Total Submission

Summer of the Spirit  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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Put out box that says “life instructions” and tell story about installing light
Don’t you wish life came with a set of instructions?
Life causes questions. Some questions are harder than others. “Why did he leave?” “How can someone so wonderful die prematurely?” “Why can’t I stop?”
But the totality of our questions can be summed up like this:

What do I do now?

Overly Cautious

Some of us are overly cautious! We never know what to do. We go through life unsure, doubting, and terrified that we will make a mistake. If I make the wrong move, I might mess up my future forever.

Overly Confident

On the other hand, some of us are overly confident. You know what to do next! You seem to have all the answers, act impulsively, or take lots of risks. You might find that you frequently make decisions that cause regret, but don’t dwell on your mistakes often. If I don’t move, I won’t succeed.
We all struggle with finding the next step in life. But as Christians, we believe that we have a unique advantage. We believe that our best life is found in attaining the will of God. Not only do we believe that God exists, but we believe that he recorded His will in a book called the Bible. In fact, some people refer to the Bible as our

Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth

But even with all of the Bible in our possession, we still have questions. We still struggle to figure out, God, where do I go next? What do I do now? Wouldn’t it be nice if we could call up God on the phone and ask him what to do? Could you imagine that conversation: “Hey, God. Long time no see! Yeah. Uhum. Well, I’ve been busy. Look, I’ve Got an issue I was wondering about. My job offered me a raise, but I will have to move to Toledo. What is your will right now? I really want to know.”
Could you imagine what your life would be like if you had a direct line to God? If you had the author of the instructions on the line! Your life would be totally changed! You could always know what to do!
But would life really be easier if we knew exactly what God wanted?

Peter

Peter is a perfect example of this.
Peter walked with God. Literally. Peter was a humble fisherman until God in the flesh, Jesus Christ, called Him by name.

Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).

Peter, along with the other disciples began a three-year journey with Jesus. He was a personal student of God in the flesh. If anyone has ever been able to hear from God, Peter did. He would walk, talk, eat, and joke with Jesus. Jesus would often give explicit instructions to His disciples. He personally mentored them. If anyone could have lived for God, if anyone could have done it, it would have been Peter. He had every opportunity.
But for all of the time spent with God, for all of the knowledge that Peter had of God’s will for His life, he still fell short.
One of the most important teachings that Jesus taught had to do with self-sacrifice. He emphasized this when he began predicting that He would personally die.

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21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.
The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Mt 16:21–27

Carry your cross

Jesus taught that being a disciple meant a trade of life.

I trade my life for the life that God has for me.

Maybe you’ve heard this phrase “carry the cross.” We use it a lot to refer to things we do for God that we want to do. My coworkers are mean to me because I don’t accept their lifestyle… Well, I guess it’s just the cross I bear.” “I’m going to be spending a week without WIFI on a missions trip… It’s the cross I have to bear.”
But to Jesus, “bearing a cross” meant that He would die. He was warning his disciples that following Him very possibly meant the same death. He wanted them to understand the cost. This was not the first time He used this language, but apparently Peter did not understand the literal nature of His words.
Peter actually tried to rebuke God! Can you imagine that? But Jesus stays firm. He is clear. The life God has for Peter is better than the life he wanted to preserve. Why? This life is temporary. God’s life lasts forever. A reward waits for those that give everything on this earth to follow Jesus.
Later, on the night before Jesus dies, Jesus eats with his disciples. By this point, Jesus has done miracle after miracle. He has taken his disciples to a mountain top and transformed into His full glory. Peter saw these things. He has acknowledged that Jesus is the Christ. He has every opportunity to believe Jesus will overcome death. He has every reason to trust Jesus.
But at this meal, Jesus says this:

Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written:

“ ‘I will strike the shepherd,

and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ k

32 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

33 Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.”

34 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”

35 But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same.

They leave and go to the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus asked his disciples, his friends, to pray.

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Jesus, fully surrendered to the will of God, found his disciples sleeping.
My fear is that we’re going to be Christians that say we’re ready for the will of God when in reality we’re sleeping.
40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”
43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
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The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Mt 26:40–46.
If you know the story, Peter acts over confidently here and cuts off an ear. Jesus rebukes him. Fighting was not the will of God.

Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.

