1 KINGS 20:1-7 “ABSOLUTE, TOTAL SURRENDER”
A) We are living in a day where people are so wrapped up in themselves – “Me, My, and Mine!”
* People are living their lives without God, and even some Christians are living their lives with
God not in first place, and they’re expecting God to pour His blessings out on them!
* The condition of God’s blessings is absolute, total surrender ... Total surrender of everything into
His hands! * Let me show you from the Bible ... Matt. 6:25-34
* If we are willing to do this, there is no end to what God will do for us!
B) God has an overflow of blessings! * How many are ready to live in God’s overflow?
* How many of you are willing to surrender yourselves absolutely into God’s hands?
* THEN REPEAT AFTER ME: “Dear God, You are the potter, I am the clay ...”
* “Make me and mold me after Thy will ... Today, I want to make plans for the overflow of Your
blessings.” * “I give You my life in absolute, total surrender ... In Jesus name ... Amen.”
(1) GOD EXPECTS YOUR SURRENDER – v. 2-3! * Hag. 2:8 * Psa. 50:12 “The world is ...”
A) When God made this world, everything He made is in absolute surrender to Him!
* The sun, the moon, the stars, the flowers, the trees, the grass, the animals, and even humans were
created in absolute surrender to God ... Genesis 1 .......
B) Everything He made was made for a purpose!
* To be used properly, it must be absolutely surrendered in the hand of the person using it!
* Illustrate: A Microphone ... Ink Pen ... Screw Driver ... Hammer ... Golf club ... etc.
* In order for that instrument to be used, it must be absolutely surrendered in the hand of the
master! * If it is not surrendered, then it cannot be used!
C) Each of us was created for a specific purpose, and we must be absolutely surrendered in the
hand of God! * And if we’re not, we cannot be used!
* Notice that each one of these instruments up here had totally different jobs to do .......
* A microphone can’t be an ink pen ... Ink pen can’t be a screwdriver ... Hammer, a golf club ...
* Are you surrendered in the hands of the Master?
* What Ben-hadad asked was absolute surrender, and what Ahab gave was what was asked of him,
absolute surrender! * v. 7 “I denied him not.”
D) God will accept your surrender! * There is only one way that God accepts your surrender ...
* You have to be empty of yourself! * Luke 9:23 “And he said to them all, If any man will come
after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”
* For instance ... If I am going to fill this empty glass with some drink, the glass must be totally
emptied and yielded to that which is in the glass!
E) Let me illustrate: Suppose I put vinegar in the glass first and then I pour the drink in the glass!
* What is the problem? * The glass was not empty ... It did not give all of itself to hold the drink! * Likewise God cannot fill you, until you are absolutely surrendered to Him!
* You’ve been praying for the blessings of God ... You’ve been praying for the overflow .......
* But remember there must be absolute surrender to God! * Empty yourself and let God fill you!
C) What do we need to surrender to God today? * Five things .......
(1) SURRENDER OUR BODIES AS A LIVING SACRIFICE – ROM. 12:1-2!
A) Let’s break these two verses down and try to get an understanding what they mean!
* “I beseech you.” * Greek authorities tell us that the verb used here is a strong word and very
hard to render into English.
* It could’ve been translated, “I beg you earnestly,” or “I entreat you,” or “I exhort you.”
* It has a deep meaning, as if God Himself were on His knees before His people, begging them to
give themselves over to Him.
B) “Brethren,” tells of who Paul was speaking to, and to become one, you must be saved!
* “By the mercies of God,” * Has God shown you mercy?
* If He has, that should cause us to have a desire to give ourselves to Him!
* “Present,” is a temple term for the bringing of anything to God!
* It carries the idea of making ourselves a sacrificial offering to God.
C) “Bodies,” is the term for the whole man ... Body, soul and spirit!
* People often say, “I’m willing to die for Jesus,” and that is honorable!
* But let me say very humbly, that God does not necessarily want you and me to die for Jesus in
this dispensation of grace ... He wants us to live for Jesus! (A living sacrifice, not a dead one).
* 1 Cor. 10:31 says whatever we do, God wants us to do it for His glory.
* The death of the one Lamb of God has swept all the dead sacrifices from off the altar of God, to
make room for the redeemed to be “living sacrifices” to God!
D) “Holy, acceptable unto God.” * Old Testament sacrifices were without spot!
