When Commandments Become Commitment | Zach Hammond

Exodus chapter number one and verse number six I'll quickly get into my passage of scripture what a great crowd here on a Sunday night God bless you for being in the house of the Lord Exodus chapter 1 and verse number six as you are turning there they'll put that on the screen as well but I give honor to all of you as the great faithful faithful people here at First Apostolic Church it is an honor and a privilege to be able to serve the Lord with you amen together as a family of God I look at this place and I look at it as a place that this is something I can go to heaven through right that's the point I go here because I'm a part of this family because I believe this place is going to take me to heaven I believe that this is this is a pathway this is the process and I'm just thankful for the people of God to Pastor sister Carver both Sister Erickson brothers and sister Carpenter my wife and all those that I've served with just honored and privileged we had a great great Chapel service this past Friday I want to say that I honor all of our teachers all of our daycare teachers whether Jacob our Headmaster would you just give all of them a hand they serve here day in and day out for the calls of a great great Mission here and I love them and honor them this evening Exodus chapter 1 and verse number six Joseph died and all his Brethren and all that generation and the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly and multiplied and waxed exceeding Mighty and the land was full of them now there arose a new king over Egypt which knew not Joseph and he said unto his people behold the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we come on let us deal wisely with them lest they multiply and it come to pass that when they their falleth out of any War they join also unto our enemies and fight against us so get them up out of the land I want to preach to you for just a few moments tonight when Commandments become commitments when Commandments become commitments we're going to take a journey for a few moments and if you'll bear with me as I lay some groundwork to get us up to speed we will focus on a passage of scripture here just a little bit later and I believe the Lord has a word for somebody in this place tonight would you lay your Bibles down could we lift our hands to heaven and let the Lord just prepare our hearts for another moment God I pray that our hearts our minds would be good ground tonight that through your spirit and the songs that we have sung through worship that it has stirred us up that it is God broken up that hardened ground that we would hear we would hear what your word has tonight that it would be God all that it is that lamp that light that which is forever settled God there in heaven but let it be forever settled here on Earth in this place tonight in this place God as it is in heaven Lord I pray that you would Minister you would move and the Revelation would fall in this place and there would be a response to your goodness God I thank you for what you've already done in this place today the word we've already heard God and I pray that you would help us use me tonight to build upon that and we'll give you all praise and glory and honor in Jesus name we pray would you shout amen come on shout amen and you can be seated this evening 400 years has passed at this moment as we read our text where Joseph has moved his family to Egypt these descendants of Abraham I found the place where they've grown over two million strong they say two million strongly the the Egypt's new Pharaoh uh these Hebrews were foreigners there was a new generation and their number was frightening to him it was something that that he said they're too great there's too many of them and so the one probably the most powerful statement that's made in the book of Exodus is made there in the first chapter where we see that there arose a new king who knew not Joseph these people had become very powerful in Egypt and Pharaoh decides to make them slaves he would do anything he could to weaken them we we maybe could say that we have experienced some of this you see any time a generation comes that has forgotten its past forgetting what God forgets what got them there there's something that that's going to be an issue so this Pharaoh says he doesn't know Joseph he don't remember the favor that Joseph brought he don't remember that there was seven cows of bad and seven cows of good and he fulfilled that dream and had he not there would be no Egypt and there would be no pharaoh and they would have been famine and they would have been dead and they would have been uh overtaken but he knew not Joseph and it reminds me of the world that we live in today and I'm not going to get political but we have Administration that knows not a Washington and a Madison who's forgetting who's forgotten what this country was built upon that we are in God we trust and you anytime you get off kilter and you forget where you came from and you forget what brought you to where you're at it's a scary place and you begin to operate in your pride and you begin to do what seemeth right to a man and we can learn from this lesson in Pharaoh where when we try to do things in our own way and again we can take note here he begins to do only thing he knew he said they're great in numbers so we're going to weaken them we're going to kill all of the boys which again you could see that in our world today it's a way of feminizing a future where there's no men you you you you you you're of no threat you you there's there's no fight there's no here there's throw all the young boys into the river and drown them one way to control a nation is to remove the future of manhood Satan knows the battle will be much easier if there's no family Satan knows the battle will be much easier if there's no unit for them to be able to work through we need in this day more than ever before men to act like men and women to act like women Satan has fought it from the very beginning he will continue to fight and we must understand as the Church of the Living God Who We Are I know it's a Hot Topic and this is not what I've come to preach tonight but I believe that men and women can fulfill a call in Ministry if they act like a man and they act like a woman but the minute we start getting out of the character of how God has created us is the moment that God cannot use us and we are falling prey to our pride just as Pharaoh did through this process comes the powerful Mighty Moses Moses comes on the scene whose name means to draw out he would be placed in a basket guided into the palace by water Moses would become accompanied by water