A Line in the Sand

By March the 5th, 1836, the situation was obvious and it was hopeless. All who remained were going to die. At least 2,000 soldiers, maybe as high as 4,000, surrounded them. And in the distance, the bold, sullen, blood-red flag of no quarter waved in the Texas breeze.

No quit, no surrender, then no clemency, no mercy. The choice and the reality was obvious. 183 men were looking their own death in the face. There was no doubt what their commitment was going to cost them.

Now, what happened next might be debated down through the years, but the few women who were spared the carnage that was going to occur would later relate it. On Saturday afternoon, after 13 days of daily bombardment, without a single Texan being killed, Colonel William Travis assembled everyone near the plaza leading to the chapel.

And in the sand, with the tip of his sword, he drew a line. He drew a line in the sand. Any who wanted to leave and possibly save their life could. For those who crossed over and stayed, death was almost certain. Of the 182 facing Travis, because he went across the line, he was on the other side, 181 crossed over the line. Only one refused to cross, and he shortly left. At about 3.30 a.m., the next cold morning, still dark, of Sunday, March the 6th, Santa Ana's army marched on the Alamo to the bugle sounds of the de Guelo, an ancient, Moorish plea for surrender meaning the beheading.

By 7 o'clock that morning, the battle was over, and all of the participants were dead. Today, whether you're in Texas, and I live 14 years of my life in Texas, but whether in Texas or pretty much anywhere in the nation, you can say the words, the Alamo.

And if you want to add that third word at the beginning, remember the Alamo. They're famous words. They're enshrined in memory and in history, symbolic of commitment, of sacrifice, of the commitment that's willing to sacrifice, of the sacrifice that comes through such commitment.

A commitment that led to the death of all active participants, all 100, 182. Now, that was a commitment that was in it to the death.

It was a, to the final gun sounds, determination. To death do us part, resolve. It was that level of commitment. You can't go any deeper.

The Alamo. Words that conjure up a picture of total, complete, give it your all commitment. Now, only one left. His name was Louis Rose. Louis, or Louis Rose. 51 years old, born in France, and entitled to wear the Legion of Honor as a distinguished veteran of Napoleon's campaigns in the Kingdom of Naples and Russia. But he said, he said, quote, I came to America to live a new life. Not to die needlessly. Only fools and amateurs would try to defend this place. And he refused to commit. And he went down, at least in Texas history, maybe outside Texas, nobody knows the name. But in Texas history, he went down in disgrace and infamy.

You know, you think about it. Texas's existence, their independence, their freedom, came through commitment. Now, Travis knew if they weren't heavily reinforced, they couldn't win. They couldn't defend the Alamo. And a lot of people picture kind of a fortress with four walls around it and all on the walls, and they don't realize that there was an area where the men themselves had to be the wall and barricade and all. It was basically a hopeless situation. But Sam Houston and the small army he had, they needed time. They needed time. They had to buy time. There had to be time for him to gather more men.

They were vastly outnumbered. And Sam had to run and run and keep going further inland and all because he was trying to build his army. And he had to have time. Texas's independence hung upon it.

So, Travis knew, and the men knew, we are selling our lives dear. We're going to buy time. What they didn't know, they knew they were buying time.

What they didn't know was how it would galvanize Texas. And, of course, when Sam Houston finally stopped and turned and said, Essentia sent to Oponensala there, said, this is it, boys. This is where we fight.

When they went in and fought, remember the Alamo was just filling the air, ringing in their voices. Anyway, the story of the Alamo, you know, if it stands for anything, it stands for commitment, doesn't it?

And the sacrifice that comes through such. Now, here we are living in America, United States of America. If you know anything about our founding history and the founding fathers, and you go back and read of that, or if you've ever studied that, this nation was founded on sacrifice.

Those men who signed that Declaration of Independence, any one of them, if they had been caught, would have been hanged.

It was a time when you put your life, your fortune, all you had on the line. This nation that we're living in came through dedication, sacrifice, and commitment.

I found it interesting listening to the sermonette. How many times the sermonette and the sermon tie together, hand in glove.

And I'm thinking about, you know, what I just have said so far, the same is true about the spiritual state of freedom we live in. I live in a spiritual state of freedom. You live in a spiritual state of freedom.

God has called us to commitment, hasn't he? Commitment to Christianity, commitment to Christ to take him on.

