Sunday School Nugget - Surrender

This past Sunday night at my home church in Missouri, I got to preach a little 10-minute sermon along with three other men as part of a preaching service. Originally I was supposed to preach this message in 5-minute form on a Sunday morning in May, but things didn't work out then. I've been on vacation in Missouri for about a week though, so this opportunity worked out great. Enjoy and I hope it's a blessing to you!



Click here if you're unable to view the above embedded audio. Here's the outline of my nugget:

Sunday School Nugget – Surrender

Topic that I think is applicable for all of us. Something we can all think about and evaluate.

Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

Paul’s calling us to present ourselves as a living sacrifice to God. It’s our reasonable service.

-How do you present yourself?                 Through SURRENDER.

Luke 9:23, “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

-Deny himself

Definition of the Greek word means “to deny utterly, that is, disown, abstain”

Note: DISOWN, or abstain.

It’s saying “NO” to the flesh, and “YES!” to God. It’s saying NO to my will, and YES to His will.

-Daily              

Surrender isn’t a one-time event. It’s every single day.

It’s a conscious, daily decision to say no to the flesh and yes to God through the Holy Spirit.

Surrender is taking things out of your hands and putting them in God’s. All State asks if you’re in good hands. When you surrender your life to God, the Creator of the universe, you can emphatically answer “YES I AM in good hands.”

-Surrender takes worrying out of the picture. 

Philippians 4:6-7 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  (7)  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

This passage says give it over to God and don’t be anxious about it.

-Carrie Underwood’s song “Jesus Take the Wheel”

First verse starts with a woman driving her baby home to see parents on a Christmas Eve

o   Car loses control on ice

o   She throws up her hands in fear and yells out “Jesus take the wheel”

Second verse, she uses this example to reflect on her life.

o   She prays to God and apologizes for the way that she’s been living.

o   She knows she has to change and asks from that night on for Jesus to take the wheel of her life

o   “I can’t do this on my own…” “Save me from this road I’m on”

What is that? SURRENDER. It's realizing the error of our ways and the greatness of His ways. It's turning the direction of life over to God.

The car analogy is indeed a good example for surrender.

o   God and the steering wheel; “he will direct thy paths”, Proverbs 3:6

o   You have to let Him steer! Where we’re going is up to God.

o   We have to use the gas to get anywhere; steering w/o gas won’t get you far.

§  God can lead, but if we don’t get up and do it, we’re not doing His will.

§  We’re not truly surrendered if God’s leading goes in one ear and out the other.

The Bible uses walking as an example of surrender.

-Again, Proverbs 3:6 – “he will direct thy paths”; you walk those paths
-Luke 9:23 – take up your cross and do what? FOLLOW Him

How do we get direction when we surrender? One main way we get direction is through God’s Word.
-Psalm 119:105, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
-Christian song that says, “You’re calling me to freedom, I think that it's time to walk/I don't see every step but the next is out of the dark”
-God won’t illuminate the full path of our life miles down the road, because then it wouldn’t be faith. But He gives us light for the next step we take by faith, when we surrender to Him.

It’s clear that when we surrender to His will, He offers us direction and will direct our way as pilgrims in this Christian life.

Frank Sinatra’s song “My Way”
-The lyrics are so full of humanistic pride. God gets no credit or acknowledgement. It’s all about ME, ME, ME.

In the Christian life, things can’t be done MY WAY.

Jesus clearly states in John 15:5, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

We all know, but God’s way is better than our way could ever DREAM of being.
-Situation few months back where I tried to do things my way. God slammed the door shut, and I realized that my way definitely wouldn’t work. It had to be His way, and I know His way is better than mine ever could be.

New Testament example of “my way” mentality: the prodigal son

-We know the story; he went out into the world, partied and did things his way

-What happened after that though?

     -He got to the end of himself.

     -His response: Luke 15:18-19 “I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.”

     -He says “My way didn’t work!” No longer living like a king, willing to make himself like a slave.

Old Testament example of “my way” mentality:      Jonah

-Jonah ran from God; he tried to do things his way

-God gave Jonah a command to go to Nineveh and call them out for their sin

-Jonah 1:3a, “But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD…”

-Not only can you not run from God, but you definitely can’t hide!

-Jonah did what God told him to…the second time (Jonah 3:1).

-However, Jonah went so far as to be unhappy when Nineveh did repent! He STILL wanted it done his way and it didn’t happen.

Old Testament example of “HIS WAY” mentality:     Abraham

-God said in Genesis 12:1b, “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:”

-Hebrews 11:8, “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.”

-God said GO, and Abraham went

-Abraham was called the FRIEND OF GOD (James 2:23) and is in the Hall of Faith.  God recognized Abraham’s surrendered life and blessed him for it.

New Testament example of “HIS WAY” mentality:     Jesus

-Even at age 12, He said He must be about His Father’s business (Luke 2:49)

-And of course, in the Garden.

o   Matthew 26:39, “And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”

o   Verse 42, He prays a second time and says, “if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.”

o   That’s surrender!

God’s will for each of us is basically made of:

-His plan

-Done His way

-In His time

God never said surrendering to Him would be easy. But it’s worth it!

Psalm 16:11, “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”