through his entire life as he's used by God God is already showing us that Pharaoh is trying to use this element to kill you but God will use it to deliver you it's a very powerful concept that what was supposed to drown you Moses is going to deliver you I don't know if somebody can attest to that but that thing that you thought was going to kill you is the reason that you sit here today under the power of God's breath in your body that if it wouldn't have been for that Valley you wouldn't have any Victory if it wouldn't have been for that struggle you wouldn't have the success you have if you God meant it for good though the devil was trying to do something he said I'll take that same water and I'll show you that water brought you into this land that water brought you into Pharaoh's courts what was supposed to kill you is going to deliver you we see so many things in this powerful story Moses he is the the type and the shadow the analogies are just a mile long and we wouldn't have time tonight but they pitched the basket in and out just like they did in the ark of Noah for the saving of their family mama gives her son just like Mary would give Jesus Christ for the saving of the world it's the water that brings him favor with Pharaoh it's the water that gives him favor with Jethro in the Wilderness at a well it's the water that they will bring the first plague in and reminds pharaoh that you turn the water to blood to start this whole thing you threw these young men into the river to start this whole thing so and again I it's awful interesting and I'll we'll get a we'll get into what we're going to talk about here but there's some things we've got to understand within this whole process of our Exodus because ultimately that's that's who we all are God has brought us out of Darkness into this Marvelous Light and within this Exodus we see here that God as he begins to operate in these plagues he turns the water into wine and it's so interesting that we must take note of oftentimes not so much putting ourselves in the character of Moses but putting ourselves in the character of who we would probably be if we're really honest and that is pharaoh oh we're always David we're never the ones hiding behind the Rocks right we're always Daniel we're never the ones that bowed you know but perhaps Pharaoh here could it could explain I know I could relate if I really looked at my life how stupid the only water source right there in Egypt how ignorant he just turned the water to wine he just killed your Revenue your spring of which life comes forth for your entire country and what's he do hey Bring Out The Magicians we can do that huh you got lice and you want more lice you got frogs and you want more frogs you got problems and you just bring more problems because Pride will always put more because the devil will always duplicate he can't deliver right he can't send the frogs away he can't send the lice away but he can try to give you a cheap copy of what God has done so we see here that we've got this thing if we're not careful that Pride brings across this thing where whether God is trying to do something in your life that's supposed to deliver you and you step up and you make matters worse by not acknowledging him I believe that there is a strong move within our world today of anxiety and depression and it's supposed to draw us closer to God there is a strong stirring anything that's happening in our world today that is that is something that we're going through is just like that water what was supposed to kill us is going to be what brings us closer to him it's going to be what takes us into the promised land so this whole theme Here is if we could really see what God is doing we don't need to make matters worse we need to surrender to him we don't need to look at it as something that oh well maybe this is optional it is sin here in Egypt in our that we see this process of pharaoh and pride and we must take note that it always makes matters worse Moses tells Pharaoh over and over and over again let my people go so they may go worship God let my people go so they will make they can go make an altar or they may go make a feast unto their God so this is this is again this is a big turning point because this is huge huge huge in the book of Exodus you go to the Book of Exodus and you will never brother white never see the word freedom you will never read the word free it's not about Liberty it's not about me coming out of Egypt and being able to do what I want to do people have this misconception that God is my get out of jail free card then all of a sudden I start loving God and serving God and then he just set me free and I'm I'm the you know I'm I'm that's that's all the songs are about you know he set me free I'm coming out of the Grave I'm doing this I'm doing that but then you're gonna go serve him that's the whole point the point of Exodus is not that you wonder in the wilderness the point of the Passover is that you have a Pentecost the point of you coming out is that you can get it's not let my people go that they may go do what they want to do and do what's right in their own eyes and they have no king in Israel like they did in the Book of Judges it's that they may go and set an altar up and worship God and serve God and be who they're called to be God's not brought you out that you could just go about your own life and live off his benefits and his Blessing and your knowledge of him God brought you out that you could serve him worship Him put him in in the center of your life let him go not one time is it about being free it's all about a new master God wants to deliver you but you have to choose who you serve the overriding theme of the entire Torah the five books first books of your Bible we see Moses here God will deliver you miraculously from an external from an external form of let's say tyranny an export tournament he'll deliver you out from under pharaoh over and over and over again but when he delivers you out from under Pharaoh brother Joel that external submission is so that you can go into a relationship with him and and and and get into this internal submission of the Ten Commandments so he will deliver you from Egypt he will take you out from that which is over you know you're overseeing you and beating you down and you are a bond you're you're a bondsman just a slave to sin look at the typology and just flip it over the New Testament he'll bring you out of sin he'll bring you out of your mess he'll bring you out of drugs he'll bring you out of addiction but if you don't take that addiction and replace it with an internal submission to the ways and the word of God you'll end up right back in Egypt