I want to go to a scripture that was probably read at Passover. It's John 6, verse 57. John 6, Jesus told his disciples, John 6, 57, He says, As the living Father has sent me, and I live by the Father, so he that eats me takes me on, absorbs me, so he that eats me, even he shall live by me.

These holy days, and we're still in the spring season, and Pentecost is actually technically a part of the spring season. You could say early summer if you want to.

But we've had Passover. And then we had Unleavened Bread. And of course, eating unleavened bread for seven days pictures a commitment to Jesus Christ, the commitment to let him live his life in us. How is it, in one sense, that Jesus Christ will ever be formed in us, Galatians 4.19, as Paul said? How is it he'll ever be formed in us unless we truly partake of him, eat of him, let him live his life in us? I mean, obviously that makes sense, doesn't it?

And we're still in the launching. We've launched this 2017 cycle of the holy days and the plan of salvation that they picture. But your freedom and my freedom comes by committing and crossing the line, doesn't it?

If you want a title for this sermon, a good title is A Line in the Sand. A line in the sand.

Our freedom comes by committing and crossing the line. Matthew 10, 39. Matthew 10, verse 39. Louis, you want to go? Go.

Matthew 10, 39. He that finds his life shall lose it, and he that loses his life for my sake shall find it.

Think about this. He that loses his life for my sake shall find it. You know, Christ does draw a line in the sand. He does. Verse 38. If this is not a line in the sand, then what is it? Verse 38. And he that takes not his cross and follows after me is not worthy of me. There is a line in the sand drawn. In Luke 9.62, now this is a scripture that in one sense I kind of grew up on it. I mean, I heard it throughout my young life and heard it quite a bit up towards my life. I haven't heard it quite as much in more recent times, but it's still there and still carries so much meaning.

Luke 9.62. I said Christ does draw a line in the sand. And there's no getting around that, is there? And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. There's some real strong words in God's Word.

Atlanta, Georgia, January 1995, before United started, when WCG was beginning to come apart.

In Atlanta, Georgia, January 1995, I was here, Angela was here, we were with all the regional ministry in meetings, like three-day meetings.

And in one of the seminars that was given, a well-known individual who had baptized me in college, who had baptized my wife, who was one of my main professors, who had baptized my mother on a baptizing tour in 1961, stood up, and in his lecture to us, he said, and I quote, I don't think Jesus Christ is expecting us to draw a line in the sand.

Those were his exact words. I don't think Jesus Christ is expecting us to draw a line in the sand. He and others drew no line. And we have lived now 22 years and a little bit more to see the results, if you are familiar with any of that history. That history is part of my legacy. That history is part of my learning. It's part of my lessons. And I refuse to lose those lessons. I refuse to surrender any of that legacy because I'm supposed to learn from the lessons and go forth with the lessons intact. Christ does draw a line in the sand. He draws lines in the sand. For instance, I'm not going to... Well, I could. I'm right here in Luke still, so I'm going to flip back to Luke 6 and verse 46.

In Luke 6 and verse 46, if these are not lines in the sand, what are they? Because he says, And why do you call me Lord, Lord? And of course, Lord, Lord, that can also mean boss or master. Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

Hey, boss, what time you want me to come in Monday morning? Be there at 8 o'clock. Well, I think I'll show up at 12.

Well, you might not have a job then. Well, that's okay, but I'm going to do it my way. Well, sorry, you're fired. I mean, you just apply these things in practical, down-to-earth situations, and this is what you're dealing with.

And of all the things we focus on at this season of the year, because we really are still in the spring season, aren't we? One of the most important is Jesus Christ's complete and total commitment to us.

Think about that. We picture that leading up to Passover, and with Passover, and even during the days of Unleavened Bread. His complete and total commitment to us, as illustrated by His suffering and His death. You know, there's a time long ago when the one we know of is the Father, and the one we know of is the Son, the ones that were the Most High, and the Logos, the Word, who was also God, just as much as God is God.

I mean, John 1.1 makes that plain. But there was a time when they had to have some discussions, they had to do some planning, they had to get some things decided. And so, at some point, there had to be some conversation somewhere along the order or line of Christ. Will you cross the line drawn? Will you cross the line? You know, if you do, it will mean your death.

