Life Is Better When You Surrender

How many of you remember the movie Space Jam? Did anyone see Space Jam or you’re familiar with it? How about Michael Jordan? Who knows who Michael Jordan is? You’re laughing. I love it because it’s like, duh. Everybody knows who Michael Jordan is. When my son was four, we introduced him to the movie Space Jam. He saw the movie, and that was it.

He was sold. He was going to be an NBA player and he was going to be like Michael Jordan. So much so that he had a fifth birthday party themed Michael Jordan. I brought some pictures so I can prove this to you. He wanted us to shave his head completely bald, completely bald. And we made cakes. As you can see, my Pinterest skills in action there with making themed cakes of Michael Jordan.

He invited Michael to his birthday party. We wrote him a letter. In fact, Michael was not able to make it. Much to your surprise. But he did send the letter back. Or as people did, with an autograph and a t shirt and headbands and everything. So now y’all are going to go home and write to Michael Jordan and see what you can get.

I don’t know. He loved Michael Jordan. He wanted to be Michael Jordan. In fact, I remember a conversation I had with him where he said, mom, I want to have brown skin. And I said, why? He said, Because Michael Jordan. He said, although, you know, my skin is kind of dark in Michael Jordan, his skin is not that dark.

It’s pretty close. Sweet guy can dream. I didn’t have the Michael Jordan skin or skill in our family, but he dreamed of it. Little boy’s an ancient Jew in Jewish history. Did not dream of being Michael Jordan. They didn’t have the internet or movies or TV or anything like we have, where they could desire to be like the great.

Arguably, we can fight later the greatest of all time, the goat of basketball. However, they had some education. There were three schools that Jewish boys would go through starting at age five. They would go to what was called Bet Zephyr, probably saying that. Right. So if you are Jewish here and I’m doctoring that, my apologies. Where they would start learning the Old Testament, the first books of the Bible, they would start reading and memorizing scripture.

Then by age ten, they would go on to the next level, kind of like going from high school basketball to college ball. That Talmud, the house of learning. And this is the point where education diverged for people. They would either go into what their fathers did or they would make it to the next level of rabbi training. Very few would make it to that next level, and then very few would make it to the NBA of education back then, which was called bet midrash, the House of study.

And they would find a rabbi rabbi to follow, and they would do everything that that rabbi did and learn how to become a rabbi. However, in my rabbit hole that you are welcome to join me on later or just listen what I’m saying. I rabbit hole down this trail. The majority of scholars and historians today agree that those three schools came after the time of Jesus.

So it is likely that the first disciples in the region of Galilee did not have that opportunity. They were home schooled. Most of the Jewish boys during that time were home schooled. They’d have some basic synagogue instruction. The scribal apprenticeships were out there, but for very, very few people, and not even likely in the Galilee region, because it was a poorer region.

My daughter goes to Cal Poly, and if anyone is a Cal Poly person here, you know their motto is learn by doing. So I would say at that time that was the motto learn by doing. You’re not going to be Michael Jordan. You’re going to be a fisherman like your dad. You’re going to learn from him. You’re going to go fishing with him.

And that is what you did.

So with that in mind, we’re going to dive into Luke chapter five. I’m going to set the scene for you. We’ve got four guys, two brothers, James and John, also known as the Sons of Thunder. Pretty cool nickname. And Simon Peter and Andrew, they’re fishermen. So they’ve learned it from their fathers. They’ve been out fishing all night. How many of you are fisher people here?

Who likes to fish? Okay. Like ten. That makes sense, because I don’t really understand fishing. It seems kind of boring. Like you go out for so long and then maybe you get one fish, right? But that fish means everything to you, and you’re like, it’s the experience, it’s the process. However, these guys, it wasn’t just the experience or the process.

This was their living. This was their food. This was their feeding their families. They were out all night long waiting. And they came back with nothing. So they’ve returned to shore. And there’s this Jesus guy out there teaching from the shore. Then he comes over and gets in Simon Peter’s boat. Oh, hey. And Jesus begins teaching from the boat.