it's biblical it's philosophical it's psychology all the things you look at if you don't replace that external with that internal of God's holy word you will find yourself just serving another Egypt in a different form in another land Deliverance disaster Disobedience Deliverance disaster Disobedience just in the entire Old Testament why because they can never figure out how to serve and submit to what they could not see so God gives them he gives them all these things in Miracles he destroyed man I would hate to have been Pharaoh every God he had everything he had every moment it's like you just keep bringing stuff up he put them through torment he buries them in the water you're freed from that external Pharaoh but now you've got to be freed from yourself you've got to be freed internally you've got to submit to what Moses has got for you on Mount Sinai Exodus 20 and verse number one and God spake all these words saying I am the Lord thy God which has brought thee out of the land of Egypt out of the house of bondage at this point the nation of Israel hadn't hadn't had no history but slavery they were the family that when they went into Egypt now they were a nation and now they've been freed and they're the ones that this generation that have experienced the Miracles the signs and the wonders of God this generation is has never that they're the only generation in in years that has experienced this two-sided part I I I've always been a slave to Pharaoh's words I've always served Pharaoh's agenda but God has brought me out of the water and brought me into a land and I'm following a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of Fire by night and they had no laws up into this point because you don't need laws if you're a Slave you only need the law you only need the word if you're free this is such a confusing thing in our modern Christian world for 400 years they had not heard a word from the Lord and then all of a sudden Here Comes submission oh it was easy to submit to pharaoh it was easy to throw up your hands when they were whipping your back it was easy to grab another brick it was easy to say hey I'll do whatever you tell me to do why because they were the ones putting food on your table you oftentimes wonder why once they got in the wilderness they wanted to go back to Egypt there's a certain form of certainty in prison they bring you food they bring you clothes and so there's just there's this thing that happens Within These people and they're the the first people that all of a sudden they begin to hear from the Lord and he says I am the Lord thy God which tells me one thing we already have relationship if you take this one passage there's one scripture right here brother no one and you can kill most doctrines false doctrines within Christianity right here I am the Lord thy God boom you already have relationship he he says well he said which has brought thee out he flashed backs the three throws a little little flashback a little reminder of his goodness back to three months ago where he brought him out so God his first commandment to Israel is is is is is this process if you if you see these Ten Commandments are not given to see if Israel can establish a relationship with God they already have one they are not given uh given this list of of the Ten Commandments to see if God will be their God he already is we are not here tonight to get in with God we're already in you were created in His image you he knew you when he formed you in the belly of your mother he numbered the hairs on your head you're not here to try to do some work to get in you're not here to try to figure out oh do I lift my hands this High to see if he'll notice me do I run around the church to see if he'll see me no you're already in he said I am the Lord thy God we are his creation we are already his don't fall prey don't fall prey we're not here I'm not here to discuss with other denominations of of faith and and works and all these things he established that long time ago with his people we're not trying to get in with him he loves us unconditionally his Mercy is new every morning so now he's having to he is establishing that we we are gods and he is ours now he is about to give us these Commandments that we are to live by so here is one of the greatest principles if you're writing anything down if that means that much to you uh I appreciate your confidence and and what I would preach to you tonight but if you're going to write something down write this down God's rules are not a condition of relationship they are a confirmation of relationship it's not the condition of how good of a person I've been my his Commandments are not that which relies or depends on whether or not I've been a good person this week it is a confirmation of our relationship not the condition if God ever compliments you with a conviction it's just evidence that you're his child if you were ever pricked in your spirit to do something to go to another level of commitment with him it is a confirmation that you are his when God takes the man of God up on a mountain and gives him some things to speak to the people and he comes down and he begins to challenge and he begins to correct and he begins to rebuke you better believe that we could dig deep within our heart and dig deep within the scripture and know that that is a confirmation that we are his say I don't like how that feels sometimes I don't like sometimes what I'm told to do it's not easy on the Flesh and we'll talk about that here in a moment but it is a confirmation of our relationship with him confirming that we are his child you'll never meet a Christian at least I haven't who makes a major lifestyle change because of guilt they may get in and they may get out on guilt but you'll never meet somebody who makes a major lifestyle change on guilt they make a major Lifestyles change on a story you'll meet thousands of them in our country and in other countries who have their own personal Book of Exodus they were in bondage and they couldn't get out they were broken and pound and confused and frustrated the world and sin had turned their life upside down but then God stepped in and began to work and deliver them and they have made all their lifestyle changes not out of guilt but out of gratitude people who are serving God who've been serving God for a long time it's really that simple I've come to challenge you tonight to move from Commandments two commitments it's not something I have to do it's something I get to do you'll only go so far with God if you serve him like you served pharaoh you'll only get so far with God if you serve him like you serve pharaoh I I I don't know if I can stress this