Absolute Surrender - Genesis Part 52

Were going to back up in our study the book of Genesis tonight and were going to start in Genesis chapter 22 we get there. Here's what acts chapter 6 verse seven says it says in the word of God kept spreading in the number of disciples in Jerusalem continued to increase, say the next word greatly and even a great number of the Jewish priests. These are the people killed Jesus were becoming obedient to the faith. 25 years later in 58 A.D. when the apostle Paul showed back up in Jerusalem after his third missionary journey.

Here's what James the apostle said to him to ask 21 verse 20 he said you see brother how many tens of thousands. The Greek word there is myriad goals from which we get our word myriad how many tens of thousands of Jews in Jerusalem have believed that we estimate the population of Jerusalem at the time of 58 A.D. was around 100,000 people. So if tens of thousands of Jews have believed that even if it's just 10,000.

That's 10% of the city.

It was 20,000. That's 20% of the city folks of 20% of the Metro Washington area believed in Jesus that would be 1.2 million people. Now the question is why did the early believers in Jerusalem have this chronic impact on their city.

Let me just say it was not because they had massive programs outside doesn't explain the massive impact bad and is not because they had massive buildings and is not because they had massive technology, it's because they had massive spiritualized in here McLean Bible church is our goal is to help everyone of you who knows cries to have a massive spiritualized and there are three key components to having a massive spiritual life and were going to see them because I'm beginning a three-part series this week. Call how to have a massive spiritualized hello and the reason is because we see all three of these principles displayed for us in Genesis 22 in the life of Abraham. He lives out all three of them and were going to see them. So are you ready our principle number one that will look at today is absolute surrender. Here we go little background before we did. Again, remember that Abraham and Sarah had waited 25 years for Isaac the song, the God of promise them. In Genesis 15, but as always, God kept his promise.

He always does Genesis 21 verse one now the Lord did for Sarah what he had what the next word promised right and Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised right now we are to pick up in the next chapter. Chapter 22 when Isaac has grown to a young man of about 18 years old. So here we go.

Verse one. Now it came about after these things that God tested Abraham and said to him, Abraham and Abraham said here I am, and God said, take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains. I will tell you about that we should stop and note that we know from archaeology the child sacrifice was a common practice in the ancient near East. In the days of Abraham, the Canaanites practice to the Phoenicians practice to the ammonites practiced it in the Canaanites living in the land where Abraham lived Beersheba, all these peoples practice sacrificing to a God called no lack who was a God that required child sacrifice and so the point is that even though Abraham that this was a holy God of the universe asking to do it. It was not unheard of in Abraham's day now 600 years later as part of the Mosaic law. God said Leviticus 1821. Do not do any of your children to be passed through the fire tomorrow. Lack I am the Lord, but 600 years before God had given that law and so I'm sure across Abraham's mind.

Why is the true and holy God of the universe asking me to do this I understand why these idolaters do it, why in the world. God asked me to do that and I'm sure that that puzzled Abraham all night that night. I don't think he got much sleep and the Bible doesn't tell us.

I'd love to know what was going through Abraham's mind that night. The Bible doesn't tell us all. It tells us is what he did.

The next morning verse three. Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey and took with them. Two of his servants and his son Isaac, and when he caught enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place that the Lord had told him about and on the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance and then he said to his servants stay here with the donkey.

While I am the boy go over there. We will worship and then what's the next word we hold onto that coming back to that word in a couple weeks we will come back to you. So Abraham took toward the burnt offering and he placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife and as the two men, two of them went up the mountain. Isaac spoke up and said to Abraham father. Yes, my son.

Abraham replied the fire and the ward are here. But where is the lamb for the burnt offering and Abraham answered God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son, and the two of them went on together.

Verse nine and when they reached the place God had told him about Abraham built an altar and arrange the ward on its and he bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar on top of the ward. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son use it when the long do you really believe he was going to kill that boy absolutely there is not one shred of doubt in my mind he was going to plunge that knife into the chest of his boy in a matter of seconds in obedience to Almighty God and right at that moment the angel of the Lord cried out to him from heaven saying, Abraham, Abraham, here I am. Abraham replied do not lay a hand on the boy.

The angel said do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your sawn, your only son, and Abraham looked, and there in the thicket. He saw a ram caught by its horns and he went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering.

Instead of you saw in Abraham name that plays the Lord will provide or in Hebrew Jehovah genre. The Lord will provide. Because, of course, the Lord did provide the lamb to the burnt offering, it just wasn't Isaac.

