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This Seems Backwards: The Power of Surrender

If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. MATTHEW 5:39 NIV

“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” MATTHEW 20:16 NIV

The greatest among you will be your servant. MATTHEW 23:11 NIV

…love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,… MATTHEW 5:44 NIV

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field. “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it! MATTHEW 13:44-46 NLT

WHAT DOES MY FOLLOWING OF JESUS SAY ABOUT MY FAITH IN JESUS?

WE ARE HAPPY TO RECEIVE JESUS AS AN ACCESSORY TO OUR LIVES, BUT NOT AS THE AUTHORITY OF OUR LIVES

“Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being. MATTHEW 6:19-21 MSG

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. JOHN 15:5 NLT

I MAY BE SAVED, BUT NOT SURRENDERED

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. EPHESIANS 2:8-9 NLT

What is surrender? The voluntary yielding of one’s will, rights, and control into the hands of God, in trust and obedience, in order to live under His rule and in His love.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ROMANS 12:1 NIV

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. ROMANS 12:1 MSG

THE PROBLEM WITH SURRENDER

Surrendering feels like losing.

But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ… PHILIPPIANS 3:7-8 NIV

Surrendering comes after struggling.

He walked away, about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him. He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood. LUKE 22:41-44 NLT

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. EPHESIANS 6:12 NIV

SURRENDER IS THE GAME CHANGER FOR THE CHRISTIAN

THE CROSS IS AN INVITATION: SURRENDER TO LOVE

No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. JOHN 10:18 NLT

There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. JOHN 15:13 NLT

We do not surrender in order to be loved; we surrender because we are loved.

My Notes

Discussion Questions

Use the following questions to reflect on the sermon and choose a couple from each section to discuss as a group:

  1. START HERE: When has following Jesus ever felt backwards or counterintuitive to you?

  2. START HERE: What comes to mind when you think of the word “surrender?” Is it mostly positive or negative for you? Why?

  3. START HERE: Have you ever given something up because you believed God had something better for you? How did that experience shape your trust in God?

  4. KEEP GOING: Read Matthew 13:44-46 (NLT). The man and the merchant in Jesus’ parables sold everything for something greater. What in your life has the greatest value that you would sell everything for?

  5. KEEP GOING: What’s the difference between using Jesus as an accessory to your life versus surrendering to His authority over your life? 

  6. KEEP GOING: If you’re being real, what is the thing you’re holding onto most tightly?

  7. KEEP GOING: Read Philippians 3:7-8 (NIV). Why do you think surrender can feel like losing, even when Scripture calls it gaining?

  8. KEEP GOING: What’s holding you back from a deeper trust in and surrender to God? 

  9. LIVE IT OUT: Read Romans 12:1 (MSG). How could you practice daily surrender in small, ordinary moments this week?

  10. LIVE IT OUT: Your life was changed by Jesus’ surrender. How might someone else’s life be changed by your surrender?