Sermon: Burn the Ships

Total Commitment
#1700B
Ted E. Bowling
Given 01-Apr-23; 34 minutes 2023-04-01

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Have you ever heard the term "burn the ships"? Well, in 1519, the Spanish explorer and conquistador Hernando Cortes and his men sailed to the harbor of Veracruz, Mexico and there he brought 500 soldiers, 100 sailors, and they landed on the shores of Yucatan on those 11 ships. He was there to conquer Mexico and to seize the treasures of the Aztecs.

With his 600 men army under his command, he knew already that he was vastly outnumbered because this was a powerful empire that had been growing for the past 600 years. And so over the next two years, he and his men, outnumbered, mightily defeated the forces of Montezuma and his warriors and the empire, then making Cortes the conqueror of all of Mexico.

Now, the question is, how did he complete this incredible feat, knowing the dangers and the difficulties, especially knowing that there had been two prior Spanish expeditions that failed trying to do the very same thing? What did Cortes do differently than those previous expeditions?

Well, as soon as Cortes' men landed on shore and unloaded all their provisions, he declared to his men that they would not be going back. He told his men that there was going to be one option and that was to go forward, and I am sure there was a few men rolling their eyes at him as he made these comments.

Then Cortes gave a startling, mind numbing order. He said, "Burn the ships." He ordered his entire fleet of 11 ships to be destroyed. And those 600 men stood on the shore and watched their only possibility of retreat burn and sink. From that point on, they realized there was no return, there was no turning back. The only thing that lay behind them now was an empty ocean and they only have one option: to go forward and conquer or die.

Cortes burning those ships made them totally committed to this effort. Some of the men may have been thinking previously, like, "Are we really going to do this?" Well, he took all doubt off the table. The path was clear then at this point for he and his men. It was all or nothing, 100% commitment. The option of failure was gone. They would conquer as heroes or die. By the way, he conquered Mexico. Cortes showed his men from the very beginning his level of commitment by demonstrating his willingness to die in order to show them that he was going to lead them to a very difficult battle.

Now, I do not know if I would call this unwavering faith in victory. But I would call it totally committed to a cause.

So the term "burn the ships" is associated with total commitment. And as we near the Passover and the holy days, I want to ask you the question: Are you totally committed to God? Are you willing to sacrifice everything for this trek that you are on, and ask you the question: Have you burned the ships? Are you totally committed?

The Cambridge Dictionary defines commitment as "a promise or a firm decision to do something, a willingness to give your time and energy to a job, activity, or something that you believe in." And some of the synonyms of commitment are elements of character that God wants to see in us: Dedication, faithfulness, steadfastness, devotedness, determination, reliability, dependability, and trustworthiness.

Total commitment requires a sacrifice. It binds us to a course of action, a promise or pledge. And how we handle our commitments is a reflection on our character. It is an indication that we are self-disciplined, resilient, and persistent. Even, if we are willing, in times when we need to step out of our comfort zones. It is a decision to go forward and to hang in there when the going gets tough, to take one more step when you are convinced that you cannot. It is a decision to stand by someone no matter what, no matter how difficult the situation or that relationship becomes. Sounds a lot like Christians, does it not?

Today, more and more are less willing to commit to anything. It is a character quality that is important but vastly overlooked and unappreciated. What are we hear? Do your own thing, seek your own fulfillment, find your own joy. If you do not love your mate, leave them, you deserve happiness. All these attitudes are viruses that destroy commitment. Individuals who are successful usually have a sense of purpose in their lives. They usually know where they are going and that person usually has a deep sense of commitment. No wonder, when you hear people talk about commitment or honesty, it stands out in this day and age.

When you hear someone that has been married for a long time, it stands out, and marriage is the best example of what commitment should be. And again, in this day and age, longevity in marriages is rare. In fact, 40-50% of all marriages end in divorce these days. And that is the first marriage! It is even higher with a second or third.

But commitment is an ingredient which is vitally needed today, not just in marriages, but in jobs and careers. And I am sure that the performance in job sites, in workplaces, would improve if there was more commitment. It is something I do understand. And I do not understand when I work with inspectors that the commitment they have is really lacking and it is hurting their own selves. It is not just hurting the company that they work for, but it hurts everyone. It is one of the things you try to inspire folks in. But it takes a lot of work.

Brethren, commitment is the key ingredient in our relationship and service to God. God wants you to make commitments and He wants us to follow through on them. It is one of the character qualities that is necessary for us to live truly by faith. Being a disciple of Christ, at its core, is giving ourselves in faith to God, trusting that He will provide what we need throughout our lives as we prepare for His Kingdom.

Total sacrifice is not an option, it is a requirement. Following Christ must come before everything in our lives. That is the cost of discipleship. Devotion to God requires vision, understanding, courage, steadfastness, and humility. And by the very same principle, God Himself reveals Himself to us by His personal commitment to us. That is how we can know Him, trust Him, and have faith.

