Surrender our Life

I’ve been in a number of hospital rooms when a person has passed away. It’s always an emotional moment that is different each time. There is one family that stands out from all the others. The husband had been sick for a while and had been in the hospital for about a week. The medical staff told the wife they should call their kids because their wasn’t much time left. The husband didn’t want to die in the hospital and was pretty angry. When his kids walked in the room, the entire atmosphere changed. Love spilled everywhere. There were hugs and tears. There was laughter. There were three short conversations. I offered to leave the room, but they wanted me to stay. The father expressed kindness, love, encouragement and support for the future. For his two daughters, his last words were “see you later.” For his son, he ended the conversation with “good-bye.” Before his son left the bedside, he said, “Dad, why did you say good-bye to me and see you later to my sisters?” In a voice that was becoming softer, the father replied, “Son, you don’t love Jesus. When you leave this room, I will never see you again.”

I learned some really important things that day. One of them was people endure life while they carry emotional heaviness. Another was that some people wait too long to have important conversations. The first was true about Jesus. The second was not.

I’m about the read Mark 14:26-42. Jesus carried the weight of final conversations. Jesus had dinner with his closest friends and one of them betrayed that friendship. Jesus told another friend that he would deny their friendship, and that friend told Jesus that he was wrong only to discover Jesus was correct. Jesus took the same friends to a quiet place for some prayer time and his friends took a nap. Jesus knew the end was close and he could feel all the emotional heaviness, yet he never paused his surrender to the reason he walked on the earth.

Chris, that’s a great. Of course, Jesus would get it right because he was Jesus. He was perfect. He always made the right decision. He was 100% God and 100% man at the same time.

I want to give you five principles about surrendering your life to God that do not require perfection.

God brings us into situations designed to stretch and shape our surrender

Mark 14:26–31 ESV

26 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 27 And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ 28 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” 29 Peter said to him, “Even though they all fall away, I will not.” 30 And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” 31 But he said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all said the same.

Look at verse 27. They ate Passover dinner together. They shared their first communion together. They began their after-dinner walk. During that walk, Jesus told his eleven friends their faith will be shaken and challenged. Boys, tough times are the corner. You’re going to have the toughest week of your life. You might be disappointed that your expectations aren’t being met. You’re going to run away and you’re going to question the past three years that we’ve been together.

Look at verse 28. Boys, don’t let the next week of your life destroy you because I’ll meet you in Galilee. Galilee was the place did most of his ministry. It was place he and his friends spent most of their time. It was the place they enjoyed their friendship and his friends closest with Jesus. Boys, even though your faith will be challenged and shaken, even though you’re going to run away and question a lot of things, I’m going to meet you where we were the closest.

The restoration of Jesus closest friends was not prohibited by a shaken faith, a challenged faith, a discouraged faith or even a scattered faith. They were restored because their life situations stretched and shaped their ability to follow Jesus and surrender to God’s mission for their lives.

Our surrender willingness doesn’t always match our surrender endurance

Mark 14:26–31 ESV

26 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 27 And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ 28 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” 29 Peter said to him, “Even though they all fall away, I will not.” 30 And Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” 31 But he said emphatically, “If I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And they all said the same.

Last week, I was part of the church planter assessment team. One couple that I interviewed was replanting a church. During one of our questions, the wife said ladies in the church “like the idea of a fruitful ladies ministry.” I responded, “Do they like the idea of having ladies ministry, or are they going to do the hard work of making it happen?” She paused, “What do you mean?” I explained to her there is a huge difference between thinking a ministry is a good idea and relentlessly working toward making the ministry fruitful. I told her that many American church attenders think a ministry is a good idea as long as they don’t have to do any work and another person satisfies their wants.

Look at verse 29. Jesus just shared with his 11 friends there would scatter. At this time in Peter’s life, he had more surrender willingness than surrender endurance. The twelve guys were standing together. Even if the other ten fall away, there is no way I will. Jesus, it’s not going to happen. I have your back always and I’m willing to die with you. Okay Peter, let’s go have a prayer meeting for a bit and see what happens.

Look at verses 37-38. Jesus asked Peter, James and John to pray while he went further into the garden. I’ll just be gone for an hour. Will you pray while I’m gone? Jesus, we’re on it. Jesus came back in one hour and found them sleeping. Peter, you couldn’t do this for one hour? Jesus, I’ll go anywhere with you, but I’m taking a nap first. Peter had surrender willingness but lacked surrender endurance.

Look at verses 30-31. Peter, I believe that you believe your level of willingness, but you’re going to deny me three times in the next few hours. Jesus was correct. In verses 66-72, Peter was questioned about his association with Jesus three times and denied all of them. Sometimes, we surrender to things that are opposite our willingness. Sometimes, our lack of surrender endurance complicates our surrender to God especially when we give into to situations we believe would never grab our surrender.

Boys, your faith will be shaken, but restoration will come in Galilee.

Surrender is difficult, but not impossible.

Mark 14:32–36 ESV

32 And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. 34 And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.” 35 And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36 And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

The emotional weight that Jesus carried is evident in verse 34-35. He was greatly distressed, troubled and deeply sorrowful. This was Jesus deepest angst as a human being. The weight dropped him to his knees. Life was so heavy, prayer was his only life support. Daddy, do I really need to endure the torture that is coming? Daddy, can you pull some last minute strings and give me a different path? Daddy, I know it’s going to be hardest thing I will ever do as a human being. Can we not do this?

Daddy, I believe you know what is best. I trust you. We’ll do it your way. In the coming minutes, Jesus had to surrender to the Father, his betrayer, the soldiers, several sham trials, and eventually the cross.

There might be somebody sitting in this room right now and you’re wrestling with surrendering your life to God. You might be feeling the tension of “can we not do this?” vs “I believe you know what is best and I trust you.” Life creates situations that might complicate our surrender to God, but life never tells us surrendering to God is impossible.

Surrender is an opportunity that we walk toward or sleep through.

Mark 14:40–42 ESV

40 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him. 41 And he came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”

Jesus woke them up three times. Did you get enough rest? Did you have enough time off? Let’s go, it’s time to surrender to the mission. Peter, James, and John repeatedly slept through their opportunity to surrender. Jesus walked toward his many opportunities to surrender over the next 12 hours of life. If you want to hear about those things, join on Wednesday nights as we complete the book of Mark over the next few weeks.

Pride distorts our surrender willingness and complicates our ability to hear God.

Do I know Jesus as my Savior?

If I surrendered ____________________ to God, my life would be less complicated.

What is God saying to me right now? Am I going to listen?