Surrender

Country music superstar Barbara Mandrell said that when her son was born, she always sang three songs to him; “Jesus Loves Me,” “This Is the Day That the Lord Has Made,” and “Jesus Loves the Little Children.” She wondered which of these would be the first song he would sing on his own. It was none of these, the first song he sang was “All My Exes Live In Texas.”

I know we started with one of the beatitudes this morning, and I wonder if I shouldn’t have started with this verse from the Message Bible (a modern paraphrase Bible written for youth);

(The Message) — 5 Open up before God, keep nothing back; he’ll do whatever needs to be done: 6 He’ll validate your life in the clear light of day and stamp you with approval at high noon.

I read this week about a couple in Connecticut who were getting married, and had asked a friend of theirs to perform the ceremony. He went online, and found a group that offered to ordain individuals for the purpose of getting married. They went forward spending thousands of dollars on the wedding only to discover later that in the state of Connecticut only members of the clergy who have a congregation can perform weddings. In fact, the penalty for someone who performs a wedding without proper credentials is subject to a fine of $500, and up to a year in jail. They would have to get remarried by someone else before the state would recognize it as legal.

We should be careful who we become validated by wouldn’t you say?

God tells us through His wonderful Word in Psalms that it is He that will validate us. In fact, God gave us His only Son to put that stamp of validation on us. But do we attempt to self-validate? Yes we do. Just like this couple in Connecticut we try and take short cuts that often lead to disastrous ends.

For this couple, legally, this meant that they were NOT married, and that if in the event of either persons death, the estate would end up in a long process called probate. If they had children, birth certificates would have to corrected, and for tax purposes, they did NOT qualify as filing jointly.

When we die and stand before the real judge, Jesus Christ. The court will ask if we have been “validated.” What then will be the answer? How do we know?

What would be your response, your defense, your validation?

For someone to obtain a marriage license they must meet certain qualifications to obtain the validation before the courts and authorities. Among these qualifications are:

Are you of legal age to be married, and if not do you have the permission of your parents.

Have you completed any waiting periods? Whether you are getting married for the first time or if you have been divorced, there are waiting periods you must go through before you are qualified.

Is your intent honorable? An individual who marries another with the intent of fraud commits a crime by obtaining a marriage license.

For us as we stand before the judgement seat, the great Judge Jesus Christ will ask for the validation for each of us by asking if our names are written in the Book of Life. For those who have confessed that Jesus is the risen Son of the Living God, and who having confessed Christ have entered into the covenant of Baptism in His name, they will; WE will be given access to heaven, to eternal life.

Just as in marriage, we have met that criteria, we have been qualified, we have been validated by our confession, by our faith, by our trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

We have been sealed in a new covenant.

This validation comes at the cost of one thing, we are sanctified by one act, we are made righteous by one thing…surrender.

Surrender, and submission to Jesus Christ.

I. Back to the Basics

Recently in our Bible Study we looked over two aspects of God:

1. Static Versus Dynamic or Sequintial

A. Static- (not the noise but rather as the adjective meaning lacking change)

a. We grow up learning ABOUT God: He is Great, He is Good, He is Living, He is Life…all the attributes; Omniscient, Omnipotent, Omnispresent, etc. and these things NEVER change.

b. We sometimes get stuck in this side of God. We focus all our time and energy on declaring His greatness, and glory, and fail to grasp the other side of the process.

B. We, as living things created by God are ALWAYS changing. Don’t believe me look at your pictures from five or ten years ago. We go through seasons; youth to adult, single to married, childless to parent, employed to retired. We are always changing, and yet, we serve a God who never does. This side is the dynamic or sequential side.

a. For us in our ever-changing world, and lives have to choose things. We are required to choose every month what we will be doing, every week where we will be going, every day what our priorities will be.

b. Those choices will force us to choose the right path, or the wrong one. To choose to do the right thing, or the easy thing. To choose to serve God, or to operate in our own choices.

C. The big picture is that in the end, at the finish line of this life, we have to then look back, and be judged by those things we have done. If we have never chosen LIFE, that is the LIFE of Christ as our Lord, we WILL stand with the dead.

(ESV) — 11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

II. Fire Insurance

1. How do we stop ourselves from being listed among the dead?

A. Jesus said

(ESV) — 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

(ESV) — 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

(ESV) — 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

(ESV) — 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

(ESV) — 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

(ESV) — 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

(ESV) — 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

III. Glorifying God in His unchangeable, incredible Glory is the beginning, believing in Jesus the risen Savior is next, but the next step is for us.

1. When you get your marriage license, and have the ceremony, you leave changed. You can’t see that change on the outside (well except for the smile, and maybe the ring), but the change has to come from within.

A. You have made a covenant to remain faithful

B. To forever support, and demonstrate your love for the other person in your actions.

2. When you become filled with life, JESUS LIFE, your response is the same.

A. You are submitted to HIS will.

B. You surrender your agenda

C. You lay down your worries, your problems, your sickness, your addictions, your issues, and you TRUST GOD!!

3. Surrender sounds like defeat

A. Confessing we are powerless, that we can do nothing apart from God, admitting we are weak, unable to overcome anything on our own allows us to then let go, and let God lead.

B. The path is already made, and we don’t have to try and figure it all out, we only have to serve Jesus like He served us. Completely, sacrificially, lovingly.

C. We confess the world is a mess, our nation is a mess, our city is a mess, our church is a mess, our families are a mess, but most of all…WE are a mess.

D. We confess that we will give up our will, and follow God, that the change inside WILL overcome the battles on the outside.

E. Then we choose every day, to put HIM first. To love others, to serve others, to surrender. Jesus doesn’t ask for much, He only wants everything…what are YOU holding back?