Embracing Community and Surrendering to God's Will

Devotional

Day 1: Community as a Reflection of Christ's Love

Engaging in community events like the Easter egg hunt is more than just fun; it's an opportunity to show love and invite others to experience the hope of Christ. Our actions can be a powerful testimony of God's love. By participating in these events, we not only strengthen our bonds within the church but also extend an invitation to those outside to witness the love and grace that Christ offers. This week, as you prepare for the egg-packing party and the Easter egg hunt, consider how your involvement can be a beacon of hope and love to those around you. [01:06:11]

"Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." (Philippians 2:4, ESV)

Reflection: Who in your community can you reach out to this week to invite to the Easter events? How can you show them the love of Christ through your actions?

Day 2: Embracing God's Will Over Personal Desires

Jesus' prayer in the garden, "Not my will, but yours be done," challenges us to prioritize God's will over our own desires. This surrender is not about comfort but about fulfilling God's purpose in our lives. In moments of decision, we are called to trust in God's plan, even when it diverges from our own. As you reflect on this, consider how you can align your daily choices with God's will, seeking His guidance and wisdom in all things. [01:14:05]

"And he said, 'Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.'" (Mark 14:36, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you find yourself holding back from surrendering to Jesus? What would surrendering this area to Him actually look like in terms of daily habits?

Day 3: The Depth of Jesus' Sacrificial Love

Jesus' willingness to suffer for humanity exemplifies ultimate love and sacrifice. He was not a victim but a willing participant in God's redemptive plan, showing us the depth of His love. This profound act of love calls us to live lives fully surrendered to God's will, echoing Jesus' prayer, "Not my will, but yours be done." As you meditate on this, let the weight of Jesus' sacrifice transform your understanding of love and devotion. [01:18:28]

"But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5, ESV)

Reflection: How does understanding the depth of Jesus' sacrifice change the way you view your own acts of love and service towards others?

Day 4: Extending Grace in the Face of Betrayal

Despite being betrayed and denied by those He came to save, Jesus remained silent and submissive, allowing grace to speak louder than defense. This teaches us to extend grace even in difficult situations. In moments of conflict or betrayal, we are called to respond with grace, reflecting the character of Christ. Consider how you can embody this grace in your interactions, choosing to forgive and love even when it is challenging. [01:21:19]

"When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly." (1 Peter 2:23, ESV)

Reflection: Think of someone in your life you need to forgive. Can you ask God to help you begin to extend His love and forgiveness to them today?

Day 5: Living a Life Fully Devoted to God's Will

Understanding the weight of Jesus' sacrifice should transform how we live, prompting us to respond with a life fully devoted to God's will. This devotion impacts our choices and interactions with others, calling us to be a community that embodies grace, love, and devotion. As you reflect on this, consider how your life can be a testament to the hope and love found in Christ, pointing others to the cross. [01:35:00]

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." (Romans 12:1, ESV)

Reflection: What specific steps can you take this week to live a life more fully devoted to God's will, and how can this devotion influence your interactions with others?

Sermon Summary

Good morning, Church of Sunday! As we gather today, I want to share the joy of community and the importance of our upcoming events. We are entering the Easter season, a time to reflect on the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This week, we have several opportunities to serve and connect with our community, starting with our egg-packing party on Wednesday at 6 p.m. We aim to pack thousands of eggs for our Easter egg hunt on Saturday, April 12th. This event is not just about fun and games; it's a chance to show love to our community and invite them to our Good Friday and Easter Sunday services.

Next Sunday, we will celebrate Palm Sunday with a special baptism service. It's a time to witness the commitment of individuals, young and old, dedicating their lives to Christ. We will also honor Pastor Robin, who was recently ordained, and celebrate with cake and fellowship after the service.

As we reflect on the message from Isaiah 53:5, we are reminded of Jesus as the suffering servant. He bore our transgressions and iniquities, bringing us peace through His sacrifice. Jesus' life exemplifies surrender to God's will, even in the face of suffering. He chose to endure the cross, not as a victim, but as a willing sacrifice for our sins. This profound act of love calls us to live lives fully surrendered to God's will, echoing Jesus' prayer, "Not my will, but yours be done."

In our daily lives, we face trials and challenges. The question is, will we choose to surrender like Jesus, trusting in God's plan over our own desires? As we prepare for Easter, let us reflect on the weight and wonder of Jesus' sacrifice and how it transforms our lives. May we be a community that embodies grace, love, and devotion, pointing others to the cross and the hope found in Christ.