* And that’s how God wants us! * Then he says, “Which is your reasonable service.”
* God doesn’t ask us to do anything unreasonable!
E) v. 2 explains itself ... Christians are not suppose to be shaped and fashioned after this world!
* We are not to be cast into the mold of this world ... We are not to be in love with this world!
* Don’t fashion your life after it ... God needs your energy burned up for Him!
* Carrying a cross is not easy, but there is great joy in doing the will of God!
* You must empty yourself of your own plans ... Separate yourself from this world, and lose sight
of its enticing offers ... Then you are ready to put v.1 to work in your life!
(2) TIME ... ALL OF YOUR TIME!
A) God deserves, demands, and needs every moment of your time!
* 24 hours each day ... 7 days each week ... and 365 days out of the year, 366 on leap year!
* “But Preacher, I give God one day a week, He gets my Sundays and Wednesday nights when I
feel like it.” * Maybe you should say about 2 or 3 hours on Sunday!
B) Let me ask you ... Is God satisfied with the time you give Him?
* God saved you for a purpose, so that your light would shine in this sin darkened world!
* If God saved you just so you could be blessed, then He would’ve taken you on to heaven where
you would be blessed for eternity!
C) God saved you for service! * Your job, your family and comforts of life are all secondary!
* Your main business is living for Jesus! * All of your time belongs to God and He will never be
satisfied with a minute less!
* Allow me to illustrate how you treat God with your half-hearted service .......
D) Suppose, tomorrow evening, your husband came home from work and said this to you .......
* “Honey, I met the nicest lady today that you ever saw. She lives across town ... She’s a widow
and lives alone ... She’s very pretty too ... And she’s young and friendly.”
* “I like her a little bit, and I want to get a little more acquainted, so here’s what I’ve decided to
do ... From now on, I’m planning to spend Sundays with her over at her house.”
* “I’ll come back home on Mondays and spend Monday - Saturday with you ... If I stay with you
six days a week, I ought to be free to spend one day with her ... You don’t mind, do you honey?”
* You’d say, “That’s perfectly all right, dear, you go right ahead.”
E) Oh, no you wouldn’t ... With fire in your eyes you’d say, “Absolutely not .......”
* “You spend a night with that woman, you can keep going, and not even come home.”
* “You don’t divide your time with her ... You’re my husband, and you stay here 7 nights a week.”
* Now, if a mate is that much concerned over her husband’s time and love, how much more is
Christ, who is the husband, concerned about the time of His bride, the church!
* Yet, people spend six days a week whoring around on Christ and throw one day at His feet and
think He should shout with joy! * GIVE HIM ALL OF YOUR TIME!
(3) TALENTS! * I’m not gonna spend much time here ... You know what your talents are!
A) I don’t believe God ever failed to give a person at least one talent!
* Whatever talent you have, use it for the Lord!
B) One thing which every Christian can do is witness!
* If Christ means anything at all to you, simply tell someone else about Him!
* 2 Cor. 4:3 “But if our Gospel be hid, it is hid to ... * Don’t hide your talent ... Use it for God!
(4) MONEY! * Now I have come to the most forbidden spot in any sermon!
A) If you want to kill a Baptist, just shoot him in his hip pocket and he’ll die faster!
* I want to be clearly understood ... I am not a beggar, and this church is not a begging church!
* I just believe that money would not mean so much to people if God was first in their lives!
B) Tithing is taught in the Old Testament and in the New Testament!
* Mal. 3:8-10 and in Matt. 23:23, Jesus said that ye ought to do it!
* “Well preacher, that was law.” * Have you ever compared law to grace?
* Did you know that much more is required under grace? * For instance .......
* The law says, “Thou shalt not kill,” but grace says if I have hatred in my heart toward my
brother, I’m a murderer.
C) The law says, “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” but grace says if I look upon a woman and
lust after her, I have committed adultery already with her in my heart!
* The law says, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor,” but grace says “love thy
neighbor as thyself.” * See how much higher the standard is under grace?
D) Now concerning money ... The law says to tithe ... Grace says whosoever forsaketh not all
that he hath cannot be my disciple!
* Quit justifying yourself for robbing God by saying, “Tithing was under law.”
* Let me explain what tithes are, for those who don’t know ... 10% of your income.
* I’ve covered 4 of those things which should be surrendered to Christ .......
