Are You Committed? Are you committed?

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Octavia Simmons
5 years ago
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1 Are You Committed? Are you the kind of person who honors your word? When you tell someone that you are going to be at a certain place, or that you will do a certain thing, do you really mean it? Do you make every effort humanly possible to fulfill your obligation, or do you use any little excuse you can come up with to shirk your responsibilities? Are you on time for work, appointments and other activities, or does it matter little to you what time you arrive? Do you think it is acceptable to be consistently late? When you make up your mind to do something, do you stick with it until it is finished, or do you throw in the towel at the least little difficulty, or discomfort? Are you able to overcome your own personal fears, perceptions and prejudices, in order to complete something you have agreed to do? Do you set goals for yourself and then actually set yourself to attain those goals, or to at least put your best effort forward? When you begin a job, do you just throw your hands up into the air at the first sign of difficulty, or do you take it in stride and keep moving forward? When you decide to learn more about a certain topic, or to teach yourself how to do something, do you see it through all the way to the end? Are you the type of person who stays loyal to their friends, even though they do not always do everything perfectly and in the way that you would like for them to? Can you forgive and still love your friends even when they make mistakes? Can you decide conclusively to go one way or another, or do you try to divide your time going in two different directions unable to clearly choose just one and then focus on it? Does your word your honor your integrity your reputation mean anything to you at all? Are you committed? Are you the type of person that others know that they can rely on that will be there when you say you will be there that will do whatever it is that you say that you will do that will remain loyal and not forsake a friend in need that will stand by your beliefs and convictions no matter the cost that will follow YHVH wherever he leads. YHVH is counting on you YHVH is relying on you YHVH is depending on your commitment to Him and to His Son. YHVH chose you each and every one, to offer you the opportunity to be in His kingdom and to have eternal life. YHVH is committed to staying by your side all the way and to taking your hand to lead you and guide you into the incredible life that He has planned for you. Are you just as committed to Him? To borrow a phrase, YHVH is looking for a few good men and a few good women. YHVH is looking for a few good young people and a few good children to be His people.

2 Can YHVH count on you? Will you stay the course? The Marine Corps motto is Semper Fidelis, or Semper Fi for short. That motto was adopted in years ago and it means Always Faithful. Once a Marine, always a Marine. Marines use the phrase Semper Fi Marine as a greeting, or farewell to each other, whether they are active duty or not. They always remember the commitment that they made when they became a Marine and part of the corps. That is exactly what YHVH wants of us, that is what He is looking for. Always faithful, do you want YHVH to say that about you? I sure do! What does it mean to be committed? It is staying focused and on task. It is remaining loyal and true. It is believing wholeheartedly in what you are doing. It means being there all the way through to the end without faltering, or wavering no matter what obstacles are set in your path. It is loving YHVH with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind that is commitment. Is that what drives you? Is that at the front of your mind? Is it part of every decision and every action that you take? If not, why not? If not, there is a serious problem and we need to stop and examine ourselves. Let s look at some examples of commitment from the bible. Joshua took over from Moses and led Israel across the Jordan into the Promised Land. Joshua was committed to YHVH and served Him faithfully. Just before Joshua died, he gathered all Israel at Shechem and they made a covenant there with YHVH. Joshua 24: And now, fear,יהוה serve Him in perfection and in truth, and put away the mighty ones which your fathers served beyond the River and in,יהוה And if it seems evil in your eyes to serve 15!יהוה Mitsrayim, and serve choose for yourselves this day whom you are going to serve, whether the mighty ones which your fathers served that were beyond the River, or the mighty ones of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But I and my house,.יהוה we serve Commitment commitment to YHVH and to His way of life. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego were friends of Daniel. Because of Daniel s interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar s dream, he and his three friends had been promoted to positions of responsibility within Nebuchadnezzar s kingdom. Nebuchadnezzar had a great image made out of gold and commanded that all should bow down and worship the image whenever they heard a symphony of music and singing. Whoever did not bow down and worship the image, was to be punished with death by being thrown into a fiery furnace. There were those who no doubt despised Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, because they were Jews and had been set over affairs within Babylon. So, they could