Key Takeaways

1. Community and Service: Engaging in community events like the Easter egg hunt is more than just fun; it's an opportunity to show love and invite others to experience the hope of Christ. Our actions can be a powerful testimony of God's love. [66:11]
2. Surrender to God's Will: Jesus' prayer in the garden, "Not my will, but yours be done," challenges us to prioritize God's will over our own desires. This surrender is not about comfort but about fulfilling God's purpose in our lives. [74:05]
3. The Suffering Servant: Jesus' willingness to suffer for humanity exemplifies ultimate love and sacrifice. He was not a victim but a willing participant in God's redemptive plan, showing us the depth of His love. [78:28]
4. Grace in Betrayal: Despite being betrayed and denied by those He came to save, Jesus remained silent and submissive, allowing grace to speak louder than defense. This teaches us to extend grace even in difficult situations. [81:19]
5. Living a Life of Devotion: Understanding the weight of Jesus' sacrifice should transform how we live, prompting us to respond with a life fully devoted to God's will. This devotion impacts our choices and interactions with others. [01:35:00]
** [95:00]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[05:00] - Announcements and Humor
[10:00] - Easter Egg Hunt and Community Outreach
[15:00] - Palm Sunday and Baptism Celebration
[20:00] - Honoring Pastor Robin
[25:00] - Prayer and Worship
[30:00] - The Suffering Servant
[35:00] - Jesus' Sacrifice and Our Response
[40:00] - Surrendering to God's Will
[45:00] - Grace in Betrayal
[50:00] - Living a Life of Devotion
[55:00] - Closing Prayer and Offering
[60:00] - Final Announcements and Dismissal

Sermon Clips

In your bulletin, you'll see just stuff that's coming up, and believe it or not, we are right on the Easter season. It doesn't feel like it. It doesn't feel like it should be April, but it is, right? And so we have an Easter egg hunt this coming Saturday, and this is one of those all hands on deck as we serve our community, and we love on our children here. As you see, we have a group of kids up front, and we have a group of kids in the back, right? We have children throughout the sanctuary, and so we want to make sure they have a great Easter season as well, along with the kids in our community. [00:15:58]

And then on Saturday, April 12th at 10 a .m., we will be having our Easter egg hunt. And so from 10 to 11, we'll do games and crafts. At 11 a .m. is when we open the floodgates of children to go get some candy, right? And the whole goal of this event, right, is to love on our community and point them back to Jesus. And one of the reasons why we did it earlier this year was that we have time to personally invite them for our Good Friday services and our Easter Sunday service, and it gives them a little bit more than just a day notice, right, to join us. [00:19:47]

Father, we thank you for this time we thank you for allowing us to get together to get together today as a family Father I ask that you slow us down that you help us to truly enjoy fellowship together and worship you Father I honestly believe that you have something special in store for us today and so Father we don't need our permission but we're asking you to move in this place we're asking you to pour out your spirit on this property to pour your spirit onto our lives we are surrendered to you we are humbly going before you and we're asking for you to move in our lives and so Father as we worship together we ask that you do that that you speak to us that you minister to us Father we ask that you do that and we pray these things in your glorious name Jesus amen let's worship together [00:21:28]

Father, we come to you in prayer right now father we need a touch of your presence we need a refreshing touch of you today father I feel like you're right there it requires your people to call out on your name and father we are united in a cause for you father we are united in calling out the name of Jesus the name that is above all names the king of kings father we need you today father we need you in every aspect of our life we need you Jesus father we're asking that you pour out your holy spirit presence on this place father grab a hold of us change us for the better father you have called your people to be holy and just in your eyes you've called us to live a life that is different than the world but father you've also you've called us to be surrendered to you surrender to your holy spirit's presence father we ask that you search our hearts today and father if there is sin if there's things that have come between us in you father I ask that you reveal that to us right now and that you give us the courage to ask for forgiveness of those sins to join together with our brothers and sisters that are doing the same that are earnestly seeking your face father we need you today the people of god are only able to do what you've called us to do when you are in our lives in a bold way father help us today [00:41:38]

Father, in the scriptures we see a moment and the scripture says that even if we don't cry out if we don't yell if we don't sing the songs of praises to you that the rocks will that the trees will that nature will cry out the glories of the lord father I don't want to be outdone by a rock I don't want to be outdone by nature father you have created us in your image for a purpose we get to choose we get to choose to follow you or not we get to choose to be fully surrendered or not father I don't want the people of god to be people that are not fully devoted followers of you I don't want us to be just people that are good and we live a good moral life I want us to be people that are on our knees praying and worshiping our father in heaven for what you are doing in the world around us that we are praising you in the midst of the storms in the hardships of life that we are lifting up your name and we are pointing people to the cross we are pointing to Jesus father we need you today we need your glorious and we are pointing people to the cross to the cross and we need your família and we are pointing people to the cross Thank you. [00:43:49]