* Body ... Time ... Talents ... And money ... But I’ve kept the most important for last!
(5) SELF! * If God could get this possession, He would have all others!
A) This is what God really wants ... Yourself!
* If He gets that, He’ll have your body, your time, your talent and your money!
* Give Him your hands with which to break the bread of life ... Give Him your eyes through which
He may weep over souls ... Give Him your feet to be used in carrying the Gospel .......
B) Give Him your lips to speak the message of salvation .......
* Give Him your heart and let Him melt it with compassion for lost souls!
* Dedicate to Him your body, soul, mind, energy, will, your life, and your surrender will be
complete ... All that Jesus wants is you!
* He doesn’t want your half-hearted service, your pretended worship, nor your begrudged money!
* He wants you to surrender to Him your life!
CLOSE
A) An anonymous story which I have read several times is a supreme example of sacrifice!
* It has challenged me and blessed my life and I’d like to pass it on to you to close this message.
B) In a very large city there was a little newspaper boy, whose name was Johnny!
* Early one chilly spring morning, he was dashing down the street, delivering papers.
* His bare feet were patting on the cool pavement ... His ragged trouser legs were dangling around
his ankles ... There was no shirt on his back .......
* And one strap over his shoulder was holding up his pants.
* His hair was uncut and shaggy ... His hands and face was smeared with the ink off the papers.
C) Tucked away under one arm were the newspapers in a paper pouch and with the other hand,
he was jingling a bit of change he had saved in his pocket!
* He seemed in an awful hurry today. * He would give somebody their paper, speak politely, take
the pennies and rush on down the street.
* People were just plain old folks this morning ... That is, all except one particular person, and she
was something special ... That was his mother.
* His mind was occupied with her, so much that he barely spoke to those whom he met on the
street. * When he reached the corner, he turned quickly into the florist’s shop.
D) The man behind the counter said, “I’m sorry son, I don’t want to buy a paper today.”
* “Mister, I didn’t come in here to sell you a paper, I came in here to buy something from you.”
* Wondering what such a filthy little boy could buy in this expensive flower shop, the man asked
the question, “Son, what could I do for you?”
* The boy told him this story ... He said, “Mister, today is my mama’s birthday.”
* “I’ve got to buy her something ... I take her candy sometimes, but today’s special.”
E) “I’ve been saving pennies for weeks and weeks, and I’ve got 32 of them and one nickel .......”
* “I want to buy mama some flowers, Mister. Daddy’s dead now and my sister died too, and
there ain’t nobody left but mama and me .......”
* “And if I don’t remember to get her something, nobody will.”
* “This won’t buy much, but if you could give me just a little flower, I’d be mighty happy.”
* It broke that florist’s heart ... He wiped a tear off his cheek, and said, “Son, your mama will
have the best bouquet of flowers that money could buy.”
F) In a few minutes, the skillful hands had woven together a most lovely bouquet of flowers!
* He wrapped them in the green paper and brought them out to the anxious little boy.
* When the boy’s eyes saw the flowers, they began to sparkle, and a smile danced across that
dirty little face.
* As the man handed them to him, the little fellow said, “Thank you so much, Mister, now, how
much do I owe you?” forgetting that he had told the florist that he had 32 pennies and one nickel.
* The man behind the counter said, “Son, that’ll be exactly thirty seven cents.”
G) Johnny counted out those pennies, took one last look at that nickel, laid them all on the glass
counter, and dashed out the door, down the street, and home to mama as fast as he could go!
* When he reached the next corner, he turned quickly to cross the street.
* In his haste, he had forgotten to check the traffic light.
* The scream of the tires of the big steel wheels of a trolley car, trying to stop, pierced the air.
* His little body was knocked over against the curb, spattered and mangled, it lay crushed and
dripping with blood.
H) When the boy gained consciousness, he was on a bed in a hospital room!
* A man in a white coat was leaning over him. * He looked up into the man’s face and said,
“You’re the doctor, aren’t you, Mister?” * “Yes, son, I’m the doctor, we’re gonna take good care
of you ... Now don’t you worry, you just rest, and don’t try to talk.”
* A weak voice came back, “I almost didn’t make it, did I, Doc?”
* He was feeling for his legs that had been cut off by the big steel wheels.
I) “No sir, son, you almost didn’t make it, but you may be all right, just lie still.”
* The lad’s weak, bloodshot eyes began to search the room.
