What Does it Really Mean to Surrender to Jesus?

What Does It Really Mean to Surrender to Jesus?

Sometimes the most powerful moments with God don’t happen according to plan.

This Sunday was one of those mornings.

Pastor Justin came prepared with a full sermon, but as people responded to the Holy Spirit
during worship, the direction of the service changed.

Prayer filled the altars. People were seeking God. The Holy Spirit was drawing hearts toward
Jesus.

Instead of moving on simply because there was a sermon to preach, Pastor Justin stayed in the
moment and began speaking about something that was already happening throughout the
room:

Surrender.

For some people, surrender meant taking a first step toward Jesus.

For others, it meant laying down something they had been carrying for years.

And for seven people that morning, it meant making a decision to surrender their lives to Christ.

Why Do We Run From What We Don’t Understand?

For someone who is new to church, encountering the work of the Holy Spirit can raise
questions.

What is happening?
Is this biblical?
Is this for me?

Those questions aren’t something to be ashamed of.

Pastor Justin encouraged people not to run from something simply because they don’t
understand it yet. Instead, search Scripture. Ask questions. Seek God.

A genuine move of the Holy Spirit will always draw people closer to Jesus.

The Holy Spirit doesn’t force us to respond, though.

He invites.

At some point, we have to decide whether we’re willing to take a step toward Him.

And sometimes that first step is simply praying:

God, if You’ve got it for me, I want it.

Why Can’t I Fix Myself Before Coming to God?

Many people approach Jesus with an invisible checklist.

I’ll come to God when I stop doing this.

I’ll get serious about church when I fix that.

I’ll surrender when my life isn’t such a mess.

But there’s a problem.

We can’t free ourselves from the very things holding us captive.

As Pastor Justin told the church:

“You’ll never get past it by yourself. You’ll never get past it on your own.”

That’s why the Gospel isn’t a self-improvement plan.

Jesus doesn’t stand at the finish line waiting for us to become good enough to approach Him.

He meets us where we are.

Repentance means bringing what has separated us from God into the light, turning away from it,
and trusting Jesus with what we could never overcome alone.

Sometimes We Need to Surrender Our Religion Too

Sin isn’t the only thing that can keep us from experiencing everything God has for us.

Sometimes it’s religion.
Tradition.
Expectations.

The belief that God must move the way we’ve always seen Him move.

We can become so comfortable with what God did before that we resist what He’s doing now.

Pastor Justin pointed to Moses as an example. In one moment, God instructed Moses to strike
a rock. Later, God told him to speak to the rock.

The God performing the miracle hadn’t changed.

His instructions had.

If we’re determined that God must always work according to our expectations, we can miss what
He’s doing right in front of us.

Surrender says:

God, not my way. Yours.

What Does a Surrendered Life Look Like?

One line Pastor Justin planned to preach became especially important during the service:

“We do not disciple people by pretending to be perfect. We disciple them by
showing them what a life surrendered to Jesus looks like.”

That distinction matters.

Christianity isn’t about convincing everyone around us that we’ve got everything together.

It’s about showing people what Jesus can do with a surrendered life.

We still need grace.
We still need forgiveness.
We still need the Holy Spirit.
We still have areas where God is transforming us.

Our testimony isn’t, “Look how perfect I became.”

It’s, “Look what Jesus has done.”

Surrender Begins at the End of Yourself

During the service, Pastor Justin drew attention to the word surrendered and the word sitting
right in the middle of it:

END.

Then he explained what surrender requires.

We come to the end of ourselves.

It’s the moment when we finally admit:

My way isn’t working.
I can’t save myself.
I can’t heal myself.
I can’t carry this anymore.
I need Jesus.

The world often tells us to trust ourselves, follow our feelings, and do whatever seems right.

The Gospel calls us somewhere different.

It calls us to lay our lives down and follow Christ.

Do I Have to Understand Everything Before Following Jesus?

No.

One of the strongest messages from this service was that the Gospel is for whosoever will
come.

Some believers have followed Jesus for decades.

Others are taking their first steps.

Some understand spiritual gifts and the work of the Holy Spirit.

Others are hearing about them for the first time.

None of that changes the invitation.

John 3:16 doesn’t reserve eternal life for people who have Christianity completely figured out.

The invitation is for whosoever believes.

You can ask questions while pursuing Jesus.

You can search Scripture.
You can grow.
You can learn.

You don’t have to know everything before taking the first step.

You Don’t Have to Pretend to Be Perfect

One of religion’s most damaging lies is that acceptance requires perfection.

It doesn’t.

As Pastor Justin reminded the church:

“You’re not looking at a bunch of perfect people in this room. You’re looking
at a bunch of forgiven people in this room.”

That’s the Gospel.

We don’t approach God based on our righteousness.

We approach Him because of Jesus.

Ephesians teaches that we’re saved by grace through faith, not by our own works.

Romans teaches that when we confess Jesus as Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised
Him from the dead, we will be saved.

Jesus did what we couldn’t.
Our response is surrender.

Seven People Said Yes to Jesus

As the service came to a close, Pastor Justin gave people an opportunity to respond.

He asked anyone who wanted to surrender their life to Jesus to raise their hand.

One hand went up.
Then another.
Then another.

By the end, at least seven people had publicly indicated that they were choosing to follow
Jesus.

The church celebrated as Pastor Justin prayed over those decisions and invited each person to
confess Jesus, receive His forgiveness, and begin walking in the new life He offers.

Those who responded were also encouraged to immediately take their next steps through
Forward Church’s 21-day new believer journey and prepare for the upcoming Baptism Sunday.

Because surrender isn’t the finish line.

It’s the beginning.

Closing

Maybe you’ve spent years trying to get past something on your own.

Maybe you’ve convinced yourself that you’ll come to God when you’re better.

Maybe religion, tradition, shame, or your past has made you believe that what God offers is
available to everyone except you.

The Gospel says otherwise.

It’s a whosoever message.

Jesus isn’t asking you to fix everything before coming to Him.

He’s asking you to surrender.

Bring Him the questions.
Bring Him the failure.
Bring Him the shame.
Bring Him the things you can’t overcome.
Bring Him your whole life.

And come to the end of yourself.

Because surrender isn’t where your life ends.

With Jesus, it’s where new life begins.