I Surrender All
Purpose Driven Life #10
October 18, 2003
Cornwall/Montreal
This story was in many newspapers on March 9 of this year:
TERRIFIED Iraqi soldiers have crossed the Kuwait border and tried to surrender to British forces - because they thought the war had already started.
The motley band of a dozen troops waved the white flag as British paratroopers tested their weapons during a routine exercise.
The stunned Paras from 16 Air Assault Brigade were forced to tell the Iraqis they were not firing at them, and ordered them back to their home country telling them it was too early to surrender.
The drama unfolded last Monday as the Para battalion tested mortars and artillery weapons to make sure they were working properly.
The Iraqis found a way across the fortified border, which is sealed off with barbed-wire fencing, watchtowers and huge trenches.
The following surrender document brought WW2 to a conclusion, in Europe:
Instrument of Surrender
of
All German armed forces in HOLLAND, in
northwest Germany including all islands,
and in DENMARK.
1. The German Command agrees to the surrender of all armed forces in HOLLAND, in northwest GERMANY including the FRISIAN ISLANDS and HELIGOLAND and all islands, in SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN, and in DENMARK, to the C.-in-C. 21 Army Group.
=This to include all naval ships in these areas=
These forces to lay down their arms and to surrender unconditionally.
2. All hostilities on land, on sea, or in the air by German forces in the above areas to cease at 0800 hrs. British Double Summer Time on Saturday 5 May 1945.
3. The German command to carry out at once, and without argument or comment, all further orders that will be issued by the Allied Powers on any subject.
4. Disobedience of orders, or failure to comply with them, will be regarded as a breach of these surrender terms and will be dealt with by the Allied Powers in accordance with the laws and usages of war.
5. This instrument of surrender is independent of, without prejudice to, and will be superseded by any general instrument of surrender imposed by or on behalf of the Allied Powers and applicable to Germany and the German armed forces as a whole.
6. This instrument of surrender is written in English and in German.
The English version is the authentic text.
7. The decision of the Allied Powers will be final if any doubt or dispute arise as to the meaning or interpretation of the surrender terms.
Surrender isn’t a popular word in our vocabulary, likely because it implies loss and defeat to those who surrender. Certainly, it did in these two cases, although a case can be made for the reality that, eventually, the lives of many involved became better, or will become better.
However, we are called to surrender. This is the essence of beginning the Christian life and is the centre of our daily lives.
Ro.12.1- tells us that we are to present ourselves in sacrifice to God. We are told that this is reasonable to do, as well. We are to surrender to God, and this surrender becomes the central act of worship we engage in each day. As we look in biblical history, we understand that such sacrifice and surrender involves a lot of will and desire, as well as a lot of giving up.
Gen. 22- story of Abraham’s calling to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Let’s read through this. I want you to notice who had to sacrifice- who had to have willingness- who had to give up something. (Read). Without question, both parties had to give up something very great. Abraham had to give up- to surrender- to be willing to lose, with the promise of gain. So, the sacrificer has to surrender. (Later, in the history of the people of Israel, this involved surrendering an animal and the potential financial gain that would come from that animal, as only the best were acceptable to God.) Isaac had to give up- to surrender- to be willing to lose, too. So, the sacrifice has to surrender. The sacrifice has to resign itself to the fate to come and has to be willing. Animals sometimes seem to know they are about to be killed and sometimes fight viciously not to have that occur- so don’t think that animals are simply all passive- lambs tend to be, but bulls and goats, later used in many sacrifices, would not always be so placid. In sacrificing, both the one sacrificing and the one being sacrificed have to surrender.
If we think back, then, to the call to us in Ro.12.1, we are the one sacrificing and the one being sacrificed. On two fronts, we have to be willing, resigned, and accepting. We have to be willing to give up ourselves and, in a little different position, we have to be willing to be given up, in both cases, in faith, understanding that the one we are sacrificing to receives pleasure and will give benefit back to our lives. As we give up our lives, we actually gain them again and new.
Paul, the great apostle, understood this and wrote us of this:
Ga.2.17-19, 20, 21- Paul writes of having gone through the great sacrifice. He recognized that, as he gave himself to God, Christ came to live in him and he gained more than he gave up. He is very clear about the position of Christ in his life. You could say, when you put this together with what he wrote for us in Ro.12.1, that Paul experienced a daily funeral. He laid himself down each day, knowing that, as sacrificer and sacrificed, he gained more than he lost.
During his Saturday evening message at Mission en Fete, two weeks ago, Tony Campolo spoke of an aspect of sacrificing to God, although he didn’t put it that way. He spoke of a way of ‘giving up’ that we might want to consider. He spoke of the way he begins his day, following the example of Mother Theresa. He spoke of just listening to God for a period at the beginning of the day and just allowing God to love him, and for him to feel that love. He spoke of absolutely yielding to the activity of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit- not talking, pushing everything else out of the way. He spoke of saying over and over, “Jesus”, to push aside other thoughts and ideas- now remember, this is not someone doing ‘vain repetitions’. This is a successful and godly Christian, and someone to whom we can listen and, possibly, gain something of value. He does not want to do ‘vain repetition’ anymore than you or I. Do you remember Jesus’ promise to us that the Holy Spirit, at work in us, would lead us to truth? In John 16.13, Jesus told us this; a lot of us are afraid of the Holy Spirit, and this is a fear we need to confront. To simply yield to the Holy Spirit is scary to me, too, but I’m trying to learn to do it more- this is something I have to sacrifice to God- my control over the Holy Spirit and my deciding what and how God is allowed to work in my life.
