I SURRENDER ALL? PART 1
God desires absolute surrender from every believer.
Genesis 22:1-8
Introduction
Illustration: Don’t Argue With A Lighthouse
There was an officer in the navy who had always dreamed of commanding a battleship. He finally achieved that dream and was given commission of the newest and proudest ship in the fleet. One stormy night, as the ship plowed through the seas, the captain was on duty on the bridge when off to the port he spotted a strange light rapidly closing with his own vessel. Immediately he ordered the signalman to flash the message to the unidentified craft, "Alter your course ten degrees to the south."
Only a moment had passed before the reply came: "Alter your course ten degrees to the north."
Determined that his ship would take a backseat to no other, the captain snapped out the order to be sent: "Alter course ten degrees--I am the CAPTAIN!"
The response beamed back, "Alter your course ten degrees--I am Seaman Third Class Jones."
Now infuriated, the captain grabbed the signal light with his own hands and fired off: "Alter course, I am a battleship."
The reply came back. "Alter your course, I am a lighthouse."
No matter how big or important any of us think we are, God’s Word stands forth as an unchanging beacon. All other courses must be altered to His.
SOURCE: James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) p. 208.
I. GOD DESIRES ABSOLUTE SURRENDER.
Genesis 22:1-2
1 Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." 2 And He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."
A. We Learn Absolute Surrender By Facing A Crisis.
1. Abraham’s first crisis came when God called him to leave his home.
2. His second crisis came when he had to separate from Lot.
3. The third crisis involved sending away Hagar, and his son Ishmael, whom he also loved.
4. This present crisis called for the sacrifice of his only other son, the promised seed, Isaac.
Luke 14:26-27
26 If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
B. We Learn Absolute Surrender When God Asks For That Which We Love The Most.
Illustration: I Have A Dollar!
The Junior Sunday School Teacher asked her eight eager 10-year-olds if they would give $1,000,000 to the missionaries.
"YES!" they all screamed!!
"Would you give $1,000?" Again they shouted, "YES!"
"How about $100?" "Oh, YES we would!" they all agreed!!
"Would you give just a dollar to the missionaries?" she asked.
The boys exclaimed "YES!" just as before except for Johnnie.
"Johnnie," the teacher said as she noticed the boy clutching his pocket, "why didn’t you say ’YES’ this time?"
"Well," he stammered, "I HAVE a dollar."
Genesis 22:5
5 And Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you."
Hebrews 11:19
19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.
1. God tests us, not that we might prove ourselves to God, but that we might come to know our own heart.
2. When we absolutely surrender to God, we have the testimony before the world that we can love God supremely.
3. When we surrender ourselves to God (all that we are and all that we have), God can take care of us, no matter what may confront us.
C. We Learn Absolute Surrender As We Develop A Personal Relationship With God.
1. God wants us to know Him personally.
Note: The Hebrew name for God used here is Ha ‘Elohim. The name stresses the personal, true God. Elohim was the general name used for God. Ha ‘Elohim is much more personal.
Revelation 3:20
20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
2. God desires for us to love Him supremely, even before our own family.
Matthew 22:37
37 Jesus said to him, " ’You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
3. He wants us to glorify Him above all else.
Note: We glorify God by obeying God’s Word, no matter the cost.
Matthew 7:21
21 "Not everyone who says to Me, ’Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
4. God desires that we reach a height of spiritual maturity that stands out as a great testimony for Him.
Matthew 5:16
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Luke 9:23
23 Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
5. God wants our faith to be victorious over all, no matter the trial.
1 John 5:4-5
4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith. 5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
6. God wants us to put Him first, no matter the cost.
Matthew 6:33
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
II. I MUST DECIDE TO SURRENDER ABSOLUTELY.
Genesis 22:3-4
3 So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. 4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off.
Illustration: Vision
The degree of vision that dwells in a man is a correct measure of the man.