If you cross the line, it's going to mean your death, will you? See, I base those kind of statements, and I'm not going to turn to these Scriptures again for sake of time, and we're very familiar with them. But remember Revelation 13, verse 8, where there's a phrase in that verse of Revelation 13, and verse 8, there's a phrase that says, slain from the foundation of the world. Slain from the foundation of the world.

Foundation of this age, this cosmos, the spirit of the power of the air of Lucifer, of Satan. This age was founded in Genesis 3. When Adam and Eve sinned, that founded the world that you and I have to live in. It was a Garden of Eden world before that. Satan was around, but he wasn't allowed quite the freedom. But when Adam and Eve sinned, they set the stage for the age that you and I. You swing out through Atlanta.

If you were to go out here right now, out and about in Atlanta, you can't say it's God's world. Not with a lot of the stuff that's going on. No, we know that. We understand that. But just as soon as they sinned, Christ knew he was as good as dead. It wouldn't happen for almost 4,000 years, but he was as good as dead. Slain from the foundation of the world. And then there's another Scripture, 2 Timothy 1.9, that talks about this in 2 Timothy 1.9. And again, I'll just reference it.

But talking about the grace and the mercy that was given us in Christ before the world began. See, when Adam and Eve sinned and set the foundation of what we have to deal with, God wasn't caught off guard. The discussion had gone on long before that, before they ever created Adam and Eve. Before they ever did that, they had determined, if this should become necessary, will you cross the line? Will you go die? And that had been resolved. Pretty amazing, isn't it?

So, this season about commitment, and Christ's complete and total commitment to us, and the corresponding need for our complete commitment to Him. Back in John 6, verses 53 through 58. John 6, verses 53 through 58. Now, He meant to have an impact with His words, because He knew what He was talking about in terms of the depth of commitment. Now, they didn't all get it at the time. They got it later. Verse 53, Then Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, that's what verily, verily means truly, truly, truly, truly, I say to you, except you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, you have no life in you.

Who so eats my flesh and drinks my blood, has eternal life, and I will raise Him up at the last day. Verse 55, For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eats my flesh and drinks my blood dwells in me, and I in Him. Verse 57 again, As the living Father has sent me, and I live by the Father, so he that eats me even he shall live by me.

Verse 58, This is that bread which came down from heaven, not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead. He that eats of this bread shall live forever. In other words, fully absorb me. Again, to me, one of the most powerful scriptures in the Bible in regards to taking on Jesus Christ is Galatians 4.19, About till Christ be formed in you. Be formed in you. Become part of you. Part of your fiber. Fully absorb me.

We're fully taking on Christ in everything He stands for with every passing day. Now, Sabbath only comes once a week, but our lives before God is every day. And the things that He calls upon us to be and be about involve every day. But it's like, commit to me. Commit to me. Look at verse 66 here in this chapter. Verse 66. Now, here's something that's to me interesting, yes, but sad.

It says, from that time, when He, in the most graphic terms, and we understand what the meaning is with the body and the blood, again, we were very familiar with that. He had disciples who wouldn't wait around to find out what He meant. They just jumped to certain conclusions. He's using cannibalistic terms. And they got offended. And they left. Verse 66. From that time, many of His disciples went back and walked no more with Him. And you can back up to a verse or two or three previous. And they said, this is a hard saying. Who can handle it?

So, many went back at that point. And enough so that He said to them in verse 67, Then said Jesus to the twelve, Will you also go away? So He asked them, and of course, they basically responded, No. I would ask us, how committed... And I ask myself this. I mean, it's not that I ask everybody else. I don't ask myself. How committed are we? How committed are we to Jesus Christ? Christ could... If I took what He said here in verse 67, then Jesus said to the twelve, Will you also go away? Jesus could be looking at me and saying, Will you also go away?

How committed to me are you? Will you follow me no matter where it may lead? Is Christ in our lead up front, no matter where we may have to go to do the following? I would ask it another way. Passover is not that far behind us. None of them are bread, is it? And as was mentioned, we're drawing close to Pentecost.

What have we given up for Christ? Can we list anything we've given up for Christ? I mean, if... And when I say what we've given up for Christ, it's more than just the physical things we've given up. There's other things to give up, too. But I'm just saying, what would you list? If you were listing what you were giving up for Christ, what would you list? Let me put it another way. What has following Him cost you? Well, for one thing, a lot less money in the bank, because I couldn't take that job that would have paid me twice as much as what I'm currently making, because they required that twice a month they had to be there on Saturday.