That’s what we’re going to pick up in verse four. When he, Jesus, Jesus had finished speaking, he said to Simon, put it into deep water, put out the deep water, let down the nets for a catch. Simon answered, master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t gotten anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.

When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come help. And they came. And they filled both boats so much that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at his knees and said, go away from me, Lord, I am a sinful man.

For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, don’t be afraid. From now on you will fish for people. So they pulled their boats up on the shore, and they left everything and followed him. So the recap Peter has Jesus hopping to his boat.

He finished his teaching and he says, okay, I know you guys have been out all night, but go out. Just go out a little bit deeper. And he’s like, we just did that. But okay, because you said so. We’ll do it. They go out, they get so many fish that it’s sinking their boats, they can’t even handle it.

They have to get other guys to come. If you remember from Matt’s teaching a couple weeks ago, life is better when we take risks. And the pattern in the gospels of this call response and promise. So you are going to pick that up today in these stories. The call, first of all, was to go, go out, father, go fish in the deep.

They did that. So many fish. And then the second response was astonishment. Don’t be afraid. And they went and followed him. So what do we know about these disciples? These fishermen? They were respected for their skill to provide food, but they didn’t have any special respect or authority in the community. They likely weren’t the poorest of the poor because they had partners and people in their boating.

What about their history with Jesus? Jesus hops into Simon’s boat and he doesn’t freak out, indicating he had some familiarity with them. And we see in other a gospel accounts that Andrew and John likely met Jesus earlier in Judea as followers of John the Baptist. So they’re following John the Baptist. They see Jesus. They hear John the Baptist say, Behold the Lamb of God.

Peter was introduced to Jesus around the same time by Andrew. And we’re not sure about James, but they knew Jesus. This Rabbi, teacher and that term rabbi was informal at the time because they likely didn’t have those schools, but they knew he was some kind of teacher, some kind of leader who taught with authority and had mastery of Scripture, even though he himself had not gone through those three schools, likely.

In John seven, we see Jesus teaching at the Festival of the Tabernacles, and the Jews were there in a maze, and they said, how did this man get such learning without having been taught? And Simon Peter calls him Master. So they they knew who Jesus was to a degree. So what was their response? Doesn’t kick them out of the boat.

Though tired and skeptical, they do what he says. They put their boat out into deep water. Then they see the miracle and he responds by falling it. Jesus’s feet overwhelmed. It was the moment he went from knowing about Jesus. I know I’ve seen some stuff. I’ve heard some stuff. They knew about him. They knew about him. But now they knew him.

Go away from me, Lord. I am a sinful man. He realizes he’s in the presence of Holy and it humbles him. They are astonished not just at the miracle, but at Jesus’s power and holiness. Tozer says this the nearer we draw to God, the more unholy we feel, the nearer we draw to God, the more unholy we feel.

When Jesus stepped onto the scene, he was more than a Michael Jordan. He was Michael Jordan, plus a prophet, priest, plus the Messiah all at once. He was a category breaker. He was someone instantly and obviously different than anyone they’d ever met and seen. They recognize this is the Messiah. This is God in the flesh. This is God loves his people.

To God loves me. He chose me. He’s called me specifically out by name to follow him. His call is radical. It was authoritative and it was deeply personal. They surrendered everything not because they had to, or they felt compelled or guilty or pressured or stressed. They were compelled to. Life is better when we surrender to Jesus.

I don’t know that they fully understood that at the time. But later in John ten, we hear Jesus say, I have come. The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. But I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. I am the good shepherd. I’m the one you’ve been hearing about. He is calling them to a better life, not an easier life.

An abundant life full of the presence of God, overflowing with the presence of God and joy and purpose. Starting now and forever. It’s the inner richness of being known and loved by God that they would experience in their life, and that we can experience in our lives.

