March 11, 2001
Sermon by Rev. Laurel Bobb
Have you ever wrestled with someone larger or
stronger than you? Do you know what it feels like to have no hope of competing,
let alone winning and all that’s left to do is cry, "Uncle?" That is the essence
of surrender. Today’s 50-Day Spiritual Adventure topic is to surrender to the
truth of God’s Word.
Many in our society don’t feel that there is ultimate truth, and yet they are willing to talk about Newton’s laws or the laws of nature that are universal truths. We Christians assert that there is only one really ultimate truth, that it is found in God as revealed in Jesus Christ and as recorded in Scripture, and that how we relate to that ultimate truth makes a difference for our lives both now and in eternity. There is a definite right path in life; we find that path and direction taught in Scripture.
But there are those who don’t like to stop and as for directions no matter how lost they may be. We’ve probably all ridden with someone like that, or maybe you are someone like that. It just galls you to have to admit you don’t know where you are or how to get where you want to go, and you really don’t like having someone else tell you where to go. If we are wise, however, we humble ourselves and admit that we do need help to get where we want to go and not waste time in the process, but often it takes us being so disoriented that we have no recourse except to ask for directions.
Our Gospel lesson tells of someone who got lost and needed to find his way back. He knew the route and chose to walk away from it. In that respect he was worse off than someone who just wanders off and gets lost. We also are the ones who and know the way we should be traveling because we have the Scriptures, so it is sad when we are unwilling to check for directions in God’s Word, just like it is sad that the prodigal son disregarded the path he knew he should be taking.
What did it take for the boy in our Gospel to admit he needed help, that he was lost and couldn’t make it on his own? It took a famine and being out of work, out of friends, and out of money. In order for him to realize his lostness he had to be humbled, and that is exactly what happened. The good little Jewish boy was feeding unclean swine and he knew their lot in life was better than his--at least they had food. But finally Scripture tells us he came to himself. In other words he came to his senses. He realized that he needed to be in relationship with and responsible to his father. We also must realize we need to have a relationship with God.
That is the first step in surrendering to God’s Word--becoming open to God, being spiritually receptive; sometimes it takes our being humbled as the lost son was. We are encountered by God and come to understand our plight. We begin to realize that with God things could be so much better. We can be encountered by God through the preached word, through reading Scripture, through some life situation, or through another person. Once we hear it, we need to be willing to admit that this word is speaking to us and be open to applying it in our lives.
This brings us to the next step which is being willing to be obedient to the received Word. Once the prodigal admitted his situation, he knew what he had to do. He had to confess his sin, both to God and to the one he had wronged. So the boy planned to go and see his father and confess how wrong he had been.
When we sin we also need to repair the relationships that our sin has broken. Reading Scripture helps us come to ourselves. It reveals who we are in the light of God’s truth and perfection. According to Neil Anderson, "Since Satan’s primary weapon is the lie, your defense against him is the truth. Dealing with Satan is not a power encounter, it’s a truth encounter. When you expose Satan’s lie with God’s truth, his power is broken. . . . Satan’s lie cannot withstand truth any more than the darkness of night can withstand the light of the rising sun." [Adventure Implementation Manual, p. B. 165] Once we know the truth we can be free from harboring the old sins and patterns of behavior we have developed. The Bible often drives us not only to God, but to our brothers and sisters whom we have wronged. We can humble ourselves and admit that we have hurt another by what we have done or by what we have failed to do. We can plan to go and make ammends.
Next comes the hard part--the implementation of the confession plan. In our Gospel the boy sets out to go to his father to confess his sin. He wanted to restore a relationship even though he never hoped it would be the same kind of relationship he’d had at one time. He knew that whatever kind of relationship he would have would be better than the situation in which he had been living.
We, too, need to desire to restore the relationship with God and our brothers and sisters. We do that by actually going to God in prayer and physically communicating with those whom we have wronged.
The young man in our story got a real surprise, however, as he was attempting to make his confession. He found that his father was already seeking for him. He didn’t have to ask; the father restored the relationship before he could even get his confession out of his mouth.
God is like that for us as well, even though those we have hurt may not be as generous, still the Living Word wants to heal broken relationships and bind up the hurts. He can only do that however, when we are willing. We must desire that relationship. Surrendering to the truth of God’s Word involves us wanting to get intimate with the Living Word. God is seeking for us when we stray. He’s just waiting for us to realize he’s been there with us all the time. God wants nothing less than to have that kind of close relationship with us. He covets our prayers and our praises. He wants to forgive and cleanse us, which brings us to the final point that surrendering to the truth of God’s Word means transformation.
In Luke, the son is treated like a king. The father puts shoes on his feet, clothes on his back, and a ring on his finger. He throws a party in honor of this wayward, now returned son. The young man’s status is radically altered. He goes from being a nothing to somebody special with all the privileges of sonship restored.
God does the same thing for us. When we repent of our sin and return to God we are given the royal robe of Christ’s righteousness, we are given the keys of the Kingdom, we are presented with all the blessings and spiritual gifts we can handle. We find the place God reserved for us at the outset of creation. We find our debt has been erased by Jesus who sacrificed himself for us on the cross. His resurrection in power privileges us with all the benefits he earned. He readily shares them with us.
But we don’t want to always have to be falling so we can repent and have our relationship with God restored, it would be nice to try to follow those things that God wants us to do in the first place. That is what our 50-Day Adventure is hoping to help us do. We can be transformed by the renewing of our minds as well as by repentance. When we allow God’s Word to live in our hearts, it helps to shape our thoughts and actions. It wouldn’t have done the young man in our text any good to be restored and still to be living like he did when he was with the pigs. His address had changed so his life needed to change to be fitting for a son.
The same is true for us; we need to have our lives reflect our new reality. Our minds need to be renewed. One way of doing this is to read and memorize Scripture. It’s not really all that difficult. Pick a verse or two that speaks to some problem or challenge you face. Read it over several times a day, maybe writing it on a note card will help; or for those of you who are musically inclined, set that verse to a familiar tune and sing it to yourself. I have several of these song verses that I use to help get me through tough days. Take time to meditate on the verses and to use them in your prayers. If you need a specific formula you can use the trip method that comes with our daily texts--for what does this verse cause you to thank God, for what does this verse cause you to repent, for what does this verse cause you to intercede, and finally for what purpose do you think God had in you reading that verse? What is God calling you to do?
When we surrender to the truth of God’s Word we will be following all these steps and our relationship with our heavenly Father will grow. As an additional benefit our relationship with others will be transformed as well. Some will be glad that we can finally admit when we’re wrong, but others will reject us because they cannot admit that there is ultimate truth in God’s Word, for then they too would have to wrestle with it and they don’t want to cry, "Uncle." But think about it, would you rather be a lost and wandering soul and think you’re the master of your fate, or would you rather be treated like royalty? For me there’s no contest. The catch is to be included in the royal family we must surrender to the truth of God’s Word.
So I am more than willing to cry, "Uncle."
How about you?
Copyright 2001 by Rev. Laurel Bobb