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Sermon:
Acquiescence
by Chris Cumming
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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.
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