enough I really don't know that I can articulate what how you but if you really look back at how they served Pharaoh the children of Israel tried to duplicate that in the wilderness by thinking that God was some God with a whip in his hand just like Pharaoh had with an iron fist that if I didn't do this and they were serving God out of guilt serving God out of you know just just what what he has done not just not necessarily who he is he's your father he's your savior he's your Redeemer he's your friend and if we are going to serve God at the highest capacity of Christianity of being christ-like I believe that it's going to come through serving him out of gratitude I'm here because I I I I I I and and you may be that person tonight and I I know that there there is a great motivators sometimes in fear and I've even preached on that and talked about that and I believe strongly in the fear of God but I I don't believe you're going to serve God long term on just the case of I don't want to go to hell you're not going to serve God very long it's not going to be very consistent I just I just want no I don't want everybody to think I'm a bad person that key component I believe in Christianity that's missing is that motivator of gratitude yes some days hell may be your motivator the fear of God may keep you living righteous but that'll only keep you so long I want to commit to a cause because he committed to me it's not a commandment there comes a point at Pentecost where it's not hey go put Blood on the doorpost hey go do this hey go do that that's why he gave the law on the same day of Pentecost that he gave his Spirit yeah the spirit the letter killeth but the spirit make it the life and we have to accept the challenge we have to look at God's word and understand that I'll give my life for him because he gave his life for me it's not this thing where I have to come and and he's not standing here to to beat me down for me to worship him or to beat me down for me to pray or to beat me down or to force me into some kind of relationship with him he is a gentleman you are his chosen creation you are his child of God and he wants you to serve him but he is not going to make you serve him hear me tonight don't serve God based on anybody else I spoke to a young man this week and he was struggling trying to process some things in his mind that's going on in our world today with racism and different things I just told him I said it doesn't matter what our government does it doesn't matter what your friends do it doesn't matter what anybody does that people are going to fail you I'm not here to serve God based upon anybody else and what I'm here to Simply serve God for what he's done for me who he is it is my commitment to him anybody have a pet huh you got a pet anybody got cats we'll be praying for you I think we've owned every growing up we owned everything there was a line cats and snakes you know pets are interesting we have a we have a dog who keeps your dog in a fence or a confined area huh yeah keep keeps your dog some of you just let him run around okay um did your dog become your dog when it got inside your fence huh no you sure so I I actually um there's a weird story my uncle you just have to would have to have known him he's gone on to be with the Lord but you know he was a kind he always had all kind of just mutts and you know he said oh this yeah this dog just showed up we just started feeding him you know been here a couple years you know that's rare you know but you didn't you didn't build the fence and dog just come hang out in it then you call him yours right huh your dog became your dog when you purchased it or you went and got it wherever you got it from the reason you put your dog inside of fence is because it already belongs to you the reason that you put provision around it the reason that you protect it is because you're going to protect something that's yours you don't start building uh fence around something that's not yours right you don't start put you don't start putting up protection around something you don't own and so we got to understand tonight that God is putting up some things around us and sometimes we talk about it even brother Erickson mentioned this morning with Holiness standards or sanctification process or growing in God and that is what it is growing in God right we can't expect everybody I'm not here to compare my commitments or compare my consecration or look across the aisle and compare you know just to tell you you're not going no it's all about a growing process and every single person on every Pew down every aisle is in a different process and I'm growing and but here's the thing we belong to God because of creation first and foremost and through salvation secondly that's why as he is doubly double jealous over us because we belong to him in so many ways that I don't serve the Lord because of any rules or regulations I serve him because he loves me because he I am his and he is mine I know I've spent a little bit of time trying to establish this but I don't want you to to to DARE think any other way about God after we leave here tonight but it's it's time for us to grow past the Commandment stage when I was a kid growing up I didn't want to go to school you go to school that's just what you do I don't like getting up in the morning going to school listening to a bunch of stuff kids plug your ears that you're never going to use you know but guess what they're there comes this place in life where we even as Christians get to a place where it can't be a thing where you come and and it's that you're having to do it there comes a time where you you get out of school and guess what if you don't choose something that you're committed to you're going to feel like you live in Egypt every day clock in clock out clock in clock out this is miserable making money not making a difference took this job because it had some benefits but I hate it right it applies to all of our Lives it applies to everything we do you can either be committed to a cause or you're going to feel like you're in Egypt and the word of the Lord for somebody tonight is is you feel like the house of God is just something that soothes your conscience until next Sunday and I know that's heavy I know that's not something that you really you know excited to come to church to hear tonight but there comes a line where when you cross that line when you understand and you begin to to see God the way he wants you to see him and that this is a commitment that I'm not forcing you to do this there's just some blessing and there's some goodness and there's some promises and there's some things that I want to give you if you