Surrender to Glory

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check or card register? Are you still glad you came tonight? Oops.

• Your leisure time.

You get the point. Surrender everything. Why haven’t we done that?

IV. HOLDING ONTO SIN

There’s still problems under the hood. There’s work left to do. Are you still coddling some sin? Are you clutching ahold of some seemingly hidden sin in your life? You and God may be the only ones to know about it. You may be married, and your wife or husband doesn’t even know.

• Could it be a sexual sin?

• Did someone offend you and you took the bait? You know who the culprit is? It’s the wily coyote. Jesus says in Luke 17:1, “It is impossible that no offense should come…”. John 10:10 say, “The thief comes to steal, ___________, to kill, and to destroy”. So, expect offense. Don’t be surprised by it.

• Are you harboring unforgiveness in your heart? Has that unforgiveness swelled into bitterness?

• Are you angry? Has that anger turned into rage and violence? Remember Caine? The Lord did not respect Caine’s offering and he became very wroth, he was seething and his countenance fell.

Let’s take a moment and ruminate on this…. It’s gotten awefully quiet in here. One thing is clear…. If you have received the cleansing blood of the Lord Jesus to cover your sin, then you are JUSTIFIED! Hallelujah. “There is therefore now NO CONDEMNATION for those who are in Christ Jesus!”

V. THE STORY OF KING DAVID

We know the story. David commits adultery with Bathsheba, has her husband killed, lies to the entire nation and covers it all up. The prophet Nathan confronts him – YOU ARE THE MAN! 2 Samuel 12:7. Sin finds you out! Can you visualize David response? Filled with sorrow, he throws himself face down on the floor, arms outstretched, and repented. Hear his cry out to God in Psalm 51:

1 Have mercy upon me, O God,

According to Your

lovingkindness;

According to the multitude of

Your tender mercies

Blot out my transgressions.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God

And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me away from Your presence

And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation.

David willfully made a final, total unconditional, no holds barred, all-compassing, surrender to God. God loved David’s humility so much that hundreds of years later, long after David had died and was buried, the Bible says that God spared the city of Jerusalem just because David had loved it. That’s powerful.

VI. WHAT DOES GOD DESIRE? WHAT’S AT STAKE?

So, what does God desire? He desires devotion from every cell and molecule of our being; that it be surrendered to Him. He desires that we be conformed to the image of His Son. Romans 8:29-30 says:

29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to

be conformed to the image of His Son, that He

might be the firstborn among many brethren.

30 Moreover, whom He predestined, these He also

called; whom He called, these He also justified;

and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

GLORIFIED. That’s God’s desire. That His presence creation, US. YOU and ME. The pinnacle of His creation would be GLORIFIED.

Ephesians 5:25 says:

25 Christ also loved the Church – YOU and ME – and

Gave Himself for her.

26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the

washing of water by the word,

27 that he might present her – THE BRIDE – a GLORIOUS

church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing,

but that she should be holy and without blemish.

What’s at Stake? The Glory of God

We are spiritual Israel. We are set apart to a blessing to the nations. Just like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel). We are to be holy, blameless and righteous. Through us all nations on earth will be blessed. We are to be a reflection of God’s Glory. BUT, our mirror is cracked. It is smoky. The reflection is warped. We must seek God and asked Him to sanctify and consecrate us, so His reflection off of us will light the world.

VII. HOW DO WE DO THIS?

A. Final Surrender – No more Temporary Surrenders.

You can either do it here (which I prefer), or at home. BUT DO THIS.

1. Tell God everything. He can handle it. All that is troubling you, all that you regrets, sins, problems, UNLOAD on Him. He can handle it. Dump it all in His lap. That’s why Jesus went to the cross. For all your garbage. It’s time to take the trash out.

2. Surrender everything to Him.

o Your relationship with Him

o Your whole being – body, soul, spirit

o Your hopes, dreams, past, present, and future.

o Your shame, past failures

o Your personal relationships

o Your authority figures

o Your occupation

o Your possessions

o Your personal finances

o Your leisure time

As you draw near to Him, He draws near to you. So many places in scripture talk about seeking Him. Here’s one…. John 15: 4-5

4 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch