THE POWER OF SURRENDER

Romans 11:33-36, 12:1 (NIV)

33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom andknowledge of God!How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! 34 Who has known the mind of the Lord?Or who has been his counselor? 35 Who has ever given to God,that God should repay them? 36 For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

12:1 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.

THE FOLLOWING 3 QUESTIONS WILL ILLUSTRATE YOUR LEVEL OF SURRENDER TO JESUS CHRIST:

1. DO I BELIEVE HOW AWESOME GOD IS? (READ 11:33-36).

Sometimes it is difficult to fathom that God is limitless because we are so limited. However, as hard as it is for our finite minds, we must try. We must meditate on who God says He is in His Word and dare to believe it! God is to be honored because He is the Alpha and the Omega—the Creator, the sustainer and ruler, our redeemer.

Isa 40:13-15 (NIV)- Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge, or showed him the path of understanding? Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales…

The great theologian AW Tozer said: “How completely satisfying to turn from our limitations to a God who has none. Eternal years lie in His heart. For Him time does not pass, it remains; and those who are in Christ share with Him all the riches of limitless time and endless years. God never hurries. There are no deadlines against which He must work. Only to know this is to quiet our spirits and relax our nerves…”

Through the cross we see the massiveness of God’s power. Paul calls the gospel “the power of God” in Romans 1:16. Do you know that nothing else in Scripture except for Christ Himself is referred to directly as “the power of God”? Think about that!

2. DO I BELIEVE HOW MERCIFUL GOD IS? (READ 12:1a).

Paul commonly uses statements in his epistles about what God has done for us before using the imperative mode to outline our proper response. This is what’s happening in the first part of Romans 12:1.

Romans 12:1 starts off: “In view of God’s mercy (towards us).”

THEN comes the action noted in the last part of 12:1, which we will look at more deeply in point #3 below. But first, what is this mercy that Paul is talking about here? In the Greek it means "pity."

1 Peter 1:3-Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Are you amazed at the gospel and moved by its story of unfathomable mercy? As the legendary hymn puts it- “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now I’m found, was blind but now I see!”

3. AM I WILLING TO OFFER MYSELF TO MESSIAH? (READ 12:1b).

The term ‘living sacrifice’ has its historical roots in the Old Covenant, where God accepted sacrificial animal offerings for sin. This was a foreshadowing to the Lamb of God. The once-and-for-all sacrificial offering for our sins. Based on Jesus’ great act of love and mercy, Paul says that our worship should entail offering our body as a living sacrifice, which means a constant dedication of the total person to living for Christ’s honor.

Author and pastor Chip Ingram said: “Total commitment, or surrender, is about being wise and smart, not necessarily being noble or virtuous. It’s not so much about self-denial but about logic and common sense.”

So, it is actually foolish for us not to surrender, right? It is called “The Great Exchange” for a reason--- His beauty for our ashes. What's the main point? Surrender is the channel through which we deeply encounter Jesus.