I lay down my life for the sheep. (John 10:15)
Surrender
In this world surrender is a sign of defeat. The last thing the Ukrainians want to do at this juncture is surrender to Russia. I pray that they will have the God given resolve to fight on and to defeat Russia! However, I must point out that in the Kingdom of God, surrender is often the key to victory.
Jesus’ complete surrender to the Father’s will is what brought us salvation, deliverance and resounding victory! But, as we’ll see presently, if we want the benefits of His sacrifice, it also requires surrender on our part.
So, as you’ve guessed already, I want to reflect today on: The Power of Surrender.
First let’s spend a little time contemplating…
The Surrender of Christ
What did the surrender of Christ mean? What did it involve in practical terms?
1.1 Jesus remained consistently committed to the plan of God.
In the wilderness, Jesus resisted the temptation to personal gratification, popularity and to power.
During His public ministry Satan used people, even Peter, to tempt Jesus to forsake the plan of God. When Jesus spoke of His coming crucifixion Peter said: "Never, Lord! This shall never happen to you!" Matt16:22.
People had their plans, but Jesus remained committed to the plan of God.
When some Greeks arrived, Jesus, aware of the wider significance of his impending death for the salvation of the nations, said: Joh 12:27 "Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.”
In Gethsemane Jesus had to fight three rounds to stay with the program saying, Luk 22:42"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." Here we see the ‘humanness’ of Jesus – He didn’t want to die. He didn’t have a death wish!
Surrender involves prioritizing the plan of God over the plans of people and over our own selfish wishes.
1.2 Jesus had to surrender every part of His being to the Father’s will
His human spirit remained surrendered to the control of the Holy Spirit. (To be Spirit led, my spirit must defer to the Spirit of God).
His soul (intellect, will and emotions) had to surrender:
Intellectually He knew and agreed with the Father’s plan. He knew that future joy awaited him. Heb 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
He repeatedly had to yield His will to the will of the Father. Joh 4:34 "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. (Gethsemane was the final battle of the wills. Jesus had to fight three rounds before He won the victory. Victory required total and complete surrender).
Jesus had to bring His emotions in check – He acknowledged them and dealt with them, placing them on the altar. Heb 5:7 gives us insight into the prayer life of Jesus. Heb 5:7 During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. I don’t believe Jesus denied His emotions – we see here that He dealt with them in prayer.
Finally, Jesus had to surrender His body to the lashes of the Roman whip the piercing of the crude nails and the agony of the Cross
The Jews saw His death on the Cross as weakness and defeat, the complete opposite of what they believed Messiah would do. It seemed foolish and offensive to them. But 1Co 1:25 assures us that, ...the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.
Now I’d like us to consider…
Four Facets of Surrender
1. Surrender involves yielding. (Rom 6:19 The Greek Word paristanõ means to stand aside).
We use the word 'yield' in traffic rules. It means to give right of way to someone else/traffic in the other lane. (The Song: ‘Have Thine own way Lord’ is a song of surrender).
2. Surrender involves submission. (The Greek word hupotassõ means to arrange oneself under). We must arrange ourselves under the authority of God to have any authority.
The opposite of submission is rebellion. There’s a lot of rebellion in the world today. It manifests in lawlessness.
A submissive person is able to come under authority.
Most importantly, I must come under God’s authority, but that will also involve submitting to His delegated authorities. Jas 4:7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
1Pe 2:13-14 Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.
Submission is an attitude of yieldedness.
3. Surrender requires humility.
The proud are not willing to surrender. (For example, the Japanese at the end of WWII were unwilling to surrender because it would involve losing face. Hundreds of thousands died after the war was essentially over because of their stubborn pride. Their political leaders had surrendered, but the soldiers refused to concede defeat). If you’re holding onto your pride you’re fighting a lost cause.
4. Surrender translates into obedience.
My attitude must be right, and actions need to flow from that attitude.
Jesus’ actions matched His attitude. Php 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!
Some of us are too ready to say “yes, yes”. We should rather shut up until we can say it and mean it. (E.g. Father said to two sons, “Go and work in my vineyard…”. Matt 21:28-31)
Isn’t it wonderful what Jesus was prepared to go through for our sakes? But, in closing let me say this…
Salvation Requires Surrender
If you want to be saved you have to come to a place of surrender – you have to “let go and let God.”
You will remain outside of salvation as long as you think you can do it; that you can change yourself; that you can reform your life and improve your performance. It’s like falling into a quagmire; the more you struggle the deeper you get.
In Romans 7 we see Paul struggling like this – trying with all His strength to meet the requirements of God. He ends up deflated and defeated saying: Rom 7:18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.
Then He cries out in verse 24: Rom 7:24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? This is the cry of a man looking for a Saviour – He is no longer relying on self, He’s looking for outside intervention.
We all have to kneel at the foot of the cross and in humility reap the fruit of another man’s labour. We can’t in pride, pay our own way. We must humbly and gratefully accept that someone already paid for our sins.
Bottom Line
Perfect submission is the pathway to serenity of soul.
The Cross is a powerful paradox: Total surrender is the key to total victory.
The Cross stands as a monument to the truth that: “...the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.” (1Co 1:25)
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