Now were not done yet.

Look what happens next. Verse 50. Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time and said I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your sawn, your only son, from me. I will surely bless you and make your descendents as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand of the seashore and through your offspring and we know from the book of Galatians, the God was talking here about the Lord Jesus Christ and to your offspring.

The Lord Jesus all nations on earth will be blessed because you have obeyed me. Then Abraham returned to his servants and they set off together for Beersheba to the south of Mount Moriah which is where present-day Jerusalem is today. All right now that's as far as we want to go in our passage but now we want to ask our most important questions so all of the serotypes is all you guys allowed merengue ready are here we go.

Now come on Juan to a that was so we want to a better better you say Launcelot say wow what a great chapter but I will see what an ass to do with me will friends what it has to do with you and me is that we see some things some principles from some components of a massive spiritual life operating in this chapter being displayed for us in this chapter in the life of the great man of God. Abraham and the first one that we want to talk about this week is absolute surrender to God. Andrew Murray in his book entitled absolute surrender said this, he said in Scotland once as a young man I was in the company of people where we were talking about the condition of Christ Church and there was in our company and older godly gentlemen and I asked him what he would say was the greatest need of the church and God's people, he replied, very quietly and simply absolute surrender to God is the one thing Murray went on to write these words struck me as never before, that the condition for obtaining God's full blessing is absolute surrender to him.

Murray goes on to say God is looking for those who will say all God, I accept your terms. Lord anything for the Murray concludes if our hearts are willing to do this.

There is no end to what God will do for us and the blessing he will bestow on us now folks we see absolute surrender on display in the life of Abraham, and this takes us right back to our memory verse. Let's review our memory verse because our memory verse essay with me for the eyes of the Lord, come on, run to and from throughout the whole earth to show himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to him. What's verse saying the verse saying is when we are giving God absolute surrender of our heart. God is looking for opportunities to show himself strong on our behalf and let's make sure we define what absolute surrender is okay. The best definition I believe is found in Romans 12 verse one. The Bible says. Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God on the imagery here comes out of the Old Testament sacrificial system where a person would bring an animal, a llama go. Whatever to the Temple in Jerusalem, and the priest would kill that animal and then would burn that animal utterly burn it as a sacrifice on the Lord so question how much of that sacrificial animal did God ask for. Will the answer is all of and so if in Paul calling us to be living sacrifices. The question is, as followers of Christ, how much of is he asking for with cancer.

Folks, all of it that's right first Kings chapter 20 verse 1.Ben hey dad, the king of Syria gathered his army and attacked Ahab the King of Israel and Ben hey dad sent messengers to Ahab and said your silver and your gold are mine, and the best of your wives and your children. Also, Arman, that Ahab answered. It is as you say, my Lord, I am yours and all that I have is yours.

This is absolute surrender in that one sentence. Lord, I am yours and everything I have is yours. Absolute surrender means that just like Abraham. We agree to go where God tells us to go to do what God tells us to do to say what God tells us to say to live like God tells us to live to behave like God tells us to behave, to forgive my God tells us to forgive and to accept God's choices for our lives.

It's all of this. I love you Julie Draper, former president of the Southern Baptist convention how he defined absolute surrender.

I love this. He said Lord, the answer is yes. Now what will cause the question we go here.

Yes we do this. Yes, we will we act like I tell you to yes we say what I want you to yes yes yes Lord, the answer is yes. Now you just fill in the question Lord is whatever you ask the answer is yes friends. This surrender, absolute surrender. This is component number one, of having a massive spiritual life. Now I do feel constrained to tell you that friends. God never promises us that when we give him absolute surrender that everything is going to be peaches and cream and that's why believers who do this we must understand, listen to me carefully that our reason for absolute surrender cannot be to get material blessings from God or to get creature comforts from God, no, no. Our reason for doing this must be that we want God to bring out of us the greatest amount of honor and glory of Christ, that is possible even if it means that God has to take us through some deep waters in order to get there.

That's why we make it absolute surrender to God because we understand he can't bring that, Gloria out of us for himself. Unless all I have in all that I am is your Scott, just tell me where to go what to do. The answer is yes no was a question you with me so far. You with me okay in over 40 years ago I read Andrew Murray's book entitled absolute surrender. I still have this antiquated little book that I read over 40 years ago and at the time I was in seminary and I remember saying to the Lord, Lord, that is what I want to be for you, Lord, absolute surrender you God.