You see this moment in the scriptures and Isaiah is talking about Jesus and what you see this theme in the chapter is talking about not how awesome and powerful and how he's going to be this powerful king with multiple armies or anything like that. It's talking about how Jesus is going to suffer for us. How the Messiah was going to suffer for the people of God. It's because Jesus is the suffering servant. He's the king that gave up everything in heaven for the people that he loved. [01:07:00]

the good news is that jesus didn't help us to just escape the suffering it's that he entered we that he entered into it and overcame it for us that people humanity was going to suffer and jesus didn't go there just to be in suffering with us that he went there so that he could overcome the suffering that he could defeat death that he could defeat sin for the people that he loved and that's the story that we see in the scriptures there's this moment in the scriptures and it's near the end of jesus's life life and he's in this this this uh uh in the garden right and it says he went up there on the mount of olives as usual and his disciples followed him and on reaching this place he said to them pray that you will not fall into temptation the scripture continues though right it says he withdrew just about a stone's throw away and before them he knelt down and he prayed he said father if you are willing take this cup from me yet not my will but yours be done not my will but your will be done an angel from heaven appeared to him and it strengthened him then he in in being in anguish he prayed more earnestly his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground and when he rose from prayer he went back to his disciples and he followed them asleep you can see here that some of these kids just heard this story like he and he they were asleep exhausted from sorrow he said to them why are you sleeping get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation we see in this moment right in the scriptures jesus is humanity we see that he truly was all man and all god and in this moment of being of humanity he is there and he knows the job that's in front of him he knows the work that must be done but he's scared so he's there and he's praying he's talking to his dad he's like dad if if if this can pass take it from me but then he says these words that i've done my best to live by not my will but your will be done lord it's not about my comfort it's not about me being in the place that i want to be it's not about me doing the things that i want to do it's about doing your will not my will father but your will be done we see that even in his humanity in his him not wanting to feel the pain that jesus submitted to the will of the father and he gives us this perfect example of how we are to do the same we see here that when we face trials when we face trials are we willing to surrender like jesus and say not my will be yours it's a question that we have to ask ourself are we going to face the trials of life and are we going to no lord i'm going to do what i want to do no lord i'm tired and so i'm going to go to sleep no lord i'm going to do what i want to do or are we going to listen to the father are we going to submit ourself to the father and say not our will but his jesus was preparing the disciples there right he was preparing the disciples yes enterprise that was a very nice car i forgot to shut this off at the service that we've had don't you love phones and text messaging you see that the disciples are there and jesus is there speaking into his father he's praying to his father [01:09:50]

Jesus is getting beat and mocked. He's being denied by his followers. All right? All this stuff is happening. He experienced betrayal, denial, and justice all at the hands of those he came to save. He was mocked. He was beaten. He was accused. Yet he remains silent and submissive to the plan that God had. Craig Groeschel says it like this. He says, Jesus could have defended himself, but love kept him silent so that the grace, so grace could speak. [01:21:49]

If the people of God showed that sort of grace, even just a fraction of that sort of grace to the people around us, to the community that is around us, the community that we are here to love, the community that we have been sent to to love, oh, we can change lives, church. We can change lives. We can change a community in our neighborhoods, but it requires us to do that. We'll be right back. [01:22:53]

I love it Tony Evans says it this way and he says the cross was not plan B right it was preordained it was a preordained plan of God to bring salvation to all mankind it wasn't an afterthought it was the plan and Jesus submitted to the plan have we truly accepted the weight and the wonder of Jesus have we truly accepted that weight of Jesus' sacrifice if we do that how does that change our lives how does that change the way we live if we as a people of God truly dig in if we as a people of God truly understand the sacrifice that has been made when he says go we will go when he says talk to that neighbor we will talk to them [01:26:10]

we will do the things that God is calling us to but it requires us to understand who is he who is he truly who is he in our lives so my question to you today is will you respond to his sacrifice by surrendering your life to his will not my will but your will be done not my will but your will be done every day that should be a prayer that you start your day out with father not my will but your will be done and there will be moments that in his will you will do things that are amazing and fun and that is great and that is awesome and that there also means that there will be moments in your day that you will do things that you don't really want to do that are super uncomfortable I was talking to that girl like I said this young lady that is you know wanting to go into ministry and I told her I said it's not your will it's her it's God's you have to do the Lord's will she's like but how do I find time to do the [01:28:49]

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