That's just one little example, but what has following Him cost you? Well, it costs me a mate. Or it costs me this, or it costs me that. We know the story, don't we? They left Him at Gethsemane, didn't they?

They fled. Well, He brought up the issue again and kind of left or made it very plain, didn't He? He drove it deep. And this is, to me, one of the very, I might say, most interesting and revealing chapters. And the Bible certainly, obviously, after His resurrection, it would be up there among the top accounts. John 21. And I'm not going to spend much time with it, but I want to point something out. We know they left Him at Gethsemane. They fled. Their commitment wasn't as deep as they thought it was at that time.

And, of course, on the seashore, Sea of Galilee, here He appears to them. They realize who it is. You know, they row into shore, and they have a breakfast, a little bit of a breakfast fish fry. Good breakfast, probably very beautiful spring day. It's a gorgeous time to be alive. Obviously, they're thrilled that He's alive again. You know, of course, they knew that before that particular point. He had already appeared to them. But anyway, I'm just saying, it was a very beautiful setting. Wonderful time. And here they're gathered around the campfire with Him, and having a good breakfast on a beautiful day.

And so you find in verses 15 and 16 and 17, it says verse 15, So when they had dined, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, you son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these? Now, you got to keep in mind, Peter was the one, and again, I'll just reference it, but Matthew 26, 33, Matthew 26, 33, You know, there was a time when, let me check that. I might have it crossed with another Scripture, and I want to be sure, but I don't.

Oh yes, it's the one I wanted. Matthew 26, 33, Peter answered, this is, you know, this is before they come to take Him and all that. He says, though all men shall be offended because of you, yet I will never be offended. Count on me, God. Count on me, Christ. I'm with you. Nothing's going to run me off. I'm committed. So you can only imagine when Christ singles it out and says, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these? And He said to him, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. And of course, the famous statement, He said, feed my lambs. And then, okay, well, we got that passed. We got that passed. I can relax now a little bit. Peter, I don't know what's coming next. Okay. Verse 16, He said to him again the second time, Simon, you know, it's like, yes, Lord, son of Jonah, do you love Me? Yes, Lord, you know that I love you. Okay, feed my sheep. I blew it back thin. I'm not going to blow it again. Boy, this is almost embarrassing. And in verse 17, and He was getting the message because He had denied Christ three times. So verse 17, He said to him the third time. And by this time, Peter might have been thinking, well, three is the number of finality. Maybe this is it. Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me? Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, do you love Me? And He said to Him, Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you. And He said, feed my sheep. He was saying, Peter, are you committed to Me? Peter, how committed are you to Me? Okay, Peter, you're saying you're committed. How committed to Me are you? Let's find out. Because verses 18 and 19 tell us something. It told Peter something. It says, truly, truly, verse 18, I say to you, when you were young, and of course as He's talking to Him, Peter is probably in his late 20s or early 30s, mid 30s at the most. He's a young man. When you were young, and he's speaking of really a whole stretch of time that's going to go on, you gird yourself, you dress yourself, you gird yourself, and you walk where you want to. I mean, you know, you've got a certain amount of independence, proper independence. But when you shall be old, you're going to stretch forth your hands. You're going to hold your hands out. And another is going to bind you. They're going to gird you. They're going to tie you up and carry you where you would rather not go. This he spoke signifying by what death he should glorify God. In other words, he was going to be murdered. He was going to basically have pretty much a full life and serve God. But see, from the time he was in his late 20s, early 30s, he knew, he didn't know the exact instrument or manner, but he knew that as he got towards the end of his life, he was going to be martyred. He knew he was not going to die peacefully in a bed somewhere. He knew that from the beginning. He got the message. And when he had spoken that, he said to him, follow me. You know, others be committed to me. Now, it's interesting, and a lot of times, of course, he wasn't converted here.