3 not wait to come before the king bearing accusation against the three. They came before the king, reminded him of the penalty for now bowing down before the image and then informed him that Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego did not bow down before the image and worship it. Of course Nebuchadnezzar was furious when he heard this news. He called the three before him and asked them if it were true that they did not worship his YHVHs, or the image he had set up. He told them that if they were ready and fell down and worshiped the image when they heard the music, that is was good for them. But, if they did not worship the image, then their fate was to be cast into the midst of a fiery furnace. Daniel 3: Shaḏraḵ, Mĕyshaḵ, and Aḇĕḏ-Neḡo answered and said to the sovereign, O Neḇuḵaḏnetstsar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 For if so, our Elah whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning furnace of fire and from your hand, O sovereign He does deliver! 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O sovereign, that we do not serve your elahin, nor do we do obeisance to the gold image which you have set up. Notice the commitment of these men! Notice their courage! They said But if not, even if YHVH did not rescue them you Nebuchadnezzar, know that we will not serve your YHVH, or worship your image. Daniel 3: Then Neḇuḵaḏnetstsar was filled with wrath, and the expression on his face changed toward Shaḏraḵ, Mĕyshaḵ, and Aḇĕḏ-Neḡo. He responded and gave orders that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usual to heat it. 20 And he commanded some of the strongest men of his army to bind Shaḏraḵ, Mĕyshaḵ, and Aḇĕḏ-Neḡo, and throw them into the burning furnace of fire. 21 So these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, and their turbans, and their other garments, and were thrown into the midst of the burning furnace of fire. 22 Thereupon, because the sovereign s order was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shaḏraḵ, Mĕyshaḵ, and Aḇĕḏ-Neḡo. 23 And these three men, Shaḏraḵ, Mĕyshaḵ, and Aḇĕḏ-Neḡo, fell down bound into the midst of the burning furnace of fire. 24 Then Sovereign Neḇuḵaḏnetstsar was amazed, and stood up in haste and spoke and said to his counsellors, Did we not throw three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said to the sovereign, Certainly, O sovereign. 25 He answered and said, Look! I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire. And they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of Elah.

4 These men were committed, they were determined to obey YHVH at any cost and because they were committed to YHVH, YHVH was committed to them and he saved them from a certain and sure death. Daniel 3: Then Neḇuḵaḏnetstsar went near the mouth of the burning furnace of fire. He spoke and said, Shaḏraḵ, Mĕyshaḵ, and Aḇĕḏ-Neḡo, servants of the Most High Elah, come out, and come here. Then Shaḏraḵ, Mĕyshaḵ, and Aḇĕḏ-Neḡo came from the midst of the fire. 27 And the viceroys, the nobles, and the governors, and the sovereign s counsellors gathered together, seeing these men on whose bodies the fire had no power, and the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments changed, nor did the smell of fire come on them. We do need to take care and examine ourselves to see exactly where our commitments lie. There is nothing wrong with being involved with certain pursuits and activities, but we need to always be aware and on guard that those things do not overshadow our commitment to YHVH and in doing His bidding. YHVH has called us for a purpose; there are things that are required of us and YHVH expect us to be committed to doing those things first. There are many things in this life to cause us to become distracted and to lose focus on our goal and the job that YHVH has set before us. We are not here in this world just because; it is not a random occurrence that we have been placed where we are. YHVH has a reason and a purpose for all that He does! We are not here just to see how much we can get out of this life before we die. People in general do not understand this, but our lives have purpose and meaning far beyond this life. This life is such a small part of the lives we have ahead of us in YHVH s kingdom, yet at the same time it is so incredibly important. We have to make a commitment to go the correct way and to stand by that commitment. The decision we make now in this weak fleshly body that we inhabit will impact us for all eternity! Being committed means moving forward, to keep heading towards a goal. Commitment involves achieving something, it has purpose. We can never reach a point where we are still not striving and growing towards the ultimate goal. Luke 12: He then spoke a parable to them, saying, The land of a certain rich man yielded well. 17 And he was reasoning within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room to store my crops? 18 And he said, I am going to do this: pull down my storehouses and build greater, and store all my crops and my goods there, 19 then say to myself, Life, you have many goods