After this encounter in the book of John, I love how John says that he is the disciple that Jesus loved, and it’s easy to think, oh, he’s so braggy pants. But I think it’s pretty awesome that he knew that God loved him so much that he kept repeating like, he loves me, God loves me. And that is what compels us as believers into obedience, into surrender.

It’s not guilt, shame, fear. It’s the love of God that compels us to surrender. And we do. We see that life is so much better when we let go and surrender. In contrast, we’re going to look at the rich young ruler. I know Matt touched on him before when he talked about risks.

Let’s go to Luke chapter 18, starting in verse 18, a certain ruler asked him, good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? Why do you call me good? Jesus answered, no one is good except God alone. You know the commandments. You shall not commit murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You should not give to false testimony.

Honor your father and mother, all of those people commandments. And he said, all of these I’ve kept since I was a boy. When Jesus heard this, he said to them, you still lack one thing sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me. When he heard this, he became very sad because he was very wealthy.

Jesus looked at him and said, how hard is it for the rich to enter the kingdom of God? Indeed, it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God. Those who heard this asked, well, who then can be saved? Peter said to him, Jesus replied, what is impossible of man is impossible is possible with God.

Peter said to him, we’ve left all we had to follow. You. Truly I tell you. Jesus said to them, no one who has left home, or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, will fail to receive many times as much in this age and the age to come. Eternal life.

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So the recap the rich young ruler runs up to Jesus. There’s people around and Peter’s there, and he is coming up to say, what can I do to be good enough? What can I do to get into heaven? I’ve done all the things. I think I’ve got this, but what can I do? The first thing. Jesus, why do you call me good?

Only God is good. Are you saying you know who I am?

You know the commandments involving the people, right? Oh, yes. I followed all of them. Okay. You only have one thing you’re missing. What’s the one thing? Sell everything. Give it to the poor. Bummer. Jesus, I’m not doing that. That’s the one thing I won’t do. And Jesus says, yeah, I know it’s hard for rich people to enter the kingdom of heaven.

It’s really impossible without God. It’s easier for a camel to go through an eye of a needle. And that is such a weird analogy. Have you thought that in your head a camel passing through an eye of a needle? Well, I’m not a big camel girl like you probably haven’t had a lot of experience with camels or anything.

Maybe some of you rode one. That means you’re rich. If you paid to ride a camel. So I brought a demonstration so we could just check it out. I got this camel and this needle, and I got a needle with the biggest eye that I could find. And I really tried. And now imagine this is, like, 100 times bigger, because camels are bigger than this.

But it. There is 100%. No way that you can get a camel through the eye of a needle. It’s not possible.

Who can be saved then? Only through God. Is it possible now? We don’t know but a bunch about the rich young ruler. He’s only in this account in scripture. We don’t know that he has other experience with Jesus, but he must know something when he comes to Jesus. You’re the guy with the answers, so he knows something. What can I do?

Good teacher, he says he knows Jesus is a good teacher. He’s not a bad guy. In Mark’s account, he runs up and kneels and says, Jesus, what do I need to do? I’ll do anything I can sense this desperation.

I’ll do anything. And then he says, I’ve done it all. And then he says, okay, one thing I know you. One thing you lack. He’s probably thinking, I got this. What is it?

He says, sell everything. Give it to the poor. And he says, yes, Jesus. But not that. I’ll do everything you say, but not that I can’t do it. Bummer. So he walks away sad. It kind of reminds me of kids when they get bored. How many of you have ever been around bored kids, either in your house or in your job or in your life?

Yeah, look at that. They come to you and they’re bored. I have nothing to do. And you suggest all the things I’ve already done that I do. You go outside and play. I don’t want to. Why don’t you do this? I’ve done that. Okay, well, if you’re really bored, I have some chores that need attending to. I need help.

Not yet, but not that I’m not bored anymore. I’ll find something to do. I’m not doing that. I want to do something fun that doesn’t require any sacrifice. And that’s the rich young ruler. I will do anything as long as it doesn’t cost me something meaningful to me.