And some of the human nature comes forth. He's just been told that if he's really committed, it's going to cost him his life someday. And so, you pick it up in verse 20, with that ringing in his ears, then Peter, turning about, sees the disciple whom Jesus loved, following, and he's referring to John, brother of James, which also leaned on his breast as supper, and the one that had asked him, Lord, who is it that betrays you? Now, verse 21, Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, he's just been told that the day will come when he's going to be tied, and basically been told you're going to experience a martyrdom death. So, and isn't this so human? He says, Lord, what shall this man do? Or in other words, what's going to happen to John? That's what he was saying. Well, what about John? Now, Peter, such and such is going to occur with you. Oh, okay, but what about so-and-so? It's like this issue of fairness, in a sense, or lack thereof, the way some see things. And Jesus said to him, and I want you to think about this, Peter focuses on John, it's like, well, is he going to die a martyrdom death? Basically, what was in his mind is, is he going to have to be on the hook like me in the same way? That type of thing. And so Jesus says to him in verse 22, if I will that he tarry, that he is alive when I come, tarry till I come. He didn't say he would be, he just said, if I will, if I will it, that he tarry till I come. Now, notice what he says, what is that to you? In other words, Peter, that has nothing to do with your commitment. What happens with John or doesn't? Your commitment to me does not write on what I do with John. It doesn't write on what John does. It's kind of like, does my commitment write on any of you? Does your personal commitment write on me? No. Follow, you may. So Christ drew a line in the sand. Peter crossed. Peter committed. Christ has committed to us, and he has proven that commitment. And again, I would simply ask us, you know, have we done the same in return? And of course, if we haven't, then why not? What's the holdup? You know, we always come up on the spring feast season with sermons, sermonettes, messages that deal with what's changed in your life this past year. Where have you grown? If the previous year you got mad 20 times, did you just get mad this past year 10 times? Are you going to get it cut down to five times this next time? Whatever.

Measure yourself. What is different in your life right now than was not different a year from now? What is it that you still see that you want to change between now and this time? You know, we talk about examining ourselves and all of that. I ask myself, I say, okay, I've had a year.

Is my life more patterned, more fully patterned after Jesus Christ at this point than it was a year ago?

In terms of what we do, in terms of how we do it, in terms of why we do it.

In Ephesians 5, verses 14 through 18, Paul wrote, Wherefore he says, Awake, you that sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light. See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, using it wisely, making it count, because the days are evil. And the days that we live in, they will get more evil. Their evil will grow every year. That's just simply part of the reality that we face and deal with.

We have a whole new holy day cycle that we've entered into that stretches before us. And what additional positive results are going to be there with us at the end of this current year that we're into? You know, I look, and some of you here have been in the church a long, long, long time. And when you're in the church a long, long, long time, you have the additional opportunity. I mean, whether you've been in the church a long time or not, you've got prayer, you've got God's Word, you've got fellowship, you learn, you grow.

But if you've been with God's Word and God's truth and the church of God for a long, long time, it comes to a point where you've seen things start, run their course, and finish. You've seen how life cycles. And you get to where you can chart, oh, that path so-and-so is going down. I know where that ends. Oh, that path so-and-so is going down. Oh, that's good. You begin to see, and also you begin to see what makes for the success factors and what makes for failure factors. And, of course, so much is wrapped around and determined by our level of commitment.

Sometimes people start out, I remember in college, I was in the mile run, and there were, I forget now, five, six, seven of us lined up in the starting line, and when the gun fired, there was one classmate took off like a jackrabbit. This is for the mile. Of course, we're having to run because the race is on, and we're thinking, does he not know this is a mile? Does he think that this is a hundred-yard or a hundred-meter dash?

We don't know. But at the very first turn, he didn't make the turn. The track, you know, we're running counterclockwise, and the first bend in that quarter-mile, I had to go around it four times, but in the first bend, which was a hundred and ten yards or a hundred meters. Anyway, we got to that first bend. Of course, we're eating his dust. He's way up ahead of us. And as we get down near, near it, and he's way ahead of us, as he enters that bend, he just spills off to the right, into the green.

His race is over. I still to this day don't know why I did it that way, but his commitment didn't last. And obviously, he was not pacing himself. Let's put it that way. He burned himself out on that race very quickly. You know, I've often thought, so much is wrapped around, determined by our level of commitment, because think about it. God's power never lacks. Now, I don't always understand why such and such happens the way it does. I don't always understand why God's timing is the way his timing is. I don't.

But I do know his power never lacks. I know his hand is never short. I know his ear is never heavy. I understand that. And in terms of, if I were to ask myself, well, you know what? I just don't think Jesus Christ lives in me as much as he ought to.