Now, there are many scriptures in the Bible and characters I could speak about today to use as an example, but I want to look at one man in particular because there is a connection to my introduction. Please turn to I Kings 19. Here we see Elijah nearing the end of his service to God and God directs Elijah to go and anoint this young man named Elisha to take his place as the prophet of God. And here in I Kings 19 we see Elijah formally pass on the mantle as prophet to Elisha.

I Kings 19:15-19 Then Lord said to him, "Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king of over Syria. Also you will also anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint him as prophet in your place. It shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill. So he departed from there, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was on the twelfth. Then Elijah passed by him and threw the mantle on him.

Now first, I find it interesting that Elijah simply walked up to Elisha while he was working in the field plowing and just threw the mantle on him. It does not say anything about conversation. But what is interesting is that it appears that Elisha clearly understood what this meant. How did he know? Well, with a little reading, it appears that a mantle, this heavy robe-like coat, was an old Testament symbol of authority. And for a prophet in Israel, it was a symbol of the power of God resting on him. So Elijah knew immediately what this meant when Elijah placed his garment on his shoulders. And Elisha handled it with humility and did not question Elijah.

I Kings 19:20 And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and said, "Please let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you." And then he said to him, "Go back again, for what have I done to you?"

I found this to be an interesting phrase. Now, Elijah was not being rude to Elisha. This is a Hebrew figure of speech, which means, "Why not?" Or, "Who is stopping you?" When you first read it, you will think, man, he was rude. Well, he was not. He was saying do what you gotta do.

The first thing we noticed though about Elisha is that he was a wealthy man or at least he was the son of a wealthy man. And how do we know this? Well, he was out there plowing with 12 yoke of oxen. He was on the 12th, which indicates this must have been a pretty large farm and his parents were pretty wealthy. Now, it does not say who the other 11 men were that were plowing with them. They could have been servants or brothers, but we definitely can see that Elisha was out there working, working hard alongside of them.

And this place where they lived, Abel Meholah, in English is translated to "the dancing meadow." This area was in the Jordan River Valley area which was blessed with fertile soil, probably some of the best land in all of Israel. So they were rich and he had the best land, servants, and a lot of oxen. Elisha had the good life. He was well-to-do, but he did not hesitate in leaving it all behind to accept his calling. He immediately said yes through his actions.

Here in verse 21, we see how much he was committed to this cause.

I Kings 19:21 So Elisha turned back from him, and took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them and boiled their flesh, using the oxen equipment, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose, followed Elijah, and became his servant.

As a symbol of his commitment, Elisha burned the ships or in this case, burned the plows. And then he slaughtered the team that he was driving, boiled the meat with the very implements that he was using to drive them. Then he put on a feast. Elisha made it very clear by this symbolic gesture to his family, friends, everyone, his commitment to God. God had called Elisha to succeed Elijah. And then he did not hesitate, he did not question, but immediately responded.

By the way, just looking at the weight of these two oxen, at the average weight they would produce about 1,000 to 1,200 pounds of meat. So that is a lot of beef! There is no doubt that he was feeding a lot of people, perhaps the whole community—friends, family, everyone. I think he must have wanted everyone to know that he was giving up his occupation and was going to follow God. Elisha showed them that he was totally committed to God in everything he did by walking away. In fact, he probably symbolically eliminated the possibility of him returning to his farm, foregoing his inheritance.

He put it all on the line. By burning the plows it was a statement of faith. Elisha chose to go all in with God. Elisha went with Elijah and he was a servant for about 8-12 years working aside him as basically an apprentice. And then he went on to do a mighty work. If you remember, he asked God for a double portion. And there are many, many works that Elisha did. He is a great person to study. And God used him for a period of over 60 years to serve.

Just as Elisha was chosen to be the prophet over Israel, you have been called to be a servant of God. So again, at this point, I want to stop and ask you: Have we burned the ships? Is our commitment to Jesus Christ and the Father total? Are we focused on the mantle that has been placed on our shoulders? Other parts of our life that you are hanging on to, possibly old habits, old desires, old grudges, old relationships, or we may have something else that we are hanging on to. This is the time of the year that we take account of ourselves. We are to examine ourselves to see if we have those hidden sins, to examine ourselves that are we really totally committed to God.

Here are a few scriptures I want to read on commitment, something to meditate on over the next few days.

Luke 9:62 But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

Makes you think of Elisha just a little bit there, does it not?

I Kings 8:61 "Let your heart therefore be loyal to the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes and keep His commandments, as at this day."

Philippians 3:13-14 But one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press on toward the goal of the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings at this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us.

Philippians 3:8 Yet indeed I also count everything as loss because of the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.

Please turn to Romans chapter 12. My heading says Living Sacrifices to God.

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Here in the first verse the word beseech is Strong's 3870, parakaleo. It means to call to one's side, to summon, admonish, exhort, to beg, or entreat. This word indicates that the call to commitment is both urgent and personal. Paul is literally saying, "I beg you to come alongside of me and take a stand for the Gospel."

