James Duff March 1st 2015 ~ Total Commitment to Jesus

In 1519 the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortez set sail from Cuba on a bold mission to conquer Mexico. When he disembarked at Vera Cruz with 700 men, he promptly and with great intention ordered them to set fire to the fleet of 11 ships. All 700 men watched as their only exit strategy sank in the depths of the Gulf of Mexico. The only course of action left was to press on with total commitment into the interior and fight for their commander. Cortez was committed; he had fixed his eyes on the vision to conquer Mexico and was very intentional about how to achieve it.Like Cortez, we have been given a vision this year to “Fix our eyes on Jesus and open our hearts to Him”. This vision has birthed some specific, intentional targets that as a church we want to achieve:Birth two new missional communitiesLaunch Perth’s first ever Discipleship Learning CommunityShare a Family Camp weekend awayLaunch a comprehensive ‘first steps’ induction experience to St PhilipsPlan the refurbishment of the hallLike all good goals/targets, unless we are totally committed to the vision they will not occur - and then we run the risk of future regret. The journalist Malcolm Muggeridge early in his life wrote his own epitaph: “Here lieth one whose soul sometimes burned with great longings, to whom sometimes the curtain of the infinite was opened just a little, but who lacked the guts to make any use of it.” He was scared of future regret, of not committing to the longings of his heart, of not having the guts to give it a go. I feel that God is challenging each of us, to commit to the vision that he has given us and as a church to show some guts.In today’s reading and sermon we will learn about Jesus’ outrageous self-administered title of the ‘Light of the World’. Jesus, the Light of the World, has come to St Philips. For the last 104 years He has shone from this church and as a staff team we believe he is asking us again to put Him first, to totally commit to Him.To put Him first, it is the responsibility of each member of St Philips to fix their eyes on Jesus and then to open their heart to Him. By doing this, we are not only pursuing a vision; we are pursuing intimacy with Him. We are repenting of not putting Him first, repenting of making other good things ultimate things. The light of the world has shone on us here and we are called to walk in it.Are you committed to the vision this year or are other good things a priority for you? Is work the priority?... money?... education?... fitness?... family? Whatever this year entails for us, we can choose to do it totally committed to God or not. There are no guarantees it will be easy. In fact, Jesus shows us that it will be costly. However, what will it cost us if we are not committed to Him as number 1 priority in our life? Count the cost and do not lose sight of the vision this year. Fix your eyes on Jesus and open your hearts to Him.BlessingsJames Duff