5 laid up for many years, take your ease, eat, drink, rejoice. 20 But Elohim said to him, You mindless one! This night your life shall be demanded from you. And who shall own what you have prepared? 21 So is he who is storing up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward Elohim. We are not called to a life of leisure; there is work to be done. Achieving a goal does not come without cost. There is always a price to be paid for something that you work for. At the time that each one of us were baptized, we made a commitment put off the old person that we were and to walk in newness of life. We accepted Yeshua s sacrifice for our cleansing, for our healing, for the forgiveness of our sin. That is something that should never be taken lightly. Nobody promised us that this new life we were beginning would be easy. Matthew 10: Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword, 35 for I have come to bring division, a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law 36 and a man s enemies are those of his own household. 37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me, and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take up his stake and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He who has found his life shall lose it, and he that has lost his life for My sake shall find it. There is no doubt that it takes commitment, that is exactly what Yeshua is telling us here. It s all or nothing; there is no room for being partially committed. Yeshua is talking about following Him no matter what the cost, even our very lives if that is what it takes! Commitment many of Yeshua s followers have suffered for their beliefs, their conviction and their commitment to Him. Stephen was given incredible power and he was doing a mighty work among the people. Acts 6: And Stephanos, filled with belief and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. 9 But some of those of the so-called Congregation of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Kilikia and Asia), rose up, disputing with Stephanos, 10 but they were unable to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke. 11 Then they instigated men to say, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Mosheh and Elohim. 12 And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, so they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council. 13 And they set up false witnesses who said, This man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this set-apart place and the Torah, 14 for we have heard him saying that this יהושע of Natsareth shall overthrow this place and change the institutes which Mosheh delivered unto us. 15 And all who sat in the

6 council, looking steadily at him, saw his face was like the face of a heavenly messenger. They were jealous! They saw the work that was being done through Stephen. They hated him for tearing down their tradition, just as they had hated Yeshua. Stephen was committed to do the work that was before him and he did not back down, he did not waver, or falter. He preached an incredible sermon and pointed out to them their own hypocrisy. Acts 7: You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Set-apart Spirit, as your fathers did, you also do. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who before announced the coming of the Righteous One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, 53 who received the Torah as it was ordained by messengers, but did not watch over it. 54 And hearing this they were cut to the hearts and gnashed the teeth at him. 55 But he, being filled with the Set-apart Spirit, looked steadily into the heaven and saw the esteem of Elohim, and יהושע standing at the right hand of Elohim, 56 and he said, Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Aḏam standing at the right hand of Elohim! 57 And crying out with a loud voice, they stopped their ears, and rushed upon him with one mind, 58 and threw him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Sha ul. 59 And they were stoning Stephanos as he was calling and saying, Master,יהושע receive my spirit. 60 And kneeling down he cried out with a loud voice, Master, do not hold this sin against them. And having said this, he fell asleep. Notice what we find next at the beginning of chapter 8 of the book of Acts. Acts 8:1-3 1 And Sha ul was giving approval to his death. And on that day there was a great persecution against the assembly which was at Yerushalayim, and they were all scattered throughout the countries of Yehuḏah and Shomeron, except the emissaries. 2 And dedicated men buried Stephanos, and made great lamentation over him. 3 But Sha ul was ravaging the assembly, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, putting them in prison. It is amazing and incredible how YHVH works and the irony sometimes in the things that He does. Here Saul is committed to destroying the church and hunting down the followers of Yeshua. Shortly after this incident, Saul is struck down in the road by

7 Yeshua Himself and he is renamed Paul and becomes committed to preaching the gospel and to Yeshua and to YHVH the Father. What are you committed too? Where do your loyalties lie? Are you committed to your money? Are you committed to your job? Are you committed to always having fun and living a life of leisure? Are you committed to spending all of your spare time in front of the television set, or your computer? Whatever consumes the majority of your time whatever receives the most of your attention is what you are committed too? Can you honestly say that YHVH occupies that spot? If not, then you had better take stock and rethink where your priorities lie. Luke 18: And a certain ruler asked Him, saying, Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit everlasting life? 19 So יהושע said to him, Why do you call Me good? No one is good except One Elohim. 20 You know the commands, Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Respect your father and your mother. 21 And he said, All these I have watched over from my youth. 22 And hearing this, יהושע said to him, Yet one you lack: Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven. And come, follow Me. 23 But when he heard this, he became intensely sad, for he was extremely rich. Do you realize what Yeshua was offering this man here? Yeshua wanted this man to join Him. He wanted to make him a disciple! The sad part is the man clearly recognized Yeshua for who and what He was, but he was unable to commit himself. He was already committed to his money and possessions. The opportunity that he threw away do not be like this man. Do not throw away your opportunity. Commit yourselves to YHVH, to His Son, to His way of life that leads to eternal life. Do His bidding; make it the number one priority in your life. There is not one single thing is this world that we have to fear, or worry about. YHVH is committed He will take care of us. Matthew 6: So why do you worry about clothing? Note well the lilies of the field, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin, 29 and I say to you that even Shelomoh in all his esteem was not dressed like one of these. 30 But if Elohim so clothes the grass of the field, which exists today, and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more you, O you of little belief? 31 Do not worry then, saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or What shall we wear? 32 For all these the gentiles seek for. And your heavenly Father knows that you need all these. 33 But seek first the reign of Elohim, and His righteousness, and all these matters shall be added to you. 34 Do not, then, worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow shall have its own worries. Each day has enough evil of itself.

