Surrender

James 3:3-6 says, "When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body.

Dr. Gary Denbow, President of Central Bible College in Springfield, Missouri, was our guest speaker this morning.

What did Zechariah surrender in order to allow God to accomplish His purposes through him? He surrendered to God's discipline, which left him speechless until the time of John's baptism. However, God's discipline produced a heart of praise in Zechariah's life and prepared him for the life God had called his son to. Likewise, we are at times called upon to surrender to God's discipline.

What did Mary have to surrender in order for God to accomplish his purposes through her? Her reputation. Mary entered the unforgiving world of 1st century Israel as an un-wed mother with a tall tale of how she became pregnant. This morning we are exploring how God sometimes calls us to surrender in similar ways.

Luke 6:37-38 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” This is the sixth message in what promises to be a very long series on the topic of fully surrendering our lives to God’s commands.

This fifth sermon on surrender looks at the biblical practice of tithing in light of Malachi 3. Rather than a painful obligation, God promises that tithing will lead to his full blessing in our lives.

Romans 14: 10-12 says, "You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.’” So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God." This week we will continue looking at the implications of forgiveness, both in this life and the life to come.

In Matthew 6, Jesus says the sins we commit, as well as the sins committed against us, are debts. We all know what a financial debt is, but have you ever stopped to consider the implications of sin being treated as a debt? How should that informat our thoughts about what it means for forgive and be forgiven? We invite you to consider this thought-provoking perspective.

Heb. 11:8-10 "By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God."