* Suddenly, it seemed as if a new surge of energy flooded his weak, helpless form.
* He was all excited, “Doc, did they see any flowers? Did they find my flowers? Doc, where are
my flowers?”
J) The doctor reached back upon a table and picked up that beautiful bouquet of flowers!
* In the accident they had been knocked aside, but not one petal was crushed!
* They had been placed on his body in the ambulance, and brought with him to the hospital.
* Now, the doctor held them so the little boy could see them.
K) A smile came over that bruised little face, distorted from the suffering!
* Those little eyes began to sparkle again. * He was so weak, that his words came only as
whispers, “Doc, I don’t understand about all of this, but I could die, couldn’t I, Doc?”
* His chest was rising and falling very slowly now. * How well the doctor knew that the boy was
telling the truth ... Death was so near ... He hovered close to the boy to hear the last words.
L) They came in weak tones, “Doc, if I do die today, will you promise me one thing?”
* “Today’s my mama’s birthday ... I’ve remembered her, Doc ... These flowers are for her.”
* “Doc, if I die, take them to her for me, and tell her that they didn’t cost but 32 pennies and a
nickel ... But that’s all the money I had, I couldn’t do no more.”
* “Give them to her today, with all my love ... I love her with all my heart ... I love her, I love, I ...”
* His eyelids closed ... The whispering lips sealed shut ... He breathed a deep sigh.
M) The chest sank ... A smile was still on his face!
* The doctor checked his pulse and pulled a sheet up over the little dead body.
* He looked at the flowers in his hand, swallowed a lump in his throat, wiped the flooding tears
from his face, and left for the boy’s address.
* On the other side of the tracks, he stopped outside an unpainted, little shack, walked upon the
porch, and into the open door.
* He had been there before, but he had never charged anything, he knew they had nothing to pay!
N) As he stepped into the living room, a voice rang out from the bedroom .......
* “Johnny, you home already?” * Then the doctor entered the bedroom.
* “Why Doctor, what are you doing here?” * He handed the invalid mother the flowers and said,
“I just came by to bring you a bouquet of flowers.”
* “But why are you bringing me flowers?” she asked.
* Then he explained, “The flowers aren’t really from me, I’m sort of the delivery boy, they really
came from Johnny, but he won’t be coming home today .......”
* “He won’t be coming home any more at all ... He died a few moments ago in the hospital.”
* Then he told of the accident and Johnny’s tragic death!
O) That mother buried her face in her hands and began to weep!
* Looking up through her tears, she asked the same question you would’ve asked had it been your
boy who had just died in that accident.
* She said, “Doctor, were you with him when he died? Was he conscious? Was he calling for me?”
* “Did he say anything? Doctor, what were his last words?”
P) The doctor held his tears back, bit his lip a moment, and said, “His last words were, Doc, if I
die today, promise me one thing.” * “Today’s my mama’s birthday ... I remembered it, Doc.”
* “Take these flowers to her with all my love, and tell her they didn’t cost much, 32 pennies and
one nickel, but that’s all the money I had.”
* “Give them to her today, and tell her I love her with all my heart. I love her ... I love ... I ...”
* And he died ... The doctor left that home with a broken heart.
Q) That weeping mother looked at that beautiful bouquet of flowers, and saw more than flowers!
* She saw the love of a little boy that gave all that he had, a measly little 37 cents to make a
mother happy and show her that he loved her on her birthday!
* He gave all that he had with all his love, just because he loved her!
R) That’s all God ever asked anybody to do!
* Give Him all that you have, with all your heart, just because you love Jesus!
* I did just that Feb. 26, 1978, and I still mean it with all my heart!
* Wherever God wants me to go, I’ll go ... Whatever He wants me to do, I’ll do .......
* I’ll try to never ask Him what it will cost me or what sacrifice must be made.
S) I have a wife and 7 children, and I love them as much as you love your wife and children!
* They know who I love first and foremost ... I promised God that He could have my life.
* I can’t take it back ... I have already given it to Him with all my love!
* I’ll say it all over again, today, “God, here’s my life, presented on an altar of service.”
* “Consume it for Jesus.” * I would do it again!
T) Will you place your life on the altar beside mine, and surrender all to God, unconditionally?
* Whatever it means, surrender your life to God .......
* Give Him all you have, with all your heart, just because you love Jesus!
