September 4 Complete Surrender Luke 9:57-62
Good morning from Pastor Glen Brock, Baptist Tabernacle Church, Wendell, North Carolina… “Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Then He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.” And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.” But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:57-62)
The captain of the ship looked into the dark night and saw faint lights in the distance. Immediately he told his signalman to send a message, "Alter your course 10 degrees south." Promptly a return message was received: "Alter your course 10 degrees north." The captain was angered; his command had been ignored. So he sent a second message: "Alter your course 10 degrees south--I am the captain!" Soon another message was received: "Alter your course 10 degrees north--I am seaman third class Jones." Immediately the captain sent a third message, knowing the fear it would evoke: "Alter your course 10 degrees south--I am a battleship." Then the reply came "Alter your course 10 degrees north--I am a lighthouse."
Most of us want full control of our lives. We refuse to surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. When we don’t listen to God’s instruction in our lives …WE CRASH! If that ship’s Captain refused to alter his course, he would have crashed right into the rocks below the lighthouse. If you refuse to surrender to the Gospel (Good News) and the Spirit you will crash! Today the lost man refuses to surrender to Jesus for salvation. And many saved folk refuse to surrender to Jesus’ direction in their lives as well. A common phrase in the church today is “I am going to commit my life to Jesus”. You have heard it and I have said it! But when you really look at the word, you will find that the word doesn’t go far enough. Adrian Rogers told a story about a conversation he had with a man from Romania and they were talking about the difference between “Commitment” and “Surrender” The Romanian gentleman said, “When you make a commitment, you are still in control no matter how noble the thing you commit to. One can commit to pray, study the Bible, give his money, to make automobile payments, or to lose weight. Whatever he or she chooses to do, they commit to it.” Surrender is different. If someone holds a gun and asks you to lift your hands in the air as an indication of surrender, you don’t tell that individual what you are committed to doing it. You simply surrender and do as you are told.” But the key word is surrender. We are to be the slaves of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have enough commitment in the church today… we need surrender! Complete surrender to Jesus Christ. We have enough commitment in the church today… we need surrender ALL to Jesus! Complete surrender, Complete Submission, as we Deny This World and overcome the Obstacles that are placed to cause us to falter in Following Jesus! By the Power of God, through the Holy Spirit, we can surrender our all! "We have a choice. We can carry the world on our shoulders, or we can say, 'I give up, Lord; here's my life. I give you my world, the whole world.'" This beloved hymn, I Surrender All says everything: ALL TO JESUS I SURRENDER, HUMBLY AT HIS FEET I BOW, WORLDLY PLEASURES ALL FOR SAKEN, TAKE ME JESUS, TAKE ME NOW… ALL TO JESUS I SURRENDER, MAKE ME SAVIOR WHOLLY THINE, LET ME FEEL THE HOLY SPIRIT, TRULY KNOW THAT THOU ARE MINE. ALL TO JESUS I SURRENDER, LORD I GIVE MYSELF TO THEE, FILL ME WITH THY LOVE AND POWER, LET THY BLESSING FALL ON ME. I SURRENDER ALL, I SURRENDER ALL, ALL TO THEE MY BLESSED SAVIOR, I SURRENDER ALL. Have you truly surrendered ALL to the Savior? If you haven’t, you can right now! Stay Strong, Stay Focused…Remember, THE BEST IS YET TO BE!