Seed of Surrender

Final part of our Seeds of Change Sermon Series - but not our Seeds of Change Initiative

Later this summer we’re going to be hosting workshop gatherings to do some training in spiritual conversations

Starting next Sunday, we’re beginning new series entitled Bethel, which is Hebrew for House of God - we’re going to take a look at what it looks like to be part of God’s house (hint: think Harry Potter)

Our Seeds of Change initiative is our focused effort to cultivate flourishing church culture, and the critical question to ask is what are core convictions and practices of church that flourishes?

One of those is expectation of disciple-making, encouraging sowing seeds of faith, to grow in knowing and trusting Jesus, becoming like him - and to help others do same (make disciples)

Second core characteristic is missional living, nurture this conviction that Jesus is sending us into this community as his ambassadors, put that into practice by sowing seeds of love

Third core characteristic is risk-taking, we want to join God’s grand adventure of reconciling world to himself, so as we’ve talked about over last four weeks, we want to sow seeds of the Gospel

Fourth characteristic is to be people who live out conviction that Jesus is Lord - in every area of our lives.

Years ago, when I was just starting in youth ministry, still wet behind ears, church I worked at called associate pastor by name of Harry. Older gentleman, there was something so captivating about his personality. He had this ease and grace about him. I loved to hear him pray - it was so rich and authentic. When I got a chance to meet with him and find out more about his spiritual life, he shared that he lived by one simple creedo: Jesus is Lord.

Carried around tiny metal crosses in his pocket that had it engraved. Jesus is Lord.

Such short little phrase and yet it changes everything when we live it out, when we, as we’re going to talk about this morning, willingly sow seeds of surrender to lordship of Jesus.

Prayer / John 12:20-26

Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

Couple of months ago I read book about couple, Mark and Karen Smith, that went on adventure - they decided they were going to visit every single National Park in U.S. (58 at time). One of the first ones they visited was the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado - which is essentially a very narrow and very deep canyon.

This is their big adventure, so they decide they’re going to go for it, hike down into canyon. Trail is only mile long, but it includes 1,800 foot vertical descent. It’s so steep there are parts with chain to assist.

As they’re talking to Ranger, Betty, about this, she’s trying to discourage them - they don’t look ready: no gloves, no long pants, recommend gallon water per person.

But they’re thinking, how hard can it be? Just mile. And they don’t like being told they can’t do it.

Before you can do hike, you have to go through orientation and sign your name on list - and sign out when you get back so they know you made it. It doesn’t help their cause that Karen starts wandering off to look at postcards three minutes into orientation. Betty stops orientation to call her attention.

They sign permit and take off down trail. They quickly realize they were nowhere near ready. Slipping and sliding, trying desperately not to fall, they only make it 1/4 of mile - hadn’t even reached part where chain was - call it quits. They have to grab rocks and tree roots to climb back up. Orientation lasted as long as their hike.

Embarrassed, Matt tries to sneak back in unseen to sign out on list - but no luck, runs right into Betty, the Ranger. He gives slight nod over to Karen, who didn’t even come in from parking lot. One of my favorite lines from book: There was no reason to let Betty think we’re both lame.

Here’s thing: hard things take hard work. You can’t just jump in and do them. Require practice and sacrifice and discipline.

You can’t just pick up book in another language and expect to be able to read it, or pick up musical instrument and expect to be able to play it. Both of those take years of study and practice and work.

Which means willingness to give things up - time you could have spent just playing or relaxing or watching TV or whatever.

True of any skill or physical challenge - running a marathon. Even something like Couch to 5K - you gotta give up sitting on couch and go through physical pain and exertion of running.

Great truth of nothing ventured, nothing gained.

This is basic principle behind parable that Jesus tells in our story today.

We just spent several weeks covering parable of seed and sower - though it actually should be called parable of soil, because it’s emphasis is on various types of soil and how they receive seed (how receptive or unreceptive our hearts are to Word, to Jesus’ teaching).

This parable is about seed itself - and that in order for seed, it’s just one little seed, to become more than it is, it must die. It cannot sprout and grow and bear fruit without losing itself.

