Give Up

GIVE UP!

“And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.” - Acts 9:4-6

When an army enters a battle, victory is the objective. The soldiers are equipped and trained to win. No army is sent into battle with the objective of surrendering.

On a personal level, our sinful human nature resists any attempt by others to control us. When we were young, we would sometimes resent parental authority. As adults, we can get frustrated when others hinder us as we work and live. When we engage in an argument, we want to have the last word.

Defeat is humiliating. Surrender is even worse.

Saul of Tarsus had been an enemy of the Gospel. He actively sought the arrest of Christians. He labored zealously to destroy the Church. In his effort to stop the spread of the Gospel, Saul placed himself in opposition to God. This was a battle he would not ultimately win. On the road to Damascus, God stopped Saul in his tracks. A light came down on Saul and blinded him. God stopped him right there.

Notice what the Bible says. “And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.” When the Lord said, “... it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks,” he was basically telling Saul that he was fighting a losing battle. His efforts were in vain. There are some battles you simply can't win. It is foolish to think that you can fight against God all of your life and ultimately come out the victor.

Confronted with the truth, Saul of Tarsus gave up. He surrendered to God. He learned a valuable lesson. Surrender is the path to victory. Surrendering to God leads to triumph.

Most of our society is fighting against God. God's standards have been clearly defined in His Word. Yet most live in violation of God's law. They think that passing legislation with make their sin acceptable. They have sought to label right as wrong and wrong as right. Some have even tried to change the Bible so it will tolerate their sinful rebellion. They are facing a head-on collision with judgment. The ultimate standard is not set by a local judge. Neither is it established by the US Supreme Court. God is the ultimate authority. He has already stated what is right and wrong. He has the power to execute judgment on those who oppose Him.

The Bible says that there will come a time when, “... at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” We will either surrender to His Lordship while we are living … or wish we had later.

Saul of Tarsus surrendered to the Lord. Instead of fiercely fighting against the Lord, he submitted to Him. This personal encounter with Jesus Christ profoundly changed his life.

When an army surrenders, they must lay down their arms and cease all forms of hostility. All rebellion and resistance must come to an end. So it is with us. When we surrender to the Lord, we must surrender our rebellion.

This is a major reason why many refuse to surrender to Jesus Christ. Their pride will not permit them to kneel before anyone … including the Lord. They refuse to have God to rule over them. They wish to maintain control of daily activities and choices. They don't want to be told what to do. This independent, free spirit, though celebrated by the world, keeps people from experiencing true freedom.

Some are fearful that surrendering to the Lord will lead them into a slime-pit of arduous labor, similar to the slavery the Israelites suffered in Egypt. What they don't realize is that they are currently serving a far-worse taskmaster. The devil keeps people in sinful bondage and craftily leads them down the path of destruction. When people surrender to Jesus, the Lord actually delivers them from such spiritual slavery.

Saul of Tarsus eventually became the Apostle Paul. Because he surrendered his life to Jesus, Paul would testify, “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.” When he surrendered to Christ, Paul gave up all he had in order to gain Jesus.

In surrender, Paul gained more than he gave up.

Sweet Surrender

SWEET SURRENDER

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. ” - James 4:7-8

Most Christians would probably say that they desire a close walk with God. Yet the truth is that most want the benefits of such communion yet hesitate to meet its requirements. We like the thought of being close to God, but we don't necessarily want to commit to the time and effort needed for such fellowship.

James 4:7-8 says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” When we quote these verses, we tend to leave off the first part, “Submit yourselves therefore to God,” and the last part, “Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” Whether the omission is deliberate or not, we miss important information when we do so.

For the sake of time and space, I am just going to concentrate on the first part of this text. “Submit yourselves therefore to God.” Last week, I wrote about the need for surrender. We are continuing that thought with this message.

Truthfully, when it comes to our problems, cares and worries, we want to rid ourselves of them. We want God to take responsibility for our challenges. We want Him to solve our problems. In one sense this is understandable. We can't solve our problems by ourselves. We need His help. Sometimes our situation gets very vulnerable and we get desperate. We need the Lord!  Yes, we need to submit our burdens to the Lord.

Yet we make a mistake of thinking that submission is only about our burdens. James did not write, “Submit your burdens unto God.” Instead, He said, “Submit YOURSELVES therefore to God” (Emphasis added). When you submit yourself to God, it is all-inclusive. You are not only submitting your problems to Him, you are submitting every aspect of your life. You are placing yourself on the altar as an offering to the Lord.

This level of surrender makes us uncomfortable. We like to be in control of things. We are hesitant to yield total control to someone else. For those who yield to God in total abandonment, this is sweet surrender. It yields peace and serenity.

As I wrote last week, one of the areas we must yield to God when we submit is our role. This changes how we see ourselves, God and the world. Our identity is no longer based on a title or label. Instead, we find our identity in our eternal relationship with the Lord.

Three things must be surrendered for this to occur. First of all, we surrender our position. We are no longer lord of our world. In each heart, there is a throne. We are born occupying this throne. We like to be in control. We like to make our own decisions. We don't like to be bossed around. When we surrender to God, we leave the throne so that Christ may occupy it. He is the only One who deserves to sit upon the throne. He is the only One who knows what is best --- all the time.