SOURCE: Carlyle. Vern McLellan, The Complete Book of Practical Proverbs and Wacky Wit (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1996).
Illustration: Reality Check
What we see as we go through life always depends upon where we stand to look. Many a man who tries to talk as if he were standing on a mountain, shows by what he says that he is up to his eyes in the mud.
SOURCE: Billy Sunday in a sermon, "Under the Sun," from The Real Billy Sunday. Christianity Today, Vol. 41, no. 10.
Note: God’s instructions had pierced Abraham’s heart. He was hurting within, suffering the most severe pain imaginable.
· How could God tell me to offer my son as a sacrifice?
· Is this not against God’s law that forbids murder?
· How can I sacrifice my own son? Would I not rather die myself than him?
· Why would God want such a thing?
· What about the promise? God, you promised and gave Your Word that Isaac was the promised son, that he would be the father of nations. How can you fulfill your promise if I sacrifice Isaac?
· How can I ever face Sarah again, or for that matter, face anyone?
· What about my testimony before the world? What are the unbelievers going to think?
A. My Inability To Find Answers Should Not Keep Me From Obeying God.
2 Corinthians 4:18
18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
1. We should obey even when we don’t understand.
2. Even when we don’t have all the answers, we must endeavor to do all God tells us to do.
B. I Can Be Committed To Obeying God Whether I Understand Or Not.
Illustration: The First Thing She Will Ever See
When a Christian remains faithful, it’s an encouragement to other Christians. Fanny Crosby was blind. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, she held on to her faith in God and wrote the hymns we still sing: I Am Thine, O Lord; Jesus Is Tenderly Calling; To God Be the Glory; Blessed Assurance.
When Fanny Crosby was old, somebody told her that, if she had been born in that day, an operation could have restored her sight. Instead of being bitter, she said, "I don’t know that I would change anything. Do you know that the first thing I’m ever going to see is the face of Jesus?" We’re inspired by faith like that.
SOURCE: R. L. Russell, "Triumphing over Trials," Preaching Today, Tape No. 119.
1. Not understanding the problem did not keep Abraham from obeying God.
2. He arose early to begin making preparations.
3. He saddled the donkey and cut the wood, even though he had hundreds of workers who could have done it for him.
4. He made the three-day journey to Moriah, all the while contemplating what he was about to do.
5. He had three days to either rationalize his way out of the sacrifice or to more deeply surrender himself to God’s command.
III. ABSOLUTE SURRENDER DEMANDS ABSOLUTE TRUST IN GOD.
Genesis 22:5-8
5 And Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you." 6 So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. 7 But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." Then he said, "Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" 8 And Abraham said, "My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering." So the two of them went together.
A. I Can Trust God Even When Things Look Bad.
Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
1. Abraham believed that God would raise up Isaac from the dead.
2. He instructed the servants to wait at the bottom of the mountain while he and Isaac went to the top and worshipped.
3. He then said that both he and Isaac would return.
4. Abraham was not lying; he actually believed that both of them would return.
5. Abraham trusted God’s Word and believed His promises are true.
B. I Can Trust God Even When I Am Hurting.
1. Abraham and Isaac had a tender walk up to the top of the mountain.
2. Abraham’s heart was suffering pain, yet his faith remained strong.
3. As they drew closer to the place of sacrifice, Isaac asked where they were going to get a lamb.
4. Without wavering, and not knowing how, Abraham replied that God would provide Himself a lamb.
C. I Can Trust God Even When I Have No Idea What God Is Going To Do.
Psalms 37:5
5 Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.
Quote: God is ready to assume full responsibility for
the life wholly yielded to Him.
SOURCE: Andrew Murray. http://www.christianglobe.com/Illustrations.
1. Abraham knew that God could raise Isaac from the dead if need be.
2. He also knew that God could stop him and provide a lamb if He so willed.
3. The solution to his dilemma required a miracle that only God could provide.
4. Simply stated, Abraham believed God and believed in God’s power.
Romans 4:19-22
19 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. 22 And therefore "it was accounted to him for righteousness."
