Sermon: Acquiescence
by Chris Cumming
If you know anything about the ministry and my work in
the Web Site Office, you know that we are in constant research. It is through
reading, study, prayer and meditation that, as our doctrine on the ministry
says, we are inspired to preach on spiritual subjects.
Inspiration can come to a ministry by any number of sources. The inspiration
will naturally take him into the word of God to see what God has to say on the
subject at hand.
I found myself in Wikipedia the other day and somehow tripping over the subject
of, "religious surrender." It gave a definition of the term:
"To surrender in spirituality and religion means that a believer completely
gives up his own will and subjects his thoughts, ideas, and deeds to the will
and teachings of a higher power. It may also be contrasted with Submission.
Surrender is willful acceptance and yielding to a dominating force and their
will."
Is the concept of religious or spiritual surrender a biblical concept? Does God
want or demand spiritual surrender from us? How does God describe this idea?
Does He show us how to surrender to Him? What must we give up? What will we
reap? What are the benefits of spiritual acquiescence?
Today we will answer these questions as I encourage all of us to surrender to
God.
Surrender to God.
In your desktop dictionary we read the definition of the word, "surrender."
---to yield to the possession or power of another.
---to give up or relinquish.
---to yield or resign in favor of another.
Jesus was the Master of surrender. He surrendered His will to that of the
Father.
Luke 22:42
Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my
will, but thine, be done.
John 4:34
Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to
finish his work.
John 6:38
For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that
sent me.
John 5:30
I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just;
because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
Notice the commentary here:
Of mine own self - The Messiah, the Mediator,
does nothing without the concurrence and the authority of God. Such is the
nature of the union subsisting between them, that he does nothing independently
of God. Whatever he does, he does according to the will of God.
~Barnes Notes
Because I seek not mine own will - This does
not imply that his own judgment would be wrong if he sought his own will, but
that he had no “private” ends, no selfish views, no improper bias. He came not
to aggrandize himself, or to promote his own views, but he came to do the will
of God. Of course his decision would be impartial and unbiased, and there is
every security that it will be according to truth. ~Barnes Notes
All this about Jesus is summed up in Psalm 40
Psalm 40:8
I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.
Notice the verse construction. David is confessing that his delight is to do the
will of the Father. He then gives the reasons why and how. Notice the
commentaries:
Yea, thy law is within my heart - either the
whole moral law, under which he was, as man, and the surety of his people; and
which was written upon his heart, and which he perfectly obeyed; or that
particular law, injunction, and command laid upon him by his Father, to offer
himself a sacrifice, and lay down his life for men; which he agreed to, had it
in his mind, his heart was set upon it, and he cheerfully complied with it.
~John Gill
Yea, thy law is within my heart - So the
Hebrew. The idea is, that the law of God was within him. His obedience was not
external, but proceeded from the heart. How true this was of the Redeemer it is
not necessary here to say. ~Barnes Notes
This brings up an important command from God about what He expects from us.
Romans 12:1
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable
service. [see the sermon on this verse:
here]
The concept of "surrender" is presented in a number of ways in the Word of God.
Let us discuss three of them.
Submit yourselves therefore
to God. [James 4:7]
Word G5293
---to subordinate yourself to God.
---reflexively to obey God.
...rendered:
---be obedient to Him.
---be in subjection to Him.
---submit yourself unto Him
James 4:7-10
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from
you.
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye
sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning,
and your joy to heaviness.
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
Note: In verse 9, what is God telling us in His wanting our joy to turn to
heaviness? Notice the commentary:
Your joy to heaviness - The word here rendered
heaviness occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It means dejection, sorrow.
It is not gloom, melancholy, or moroseness, but it is sorrow on account of sin.
God has so made us that we should feel sorrow when we are conscious that we have
done wrong, and it is appropriate that we should do so. ~Barnes Notes
What happens in the Spirit-begotten mind of a firstfruit when he or she sees
that sin is wrong and that the world is full of sin? They are naturally
compelled to surrender to God and do His will which will ultimately usher in the
Kingdom of God and salvation opportunity for all.
Hebrews 12:9
Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave
them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of
spirits, and live?
Ephesians 5:21
Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
Romans 10:3
For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish
their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of
God.
Humble yourselves before
God [1 Peter 5:6]
Word G5013
---to depress
---to humiliate in condition or heart.