will commit to me so we see here he gives the Ten Commandments or could we call them tonight the ten commitments it's the time it says it's time for us I'm not going to go through all Ten Commandments all of you are are probably thinking oh God this is going to be a long night but the first commandment says don't go to multiple gods for multiple needs come to me for all your needs I would say that's the modern way to write it because we'll come to God for most of our needs but then we'll go to others in the world in our own ways for some of our other needs the rule is more than just the first commandment this commitment is more than just this first commandment this is the starting place of a relationship with God it teaches us to make God the center of our lives and all the other Commandments are simply unnecessary if we don't get this first one he says I've got to go to him for all of my needs it's my commitment right I am completely committed to him don't he's not asking you to do what Pharaoh asks you to do he's not asking you to do this out of some kind of reward process whatever he just asks you to commit to him why because he died for you he gave his life for you so the second commandment is don't form anything with your hands that represents or replaces me that would be in in our modern vernacular how I would word that don't form anything with your hands that represents or replaces me that was a strange it was strange for the people of that day the rule teaches us not to make God a location that you can be in the presence of of and then that you can know the presence of God it also teaches us that when we try to shrink God down into something that's manageable that we can compartmentalize God in our lives we can put him in our church life but not put him in our school life young people we can put him in our church life but not talk about him on our job when you don't obey the first two Commandments You'll Always Find the loophole to get around and breaking the rest of the Commandments because it is our commitment to him their commitments the punishment for disobeying the first two Commandments has multi-generational consequences however the reward for obeying the first two Commandments is greater and it is multi-generational blessings it is true and I've seen it I've never I've never seen anything that rings so true people that put God first it follows generation after generation after generation it's it's a commitment to him that's greater than anything else it's a commitment to him that's above any other Pro any other thing in our life it's a commitment to him above our jobs it's a commitment to him above our education it's a commitment to him Above All Things he is first what is God to you if you aren't submitted to God internally who brought you out of Egypt you're going to live a life of wondering that's what the two first two Commandments again it's reminding us it's taking us back if you don't serve him you're just going to be searching Master after Master after Master after master whatever your life revolves around is actually your God and when it is organized around anything or anyone other than God you will experience frustration emptiness fear because you weren't designed to be a wonderer you were designed to be a worshiper God wants your recognition recognition even more than he wants your obedience because it's a commitment he does not want you to serve him like he served pharaoh I obey you put the brick in the wall yes sir Master he wants your recognition he wants your worship he wants you to come in and enter his gates with Thanksgiving not force because I got to come here because my wife made me or my kids are going to look at me like I'm not a good father a good mother because I didn't bring them to church and this is what my grandparents and this is what my my my my my family does so I better do this just going before you know you're going through the motions of obedience and you're just living out a commandment but your heart's not committed we've been taught that God's only goal for us is to make us good in modern Christianity it's a it's it's it's it's in everything you scroll through on social media how to make us better how to live a better life and anytime we feel like something wants us to be good we assume that they're trying to keep us from something as well but God isn't trying to make bad people good he's trying to make bound people free the goal of your growth is to keep you out of bondage is to keep you in in Freedom and walking with him the law is God's agenda to keep Free People free and when you resist his law you end up backing yourself into bondage again and again and again and again Matthew 6 and 33 says but seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you do you want to know who your God is look at your time look at your talent look at your treasure that's what you value God will not take second place on your prior to this because he is a jealous God and he absolutely wants you to commit to him because he committed to you commandment number three he says don't misuse my name don't use the name of God to accomplish something God has nothing to do with that that's really what it means and and especially in our modern terms of how we would put it breaking this commandment would be like you uh being anybody's uh credit card ever been stole all of a sudden 99 Cents 9.99 99.99 click it ain't going no higher than that right declined I don't know maybe yours isn't like mine um so fraudulent you see the little small charge that comes up he says that's the third commandment huh that's there he says that you you you don't get to use my name to accomplish something that God has nothing to do with breaking this commandment is a powerful one the angriest Jesus ever gets is when he walks up in the temple and people are abusing the system to take advantage of other people they were leveraging God's name and his law to their own ends Luke 19 and 45 he went into the temple and he began to cast them out of them that sold therein and them that bought sang unto them it is written my house shall be a House of Prayer but you've made it a den of Thieves I know people I've seen people you've been hurt by Churches you've been hurt by uh the church police so to say you've been hurt by people that are living by Commandments and because they feel like God treats them like Pharaoh they want to treat everybody else like pharaoh because you hurt people where you're hurt you treat people through the lens of life you see them brother Erickson referred to it this morning Peter cut the guy's ear off there couldn't have been anything more perfect first listener there is huh so he hurts the