3.1-5-7- Paul goes on discussing what needed to be sacrificed. These people were being drawn back to a system that was dead and gone and were being led to feel that there was ongoing value in that, to them, as Christians. Paul heartily disagrees.
Let’s see another way he describes what was going on in his life:
Phil. 3.7-11- things he once counted as valuable, he gave up and counted them as worthless for Christ. Paul declared, daily, “I give up.” Paul would wholeheartedly sing with us the great hymn, “I surrender all.”
We received a letter from our national Director, Gary Moore, this week. Listen to what you already read, in part of his letter to us:
“Which day or time to worship is another secondary matter, which can raise strong feelings. If we understand the gospel, it is clear that such matters are of course not central, core issues of Christianity. At least we agree this is so when we are thinking clearly. However, it is amazing how much conflict within the body of Christ secondary issues can generate. Judgmentalism can creep in and brethren who are united by the very blood of Jesus Christ and adherence to his Lordship, can find themselves locked in painful struggle with one another over these lesser matters.
“Of course, we need to seek God’s help when confronted by such issues. Through prayer, the study of the Bible, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, as well as through the advice of other, more mature Christians, we need to seek a proper sense of perspective. We need to ask ourselves, “Is the issue we are dealing with a central core teaching of Christianity, or is it a more minor matter-of more personal preference?
“It is all too easy to make a mountain out of a tiny molehill, if we lay down right in front of it, and let it fill our vision! We need to step back from certain situations, and seek help in getting a proper, balanced perspective. Then we will be able to keep matters in an appropriate context, and deal with them in a way that will preserve the unity of the Christian church, and further its work of witnessing to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ last recorded prayer prior to his crucifixion stresses his desire for unity among his followers (John 17.20-23).
“I am sure that Satan loves to drive a wedge between the sons an daughters of God, but as we week God’s guidance and His mind, we will find the way to peace and unity.”
One of the matters we are working on sacrificing is bad theology. We are in a similar position to those in Galatia, that Paul wrote to and of, and must be careful not to go back. Without question, there were some very enjoyable and pleasurable aspects of our past practices, and those we need to bring forward. We need to have wonderful times of fellowship and worship together, as we did last weekend with our Thanksgiving Social and meal! However, to revert to days and worship practices- even to names for days and seasons- that ended at the cross, is not helpful. The theology that said those days should still be kept is wrong theology and something we need to sacrifice- to put on that altar of sacrifice each day, if necessary. We are fully in the new relationship that Christ promoted and began with his resurrection. To continue looking back is not helpful to going forward. For a Christian church, it is essential that good theology be what leads us forward. We can be psychologically tied to practices that had some good elements in them. But we must not put psychological feelings ahead of good theology. This is one reason why I won’t lead another autumn retreat because it can give a double message. For all I say that it isn’t the Feast of Tabernacles, some can feel that it is. So, I’m not really helping people to Christ, I feel, if, at this point, I’m preaching Christ while they’re thinking about how wonderful it is to ‘keep the Feast’. The Feast of Tabernacles pointed to Christ and the rest that we would have in Him. But He has come, and that figure or symbol is finished. We have the real thing now, not a picture of it. We are to put the picture away. We are to put the map away, now that it has got us where it was leading, and we don’t need to keep going back to it. All that pointed forward to Christ is now finished. We cannot go forward if we keep looking back. Let us have good times together, but not tie those times to what was part of incomplete understanding. We, as Christians, must lay our sacrifices before God and those sacrifices include some days that we may have enjoyed, but which are completely unnecessary and even hurtful, as Paul lays it before us in Galatians. We do not meet on the Sabbath- this is not the Sabbath. Sunday is not the Sabbath, either. Christ fulfilled the Sabbath, and we meet, now, to celebrate Jesus, not the day, the name, or the concept. Because ‘words’ can bring up many old images, it’s best for us to adopt and use different terms- so this is our day of worship, or worship day, or some such; Sabbath connotes a whole lot of things, including not working, preparation, fear of ‘breaking’ it, and the like.
God wants our absolute surrender to Him. We’ve had to surrender wrong understanding, hopefully cheerfully, in the end. Surrender isn’t easy. I have certainly experienced that over the past decade-and-a-half, as have you. We are a new church, and must sacrifice any baggage that might stand in the way of the advancement of those God might want to bring to the cross here. I’m willing, and I believe you are, too. This is a wonderful congregation that is putting roots down into Christ. Let us be doing that daily, as individuals and as a congregation, even as we’re doing it as a denomination. As Paul had a ‘daily funeral’ for himself, let us be doing that in our lives and, in this, be expressing worship to God, as we present our lives- body, mind, spirit, emotions, psychology, sociology and theology- to God in living sacrifice.