Not only do we need to surrender our position, we need to surrender our prestige. To borrow an image from the theater, we forsake the spotlight and have the spotlight fall solely on Jesus. In other words, when we are surrendered to the Lord, we no longer seek praise for ourselves. Instead, we want Jesus to receive all the praise. Think about it for a moment. If any good is accomplished in my life or yours, the Lord did it. If we are used to make a difference or a major contribution to any project, the Lord enabled us to do this. Doesn't He really deserve the praise for all the good that is done in lives?

Finally, we need to surrender our power. We are servants of the most high God. The most we will ever be are undeserving servants. Even if the Lord places us in positions of public ministry, we are there to serve. For instance, as a pastor, I am servant to my congregation. Jesus taught us that if we wish to be great, we must serve. Jesus modeled servant leadership. He ministered to needs. He taught people. He made Himself available for numerous requests. In fact He stated that the Son of man did not come to be ministered to, but to minister and give his life a ransom for many. Jesus came to do His Father's will. Let us learn from His example and do the same.

Many may argue that surrendering to the Lordship is Christ is carrying a good thing too far. These skeptics believe that a religion is fine as long as it doesn't infringe upon daily life. Really? Isn't He God? As such, we should worship Him. Jesus is our Savior and Lord … and we are His disciples. He is our leader and we are His followers. If we settle for anything less than complete surrender to Him, we are simply playing games at the foot of the cross.

In spite of opinions to the contrary, total surrender to Jesus does not enslave us. It gives us freedom. Surrender does not shackle us, it liberates us. Experience life as it is meant to be. Surrender your life to Jesus today.

I Surrender All

I SURRENDER ALL

“Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; If thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon's princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thine house.” - Jeremiah 38:17

The Bible can be very paradoxical at times, especially the New Testament. For instance, the Bible teaches us that if you really want to live, you must die. Jesus taught us, “He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.” The Bible also teaches us that the way up requires us to go down. “...whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.” Also, we are taught that if we wish to be victorious we must first of all surrender. I want us to focus on this last point.

“I Surrender All,” is an old hymn that is loved by many. It is sometimes used at the end of a church service, when people are called to surrender to the Lordship of Christ. Here's the problem. If people were honest, they would have to sing, “I Surrender Most,” or “I Surrender Some.” Some would even sing, “I Surrender Nothing.” Few could honestly say, “I Surrender All.” Yet unless you surrender all to Jesus, you aren't surrendered at all.

What about you? Are you fully surrendered to the Lord? Most of us would like to give a positive answer to that question. But if we dig deeper, we may discover that there may still be some areas of our lives that we still have not surrendered to Him.

We often feel uncomfortable about the subject of surrender. It is difficult to give up things that we cling closely to. While we want others to think of us as committed Christians, we could be hiding sins and idols in our hearts. We may have secret sins that we refuse to repent of. There may be unconquered areas of our lives that we don't want exposed or changed.

While we are quick to judge the guilt of others, we are very slow to confess our own. We have a “reputation” to protect. Sometimes this “reputation” is an idol of itself.

If we wish to reach the destination of victory, we must walk the path of surrender.

When Zedekiah asked Jeremiah for a word from God, he was in a desperate situation. He was facing an uncertain future with a formidable foe approaching. In his desperation, he sought a word from God. Just like many people today, he was probably hoping for some good news. People tend to look to the preacher to provide them with comfort or cheer.

God's word to Zedekiah was simple. “If thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon's princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thine house.” In other words, if Zedekiah wanted to survive, he had to surrender. If he stayed where he is at, he would die. He had to surrender if he expected to live.

Zedekiah asked for a word from the Lord … and he received it. What did he do with it? Nothing. He stayed put where he was at. It cost him his life. If he had just heeded God's message, he would have lived. His fear and pride kept him from surrendering and surviving.

Most are making the same mistake today. They are fearful that surrendering to God will produce a miserable life. They are too proud to obey God publicly and surrender to Him. It is tragic that most people people would rather perish in their pride rather than experience life by surrendering.

True surrender consists of three things.

First of all, we must surrender our role. When we surrender to the Lord, we give up the throne and submit to the Lordship and reign of Christ.

Secondly, we surrender our rebellion. Pride is demolished. When we surrender, we quit resisting God. We lay down our arms. We end our willful disobedience.

Finally, we surrender our rights. We are no longer in control. The decisions we make, the direction we go and our response to circumstances are at the command of our Lord. Rather than seeking our own pleasure, profit and promotion, we seek the Lord and His kingdom. We seek to do His will rather than our own.

Most people find these requirements to be too stringent. Yet the essence of surrender comes down to this. When we are surrendered to Him, Jesus is Lord and we are His servants. Jesus is King and we are His subjects. Jesus is Master and we are His slaves. Yet He is not a taskmaster. He loves us supremely. He is worthy of our trust and devotion.

Can you honestly say, “I Surrender All”? If not, why not surrender your life to Jesus right now?