I don’t blame the disciples. I’ve often asked myself, what wold I do in a situation like that. It’s easy to claim Jesus. It’s easy to make statements like, “if all fall away on account of you, I never will.” It’s a totally different ball game when death is standing in your face.
Then seizing him, they led him away and took him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed at a distance. 55 And when some there had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter sat down with them. 56 A servant girl saw him seated there in the firelight. She looked closely at him and said, “This man was with him.”
57 But he denied it. “Woman, I don’t know him,” he said.
58 A little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.”
“Man, I am not!” Peter replied.
59 About an hour later another asserted, “Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean.”
60 Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” 62 And he went outside and wept bitterly.
The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Lk 22:54–62.
Jesus was crucified and buried. But after three days, He came to life like he promised. Peter had gone back to fishing.
You would think that Jesus would be done with the disciples! You would think that he would start over with some people that believed him.
So many of us find ourselves in this position. We’ve heard from God for our situation. We’ve been confronted with the truth of the Gospel that those that follow Jesus must carry their cross, but we’ve failed. Maybe God called you to ministry. Maybe God called you to reconciliation with someone. But because we failed, we gave up. We settled for a life where we had more control. A life where we could call the shots. A life that was not as hard.
But Jesus didn not give up on Peter. After appearing to the disciples, Jesus appeared again and found Peter fishing. Peter was struggling. He and some of the disciples were fishing, but they could not catch anything. Jesus stood on the shore and told them to cast to the right side of the boat. When they obeyed, they caught a net full of fish. This was the same miracle he performed when Peter decided to follow Him at first. Then, John says to Peter, “It is the Lord!” And Peter knew that Jesus had come looking for Him again. With all of his shame and guilt, Peter jumped out of the boat and ran to Jesus. Then, they do the only natural thing and they eat breakfast with the fish that they caught.

15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

Jesus, once again, calls Peter by name. Once again, he tells people to “follow me.” But this time, He tells Peter explicitly, “You are going to die for me.
Tell me if you’ve ever read this verse:

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

6 in all your ways submit to him,

and he will make your paths straight.

I think most of us believe we can submit to him, but what do we do when the straight path leads us where we do not want to go?
The call of the disciple is still pick up the cross and follow me.
God doesn’t promise us earthly prosperity. He doesn’t promise us success or riches. God wants us at the place where we trust that the life he has for us is better than the life we hold on to. It’s an attitude of the heart.

20 Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) 21 When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”

22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”

We must avoid comparing our walk with others

Peter turned and looked at John in that moment. He said, “Hey, Jesus! What you got in store for John?” Jesus said, “none of your business!” An attitude of self-sacrifice doesn’t allow us to compare ourselves with others. It’s an attitude that says,
God, whatever you have for me, I want it! But only when we seek the will of God, will we see the outcomes of God.

When we seek the will of God, we see the outcomes of God.

Be prepared. The will of God can be dangerous. We believe that the Word of God is alive. But we often act like the Word of God is a dead story written in a book. You know what’s difficult about the Word? The word existed before the Bible. It was recorded in the Bible, and the Word exists today.

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

God is not done speaking.

It’s easy to read a story about Peter and say, “Peter walked with Jesus. But I’ll never have to do what he did.” It’s easy to fool ourselves into believing that following Jesus costs nothing. When we hear something from the Lord, we can say, “no that was just me.” But when we realize that the Logos of God is Alive, speaking to us, directing us, cutting us, all of the sudden following costs something more.
It starts with total surrender. But God moves when we submit to him.
Rees Howells, a great intercessor, was a man mightily used by God. He served as a missionary in Africa, participated in the Welsh Revival, and started the Bible College of Wales. He recounts being filled with the Spirit. He tells of an experience that lasted five days alone with God. During these days, God demanded that parts of his life be submitted to him. Howells recounted, “He could never take a thing away until I gave consent. Then the moment I gave it, some purging took place, and I could never touch that thing again. It was not saying I was purged and the thing still having a hold on me: no, it was a breaking, and the Holy Spirit taking control of me. Day by day the dealing went on. He was coming in as God, and I had lived as a normal man, and “what was permissible to an ordinary man,” He told me, “will not be permissible to you.”
God took Howell’s love of money. God took his choice in getting married. God took his ambition. God took his reputation. By the last night, God, according to Howells, gave him an ultimatum. He would have to give up every thought of self. God wanted his answer by six O’clock and asked, “are you willing?” Reese wrestled with God until the last five minutes. Then God asked, “If you can’t be willing, are you willing to let me help you? Are you willing to be made willing?” Reese looked at the clock, which read “one minute to six,” and replied, “I am willing.” And the Holy Spirit came on Rees Howells.
When I installed the light in my kitchen, I followed the instructions as best as I could. But in the end, it didn’t matter if I followed the plan or knew what to do. I had to go turn the power on.
When Jesus left the disciples on earth, He told them to wait. And Peter, along with the other believers, waited in Jerusalem praying. Then after praying and waiting, the Holy Spirit came on the believers, and Peter was empowered to serve. He was the first missionary to the Gentiles, helped lead the church through immense persecution, worked miracles, and eventually died for his faith, crucified like Jesus predicted. But it didn’t stop him.
If we want to see the power of God, we have to position ourselves to be used by God.
Conclusion
I want to ask three questions as we close.

What is God asking us to do that we have been too afraid to obey?

What sin have we been holding onto that God has asked us to give up?

What would we give up to live the fullest life that God has available to us?

I trust that the life that God has for me is better than the life I hold on to.

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