guy where he Lacks because we hurt people the way we hurt when we serve God like pharaoh we expect others so we walk around yeah they're not really doing well they haven't been with altering weeks you've seen their kids the way they act you go around comparing your commitment but you're really just living like you served pharaoh it's easy it's easy to get into this place if we're not careful in in our modern worlds of social media and the internet that he says Thou shalt not and in this third commandment it's huge right here that you shouldn't establish religion in my name you shouldn't respect this this this uh false form of Religion Don't impose your will on others in my name many times maybe it's tradition they violate people are doing so I don't I've never even read that scripture in the Bible how many times you had a Bible I've never even seen that I don't even haven't even heard of that character and they've established a culture of religion I'm just doing it's easy to dodge the law of God in the name of God say I've never heard of such take a few classes go to a few colleges listen to some stuff on the internet first John 1 9 says if we confess our sins he's faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness if you ever use that verse correctly you I could find you 99 people that use this as a loophole huh I get to have my sin and have God's forgiveness too absolutely not it's this is what this commandment this third commandment is talking about forgiveness is for people who are wanting to leave sin not for people who are wanting to leverage God's goodness to stay in sin too many times people will obey a commandment to get out of trouble they'll obey a commandment to get out of a situation but they really don't want to commit to God they'll obey a commandment because their life is in turmoil and things are falling apart but that's just a little bit too much for me to commit to um it's a commitment we must get our his spirit inside of us if we're going to commit to God Exodus 20 and 7 Thou shalt make thou shall not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain for the Lord will not hold him Guiltless that taketh his name in vain if you get in the habit of dodging the law of God in the name of God ultimately you will miss a relationship with God and that is what happens to the Pharisees who miss their own Messiah being honest with yourself if you know you're just I need you tonight if if you're in this place tonight if you're playing the game with God if you're playing the game of church I'm here to call you to commitment to stop pretending you're always better off being real with God do you have a personal relationship with God or are you just breaking the third commandment of misusing his name of religion don't spend your whole life talking about God hanging out with godly people but never know God for yourself because you won't commit to him statistically the third commandment is where most Christians get hung up having a form of godliness but not knowing the power thereof call Pastor for prayer expect the church to marry Barry love care comfort but never commit you're always better off being real with God commandment number four this is the last one remember to take the day off every seven days and set apart for the Lord in other trust my provision not your own this is commandment if you if you if you you've never felt guilty if there's ever one that we're challenging in in our world today it is our world operates at 24 7 speed fast quick everything happens right now and it's such a it's such a delusion it's such a strong delusion it's such a it's such a thing to where you you feel like that you're working 24 7 but you're just wondering in the wilderness you're working sweat to your brow your clock and however many hours a week you're making an income paying for a house paying for a car living the American dream right huh making money but maybe not making a difference you have to go to the Passover post over and over again for your own sins you'll never experience a Pentecost that gives you something to give to somebody else because you just living under Commandments you're not committed enough to think about anybody else as long as you and my and I and my family makes it to the end of the week and everything's okay then we're okay we never thought about talking to somebody else about Jesus never think about being committed to the cause of Christ and that is the only reason I'm still breathing his air is that he wants me to share it with somebody what other purpose would there be the moment you receive the gift of the Holy Ghost he would have called you out of here but he left you here he brought you out of Egypt not to wonder but to worship he brought you out of Egypt not to just be somebody who's just a robot and Associates themselves with the people of God he brought you out to make a difference committed committed committed they want to come to the music tonight these first four commitments teach me how to think about God life a lot revolves around him the last six teach me on how to treat others and that's a whole nother thing within itself that God is the center of my life and God values me therefore I should value other people at this point the 10 commitments God changes gears from honor ing him to honoring others and he starts with parents and he goes on and on and honors your parents then honor everyone else you shouldn't kill you shouldn't commit adults you shouldn't steal you shouldn't bear false witness on and on the last Commandments is an invisible Commandment that is unenforceable commandment the Commandment this this commitment is something that he really takes this last commandment I want you to see this because this is very important in our concept and it's internal it's something that no one can see I can see if you don't honor your parents I can see if you disobey your parents I'm going to see if you kill somebody I'm going to know it if you commit adultery it's external I could see it it's just like pharaoh but he says in that last last commandment he brings it all and it's like this this gut punch here this last commandment Exodus 20 70 Thou shalt not covet covet jealousy and he lists he lists a number of things their house things they have the life they have Covetous to desire so strongly something that someone else has that it impacts relationship you're not just accountable to God for what you do you're accountable to God for what you think so it can't just be a commandment that I obey it's got to be a commitment because it gets inside of me that's why Jesus is not only the second Adam but Jesus is the second Israel Jesus comes in Luke chapter 4 he is