Well, if that's the case, whose fault is it? Is it his or mine? I think the answer is obvious, isn't it? So anyway, I have seen over the years, do you sometimes smile at something that's not funny? I do. I mean, is it just kind of a nervous smile? Is it a safety, kind of a safety valve-type release, just a smile when something is not funny?

What I've seen over the years in these cycles, in these situations, the constant, ever-present challenge of, number one, laying the pride aside. Just lay the pride aside. Number two, come humbly before God. That seems to be a challenge that, as I look back over the years, I've seen so many who just could not lay the pride aside.

And, you know, if you ever stop to think that Jesus Christ cannot live alongside pride that fills a person, if I want Christ to have an opportunity to live in me, I've got to lay the pride aside. I mean, I know what the Scripture says. What does God require of you, old man, Micah 6, 8?

To do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly before you, God. To lay the pride aside and to come humbly before God. And one of the most important things that we did previous to Passover was we admitted error. I mean, if somebody came to me and said, Mr. Maim, I'm here to admit my errors to you. No, no, no, no. You go to God and admit those. I don't want to hear them. I'm not a priest. I don't have a confessional booth. That doesn't work that way here.

Do you know what they are? I sure do. Well, then, good. You go and you admit them to God and you repent of them before God. We admit error and we ask for God's forgiveness and we further commit ourselves to the Creator, to Christianity, to Christ. Commit to Christ.

I cannot say that I know absolutely, totally all the reasons that Paul was inspired to write Philippians. But I can say this. If there's a little book in the Bible that is so extremely encouraging, especially in terms of certain encouragements and confidences, it's Philippians for the size of it. Just a few little chapters. Notice Philippians 1.6. We've all read this many a time, haven't we? To me, this tells me Christ is committed to me. Christ is committed to us. Philippians 1.6. Paul tells them, being confident. See, there's nothing about humility that excludes confidence. If you understand all the issues, the most confident people, the most humble people, truly humble, not talking about false humility, David was pretty humble if you really understood about David the king. And boy, did he have proper confidence, proper. But Paul is saying, look, be confident. I want you to be confident. I want you to have this confidence, this calmness of spirit and peace of mind and confidence. Here's what I want you to keep in mind, you Philippians. And he can say it to us, Atlanteans, etc. Being confident of this very thing that he, which has begun a good work in you, will perform it, will finish it to the day of Jesus Christ. This is one of the soundest reasons to commit to him and to stay committed. You cannot lose out committed to him. I want to flip to the last chapter of Philippians, Philippians 4.19. Philippians 4.19. You cannot lose out committed to him. But my God shall supply. Now, I want you to think about something. In Philippians 1.6, it says the good work that he's begun in us, he'll finish. You don't have to worry about him just one day arbitrarily deciding to back out on you or me. Now, stay with it.

In conjunction with that is this simple reality, but my God shall supply all your need. There are emotional needs, there are physical needs, there are spiritual needs, there are financial needs, and I didn't say luxuries, there are needs. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. And though I'm not going to turn there, I would ask you just to jot down 1 Peter 4.19. It's chapter 4, same as this is chapter 4 in verse 19. It's chapter 4 and it's verse 19 of 1 Peter.

And it talks about committing our souls, our being, to the faithful Creator. God is a faithful Creator. So one of the great issues of this season is commitment. The commitment of Christ to us and in return our commitment to him. And that kind of commitment that doesn't need to fade, doesn't need to wane, it needs to just be kept, nurtured, and nourished. And we need to operate by it. I want to turn to a scripture in Psalms. It's Psalm 50 in verse 5. Psalm 50 and verse 5. Now, I'm reading in the King James. I don't use the King James English. I just automatically flip it into regular English in my mind. But from the King James. Notice how this is worded. And again, as far as commitment, Psalm 50 verse 5. Gather my saints together unto me. Did we gather together today? We have gathered together. Why have we gathered together? Some might say it's a command, which it is. It is a command. It's a commanded assembly. So we have gathered together based on the commanded assembly. Do we have fellowship with the Father and the Son through the week and the other week? Yes, if you don't, you're in trouble. But is this a special fellowship with God the Father and Jesus Christ? And with our brothers and sisters, yes, it is. Gather my saints together unto me. Notice the rest of the verse. Those that have made a covenant, baptism is a covenant, with me by sacrifice, based on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

And on our part, the willingness to make certain sacrifices in order to do so. And it has to do with commitment. When you look at that verse and you think about it, you realize those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice, those who have crossed the line.

