I Surrender All pg. 354

Introduction

Thank you for having me!

Marengo County–Linden, AL

Livingston Univ–-which is now UWA

Moved to GA–for 11 years and came away as an avid GA Bulldawg!

Work at Medical Outreach Ministries–for the past 12 years

2nd year at Asbury Theological Seminary (online)

Youth pastor since 2018…added Young Adult pastor in 2021.

Calling at BFC 2021—Men’s prayer

Hymn

I Surrender All

According to wikipedia, the hymn was written by by Judson W. Van DeVenter was was an artist, music minister and an evangelist.

Van DeVenter said of the inspiritation for the text:

For some time, I had struggled between developing my talents in the field of art and going into full-time evangelistic work. AT last the pivotal hour of my life came, and I surrendered all. A new day was ushered into my life. I became an evangelist and discovered down deep in my soul a talent hitherto unknown to me. God had hidden a song in my heart, and touching a tender chord, He caused me to sing.

He was an active layman in his Methodist Episcopal Church and especially involved in evangelistic meetings. His friends urged him to give up teaching and become an evangelist since he had a great talent for ministry. He wavered for 5 years before finally surrendering his life to Christian service.

After his surrender, he traveled throughout the US, England and Scotland doing evangelistic work. He eventually moved to Florida and was a professor at Florida Bible Institute before his retirement.

While Billy Graham was a student at Florida Bible Institute, he studied and fellowshipped with Judson Van DeVenter and later stated that Van DeVenter greatly influenced his early preaching. Graham popularized “I Surrender All” in his massive crusades and revivals.

Many artist have recorded this hymn

Mahalia Jackson, Andrae Crouch, Little Richard, Glenn Campbell, CeCe Winans, Carman, Amy Grant, Ruben Studdard, Michael W. Smith, Newsboys, Faith Hill, and Carrie Underwood.

Theology

Theological historian Charles Lippy noted that the hymn expressed values of “victorious life” which entailed total surrender to Divine will in order to triumph over the problems of daily existence.

He summarizes it as:

Through absolute surrender to the power of the Holy Spirit, by giving the self over to possession by the supernatural, one could triump and thus attain power and control over the course of one’s life.

1st stanza stresses complete surrender.

All to Jesus I surrender, All to him I freely give: I will ever love and trust him, IN his presence daily live.

2nd stanza surrenders worldly pleasures

All to Jesus I surrender, Humbly at his feet I bow, Worldly pleasures all forsaken,, Take me, Jesus, take me now.

3rd stanza prays to “feel the Holly Spirit”

All to Jesus I surrender, Make me, Savior, wholly thine: Let me feel the Holy Spirit, Truly know that thou art mine.

4th stanza asks to be filled with Jesus’s love, power, and blessing.

All to Jesus, I surrender, Lord, I give myself to thee, Fill me with thy love and power, Let thy blessing fall on me.

5th stanza, the singer feels “the sacred flame” an image of the Holy Spirit and the joy of full salvation born of surrender.

All to Jesus I surrender; Now I feel the sacred flame. Oh, the joy of full salvation! Glory, glory, to his name.

Scripture Galatians 2:20 (CSB)

20 I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

What can we take away from this scripture as well as this hymn?

Surrendering Self to Christ

Paul declares that he has been crucified with Christ. This powerful imagery reminds us that surrendering to Christ involves letting go of our old selves.

When we come to Christ, we acknowledge that our old way of life, with is sin and selfishness, has been crucified, and we are reborn as new creations in Him.

Tell story of Winter Retreat meeting the Holy Spirit

Living a Life of Faith

Paul goes on to say, “And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God.

Surrendering ALL means living each day by faith

Trusting in Christ’s promises and guidance

Faith is the key that unlocks the power of surrender, enabling us to navigate life’s challenges with confidence in Christ’s sufficiency.

Paul also emphasizes that Christ loved us and gave Himself for us.

Surrendering all requires us to grasp the depth of Christ’s love and sacrifce for us.

When we fully understand His love, we are compelled to surrender in gratitude and devotion.

Responding in Worship

I Surrender All beautifully encapsulates the essence of surrendering to Christ.

Its verses express our willingness to give everything to HIm

We sing this hymn as a heartfelt prayer, a declaration of our desire to surrender all to Jesus.

Take-Away

Let us take to heart the message of Galatians 2:20 and the Hymn “I Surrender All”

Surrendering ALL to Christ is not a one-time event but a daily choice to crucify our old selves. To live by faith. and REspond in Worship to the One who loved us and gave Himself for us.

May our lives be a testimony to the power of surrender, as we continually yield to Christ and allow Him to live in us, guiding us with HIs love and grace.

CLOSING PRAYER

Heavenly Father,

We come before You today with humble hearts,

desiring to surrender all to You.

Help us to crucify our old selves,

live by faith in Your son, Jesus Christ,

and respond in worship to Your love and sacrifice.

May our lives be a reflection of Your glory.

In Jesus’ name, we pray.

AMEN