tempted 40 Days by Satan just like they wandered 40 years in the wilderness and he is tempted and what does he do brother Erickson he doesn't just he's tempted by Satan he is God in flesh he can say whatever he wants guess what he does he starts quoting Deuteronomy 6 the second giving of the law make these stones to bread man's not lived by brittle he's quoting Deuteronomy 6. he's not only the Fulfillment of the law he's the law in action we see this and it's so so powerful because Jesus comes and tries once again not just through the death bell and resurrection of Jesus Christ but to fulfill the law that they've looked at the Ten Commandments as this maybe easy list of Commandments that I I don't want to break these things and that you know the Ten Commandments is not something we're singing ten verses about we're not humming Thou shalt not thank you it ain't no Romans 8 28 it ain't no John 3 16. in fact if we're honest we can do the little interviews and how many of us could quote all of them because it seems simple if you if you if you know anything about God don't murder yeah that's easy I ain't going to jail I haven't done that one huh most of the Ten Commandments within there especially the last six are the laws of our land still today thank God but Jesus comes in the New Testament he said I I've tried and there's been Disobedience and wondering and disaster and I keep having to deliver the people and it's not working with me being this invisible King who's expecting submission it's not even working with me walking by right next to the 12 disciples and I've given Miracle signs and wonders through the Red Sea I've given Miracles signed and wonders through the lame walking I'm getting from Miracle signs and wonders in any way possible but the only way that I can get you to understand internal submission is that I get inside of you and that there's a feeling within you that all of a sudden begins to stir up and reminds you that this is not about rules this is about relationship this is not about some kind of Commandments and this is not pharaoh this is the Prince of Peace this is the king of kings and Jesus begins to say things he says Jesus he says if you hate someone you've murdered them it's invisible so I don't really care for them that's a commitment issue the Bible teaches Jesus Jesus you know people you may be hiding that cheating on this maybe cheating at work or wasting some time on the clock or defaulting on your loans or cheating on your taxes sorry not giving tithe to God one of the most messed up statistics within the church in America he said you're stealing commitment it's submitting to what you do not see he says you don't have to commit physical adultery if you have a lustful thought you've committed in your heart and all of a sudden he starts using a word you've committed you've committed you've committed you've committed it's not a Thou shalt not you've committed because he's gotten inside of us and he had stride from Exodus all the way through of just bringing us these Commandments and Commandments and Commandments but there comes a moment as the New Testament Church that we have to say commit Commandments have to become stand your feet tonight Jesus Christ is in this place tonight and he's speaking to someone as you bow your heads I wish you would give me your undivided attention for just another moment tonight is going to be amazing for some people that are going to get baptized it's going to be amazing for some people that walk down and they're going to receive their out of Darkness into this Marvelous Light they're going to receive their Exodus moment here in just a few moments but I want to speak to a church and challenge a church tonight to a new level of commitment you're in this world but you're not of this world I believe so strongly for just a moment and without anybody singing without anybody playing without anybody praying or talking I want you to take your mind with your eyes closed I want you to think of the goodness of Jesus and I really want you to be honest with yourself for a moment if I wish everybody had their eyes closed and no one was distracted or being a distraction at this moment she would think through am I really serving him a hundred percent am I giving my whole life is he the center of my life come on be honest with yourself a moment take some inventory of your commitment level are you doing this because you feel like you have to are you doing it because you get to as they prepare to sing here in just a moment I want you to look up this way the children of Israel in the Old Testament just simply are not getting it and the lord gave me this this afternoon and I want you to kind of help me play this out everybody okay with trying to help me play something out real quick huh I know it's only 7 30. we're okay I feel like I've been preaching forever and you're like yeah you have um but could you help me with something we can kind of place out there so an ex in Exodus chapter I'm sorry Deuteronomy chapter 26. again second giving of the law second really reminder you've got generation of generation of generation there's a lot of graves there's a lot of people that's died they were free from Egypt but they were bound of themselves over and over and over again because they could not submit they could not commit we see here no matter how many miracles no matter how much manna no matter how bright the fire by night they would desire Egypt every now and then so the book of Deuteronomy is pretty amazing and how it gives the law Moses is about to leave the scene Deuteronomy 26 you can read it later it's it's a long fun list of where Moses goes off the scene in Joshua there's a valley we could see this as the Valley today there's a valley on the left and there's a valley on the right and and then just to quickly get it there's there they have some interesting names that I can barely pronounce and so it makes it easy just to summarize instead of having to pronounce them so he put six tribes over here and six tribes over here and he uses this Valley like an Amphitheater Moses gives the law again it reminds them hey God brought you out don't keep falling prey don't keep don't keep looking to other gods this is the law this is what you've got to commit to the promised land Joshua puts tribes up on this hill tribes upon this hill and for the whole two chapters 27 28. they shout out 12 curses through the entire chapter and after every curse Aaron after Every curse that was read the people had to shout amen could we all on this side just shout curse come on we can do a little better than that curse then everybody would have to say one more time over and over 12 of them boom boom