It's only in crossing the line that we can truly live. It's only by crossing the line that we can truly have glory and immortality. It's interesting that those at the Alamo who crossed the line, who stepped over, they crossed over into glory and immortality in the hearts and minds of human beings.

There was a movie that came out years ago based on the book by the same title, Thirteen Days to Glory. Thirteen Days to Glory. We who step out and step out over the line for and with God, cross over into the glory and immortality of God's family and kingdom and eternity. Commit to Christ.

There's something I want to add in to this. That's this because, again, having been a child in the truth and Church of God and grown up in it, and now that I'm 66 years old, I realize the majority of my life is behind me. I still hope to have another 10, 14, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, well, whatever, you know, if this age goes on long enough. But seriously, I know that the majority of my life is back there, not in front of me as far as this physical human life is concerned. But again, having lived that length of time and seen the things that I've seen and the rest of you who also share similar experience realize, you know, I came to realize years ago when I can't see past human foibles, that's proof enough that God isn't in my eye strong enough. When I let other humans, their weaknesses, their fallibilities, their frailties, block my view, then that means God isn't strong enough in my eye. When I can't get past others, when others hold me up or hold one up, it's not commitment. I'm just kidding myself. Others don't stop the truly committed. Others don't block the view of God from the eyes of the truly committed.

You know, when you think about marriage and you think about friendships and you think about relationships and you think about others, all at best, and they're wonderful, but at best they're secondary. And that's something humans don't like to think about. There is no place in God's Word where He says, don't love your mate, your friend, or whoever too much, He says, don't love them more than Me.

Because if you love them more than Me, I might relate this. I have counseled off and on for a couple of years with a fine old gentleman. And he is truly, he is a fine old gentleman. And he'll come up real close to being baptized and then back off because he's more scared of his wife than he is God.

That's just, that's the size of it. He's more concerned about pleasing his wife than pleasing God. And so he'll get up kind of close and then stop and think about what the ramifications could be that he won't please his spouse. No, and he'll back off. And so I had to tell his brother recently, I said, oh, whenever he becomes more afraid of God than his wife, he'll get baptized. And I said it kind of facetiously and kind of funny, but that's the size of it. That was the size of it. If you look at Matthew 10, and again, we're talking about commitment. And as I have told folks, God says, love your friends, love your wife, love your husband, love them as much as you possibly can, but put God first. Love him more. In fact, if you understand how it works, the more you truly have a relationship with God and love him, the more you are able to love your mate, your friends, your children, etc. But in Matthew 10, where we were before, and verse 37, notice it says, he that loves father or mother more.

That's the key word there, so to speak, that would make it wrong. He that loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And he that loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And of course, that's what the great commandment is about, as far as God coming first in our hearts and minds and beings. And we all know Matthew 6, 33, about seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. We all, each and every one, especially who have been baptized and gone through Passover, we renewed our commitment. And the others who haven't come to that point, they're working on it. And in due time, they'll come to that full commitment. But when we're willing to commit to Christ, when we step out and cross that line and commit to Him, we incur, and we do have, the full and total and complete commitment of God the Father and Jesus Christ. Now, I realize, as I stand here, just as a human being, forget that I'm a minister, forget that I'm a pastor, just as a human being. The only way and reason by which I exist is because of the Creator God who created the living laws by which we're activated through my parents to produce me as part of the creation, as a living being. Same with you. That's the same of all of us. And God committed to a creation, and He committed to a sacrifice for that creation. And then, of course, when we begin to commit to God and want to walk His way and do it His way and please Him and serve Him, and we take on the commitment of baptism and such, which again we have pictured, then God can more specifically fully commit to us on the spiritual plane and work with us and develop us, then, for eternity with Him and His family. And He does commit to us. So just a couple of scriptures as we wrap this up. Matthew 28, verse 20. Again, a very familiar and a very encouraging scripture. Matthew 28, verse 20. He told the disciples, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world, end of the age. He promised never to leave those who are His. And then, Hebrews 13, verse 5. Let your conduct be without covetousness, be content with such things as you have, for He has said, and this is the bottom line that means so much, I will never leave you nor forsake you. God the Father and Jesus Christ have crossed the line for us, and He requires, they require, we keep crossing the line for them.