8 It is very important that we do not take our commitment lightly. Committing ourselves to YHVH is a very serious matter and one we should think about in depth and continue to examine ourselves often to see whether we are keeping our commitment. Being committed is an all or nothing proposition. Commitment involves a way of life, it is not something you can just talk about, or something you can pretend at it is very, very serious and involves life and death. Revelation 3: And to the messenger of the assembly in Laodikeia write, The Amĕn, the Trustworthy and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of Elohim, says this: 15 I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I would that you were cold or hot. 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am going to vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, Rich I am, and I am made rich, and need none at all, and do not know that you are wretched, and pitiable, and poor, and blind, and naked. 18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, so that you become rich; and white garments, so that you become dressed, so that the shame of your nakedness might not be shown; and anoint your eyes with ointment, so that you see. 19 As many as I love, I reprove and discipline. So be ardent and repent. 20 See, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I shall come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I shall give to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies. Do you realize why Yeshua is so furious with these people here, that He would vomit them out of His mouth? Because they will not commit, one way or the other. Even the people who are cold have made a commitment. It is the ones who stay in the middle, who will not make a decision one way, or the other who refuse to commit that cause Yeshua to be angry with them. My grandmother used to call it straddling the fence. You have to be on one side, or the other. I m with Joshua, as for me and my house we will serve YHVH! All of us, including you young people and you children will be faced with people who will think you are strange and different because of your beliefs. They may make fun of you, they may look down on you and make jokes about you, but you do not have to worry about them. Stay committed to YHVH and going His way. YHVH and His Son Yeshua are the Ones that really matter. Do not let anyone judge you, or make you feel ashamed for following YHVH and believing in His word. People always make fun, or put down what they do not understand. It is fine to be different, to have beliefs and convictions that are different from the world in general. YHVH will honor that YHVH will honor and reward your commitment to Him and YHVH has

9 something planned for you that those people cannot even begin to dream about. We are not even able to imagine it ourselves it is so great and wonderful and awesome! 1 Corinthians 2:6-9 6 Yet we speak wisdom among those who are perfect, and not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age that are being brought to naught. 7 But we speak the wisdom of Elohim, which was hidden in a secret, and which Elohim ordained before the ages for our esteem, 8 which no one of the rulers of this age knew, for if they had known, they would not have impaled the Master of esteem. 9 But as it has been written, Eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, nor have entered into the heart of man what Elohim has prepared for those who love Him. Most of the people who like to put down others and make fun of their beliefs are really unable to commit, or to have faith in anything, or any one themselves. I feel sorry for them, because what kind of life is there without hope and faith and the promise of something much, much better beyond this present world that we live in. We all make a commitment to YHVH and He makes a commitment to us too. YHVH keeps His word; that is one sure thing that you can always count on no matter what else happens. YHVH is a rewarder of those who love Him, who keep His word, who love His law and do his bidding. Yeshua is the greatest example of commitment contained within the bible. He took on a fleshly body and came to live among men for a very specific and incredibly important purpose. It was a pivotal point in the history of this world and in YHVH s plan. Yeshua was committed to His goal, His purpose, to the job at hand. He never wavered, never faltered, but kept heading toward His goal and the purpose for which He was sent. He was beaten until He was unrecognizable, He was mocked, scorned, humiliated, spat upon, accused of blasphemy, and He suffered all manner of indignity. He even knew fear and prayed that night in the garden that He might not suffer what He very well knew was ahead of Him. Yet, through it all He remained firmly committed to YHVH, to His purpose and to you and to me. He was committed to us before we were even born committed to providing a way for us to be forgiven and to receive eternal life in YHVH s kingdom. YHVH the Father and Yeshua His Son are committed to you, are you committed to Them? Copyright 2015 Jeff L Mills

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego The Fiery Furnace It has been approximately 2600 years since the events we are going to study today took place. Even after all of this time these three men are known for the courage they displayed in front