I will do anything but that. But what Richie Rich was missing.

The abundant life comes when we surrender to Jesus. Even when it’s something hard to surrender, something we think is giving us joy and contentment and happiness. And it’s good in my life, and I’m going to hold on to it. Jesus is way is better. Surrendering to Jesus is better. So we’ve looked at the call, the response. Now let’s talk about the promise.

I like this message. Paraphrase of it in Luke 18 says, those who heard this said, then who has any chance at all? Jesus says, no chance at all, no shot. If you think you can pull it off by yourself every chance in the world. If you trust. I’m sorry. Let me rephrase that. There’s no chance at all if you think you can pull it off by yourself.

Every chance in the world. If you think God can do it, if you allow God to do it, that’s your chance. Yes, said Jesus, and you won’t regret it. No one who is sacrificed home, spouse, brother, sisters, parents, children fill in the blank boredom, wealth, bitterness, entitlement, addictions. No one who gives that up is going to lose out on life.

It will all come back multiplied many times over in your lifetime. And then the bonus eternal life. Life is better when we surrender to Jesus now. And then the bonus, the eternal life. So what does that mean for us today? What does that look like for Peter and the others? It meant walking away from their livelihood and trusting Jesus for the rich man, it meant releasing his security.

This is not saying that everyone needs to do that. Not everyone needs to give up their careers and do something different. To follow Jesus does not mean you have to give up fishing. It’s not saying you have to give up all your money. In fact, that’s the only time in scripture we see that call. We see it was a key.

Zacchaeus says. He offers it. He says, I’ll give half. And Jesus says, you’re good. He doesn’t say, well, no, that’s not enough, because Jesus meets us where we’re at with what we need to experience that abundant life. For us, surrender could mean letting go of pride, ambition. Alcohol addiction. A relationship that is not honoring to God. Sin. But it actually could mean your job or your money.

I think it’s really fun to look at the rich young ruler story and be like, that’s cool. I don’t have to worry about that. That’s a really neat story. And that was that guy thing. But it’s not my thing because I love the Lord and I give and I do the things. Well, let me tell you what this look like.

As I prepared to teach this passage about a month ago, we got a letter in the mail from some people that we support in ministry. We’ve been supporting them monthly for years, and it was kind of a mayday letter that they needed extra support, that they were having a medical crisis with multiple people in their family, and all of a sudden, their support had waned because the guy was transitioning.

Long story short, they needed money. And so I said to my husband, wow, that is a lot that they are going through and a lot of stress. And they’ve been faithful to God in ministry for so long. I said, I haven’t tithed from my my essay money yet, so one of my jobs is that I help high school students with their college essays.

And this is the season. Obviously, right now it’s winding down, but I’m in the thick of it. And so I said, I can I’ll go look at my essay money and get from that. So a few days later, I go into my spreadsheet and I calculate my money, and I see, what, 10% is. And I think, gosh, that is not very much compared to what they’re going through.

They have nothing and they have all the stress that doesn’t feel like a lot, but.

And then I hear God say to me. Give it all. And I was like the rich young ruler. And I said, yeah, but not that I’ll do 10%, but not, not give it all. You’re not. That’s the rich young ruler story. That’s not my story. And I hear God say, Wendy, give it all. And I start feeling upset and I start thinking about all the plans I had for that money.

How? God, how could you ask that for me? I’ve worked so many hours and I worked so hard for that. And I have plans. I don’t want to give it all. Yes, Jesus. But not that. But I do have the Holy Spirit and living inside of me. Praise God that I have a God who loves me and knows me and speaks to me and has intimacy, and it is so much better.

I know this from history. In my own life. Life is so much better when we surrender and I know this is what I have to do. And so I’m having this wrestling match in my head and I decide, okay, I gotta call my husband right now before I talk myself out of this, that this is no, this isn’t that just because I’m studying the rich young ruler?