Really, brilliant analogy - about this reality that without venturing, risking, being willing to lose, to sacrifice, we will not gain. Can’t give bear lot of fruit (lot more seeds) without losing one seed.

Jesus is talking first and foremost about himself - he begins with statement that the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

It is now time for me to do what I came to do, to be that seed that loses its life, in order to bear whole lotta fruit. The resurrection life we have in Jesus only comes because he was willing to go to the cross.

But Jesus is also making point about us - that we, too, must be willing to be like that seed and die, in order to gain. Or, as case may be, our unwillingness to do so.

Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

This is really tough teaching. If we’re going to follow Jesus, we need it take it seriously. I want to break this down in three ways this morning:

What Jesus means when he talks about hating our lives, willingness to die

Talk about disciplines that requires, process of losing our lives

Finally, I want to talk about “much fruit” harvest it produces

First, Losing our Lives

One of great existential quests of our time is journey to “find our true selves”

idea is to figure out who you are, without regard to your achievements or how others see you or roles you have in life…honestly, I don’t know how anyone begins to answer that question

But great irony here is that Jesus teaches that it’s only in losing yourself that you will ever truly find yourself

There are several words in Greek for life, bios - biological life, existence; zoe - fullness of life, energy, aliveness; but here the Greek word is psyche (study of psychology, which, when you think about it, is really broad: feelings, motives, behaviors)

It’s often translated “life” throughout the New Testament, but more often it’s translated as “soul” as in In Mark 12:30, love the Lord your God with all your soul, and in Luke 1:46, Mary singing her praise, My soul magnifies the Lord.

It’s referring to very center of who we are, center of our personal power, seat of feelings, desires, affections, our self.

Nothing you’d ever find physically - no x-ray or CAT scan or MRI will reveal your soul.

But it absolutely drives us. Dallas Willard teaches that core of soul is our will, our self-determination, our ability to act freely and creatively. Everywhere you look around you is evidence - this house I’m sitting in, because of feelings, desires, thoughts of someone (or many people), it came into being.

if I want sandwich, I can go make that happen. Or pursue friendship. Or learn language.

Many things in life don’t simply happen, they are willed into being. As Willard says, airplanes don’t grow on trees. There’s self (many selves) driving to make it happen.

And this is what Jesus is talking about - by way, he’s very clear about this: truly, truly I say to you. I’m telling you truth:

Jesus says if we love our souls, our selves, hang on to it, desire to keep it, we’ll lose it.

And if we hate it (extreme comparison for emphasis), it’s about being willing to lose our soul, our self - to deny it’s impulses.

This is crazy!?! Goes against every bit of wisdom we hear today

Supposed to find ourselves, not lose our selves. Love ourselves. Listen to our hearts. Practice self care.

Certainly goes against every natural inclination I have - which is to keep, preserve my life. And do what I want to do. I want to live by my desires, my inclinations, my appetites.

Which according to Jesus, is exactly the problem. He says key is to die to our self. Like single seed, to surrender.

This brings us to second point, process of losing ourselves - which, unfortunately, is just as it sounds, painful

Here’s why Jesus is so adamant about this: we were never meant to live as autonomous selves - autonomous means “self rule” - we were never meant to live under our own self rule, we live by our own feelings, desires and thoughts

Created to live with and under God’s reign, to find our “selves” in Him. To live unto him. To live a God-directed life.

God is one who knit us together while we were in our mother’s wombs

He is one who knows us far more intimately than we can every imagine - he knows our gifts, every nuance of our personality, every thought that comes through our minds, what we’re truly capable of (both good and bad)

He does not need to find us - we are not lost to him, mysterious. He knows. He is master.

C.S. Lewis: the proper good of a creature is to surrender itself to its Creator - to enact intellectually, volitionally and emotionally, that relationship which is given in the mere fact of its being a creature. When it does so, it is good and happy.

But here’s problem, we have no idea what it looks like to live under God, in him (nor do we want to)

Jesus knew - why he lived life so perfectly - most peaceful, joyful, alive person who has ever walked earth. Because he lived in way we were meant to - in complete surrender and obedience to Father. Jesus “hated” his life. He willingly lost his self. By way, this is not one way relationship, it’s mutual: Father loves Son perfectly and faithfully. Son lives to glorify Father, and Father lives to glorify the Son.

