Making A Full Surrender

Making A Full Surrender

Thanks & Complimentary Remarks –

I invite your attention to

I’d like to talk to you today about: Making A Full Surrender

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INTRODUCTION:

ATTENTION: Granny Lorton, a sweet and wonderful grandmotherly lady, my pastor’s grandmother, used to attend our midweek services at the church I attended as a child. On several occasions they would tell the story of when she was just 8 years old, her mother passed away. Hayden Briscoe, her father was left with three grief stricken girls. All of the community, as well as aunts and uncles were all wondering and trying to decide what to do with those girls, because, “Hayden was poor, and needed to work and couldn’t take care of those children.” One day Mr. Briscoe sat all of the girls down, and looked them over. They were all wondering which ones were going to be sent away. And he looked at all of them real close and said, “I’m not going to give a one of you up, we’re staying together” and that’s exactly what happened. He raised all three girls by himself.

That is a touching story, but did you know that if you have a baby and within 60 days from birth you realize you cannot take care of this child there are numerous places here in Wichtia that you or a close relative can anonymously take the child and surrender them to the State for adoption. That would be a difficult and horrible decision to make.

Children and babies are a major and important part of our lives, but that is not exactly what I want to talk about this morning. I want to talk about us making a complete surrender of ourselves to God.

*BIG IDEA* MAKING A FULL SURRENDER

My three point outline this morning will be as follows

1. An Appeal to the Brethren to make a full surrender

2. The Act of A Full Surrender

3. The Transformation From A Full Surrender

In our discovery of making a full surrender the first point I see in our passage this morning is:

I. An Appeal to the Brethren to Make a Full Surrender

The word the translators used in the KJV to begins Paul’s appeal is an old English word “beseech.” It is a word that speaks in tones of urgency but gentleness. Paul is gently urging these Roman believers to present themselves. He could have said, “I COMMAND YOU ROMANS TO…” but he doesn’t’ – he “Beseeches” He appeals to them. I also want us to notice that he is writing to brethren. IN this context, Paul is referring to believers. We know this because in chapter 1 verse 8 he mentions that their “faith is talked about throughout the whole Roman empire.” These were converted people he is talking to.

I also want us to notice what Paul uses as motivation – the Mercies of God. Paul wants them to make a full surrender out of their motivation of love and gratitude to God, not for what they will get from God. Dr. John MacArthur put it this way, “the key to spiritual victory and true happines is not trying to get all we can from God but in giving all that we are and have to Him.” Dr. Dennis Kinlaw, former president of Asbury College, used to tell his students that the motivations that prompted unbelievers to come to Christ were largely based on self-interest and gain. People come to escape hell, gain eternal life, put their broken lives back together. Kindlaw was not surprised or upset by this “selfish” motivation of new converts. But Kinalaw would go on and tell his students, that the believer, should and can come to God and offer himself or herself to God, not for what can be gained, but rather as an expression of pure devotion, in view of God’s mercies. I think we can summarize it like this – Let’s not make a full surrender to God to see what we get – Lets give to God because he is worthy, and out of our gratitude for His mercies. TRANSITION: We are not only shown in the text that Paul gently urges a full surrender, but he expresses how to do it in our next point.

II. The Act of A Full Surrender The first thing we notice now is what we are being “beseeched” by Paul to do: Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God which is your reasonable service. To present means to sacrifice, to bring – Paul is taking us back on an imaginary trip to the Temple in Jerusalem. As the sacrifices would be presented. I can see a direct correlation between this and sacrifices and offerings mentioned in Leviticus. There are four types of sacrifices that fall into two categories, those sacrifices that are offered before reconciliation such as the sin and the trespass offerings and the sacrifices offered after reconciliation and these serve to celebrate and worship, such as the whole burnt offering and the peace offering. In the first we see the mercies of God. But here in our passage of presenting our bodies in The Act of A Full Surrender we see the practical part, the second type, a “symbol of consecration after pardon has been received.” Another thing to note is The Act of A Full Surrender involves a living sacrifice. Jesus Christ has already made the dead sacrifice, we have died to sin – now we present ourselves to God as a LIVING BREATHING SACRIFICE HOLY – Separated unto God Acceptable – Something God is please with We need to as the Psalmist put it in “bind the sacrifice with cords…unto the horns of the altar” Perhaps I could illustrate this better by lifting the familiar story form the pages of Genesis of Abraham and Isaac as they were going up the mountain to sacrifice Isaac to God. I don’t find anywhere in the Bible where Isaac struggled, complained, or resisted. He loved and trusted his father. Dad had done so much for him, provided home, food, shelter, protection, love. Abraham just said ok Isaac, climb on the altar and Isaac said, “Yes father.” Not to get resurrected, not to hear a voice from heaven, but because in that moment it was a devotion to father and his God. We need to bring all that we are to Him in devotion, in love, in gratitude for His great Compassions wherewith He Loved Us, because of His Mercy!!!