This is no time for half-heartedness in your devotion to Christ and the church. Paul is making a strong urgent plea for total commitment and a devotion to sacrifice. When we are totally committed, we will be willing to give ourselves to someone or something. And here in this verse, that someone is Jesus Christ and that something is God's way of life, devoting ourselves entirely to living righteously before Him.

And the word reasonable service is an act of worship. Paul is saying that total commitment is the only rational course to take when we see God as He is and the sacrifice that He has made for you and me. I think that is why John Ritenbaugh asked in his very first sermon with CGG, "Do You See God?"

Have we considered the sufferings of Christ? If you see God in your life, nothing else will make any sense but to respond to that calling. That is what Elisha did. And actually not to be totally committed is actually irrational thinking. As we near the Passover and the holy days, we look at Jesus Christ, who is our ultimate example of commitment and devotion. He is everything commitment means.

Philippians 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Jesus Christ was God and took on flesh. He emptied himself to become a servant. You might say that Jesus Christ burned the ships. There was no turning back. Jesus Christ put everything on the line to give us hope of a greater life. And though He was God, He did not demand the rights of God. He made Himself nothing. And in human form, He obediently hobbled Himself by dying a criminal's death and humiliation on that cross.

I Peter 1:18-20 knowing that you are not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as a lamb without blemish or without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.

Before the very foundation of the world the Father and Christ knew that He would be sacrificed for all mankind, that we may have redemption, that we may have our sins forgiven. Jesus stated in John 8:29, "For I do always those things that please Him," meaning the Father Christ was completely devoted to God the Father and serves as our example in every aspect of our life, including the principles of total commitment.

I Peter 2:21-24 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: "Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth;" who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.

Jesus Christ set the example for us under the most difficult situations. He walked 33 years on this earth, a righteous man, and then the last week of His life endured so much. And we see His commitment and dedication because He never wavered under the harshest possible circumstances. I am not going to repeat everything that Clyde [Finklea] said. But that is what I have here right now.

Christ knew what that last night was going to be about. He knew what was going to happen. He knew that He was going to go through three illegal trials with the Romans and three with the local government. He knew that He was going to suffer for hours with beatings and torture beyond human reasoning. As Clyde said, when they were done, you could not recognize Him. And then, all the while He was going through this, those He loved dearly, those He was closest to, His companions for the last three years that He had been teaching and sharing His most personal moments: One betrayed Him, the others fled from Him in His most dire hour, even one going as far as swearing that they did not know Him. Yet, He never reviled them. He never spoke an evil word against them, but willingly died for them, and for us as well.

There is a tremendous lesson here for us to think about and ask ourselves the question. How do we deal with friends, loved ones that have turned their back on us? That despise us, they gossiped about you or simply lied about you. How do you handle that? Do we see the example that Christ made for us here?

Now, Jesus Jesus Christ is the bar. He is the measure. He is our example. And we do realize that as men, we will never measure up to Him. And so we should never measure ourselves against each other because no man can measure up to Christ and His righteousness. He is our standard. That is what we are to shoot for. Jesus Christ is our template. He is who we should follow.

Brethren, throughout this walk, we face obstacles. We hit walls that we think we will never be able to climb, trials so difficult we do not think we will get through them. And this is not to say that we will not fail sometimes because we do, we do get tripped up sometimes. So we all struggle.

And so as we go into the Passover and these holy days, we examine ourselves, we search our hearts, we consider our thoughts, our motives, our attitudes, and our behaviors. Now that requires a close and careful examination, but that is what is required of us if we are going to be totally committed to Jesus Christ.

Some people might say, how do you keep going? How do you make it through all this? Well, there is a simple answer. When you look back, there is an empty ocean back there. We burned the ships, there is no turning back. Cortes' men knew they could not go back. It meant death. For you and me spiritually, to turn back means spiritual death.

So we will be taking the Passover in a few days. And if there is one thing that the Passover represents, it is commitment, and it is our time to renew our marriage covenant with Jesus Christ and the sacrifice that He has made for us. We must dedicate our lives to following Him as closely as we can so we may be with Him. When we begin the Passover service, the solemn service, we begin with foot washing and foot washing is a renewal of our baptism, our commitment to living God's way of life.

The foot washing is a lesson in love of the purest type. It teaches us humility and that we should esteem others better than ourselves. It represents humility, love, and service. Can I say foot washing is a renewal of our commitment to each other? It is our relationship with Christ that brought us together. He is the one that binds us together in an inseparable bond of love and true fellowship in one body. I think that is why Christ took the time to wash the disciples' feet and set the example for us that we would think on these things.

And when we take the bread and the wine, which represents Christ's body and His blood, which He gave for us, a sacrifice that is unmeasurable, let us rededicate ourselves to walk as Christ walked. To be like Jesus Christ in every aspect of our lives, regardless of the trials and the tests that we encounter and the difficulties that this life lays before us in our path. Let us pray for a deeper understanding of Jesus Christ in our relationship with Him, His sacrifice, and the reward that we have before us.

Cortes was looking for a physical reward. Our reward of total commitment is something pretty special, so much greater than anyone could ever imagine. I want to finish in Hebrews 12.

Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

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