But we’ve done exact opposite. And that means we have to work hard to undo it. It’s going to be long, difficult process.

C.S. Lewis: This process of surrender…is what Christians call repentance. Now repentance is no fun at all. It is something much harder than merely eating humble pie. It means unlearning all the self-conceit and self-will that we have been training ourselves into for thousands of years.

He’s talking about how we think life is about us, doing what makes us happy, following our own hearts

That’s why to sow seeds of surrender, to repent, is no fun. It is painful. We have to lose, we have to give up.

C.S. Lewis: Problem of Pain (pp. 80-81)

“to render back the will which we have so long claimed as our own, is in itself, wherever and however it is done, a grievous pain.” It’s a kind of death.

He gives example of child, when his will is thwarted - when he’s denied toy he wants to play with - how they burst into tears or into temper tantrum.

Or you know that feeling within you, stubborn determination, to have things your way, I’m right about this - anger or irritation that flairs up when someone thwarts your will (even if it’s all internal)

But this is process we are to engage in, this losing our lives. To trust Jesus enough, his way of life, that he truly does know better - that we will find life in and through him, that we willingly give up. We surrender.

Consider difference between attitude of someone who serves versus being servant

like idea of serving, but I want to do it when it’s convenient to me, fits my schedule, doing what I like to do, won’t ask that much of me.

But heart of servant is complete surrender

Surrender possessions, remembering that everything we have is gift from God, we are stewards. Wendy and I just got our “economic impact payment”. First inclination…ooo, what can we do with this?! But that seed of surrender - Lord, what would you have us do with this? This is why this really is kind of death.

Surrender assumptions about what my life should be like (God created me for purpose)

Surrender way I feel about somebody (taking walk around neighborhood, there’s certain people I don’t like - and I don’t want to like them! Your heart, Jesus)

Willingness to surrender every area of our lives. That’s process, bit by bit, sowing seeds of surrender, unlearning to live by our self-will, our self-centeredness and live Jesus-centered, by his way.

Which bring us to our final point. We started with base belief, nothing ventured, nothing gained. That’s our third point - that though we risk and experience loss, there is tremendous gain. This is not just what Jesus wants from us (our total surrender), but what Jesus wants for us. We gain “much fruit”.

Remember we talked about word, “life”, most of time in this passage Jesus uses psyche / soul / self. “But whoever hates his life (his psyche) in this world will keep it for eternal life - but his life is actually Greek word, zoe. Zoe is full and abundant life, that sense of feeling deeply alive, vital - for eternity. That’s what Jesus wants for us.

We believe that freedom means that ability to choose whatever I want. That’s our standard definition - to do and be whatever I want (centered in self). But that’s not real freedom. True freedom is living into God’s way of life. God created life to be particular way.

I liken it to gravity. On one hand, it’d be amazing not to be restricted by gravity - just to be able to float, go where I want. But we weren’t made to live in a gravity-less world.

Everything we normally do is complicated - you have to sleep strapped in a sleeping bag so you don’t fly around. Brushing your teeth, keep your lips closed so all that toothpasty saliva doesn’t come floating out. Haircuts. There’s no running water - can’t shower (no rinse shampoo). Going to bathroom poses problem (everything just floats). Health effects - hearts, muscles. Freedom of living in gravity-less world all of sudden is not free at all.

Resisting God is like resisting gravity. It does not work. We weren’t made for it. When we quit fighting God, when we surrender - live life in way he created it to be, that’s when we experience true freedom, peace, joy - zoe. Aliveness.

When it comes down to it, this really is what it means to be follower of Jesus - will I follow him, his way, put his teachings into practice…will I surrender (painfully but willingly), because I trust that in him is LIFE.

Challenges

Where do you need to sow a seed of surrender (there’s plenty of seeds for all of us to sow - Jesus wants lordship over every area of our lives)? We all have a long history of self-will we have to unlearn.

But that’s what it will take, one seed at time. Every day, willingness to surrender more and more completely toward God.