and you think the Ten Commandments are bad they start talking about sexual sin committing adultery and also a very Vivid list of 12 curses these curses were not prophetic they had to say Amen to them but then on this side after they read the curses they shouted blessings could you do that one two three they didn't have to say Amen to it it was a prophecy because you have to agree to commit before the blessings come and there's 12 there's 12 curses that are paying to read but man when you turn that page you start reading blessing after blessing after blessing after blessing here's here's my my thoughts you've got a mountain to climb whether it's through the mindset of Commandments or the mindset of commitments and you're going to walk that Valley and there's going to be some people that are serving God out of Duty and some people are serving God out of the light I'm not here tonight because I have to be I'm here tonight because I get to be I'm not here tonight because I begrudgingly am lifting my hands because I'm scared God's gonna beat me no I'm lifting my hands because this surrender is my victory I'm lifting I'm worshiping tonight because I get to worship I Surrender tonight because there's nobody else I'd want to surrender my life to than the one who died for me I don't know if you feel what I feel in this room tonight but if you want to commit to a whole nother level I wish you'd make your way around this front maybe you fall upon your face and tell God God I want to commit to you like never before 2023 is going to be a new level for First Apostolic church but it's only coming through commitment foreign oh I feel the holy ghost moving I feel the holy ghost moving brother Josh if we could for just a moment before we sing come on church family could we hear a cry of commitment for just a few moments come on are you gonna hear blessing are you going to hear curse are you going to see it the way God sees it are you going to look at it through your own eyes oh it's my privilege it's my privilege come on there's somebody in this room you've been serving God begrudgingly out of a commandment because you haven't spoken in tongues in a while you haven't had that Spirit stir you up in Ohio you haven't heard the promises read in a while come on let God encourage you right now stir up that gift within you right now come on Church come on church let there be that cry let there be that cry of commitment come on by the transforming and the renewing of your mind come on take off that mindset take off that old garment that old mindset that says I have to and put it on that new Garment of Praise says I get to I get to I don't have to lift my hands I get to lift my hands come on I feel the holy ghost moving in this place right now I get to it's my commitment foreign Church I'd encourage you but just a few more moments if you can let God know come on by the sound of your voice come on could you pray that prayer of consecration could you pray that prayer of committal God I want to be used but I give you my life God I Surrender my life God I'm going through some things but I'm not going to make matters worse I'm going to surrender to you God I'm going through some things but I see you in the middle of it God I know you're working God I know you have promises Lord I know you have blessings for us foreign Lord I give you my life Lord I give you my life totally to you totally to you tonight oh sweet Jesus sweet Jesus Sweet Jesus come on that I hear the Cry of commitment from a mother I hear the Cry of a commitment from a young person come on I hear the voice in the valley of decision I hear your voice in that Valley saying God I'll serve you God I'll serve you no matter what foreign God speaking to somebody through this morning and through this evening you've got a decision to make come on how how long you're going to stand here in the valley of decision you got to start climbing you got to make a decision of commitment oh I wish maybe you'd grab somebody next to you go find somebody come on we've got to be all in we got to make up our mind tonight we got to make a decision to hide I'm going to another level of commitment I'm going to another level of commitment come on I believe the Lord's doing something right now there's got to be a culture within a great church as a culture of commitment and I know we have one here but could it be greater this year could it be greater in 2023 oh could it be greater I've committed like never before to the work of God I'm committed like never before to the kingdom of God foreign foreign thank you foreign thank you foreign as we continue to pray I wonder if a husband can find his wife wives find your husband maybe kids find their family we pray together I believe that commitment starts as a family if you don't have a family find somebody in the family of God but you can grab hold up grab hands with and let's just pray a prayer together of unity before we transition here into baptisms come on can we pray that prayer commitment together I'm not just stepping out on my own I'm stepping out with my family come on pray it together God we make a decision as a father as for me and my house we will serve the Lord as for me in my house we're going to serve him like we've never served him not because I have to because I I don't want to serve him like I serve Pharaoh I serve him because I get to I serve him cause I get you a church family come on church family there's gonna be something swells up deep inside of you oh I thank you Lord I Thank you Lord for what you're doing I thank you Lord for what you're doing God we praise you God we commit to you oh God weep over your children come on let's see commit come on as a family oh God I want to do something greater in your kingdom oh God I want to do something greater I don't know if you feel what I feel but there's a shifting in this house right now there's a shifting in this place right now there's a release of God's presence but when you take a step toward him he he'll make a move towards you let the Lord move in your family right now let the Lord move in your heart right now foreign come on before we start baptisms here in just a moment can we lift our hands all across this place and could we give God a praise that says oh I'm so thankful I get to I'm not here to worship because I have to I'm here to worship because I get to I'm not here to do anything I'm to worship you because it is a privilege to worship oh I wonder if somebody would begin to shout I wonder if somebody would begin to dance I wonder if somebody would begin to worship him in a way that he's worthy of why because I get to it's my privilege it's my privilege it's my privilege I'm committed