Total Surrender Series

Series: Faith without works is dead”

Total surrender

Selected Scripture

Introduction- Hey it is good to have you join us this morning.

We begin a new series this morning titled “Faith without works is dead” it is from James chapter 2 where James says “show me your faith without deeds and I will show you my faith by what I do.” 2:22 “You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and by his faith was made complete by what he did”

I going to preach 4 messages in this series and every one I will say that you cannot earn your salvation, “it is not by works less any man should boast” But I will show you in numerous scriptures that if you are truly loving the Lord that you can’t help but walk with him and serve him.

The first message – surrender…total surrender. No secret closets and nothing in your life where the Lord isn’t allowed in.

Surrender.

Total and complete surrender to God.

Not just giving Him lip service, but giving Him everything. EVERYTHING

Yourself, your family, your future.

Trust and surrender are in the same vein when you talk about God and surrender- you would not willingly surrender your life to God unless you trust Him.

It is not the same as a country surrendering to a more powerful nation because that is done because you do not have a choice- you are taken over not willingly but forcefully,

We have created a society that feels that it is unacceptable to surrender anything to anybody including God Almighty.

Most think People who talk of surrendering to God must be weak, must need religion as a crutch, or are unstable.

What does God say about surrender? Why does He desire it for our lives?

Do you care what God says about it or must everything in your life be directed through all your filters first?

Turn to Mark 10:17-21 read

Mark 10:17- paraphrasing, we see Jesus encounter with a rich man that approaches Him.

He asks Jesus the ultimate question- “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus talks about the 10 Commandments and the rich man is quick to say that he has done that since he was a child.

“One thing you lack”, he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Scripture says that this unidentified Jewish man’s face fell or saddened. Why? Because the one thing that God asked of him was the one thing that he was not willing to give up- thus it was not a total surrender.

Jesus, talked here about the rich man, and it is easy to blame the rich man for not giving of what he has. If you do that, you will have missed Jesus point here.

What is it that you are not willing to surrender to God? Maybe you don’t have a lot of money, then money is not what He is looking for you to surrender.

It is something else- He will make it known to you what it is. He will show you what is more important in your life than Him and He will want you to be willing to give it up.

You may not have too- (Let me say that again) but if you hold unto to it, it is an indicator that you are not willing to give it up.

(26) “The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, who then can be saved?” (27) Jesus looked at them and said, with man this is impossible, but with God; all things are possible with God.”

No one can surrender to God without God’s help. We are by nature selfish and we want what we want.

But with God, it is possible to have the right prospective on the blessings that God has given us and not have such a tight fist on them that we are not willing to give anything back to God.

(28) “Then Peter spoke up. “ We have left everything to follow you.” My man Peter! He is the one that says what is on his mind! Even if it is not right, kinda like us at times.

How many would be able to say that they have left everything to follow Jesus?

How many of us are willing to be open handed to things in our lives that God has given if He wanted them back?

He doesn’t take everything , He wants to know that He can take if He desires or if the thing becomes a stumbling block in our lives.

I am a work in progress just like everyone else here. There are things the Lord is working on and there are things that I have a hard time giving up- he will bless in our obedience, and He will work on the things we hold unto.