And then I looked for wife who had that same kind of spiritual commitment found Brenda. What a blessing that was and then 22 years ago Brenda and I stood on the stage at Langley high school where we were meeting at the time his church without Negro Jill who was three months old and we reaffirm that commitment because as part of our child dedication. One of the valves that we make his parents is that we will release our child to the will of God, whatever that might be without bitterness or resistance. Lord, my child is absolutely surrender to you will tell you at that moment. We had no idea Brenda and I were Jill what that kind of commitment was really going to me 6000 grand mal seizures, profound mental retardation.

911 calls lots of hospitalizations, trading places Brenda and I sleeping in lounge chairs and hospital corridors going.

Here's without ever sleeping through the night because Joe was up having seizures dealing with depression and exhaustion and despair and wondering if we were ever going to smile at feeling guilty about our three boys and who needed us so badly, but we were so overwhelmed with just keeping Jill alive and keep it ago when we didn't have enough time for them. Seeing Jill's medical condition decimate our finances in our family life folks is the hardest experience of my life born on only made it bring only made it by the grace of God. Honestly, let me tell you, if I may, what I believe. I believe the God wanted to take a claim Bible church to the place where it is today and beyond, but that he couldn't do it with me the way I was 22 years ago and I believe that God looked at me back then and said long. I want to use you in a mighty way. But the problem is son you're still Greenwood you still Greenwood my friend.

Now I can make you seasoned wood so that you burn hot and you burn right for me and I can make you into a force for me long but it's only gonna work. If you really mean what you said to me about absolute commitment absolute surrender because lawn in order to do this. I am going to have a crush you know Fred and I never made that commitment of absolute surrender, or if we had reneged in the middle somewhere, folks, we wouldn't be where we are today.

McLean Bible church would be where it is today France. Can you see what I'm saying is that make sense to you I Melissa listen to me carefully.

If you are a follower of Jesus. God has got great things that he wants to do in your life that he wants to do through your life, but he can't do the and he won't do them until you give him absolute surrender and then stick with it by his grace. No matter what he sends your way. No matter what he asks of you is a lot. Are you saying that I have to give God absolute surrender to keep my salvation and go to heaven. Absolutely not. Folks, I'm not saying that all people go to heaven because they trust what Jesus did for them on the cross. Plus nothing know you have to give God absolute surrender to go to heaven.

She's a woman. What are you say folks Ron saying to you is that absolute surrender is not for everyone suffer every believer in Christ. Listen carefully. It's for those followers from Christ who want God to use them and honor them and maximize his glory through them more than they want anything and it's for believers who are willing to pay any price to see that happen. That's who. Absolute surrenders. I hope that that's where your heart is. I hope that's the kind of believer you want to be when I came to Christ as far as I was concerned there was no other option except to let the Lord Jesus use my life to the fullest. That's all I wanted. That's all I cared about. I told the Lord not pay any price for that to happen. You know what folks God called my bluff and said okay let's see how much of a price you pay Mr. C Kinney begin to tell you how hard it was, but I'm so glad. Looking back now 22 years later that I made that commitment along with my wife and by the grace of God we kept we stuck with this really hard life is easy now. Jill still has her issues, but you know what folks God did in my heart when he needed to do so me just say to you, it all depends what your goal is in life as a believer if it's to make a lot of money if it's to be a big shot if it's to have a lot of power Vista have a lot of creature comforts day absolute surrender is not for you don't even play around with it folks but of what you want in life. Sincerely when anything else is for Jesus to glorify himself through you and use you and you don't care what it costs you really do that absolute surrender and that's that's for you. It will be tough. Perhaps I don't know what God will do your you are me tell you this, when it's all said and done, you'll be glad you made the commitment because you be glad to see what God does life. It's pretty Lord Jesus absolute surrender is a scary thing sugar people sitting out there going all my gosh if I surrender my heart completely. Jesus you going to do me what he did belong to Brenda folks I don't know the answer to that but I will tell you this, that even in the hardest times God is a God of mercy and tenderness and compassion even in our worst times, God's mercy was still there. The point is this. Doesn't matter what God's in his wisdom in our lives. It matters if we are loyal enough to him in our hearts that we are willing to say Lord, I'll trust you. Do whatever you need to do with your help. I'll stick it out whatever comes, you can't build a massive spiritual life.

Folks if you don't build it on this foundation. It can't be done so, Lord Jesus, may your heart just be overflowing with joy to see us tell you that we want our lives to count for you more than we want anything so do what you need to do.

May you be honored. Lord by these commitments.

May you use us for the glory of Christ. We pray these things in Jesus name God's people said Amen