It doesn’t really apply to me. And I’ll. And then I’m cry, I’m sobbing. And I’m then thinking, well, am I crying because I’m so selfish? Or am I crying because the Holy Spirit is moving me? What is happening? So I call my husband and he says, well, you know what you gotta do? God’s telling you to do that.

You got to do that. And this is the guy that has just said, we need to tighten up the spending. We got to where did it, you know? And he’s like, well, if God says it. And I knew he was going to say that.

And he said, well, if you don’t think it’s from God, you. And if you’re not sure, then pray about it the next 24 hours and ask for confirmation and seek the Lord and make sure that you’re hearing his voice. I was like, yeah, like, I need to do that. It’s not my voice. This is not Satan telling me like, this is from God and I know it.

I don’t really need to pray more. And so I did it. And I’m not telling you this story because, yeah, as me. Typically we try and give without the right hand knowing the left in this situation, we had to give and they would know it was from us. But I share this with you to show you a modern day picture of what it looks like to surrender, even when it’s hard and when it’s not your idea, and something that’s not fun.

But the beauty of an intimate relationship with God. Life is so much better when we surrender. And right away after we sent that, when they got word of it, they texted and said, I, we don’t have any words. You don’t know how much this has encouraged us and blessed us physically and in our faith, and that we feel seen and loved and valued by God.

And to give that gift is way better than the plans I had for that money. Life is so much better when you surrender to the God of the universe, who loves you and knows you. This world can be really terrible, and there is sin that has come into our world, and causes caused so much division and brokenness and hatred and bitterness, and we don’t have to be a part of that.

We can surrender that. We can be the hope and the joy and a light to this broken, fallen world as we surrender to Jesus, not on our own, on our own. It’s impossible. But with God all things are possible. So my ask for you this morning is what are you clinging to? C.S. Lewis says, you will never know the fullness of Christ until you stop clinging to all that is not Christ.

What are you clinging to? Are you bitter? About Jesus because of people in the church? Are you holding on to old wounds from somebody that was a Christian? Because yeah, Christians can be jerks, and sometimes Christians can say they’re Christian. And you’re like, I don’t really see any fruit. Are they really a Christian? Regardless, Jesus is saying, come to me, surrender.

Maybe you’re holding onto that addiction that you don’t think is an addiction and that you don’t want to give up because how are you going to get out through life if you don’t have this thing that brings you temporary joy and it’s finally time to say, I’m done with it and I need help, I’m going to let go of this substance addiction, this pornography addiction, this addiction to this unhealthy, toxic relationship that is not honoring to God.

Let it go. Life is better when we surrender to Jesus. Maybe you have never let Jesus in your boat at all. Maybe you come to church because you have to and your heart is like, no, I’m not doing that. And Jesus today is calling you to come. Or maybe he’s calling you to come back because your heart has been hardened by the world.

Jesus is calling you home today. I don’t want you to leave today without calling your husband, so to speak. You’re like, I don’t have a husband. It’s analogy like I had to call to stay in that accountability. Tell somebody if there’s something God is during to you to surrender. You got to tell somebody because life is better when we surrender.

So as the band comes up and plays this last song, we’re going to worship together and they’re going to be people in the back available to pray with you. I would love it if you would stand up and go pray your surrender prayer with that person. Either the first time to surrender to Jesus or the thing that you need to name that you need to surrender.

I’m going to hustle back there and be available for prayer as well. I would challenge you to get up out of your seat and go do that and ask for the courage and the strength to do it. But it starts with I surrender. I surrender so close with me in prayer, and then we’ll go into our worship.

Lord, I thank you that you are real and you are alive and active and living in us, and that you’ve given us Your Holy Spirit to convict us, to challenge us, to speak to us, to love us. I pray for anyone here who is still resisting your call, Lord, that they would know that you love them and you want to give them abundant life now and forever.

I pray that today would be their day, and I pray for anyone who’s holding on to something they know they shouldn’t. They would obey that they would not walk away. Sad today that they would say, yes, I am surrendering this to you in Jesus name, Amen.