Intro:

The theme of this sermon series:

Philippians 3:7-10.

⁷But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ ⁹and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. ¹⁰I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death

We need to…

“Becoming Like Christ”

“Because Being Like Me Just Aint Gonna Cut It”

This week:

Becoming like Christ means we need to surrender like Christ

How do we surrender?

Hebrews 12:1-3

¹Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. ²Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

1. We need to have faith to surrender

 We are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses (verse 1)

-         We have a large group of people who have lived before our time and put their lives In His hands

o       They have been their and done that…it works

§        When we have faith and are willing to do anything God asks us to do, amazing things can happen

§        Look at the list in chapter 11 and see for yourself.

-         They trusted in God

-         We have to trust in him radically as these people trusted in Him

-         Put your life in His hands

let us throw off everything that hinders (verse 1)

-         If we are going to have faith in Jesus, we have to let go of some things first.

o       We can’t say we are trusting Him if we are taking Him for a ride in our driver’s ed car

§        Ever push on the brakes that are not there?

-         We remember what Jesus did for us and that causes us to let go of everything for the sake of following Him

o       It is a willingness to leave everything behind

o       A willingness to trust your stuff when it is not in your direct control

§        Are you a control freak?

-         When we hold on to things, we are hindering the race

o       Set it down next to the court and come back to it later

and the sin that so easily entangles (verse 1) 

-         the text is written in a way that the sin is expressing a specific sin. 

-         What specific sin? 

o       The sin of unbelief. 

o       The sin is placed in contrast to the men of faith listed in the previous chapter.

To let go of our unbelief and to have total faith in Jesus means…

…letting go of everything we feel is important or even necessary for the sake of trusting God as being in control of your life.

We can’t be in control.  Only God can. 

(Sometimes God takes things away from us so we have to trust in him)

Psalm 20:7.  Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

2. We need to be a student of Jesus as we surrender

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus (verse 2)

-         As we run (as we are running) the race, we are fixing our eyes on Jesus

o       Jesus is the goal we are running for but He is also the example

-         If we want to be good at shooting free-throws, we shoot free throws until we get it right, until it comes “natural”

-         not that it ever comes natural, it really comes through hard work and perseverance

-         As we run the race (the marathon) we study Christ, we imitate him, we do the things He did, we live as He lived, we model our life after His life

Philippians 2:5-8.

⁵Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
 ⁶Who, being in very nature God,
      did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
 ⁷but made himself nothing,
      taking the very nature of a servant,
      being made in human likeness.
 ⁸And being found in appearance as a man,
      he humbled himself
      and became obedient to death—
         even death on a cross!

He made Himself nothing (verse 7)

-         Jesus voluntarily gave up the independent use of His divine attributes. 

-         He did nothing without God’s guidance, without His permission. 

Taking the very nature of a servant (verse 7)

-         Jesus was a slave of God’s will. 

-         Jesus was obedient to God as a slave would be to his master, except for the fact that Jesus did it willingly, obediently, and out of love. 

-         Example: When our boss asks us to do something, we sometimes throw a fit and fight it.  When I’m in college people complain because it is too hard.  I want to say grow up.

o       Your boss is paying you to work for him,   You do what he says…you work for him, not him for you. 

§        As a boss, he owes you nothing.  And yet we want to be the boss.

-         We’ve got to let God be the boss and do whatever He asks of us.

o       That is true surrender.

Example: Has god ever asked you to do something totally crazy and you did not do it?  If so, you’ve missed an amazing opportunity to experience life based on faith. 

-         A life of total faith and obedience is totally out of your control.

o       Nothing you do is up to you. 

§        But that is ok because God always does what is best for you if you do what He says. 

Example: When was the last time God told you to do something and you did it 100% and you got burned???  Not gonna happen.

He humbled himself and became obedient to death (verse 8)

Luke 2:42.  "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."

-         Jesus took his surrender to the extreme and so should we

Today,

we are talking about letting go of those things that are keeping you from running the race, becoming like Christ, but more importantly…

…we are talking about totally surrendering your life (all of it) to Jesus.

Surrender is not easy.  The selfish side of us wants to fight to keep control at first. 

It is like a bad addiction, it seems like it would be the easier/ better thing to do to just keep up with the addiction but to overcome the addiction/ the other side is much better. 

It feels like things are getting worse as your body rejects the addiction/selfishness, but in the long run, you are setting yourself free, living a more fulfilled life.  You are gaining a life without heavy breathing and the shakes.

Some Practical suggestion of how you can start surrendering today:

A. Let go of your stuff

-         Give it to God in prayer

-         Tell Him He is the owner. Treat the stuff as if it is all His. 

-         Ask, “God, what do you want me to do with all your stuff?”

-         Sometimes that means He is telling you to give your stuff away.

o       Give away your new bible. 

o       The more we are faithful with his stuff, the more he will trust us with

o       Matthew 25:21.  "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

o       Example:   A successful investor gains more clients.  A bad investor goes out of business soon.

B. Let go of your plans

Proverbs 3:5-6.

⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

James 4:13-15. 

¹³Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." ¹⁴Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. ¹⁵Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."

-         Plan wisely but be ready for God to change your plans

-         Be watching for God to show you hints that He wants to change your schedule, your career.

Example:  Are you in a dead-end job?  Is God calling you to do something big but you are afraid to move in that direction because you think it will never work out? 

Remember this: if God’s plan is for you to do great things than you need to step out in faith and follow His plans.  You do your part and He will do his.  He will provide a way.

-         Sometimes god changes our plans and we get mad because he did not let us know ahead of time. 

-         We just have to trust that he knows what he is doing.

Let go of your people

-         Some of us are more focused on and cling to family, to people we care about more than our relationship with Jesus. 

-         Our greater family holds us back. 

-         Be the person God wants you to be regardless if your family is on board or not (do it in the right way).

-         We can’t control people.  We have to trust that God is in control.  He knows what is best.

-         We try to put others lives in our hands and that controls our lives.  We become slaves to that and it weighs us down. 

-         We need to ask God to show us how to relate to our people and do it and then let it go.

-         We cant carry the world on our shoulders.

Matthew 19:29.  And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.

People are important but they always come in second to Jesus and His will

Time of Response / Time of Prayer