers” (Joshua

21:43-44).


In the presence of much so-called “prosperity preaching,” modern-day Christians often expect to have all they want right now. King Saul is an example of such impatience. He waited restlessly for Samuel to arrive and preside over an offering so Saul could launch an attack against the Philistines. Finally, before Samuel could get there, Saul breached protocol by presiding over the burnt offering himself. Samuel arrived and rebuked Saul severely for breaking the law.


He prophesied that because of this indiscretion Saul’s kingdom would be wrested from his descendants. (See I Samuel 13:8-14.) Saul’s determination and commitment were misguided. We must commit to doing things right. We must quit thinking about having everything our way and do things God’s way.

I. Commitment Is Necessary in Living for GodD. L. Moody wrote, “There are very

few who in their hearts do not believe in God, but what they will not do is give Him exclusive right of way. They are not ready to promise full allegiance to God alone” (The Best of D. L. Moody).

III. Commit Your Will to Each Other

Commit Your Will to Each Other

Being totally committed to God makes it easier to commit to each other. Real Christian living demands a tandem commitment both to Jesus Christ and His church. Jesus’ commitment to our redemption caused Him to suffer and shed His blood for us. His commitment endured the nails. Commitment is the consignment of oneself to a cause.

I. Commitment Is Necessary in Living for GodJesus consigned Himself to providing

for our redemption. Someone once said, “Give your all to Christ, who gave His all for you.” He committed everything to us. We should commit our all to Him.

Anyone who lives in the United States of America owes a debt of gratitude to the inestimable commitments made by its founding fathers.

I. Commitment Is Necessary in Living for GodWhen Thomas Jefferson helped draft

the Declaration of Independence, he stated, “We mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honour.” Those who signed that declaration knew they were taking enormous risks by daring to attach their names to the document that formally renounced their government, the British Crown.


Not only did fifty-six men risk their lives with their signatures, but hundreds of thousands of citizens in the original thirteen American colonies made precious sacrifices when they joined the revolutionary cause. Tens of thousands of people were killed, imprisoned, separated from their families, lost their homes, and experienced bankruptcy, injury, and disease because of their commitment to the hope of building a great nation.


Virtually every person who participated in the revolution suffered grave hardships and ruinous losses, although we may never know all their names or immortalize their heroic deeds.

Paul is certainly one of the greatest heroes of the church. His commitment to Jesus Christ and the souls of all individuals cost him immeasurably.

II Corinthians 11:23-26“In stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews

five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck,

a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in

perils among false brethren;” (II Corinthians 11:23-26).

II Corinthians 11:27-28

“In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and

thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon

me daily, the care of all the churches”

(II Corinthians 11:27-28).

I. Commitment Is Necessary in Living for GodPaul exhibited real

commitment! The church of Jesus Christ exists today through many sacrificial commitments—the commitment of Jesus Christ and of great men and women of God.

Hebrews 11:33-35“Who through faith subdued kingdoms,

wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness

were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the

aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance;

that they might obtain a better resurrection”

(Hebrews 11:33-35).

Hebrews 11:36-38“And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of

bonds and imprisonment: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were

tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins

and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (of whom the

world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in

dens and caves of the earth” (Hebrews 11:36-38).

Hebrews 11:39-40

“And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received

not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect” (Hebrews 11:39-40).


Hebrews 11 contains a most intriguing statement: “They without us should not be made perfect” (Hebrews 11:40). That is a difficult statement to comprehend. Why do believers of old need us to be made perfect? The answer is illusive, but one thing is certain—it takes all of us together to complete the church, which Christ made possible for all people. We really need each other. Jesus prayed, “Father, make them one.” (See John 17:22-23.)


Old Testament believers, as our examples, contributed profoundly to our lives today, but we as modern-day believers contribute as well. We cannot measure or comprehend the enormous blessings we have received from one another. We remember old-time preachers, grandmothers and grandfathers, and many others whose godly lives and perseverance through great trials inspired and influenced us so poignantly.


None of us ever will achieve perfection without the influence of many other great saints of God. Other people’s commitments have a “ripple effect.” Our commitment to God spills over into all our relationships: families, friends, and all others.

A. Forgive OthersA. Forgive Others

In a symphony orchestra, every musician follows a musical score that defines every note that member is to play. The orchestra conductor directs the musicians through his copy of the full score, providing moment-by-moment interpretation of the script. As the entire orchestra simultaneously reads the score and follows the conductor’s interpretation, a beautiful concert resonates through the concert hall.


Not one musician is at liberty to improvise or play extemporaneously. To do so would compromise and corrupt the entire performance. Forgiving others is part of the Christian script. The divine script says, “Forgive others. Cease from anger.” (See Matthew 6:14-15; 18:21-22; Ephesians 4:31-32; Colossians 3:8.) Even when others are offensive, hurtful, and downright evil, we must stay committed to “playing” the Christian script. That includes forgiving.


Whatever reasons we may give for unforgiveness, they are invalid and unacceptable. If we are to receive the forgiveness of God, we must forgive others.

We cannot comprehend just how we foil God’s intentions in the church when we fail to follow God’s Word and stay in our Christian character. It is easy to complain about faults we see in other believers without remembering that we too have faults.


If everyone will commit fully to living their lives according to the Word of God under the careful guidance of God-ordained leadership, they will contribute to gloriously fulfilling God’s purpose for the church.

B. Follow Peace with OthersB. Follow Peace with Others

The Word of God forbids animosities, jealousies, hatred, and other hostilities among the people of God. Commitment to God and to others demands that we cease from our fractious ways. Before the kingdom of God can experience unity and its subsequent glories, we must renounce our own divisive tendencies.

I. Commitment Is Necessary in Living for GodWhether or not we agree with

everything we see and know about others, we must commit ourselves to their well-being and work toward achieving complete unity within the body of Christ.

C. Pursue RighteousnessC. Pursue Righteousness

None of us, despite our own illusions to the contrary, enters into an unequivocal commitment easily. Even a whole-hearted Christian still has two opposing natures working inside—the spiritual man and the carnal man. The Spirit of God in us motivates us to give all and do all for Jesus, but our flesh and carnal mind persistently raise objections and work against spirituality.

I. Commitment Is Necessary in Living for GodAuthor Robert Sternberg remarked,

“Passion is the quickest to develop, and the quickest to fade. Intimacy develops more slowly, and commitment more gradually still.” Being a passionate Christian and having an intimate relationship with God are wonderful attributes, but even they cannot substitute for genuine commitment. Giving 99 percent will not do; God wants a 100-percent commitment.


Internalizing the Message

Commitment to Jesus Christ and His church is essential to living for Him today. It is vital to obey the gospel and begin to develop an intimate relationship with Christ and fellow believers, but these actions are impotent without commitment.

I. Commitment Is Necessary in Living for GodGenuine commitment involves

giving our all to the cause. It requires work and sacrifice, living for the cause of the church rather than for our own selfish motives. Further, true commitment will lead us to an equally important commitment to our fellow believers.

For the sake of Jesus Christ, His church, and our own redemption, let us commit ourselves without reservation to Jesus Christ today.

Documents

Principles of Christian Living. Lesson 9 Lesson Text—Psalm 37:3-6 Psalm 37:3-6 3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and