December 31, 2000 Volume 1 Number 53
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James writes in Chapter 4:7, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” He writes this after stating in verse 6, “But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Humility and submission to God’s will is absolutely essential if we are to overcome the allurement of this world and the inevitable destination of our souls in eternal damnation. Notice that whether it is submission of resistance both take effort. We cannot accidentally make it to heaven. However, we can accidentally make to hell. We must be humble enough to surrender our will to God. Surrendering our will to God’s will is significant. Submission is the true measurement of our spiritual growth and maturity. The more we surrender to Jesus, the more pleasing we are to God. The same submission that made Noah, Abraham, Sarah, and Esther precious to God will make us precious also. As our will yields to Christ, and our trust in God grows, we feel that every time we find our own desires and plans pulling us away from obedience to God we are forced to make a choice. We must decide whether we will trust God with all our heart and fully surrender, or allow our own plans to be more important. Surrender reveals the depth of our trust that God knows best. The proverb writer says, ““Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” Prov 3:5-6. Every time we surrender we grow a little more, we trust Him more fully, and we stop leaning on our own understanding. Surrendering also becomes a way of life. All who walk with God must learn to surrender their will, plans, and dreams whenever they get in the way of doing His will. As the years pass this becomes a natural part of our way of life. It is no longer a struggle to yield or a battle to submit. It s our will that is the enemy and God’s will the ally. As we slowly learn this, it becomes normal to fight the flesh and give to God. Paul said in 1Cor 9:27, “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” This was the way of life for our Lord. From the moment he entered the world after leaving heaven our Lord submitted and God’s will. In Heb 10:5-7 its says, “Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: "Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you had no pleasure. Then I said, 'Behold, I have come-- in the volume of the book it is written of Me-- to do Your will, O God.'” At different times in His life, He reminded His disciples of how important God’s will was to Him. Note Matt 6:10, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” or John 4:34, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.” Our Lord’s way of life was centered on his surrender to God’s will. He viewed it as an honor and a privilege to serve God in this way. Whether it was a monumental task or a small one God was consulted first and what God wanted done was always of the highest priority. When the time came to make the greatest sacrifice of all, it required a surrender, and Jesus was able to make it because the will of God was more important to Him than life itself. In Mark 14:35-36 its says, “He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. And He said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.” Surrender is always the path to victory! When surrender to Jesus is our way of life, we are in the company with the greatest people who have ever walked this earth. All who have yielded their lives and their plans to help God with His eternal purpose have never looked back with regret. Noah stopped his own life to build the ark, Abraham set aside his own plans to sacrifice his son, Moses stopped being a shepherd to lead God’s people out of Egypt. Over and over again we read of men and women who laid aside their plans and their hopes and dreams to serve God. They surrendered all and became great. What would Paul have become if he had not surrendered to Jesus on the road to Damascus? What of Peter and John if they had stayed fishermen? What of Nehemiah if he had remained just a cupbearer? What of Esther if she had kept silent? Finally, surrender brings comfort. Matt 11:28-30 says, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” To those who surrender all to Him, they will find rest, peace, comfort and joy in submitting to God! Edited from an article by Alan Hitchen #Carlos Aguilar
In the matter of personal evangelism, we are often reluctant to do the one thing that most needs to be done: come right out and ask people to study with us. One of the most interesting things about the apostle Paul is how easily and naturally he found people to talk to about the gospel, even in unfamiliar surroundings. In whatever circumstances he was, Paul seems to have spoken about the gospel with confidence. "Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols. Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there" Acts 17:16,17. "Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him" Acts 28:30,31. Unfortunately, we are sometimes more reluctant. We may engage in broad discussions of religious topics now and then, and we may even invite others to services of the church. But we do not very often ask people if they will study the Bible with us! The "waiting game" is popular. We tend to think that we must "build a relationship" with people before we can speak to them about the gospel. "Serendipity evangelism" is what some call this approach. We sometimes rationalize our commitment to questionable activities by saying that we are making "contacts" to study with. Yet as time goes by, we find that we have asked very few, if any, of these contacts to actually sit down with us and study the Bible. Whether or not we are consciously following the approach of serendipity evangelism, we seem to have trouble popping the question. We delay asking people point-blank for a home study. But later is not always better. Granted it is not always possible -- or even expedient -- to ask a new acquaintance if he would like to study the Bible. What wisdom is always urging us to look for is the optimum moment: the time at which, all things considered, there is the best possible chance of meeting with a positive response. The point is that very often the optimum moment to ask about a Bible study comes earlier, rather than later, in our association with people. If we plan, at some point, to ask those we come in contact with to study with us, we need to see that most of them will appreciate frankness and candor about that early in the relationship. They will not like to find out later that we have been "maneuvering" to ask them a question. We ourselves are uncomfortable with hidden agendas; we would rather know what those around us are up to. Most of those we meet will respect honest "plain speaking" about what it is we want, and we can be straightforward about this without being discourteous. Perhaps my experience is unique, but I have found the quicker I get to the point with a new acquaintance, the easier it is. Human nature is such that the farther we go into a relationship with somebody; the less likely we are to ask them for a Bible study, ever. The more involved the relationship, the more reluctant we are to jeopardize it by bringing up the touchy subject of religion. We may wait so long that, when we finally do ask, the person questions how genuine we are. If Bible study is so urgent, why did we not bring it up sooner? Waiting often leaves the impression that we believe people are spiritually safe in their present condition. Waiting certainly risks the possibility of some unexpected misfortune ending a person's opportunity to obey the gospel -- or our opportunity to teach. Is there not much to be said for going ahead and promptly asking folks if they will study with us? Even if the answer is no, we may still develop a relationship and be in an even better position to teach them later. But if that does not happen, our conscience will know that we have asked the question that really needed to be asked. Obviously, wisdom may indicate a different timetable in different circumstances -- but eventually we must ask people to study the Bible. Whether we build a relationship with folks or not, sooner or later we are going to have to "pop the question" and simply ask them if we can study the Bible. Admittedly, popping the question is never completely easy. A man may dread asking a woman to marry him, and he may stumble awkwardly when he finally does it. But get around to it he will, because he loves her! When we need to ask someone to study God's word, delaying the inevitable while we tell ourselves we are "building a relationship" only makes us more miserable. With home studies it may be as James says it is with the Lord's blessings generally: "You do not have because you do not ask" Jas 4:2. As an apostle, Paul said, "Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God" 2 Cor 5:20. "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" 2 Tim 1:7. If we will pray about it, God will help us to speak plainly as we ought. "Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word" Acts 4:29. "And for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak" Eph 6:19,20. "Meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak" Col 4:3,4. What if we committed ourselves to ask just one person each week for a Bible study? That would be fifty-two requests a year - and that would generate more studies than we ourselves could handle! Opportunities to ask for a Bible study are frequent. Most of us get (and waste!) far more opportunities to ask for Bible studies than we think. When religious subjects come up in conversation with others, some kind of door is usually open. But rather than go through the door and ask for a study, our courage fails us. At times we actually run from subjects and statements that provide some of our best opportunities. For example, we tend to "duck" or change the subject when stereotypes, misconceptions, and prejudices about us come up. (more next week) Sentence Sermons “The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything else” - Oswald Chambers We
hope you find this bulletin useful in your Bible study. 2
Sam 22:31
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