3. SURRENDER
Give up, to yield
to abandon ourselves to. Allow another to take control
to submit to, acquiesce in favor of
in deference to another
Do all the time: career, entertainment, job, emotions, family,
friends, life goals
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4. SPIRITS WANT SAME
Every spirit that claims to be God wants total
surrender of its followers: Lucifer, Hindu gods, god of
Islam, spirit guides of New Age, witchcraft demons, etc.
They all want what Our wonderful God wants:: total
surrender of our lives to the will and person of God.
Such total surrender only belongs to the One, true God
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5. GOD LOVES
Surrender all to God is greatest form of worship and
demonstration of faith.
Faith = RISK= SURRENDER to Him, not to concepts, not to
religion, not rituals, not church organizations...to Him.
God rewards surrender. Whatever we surrender to Him, he
gives back with interest. ( sleep example). Surrender to win.
All or nothing: partial surrender nauseates God. (Rev. 3:
15-16:15: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I
wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and
neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.” partial
= insult to God. Yet--God still loves us. We miss blessings.
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6. EXAMPLE OF LUKEWARM
You lost job, wife has cancer, kids on drugs, about to lose house:
I give you the job of your dreams with $100k salary.
I cure your wife of cancer and give her a facelift, tummy tuck etc.
She is gorgeous again!
I get your kids off drugs and give full scholarships to Harvard
Ask for ride to town but you say you can only take me 1 mile.
Want to fellowship with you to you along the way. You have an
errand to run and cannot take me all the way. Hmmmmm....
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7. PAUL SURRENDERED
His reputation: he joined what he used to persecute
His career: pupil of greatest Jewish Rabbi
His safety: Jews tried to kill several times.
His comfort: shipwrecked 3x, whipped 5, rods 3x, stoned,
sleep outside, hungry, cold, danger, imprisoned 2x
His family, friends, his freedom
Greater the calling, the greater the opposition & cost
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8. COST
Surrender is costly. Midwives in Egypt, three teens in
furnace, Daniel, Moses, Mary, Bart & Kevin & Amanda,
Rick & Alyson, Bev & Jeff, Betsy, millions of martyrs---died
to self to live for God.
Scars and Stripes: Red McDaniels, John McCain Mar 7, 73
Gave Their All: MM1 Robert James Cowan on USS
Scorpion, Willard Pretlow in Huey Gunship, Tom Allen in
A6 over Vietnam, Bart in China, Betsy in Afghanistan
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9. PAUL WAS HAPPY
“What is more, I consider everything a loss because of
the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for
whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them
garbage, that I may gain Christ.” (Phil 3:8)
“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Phil 1:21)
“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth
comparing with the glory that will be revealed in
us.”(Rom. 8:18)
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10. JESUS COMMENDS
Just before He surrendered His life to the Father on
Calvary:
“And Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come for
the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you,
unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it
remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He
who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in
this world will keep it to life eternal.” (John 12:23-25)
I “hate” my life on earth. Prefer to live for heaven & God
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11. JESUS DEMANDS
Luke 14:26 “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own
father and mother and wife and children and brothers and
sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.
Miseo: 42x in NT: Mostly--HATE: malicious and unjustifiable
feelings towards others: world will hate you, do good to those who
hate you. Also, PREFERENCE: Matt. 6:24: “No man can serve
two masters: for either he will hate ( miseo) the one, and love
the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.
Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
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12. NOT HATE
Not allowed to hate anyone: Love your enemies, do good
to those who abuse you, return good for evil, blessings for
curses, takes your shirt, give him your coat, too.
Love of wife and family is a strong theme in entire Bible.
Someday, you may have to chose between God or your
loved ones: Job’s wife, Peter’s rebuke of Jesus, Paul & belt
prophecy by Agabus (Acts 21: 10-14) See next slide.
Saturday, August 31, 13
13. ACTS 21: 10-14
Agabus took Paul’s belt, bound his own hands and feet, and
said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘So shall the Jews at
Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him
into the hands of the Gentiles.’” We pleaded with him not
to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “What do
you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am
ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem
for the name of the Lord Jesus.” So when he would not be
persuaded, we ceased, saying, “The will of the Lord be
done.”
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14. ALL OR NOTHING
“When Christ bids a man,” Dietrich Bonhoeffer says, “He
bids him come and die.”
Ernest Shackleton’s ad for recruits for his venture to
Antarctica in 1914: “Men wanted for hazardous journey.
Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness,
constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honour and
recognition in case of success.” God wants no less from
us. Our honor is guaranteed!
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15. WHY WE DON’T
FEAR: Many afraid to fully surrender to God. Do not trust
authority figures, father figures. Lack of trust
IGNORANCE: Think partial surrender is OK.
PRIDE: Believe the lie that in some things we can take
care of ourselves better than God can. Dangerous lie.
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16. EXAMPLES
FEAR: 25 years of partial surrender of my love to Beth.
IGNORANCE: High school: 75% God, 25% me.
PRIDE: Writing sermons and praying later in Foley.
Thought hard work & education & books were > prayer.
What keeps you from total surrender at times? Talk
to God about that soon. God wi! fu!y endorse and fu!y
support those who are fu!y surrendered to Him: 2 Chron. 16:9--
The eyes of the Lord...
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17. LEADERS ON SURRENDER
“The greatness of the man's power [with God] is the
measure of his surrender.” ― William Booth
“You cannot fulfill God's purposes for your life while
focusing on your own plans. ” ― Rick Warren,
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18. LEADERS
“I have been driven many times upon my knees by the
overwhelming conviction that I had no where else to go. My
own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient
for that day.” ― Abraham Lincoln
“Your wisest moments will be those when you say yes to
God.” ― Rick Warren,
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19. SURRENDER TO WIN
World is rapidly changing. America is descending into
moral chaos with each passing year. God is allowing in order
to bring us to the end of ourselves so we will fully
surrender to Him. The more we surrender now, the more
victorious we will be in God’s sight. We win by surrendering
all to Him. This chaos will eventually lead to revival.
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20. THE EXAMPLE OF JESUS
Read Phil. 2: 1-11
Great humility and full surrender leads to great honor
before God and man.
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