Communauté et discipulat

The Freedom of Surrender (Rom 12:1)

2011.06.26Rev. Eddie Byun

Freedom to grow in Christ begins with surrender. We first look to the cross, where God's mercy and passionate love are displayed, and then lay everything at its foot, trusting him so that our worship becomes true worship.

Look to the cross, where God's mercy is displayed (v. 1)

Paul begins Romans 12:1 with an appeal by the mercies of God, and that mercy is seen most clearly at the cross of Jesus Christ. The cross is the only lasting motive for surrender, so we must keep it central and never move beyond it. Galatians 6:14 says our only boast is in the cross, because there we see what God is like, with arms stretched out to show how much the Father loves us. At the cross we also see his plan of redemption and his passion for us. Everything we do should be a response to that mercy, not an attempt to pay God back.

Surrender is a pleasure to the one we treasure

Paul calls us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, and surrender is a pleasure when we truly treasure someone. Students in long-distance relationships drive five hours to have lunch with their partners, and parents would lay down their lives for their children. God wants all of us, not part of us. He desires a living sacrifice, not a dead one, because Jesus fulfilled the sacrifices that required death. We must ask whether we calculate what we give to God or whether our surrender is a pleasure.

Open hands leave room to receive God's best

We often hold on to our relationships, money, free time, occupations, and education, saying we will give God everything except this one part. Such holding on stunts spiritual growth because we have no room to receive from the Lord. True trust says that God is our desire but that we love him more and trust him more, so we give it to him. Coming with open hands lets us receive God's best, and after giving him our all we receive his all for us. Matthew 11:28 says Jesus gives rest to all who labor and are heavy laden.

Trust in the Lord is the root of true worship

Our level of trust and our level of worship are directly connected, and if we do not completely trust God, we cannot truly worship him. Psalm 4:5 calls us to offer right sacrifices and to put our trust in the Lord. Psalm 31:6 contrasts those who regard worthless idols with those who trust in the Lord. We should not lean on our own reasoning or understanding. When every area of life is surrendered in trust, it becomes a form of worship, and that is what lordship and true discipleship look like.

Surrender is where the freedom to grow begins

Spiritual growth stops when we go into neutral, unlike physical growth, so growth is connected to surrender. A mature believer's interests change, moving from living for our own ambitions to living for God and his kingdom. Many people have been Christians for twenty years yet remain spiritual infants. God's heart desires not our gifts, our service, or our careers, but all of us. When he has our hearts, he has everything, and that is where freedom begins.

Apply to Life

  • Let us look to the cross and rest in God's mercy as the motive for everything we do.
  • Let us surrender our relationships, money, time, and dreams to God without holding back any part of our hearts.
  • Let us come to God with open hands to receive his best instead of calculating what we give to him.
  • Let us trust the Lord with our decisions and offer him worship in every area of our lives.
  • Let us examine whether we are growing or sitting in neutral spiritually, and move toward maturity in Christ.

This summary was made automatically from the sermon's captions and may differ from the sermon.

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