Not what I will…
The two "basics" we have addressed so far are salvation and the church. First, we discovered why we must be saved and how we can be saved. Second, we discovered the reality of being saved. We are the dwelling place of God; we are the church no matter where we go and what we do.
Since salvation requires voluntarily surrendering our personal rights to the lordship of Jesus Christ, we will study “surrender” today. How do we surrender? What does a surrendered life look like?
Let’s revisit a verse that properly describes our relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 6:20 "You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."
To receive salvation, I willingly and voluntarily lay down my rights to follow the Lord Jesus. To follow Him indicates He is actively leading me in His way, for His mission and His glory and I am in cooperation with Him.
If I am saved it means I have surrendered.
When one enlists in the Armed Forces, the same commitment of submission is made by every person.
I,________________, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.
That is a commitment to be submissive to the authorities placed over you in accordance with the established regulations for a set period of time; whether it is 2 years or 4 years. How much more serious should we take our commitment to God? Can you hear the similarities? Support and defend, bear true faith and allegiance, obey. So, what does it mean to surrender?
1. Trust Completely (Proverbs 3:5-6)
What does it mean to trust? In Hebrew, this word means to "believe in a person to the point of reliance".
I have to ask myself, how much do I rely on God…really? Do I even think about my very breath or heart beat. Do I turn to Him only when I find myself unable to accomplish a task? Or when I fail miserably? Or when I am sick?
Do I rely on Him to be the husband He calls me to be? Do I rely on Him to overcome my habitual sin? Do I rely on Him to be who He said I am?
When I attempt to live within my strength and wisdom, or give it my best shot, I am not relying on God – which means I DO NOT TRUST HIM.
I am to trust the Lord with all my heart. Anytime we come across this word in Scripture, it always refers to the inner self. The conscience and the will. Your inner self is what dictates your character and behavior.
With EVERYTHING I am, I rely on ALL HE IS. That is trust.
To trust Him is to NOT lean on my own understanding. That literally means to not rely upon my insight, experience or discernment.
If I rely on my understanding, I am not relying on His wisdom; therefore am not trusting Him.
Further, in ALL my conduct, I am to observe His direction. There is not one area of my life that does not fall under God's authority. When I do follow, He will guide me into the right choices that reflect His character in my life.
2. Love Entirely (Deuteronomy 6:5)
Just as we trust the Lord with everything that we are, we love Him with everything we are.
How do you know if you love God this way? We can say it, chant it, repeat it, sing it – but how do you know?
John 14:21 “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
Our love for Him is measured by our obedience to Him – not relying on self, not relying on our own understanding or rationalization. If we love Him, we will follow Him.
The verse says with all my heart, soul and strength. We have already seen the heart represents the conscience and the will. The soul is the emotion and passions that order our behavior. What do you dwell on? What drives you? What are your goals?
To love the Lord with the entirety of our soul, is to think about Him. To be motivated in following Him. To have a goal of being transformed into His likeness. THEN to behave accordingly.
Our might, or strength, refers to our effort in living intentionally.
With what we have discussed so far, to what degree are you surrendering to be aligned with God? Are you gathering knowledge or being transformed?
This is where a great awakening can occur in His church! When we are convicted by the token effort we put into loving and following Jesus; and surrender our heart, soul and strength – God will accomplish much in and through His church!
3. Filled Absolutely (Ephesians 5:18-21) We wrongly apply this Scripture by asking the Holy Spirit to somehow fill us up, like a gas tank. Using Paul's comparison of alcohol gives us clarification. There is a difference between being full of alcohol and being drunk on alcohol. It takes far less alcohol to be drunk than it does to be full.
(As a side note, many attempt to validate alcohol use by citing this passage. To use this passage appropriately, you cannot use any alcohol stronger than wine and your wine shall be diluted 1 part wine to 3 parts water just as they drank it. If you take issue following their recipe, it is probably best you give it up altogether. The question is not - "Can a Christian drink alcohol?" it is "Should a Christian drink alcohol?")
So when we hear we should be filled with the Holy Spirit, we are not seeking to increase His volume in us, but surrendering to increase His control. The fruit of the vine will move us away from the likeness of Christ while the fruit of the Spirit moves us closer to His likeness – so choose the Spirit. When the Spirit gains more control, there is a difference in our behavior, desire and passion.
It not only affects our lifestyle, but our relationships. We greet each other in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.
This means we seek to encourage and build each other up. (dwelling place of God) We give thanks always and for everything. Why? Because we have moved beyond simply KNOWING about the power of the Holy Spirit, to LIVING in His power.
Jesus gave us this example to follow. In the garden, before He was arrested and taken to the cross Jesus said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” (Mark 14:36)
If you are a Christian, you have professed with your mouth "Jesus is Lord". It is time to get out of the way and let Him be Lord of the entirety of your life. If you have not professed Jesus as Lord, you are not saved – but that can all change today!
Trust Him completely. Love Him entirely. Be filled absolutely. You will experience a transformed life through your surrender and the Lord will be exalted in Heaven and on earth.