Conclusion
1. What is it that stirs us to sacrifice our lives to God?
a. It is trust, believing that God has the power to raise us up and use us.
b. And God does: He does have the power to take our lives, raise them up, and use them for good throughout the whole world.
c. We must, therefore, trust God and sacrifice our lives in absolute surrender to Him.
2. How can I surrender all to God?
a. Surrender my time?
b. Surrender my talent?
c. Surrender my treasure?
d. These are all fine, but they are meaningless unless I first surrender my self.
I Surrender All – Judson W. Van DeVenter, 1896
Van DeVenter beautifully describes the process of absolute surrender in his timeless hymn I Surrender All. If I may impose my perception of this hymn, I would suggest that He reveals the struggle involved in surrendering all that he is to the Lord. And with each progressive step, the refrain embraces a more heart-felt and deep-seated passion to give himself totally to the Savior.
All to Jesus I surrender; All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him, In His presence daily live.
· He begins where most of us begin, with a willing heart that desires to abide in the presence of the loving Savior. But all he offers at this point is a feeble promise. His attitude is almost flippant as he arrogantly proclaims what he is going to do. His commitment consists of empty words derived from an idealistic faith. He wants to give all to the Lord, but his thoughts are too self-centered to allow him to make the commitment the Lord demands. He offers all that he has on his own terms, expecting the Lord to bless him for his magnanimity.
All to Jesus I surrender; Humbly at His feet I bow,
Worldly pleasures all forsaken; Take me, Jesus, take me now.
· His progress has brought him to a more meaningful place of worship, and he bows at the feet of Jesus in mock humility. No longer do the attractions of the world have the appeal they once had. But his ego is yet manifest as he cries out, “Look, I’ve forsaken worldly pleasures so that I may worship You.” He senses that his relationship with Jesus Christ is still incomplete, but he cannot fathom what he still lacks. He knows he is closer to the Lord than before. But in spite of the progress he has made, he can only stand before the Master simultaneously begging and demanding, “Take me, Jesus, take me now.”
All to Jesus I surrender; Make me, Savior, wholly Thine;
Let me feel the Holy Spirit, Truly know that Thou art mine.
· Now his soul is in anguish, and he is not even sure of his own salvation. The emotional impact of his regeneration has deserted him, and he can no longer sense the presence of the Holy Spirit in his life. He cannot reconcile what he knows to be true with what he thinks he should feel. So he demands of the Lord, “You do it! You make me what I’m supposed to be!” He rebukes the Lord for His lack of decisive action, blaming Him for the void in his spiritual life. All the while, the Lord patiently waits for him to come to his senses.
All to Jesus I surrender; Lord, I give myself to Thee;
Fill me with Thy love and power; Let Thy blessing fall on me.
· He has now reached the moment of truth, and he understands fully that his only enemy in this process has been himself. He sees how foolish he was to think that the Lord would make him surrender against his own will. What he wanted Jesus to take by force, he now willingly gives as a living sacrifice, surrendering himself, and holding nothing back. Where he previously demanded of the Lord, “Take me,” he now pleads in utter desperation, “Fill me.” He has finally emptied himself of every selfish, worldly desire, and prostrates himself before the Lord; an empty vessel to be filled by the Savior.
All to Jesus I surrender; Now I feel the sacred flame.
Oh, the joy of full salvation! Glory, glory, to His Name!
· Filled with the love and power of Jesus Christ, he rejoices in the fullness of his newly discovered relationship with his Savior. Only now does he realize the vivid contrast between the life he wanted to live and the life the Master wanted to give him. The abundant outpouring of the Holy Spirit overwhelms him. The enormity of the Savior’s love overpowers him. His cry of “I surrender all” is more than just a statement of his broken will, it is an urgent plea that the Lord never allow him to return to the life he left behind.