...rendered:
---abase yourself
---bring low
---humble yourself
1 Peter 5:6
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you
in due time:
Notice the commentary on the phrase, "Humble yourselves [to God]:
Humble yourselves therefore - Be willing to
take a low place - a place such as becomes you. Do not arrogate to yourselves
what does not belong to you; do not evince pride and haughtiness in your manner;
do not exalt yourselves above others. ~Barnes Notes
James 4:10
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
Micah 6:8
He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of
thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
James 4:6
But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but
giveth grace unto the humble.
2 Chronicles 7:14
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray,
and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Obedience
[Deuteronomy 27:10]
H8085
---to hear intelligently.
---to give attention to.
---to obey.
...rendered:
---consent to.
---discern.
---obey.
---show or show forth.
---tell.
---be a witness of; example of.
Deuteronomy 27:10
Thou shalt therefore obey the voice of the LORD thy God, and do his commandments
and his statutes, which I command thee this day.
John 14:15
If ye love me, keep my commandments.
James 1:22
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
John 14:21 - He that hath my
commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me
shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to
him.
Benefits of spiritual
surrender to Almighty God
Psalm 37:30-31
30 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom [of God],
and his tongue talketh of judgment [of God].
31 The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.
Notice the commentaries on the phrase, "None of his steps shall slide."
None of his steps shall slide - Margin,
“goings.” The idea is, that his course will be firm and steady. He will not fall
into sin, and his life will be prosperous and happy. This is in accordance with
the general sentiment in the psalm, that religion tends to promote prosperity,
happiness, and length of days on the earth. ~Barnes Notes
None of his steps shall slide - His holy heart
always dictates to his eyes, his mouth, his hands, and his feet. The precepts
which direct his conduct are not only written in his Bible, but also in his
heart. ~Adam Clarke
None of his steps shall slide - not that he
shall never slip nor fall; for that is supposed Psalm 37:24; but he shall never
finally and totally go out of the paths of truth, holiness, and righteousness:
the Lord keeps the feet of his saints, and orders their steps, and directs them
in the way they should go, and preserves them in it; and enables them to walk
uprightly, according to the rule of the divine word, and in all his commandments
and ordinances; and to hold on and out unto the end: or the clause may be
rendered, "it", the law, "shall not cause his steps to slide"; neither the law
of God, nor the Gospel of Christ, but shall guide him in the right way, and be a
lamp unto his feet, and a light unto his path. ~John Gill
Quoted verse:
Psalm 37:34
Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him
with his hand.
Notice verse 33:
Psalm 37:33
The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
Isaiah 41:10
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will
strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right
hand of my righteousness.
Notice the commentary for the phrase, "I will strengthen thee."
I will strengthen thee - with strength in their
souls, to perform duties, exercise grace, withstand corruptions, resist
temptations, bear afflictions, suffer persecutions, and do their generation
work, according to the will of God; and if God is the strength of his people,
they need not be afraid of any persons or things. ~John Gill
Proverbs 3:6
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
We see the benefit in this verse but notice the requirement, "In all thy ways
acknowledge him." What does this mean? Is it speaking to spiritual surrender to
God.
In all thy ways acknowledge him - Begin,
continue, and end every work, purpose, and device, with God. Earnestly pray for
his direction at the commencement; look for his continual support in the
progress; and so begin and continue that all may terminate in his glory: and
then it will certainly be to thy good; for we never honor God, without serving
ourselves. ~Adam Clark
In all thy ways acknowledge him - Not in acts
of solemn worship or great crises only, but “in all thy ways;” and then God will
make the “path” straight and even. ~Barnes Notes
I want to end this sermon with some quotes from people on surrendering to God.
Quotes speaking to our
surrender to God:
“I am simply not enough in myself, but in Him I am. This surrender is not
weakness, but the only true measure of strength any of us have.”
“What we really need is only a heart of surrender & always trust what God has
plan for our life. So we do our best, God shall take the rest. That's what I
called FAITH.”
“Everyday, we have to ask God for our assignment, we must not assume we
understand His plan but rather surrender to His will daily.”
“There's No Surrender [to God] without
Full Surrender!”
“I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that
I had no where else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed
insufficient for that day.” ~Abraham Lincoln
The Word of God is clear now. Surrender to God.