TRANSITION: Not only have we seen our passage in 1. An Appeal to the Brethren 2. An Act of A Full Surrender 3. Now we want to see The Transformation From A Full Surrender

III. The Transformation From a Full Surrender In verse 2 Paul gives two great imperatives I think we need to pay attention to.

a. Be Not Conformed to this world: Don’t pattern our lives and behavior after this world. Or this world’s ways and systems. Don’t let the world or culture squeeze you into its mold. But… Paul continues

b. Be YE TRANSFORMED – by this word transformed Paul is telling us we can be changed. The Greek word used here is where we get the English word “Metamorphis” the process a caterpillar goes through to become a butterfly. Don’t be conformed to crawl on the ground the rest of your life – build a cocoon offer yourself to God – an change transform into this beautiful butterfly. Notice where this transformation begins – “by the renewing of your mind” It starts with the mind.

c. A Renewed mind – We are people who need something to model or pattern our lives after. We can see in this people we call “trend setters.” They are people who pattern what the rest of the people want to look like. In this world there are only two “Trend Setters.” This World and its culture or God and His Word. When we are born again, justified and regenerated we transfer into the God’s world, we are no longer under the power or dominion of sin. While sin no longer has power over us, it can still exert influence over us, or affect us. It can affect the way you think, the way you act and conduct yourself. Paul is telling us in this passage that to resist this affecting of sin we have to have a transformation by the renewing of our minds. This is put into action when we present our bodies a living sacrifice holy and acceptable unto God or when we MAKE A FULL SURRENDER! Are you being pressed into the world’s mold, or are you being transformed into Christlikeness? Into the the will of God? Our key is in MAKING A FULL SURENDER of our bodies as a living sacrifice to God. CONCLUSION

i. Visualization: We have seen in our passage how Paul is gently urging these Roman Christians to make a full and complete surrender of themselves to God out of their love and devotion to Him. I wonder about you this morning? Have you ever presented your body a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God? THIS IS YOUR REASONABLE SERIVE – this is your act of worship! Like Paul, brothers and Sisters, I implore you to bring yourselves completely to God, give your all, all of you to Him. Are you being transforme into His image or do you still get squeezed into the world’s mold? How about MAKING A FULL SURRENDER???

I would like us to all stand for united prayer, but before we pray, I would like to ask this morning by uplifted hand, “Has God been merciful to you? Do you recognize God’s mercies in your life?

If Response – I just wonder, thought with every head bowed, every eye closed, is there someone here today who would say by quickly lifting your hand, “Preacher, I have never made a conscious and intentional dedication and surrender of myself to God as a living, breathing, sacrifice – I’ve never made a full surrender to God, but right now I am going to put myself out there as one who is going to do this. From here on out I AM FULLY GOD’s” .” Let me see those hands, real quick every head bowed and every eye closed.

Let’s lift in prayer – Heavenly Father, I thank you for your unfathomable mercies that have been extended to us today. We praise you and exalt you as the “Father of Mercies” as the songwriter said, “Mercy there was great and grace was free.” Praise God for Mercy.

Father there are those here today who have just made the commitment to fully surrender to you, to give you everything. To renew their minds by being transformed from the inside. I ask Lord that your would strengthen their resolve, ignite their fervor, give light and guidance for the days ahead.

I praise you for your mercies,

In Jesus name

Amen.