Finding New Life Through Surrender in Pressure
Summary
In this third week of our series, "Rise, The Road to New Life," we explore the journey of Jesus during the Easter season, focusing on how life's pressures can lead us to new life. Every day presents an opportunity to exemplify the new life of Jesus, and as we look at His journey to resurrection, we learn how He dealt with situations that could have derailed Him. Today, we delve into one of the most human moments of Jesus' journey—His time in the Garden of Gethsemane. This moment reveals Jesus under immense pressure, feeling sorrowful and troubled, yet not succumbing to it.
Jesus' experience in the garden shows us that feeling pressure is part of the human experience. Even Jesus, who was without sin, felt overwhelmed, which comforts us in knowing that God understands our struggles. The enemy uses life's pressures to make us crack and quit, but Jesus demonstrates a different path. He was tempted to quit, yet He chose surrender over giving up. Jesus' prayer, "Not as I will, but as you will," exemplifies the power of surrender.
Surrendering to God doesn't mean we won't feel pressure; it means we trust God with our burdens. Jesus' strength came not from being invincible but from being pressable, allowing the pressure to produce something new. Like olives that produce oil under pressure, we too can find new life through surrender.
To surrender, we must carry our cares to the King and discover God's will in our situations. By doing so, we can rise and face tomorrow with renewed strength. Jesus calls us to rise, reminding us that even if we've cracked or quit, it's not too late. He is the King who can restore and renew us, leading us to new life when we surrender.
Key Takeaways:
1. Life's Pressures and New Life: Life's pressures can lead us to new life when we choose to surrender them to God. Jesus' experience in the Garden of Gethsemane shows us that feeling overwhelmed is part of the human experience, and God understands our struggles because He felt them too. [13:09]
2. The Enemy's Goal: The enemy uses life's pressures to make us crack and quit, aiming to leave us irreparable. However, Jesus demonstrates that surrendering to God can transform these pressures into opportunities for growth and renewal. [17:23]
3. Surrender vs. Giving Up: Surrendering to God is different from giving up. While giving up leads to hopelessness and defeat, surrendering means trusting God with our burdens and allowing His will to prevail. Jesus' prayer in the garden exemplifies this powerful act of surrender. [25:03]
4. Strength in Being Pressable: God doesn't call us to be invincible but to be pressable. Like olives that produce oil under pressure, we can find new life through surrender. By allowing God to use life's pressures, we can experience new peace, perspective, and focus. [29:51]
5. Practical Steps to Surrender: To surrender, we must carry our cares to the King and discover God's will in our situations. By doing so, we can rise and face tomorrow with renewed strength, knowing that Jesus is the King who can restore and renew us. [33:28]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [01:00] - Introduction to the Series
- [02:30] - Easter and New Life
- [04:00] - Childhood Easter Memories
- [06:00] - Cracking Under Pressure
- [08:00] - Jesus in the Garden
- [10:00] - Jesus' Human Experience
- [13:09] - Jesus' Deep Anguish
- [15:00] - The Enemy's Goal
- [17:23] - Jesus' Temptation to Quit
- [20:52] - The Cup of Wrath
- [25:03] - Surrender vs. Giving Up
- [29:51] - Strength in Being Pressable
- [33:28] - Practical Steps to Surrender
- [36:24] - Closing Prayer
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
- Matthew 26:36-39
- Hebrews 4:15
- 2 Corinthians 4:8-9
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Observation Questions:
1. In Matthew 26:36-39, what emotions does Jesus express while in the Garden of Gethsemane, and how does He respond to these feelings? [13:09]
2. According to Hebrews 4:15, how is Jesus able to empathize with our weaknesses, and what does this imply about His experience in the garden? [17:23]
3. How does the metaphor of the olive press in the sermon illustrate the concept of being "pressable" rather than invincible? [29:51]
4. What practical steps does the sermon suggest for surrendering our pressures to God? [33:28]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. How does Jesus' prayer in the garden, "Not as I will, but as you will," demonstrate the difference between surrendering and giving up? [25:03]
2. What does the sermon suggest about the role of life's pressures in leading us to new life, and how does this relate to the metaphor of olives producing oil under pressure? [29:51]
3. How does the sermon describe the enemy's use of life's pressures, and what is the intended outcome according to the speaker? [17:23]
4. In what ways does the sermon suggest that Jesus' experience in the garden provides comfort and understanding for our own struggles with pressure? [13:09]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a time when you felt overwhelmed by life's pressures. How did you respond, and what might it look like to surrender those pressures to God instead? [13:09]
2. The sermon discusses the difference between giving up and surrendering. Can you identify an area in your life where you might be tempted to give up? How can you choose to surrender it to God instead? [25:03]
3. Consider the metaphor of the olive press. What pressures in your life could God be using to produce something new in you? How can you embrace this process? [29:51]
4. The sermon encourages us to carry our cares to the King. What specific burdens are you carrying right now, and how can you intentionally lay them at God's feet in prayer? [33:28]
5. How can you seek to discover God's will in your current situation? What steps can you take to better understand His purpose for you? [33:28]
6. Reflect on the idea that Jesus knows how you feel because He experienced similar pressures. How does this truth impact your view of your own struggles? [13:09]
7. The sermon ends with a call to rise and face tomorrow with renewed strength. What practical steps can you take this week to rise above your current challenges and trust in God's restoration? [36:24]
Devotional
Day 1: Embracing Pressure as a Pathway to New Life
Life's pressures can often feel overwhelming, but they are not without purpose. Jesus' experience in the Garden of Gethsemane is a profound example of how pressure can lead to transformation. In His moment of deep anguish, Jesus felt the weight of the world, yet He did not let it derail Him. Instead, He chose to surrender to God's will, showing us that feeling overwhelmed is a natural part of the human experience. This surrender is not a sign of weakness but a pathway to new life. By trusting God with our burdens, we can find strength and renewal even in the most challenging times. [13:09]
2 Corinthians 4:8-10 (ESV): "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies."
Reflection: What is one pressure you are currently facing that feels overwhelming? How can you begin to see it as an opportunity for growth and transformation through surrender to God?
Day 2: Transforming Pressure into Growth
The enemy seeks to use life's pressures to make us crack and quit, leaving us feeling irreparable. However, Jesus' journey shows us a different path. By surrendering to God, we can transform these pressures into opportunities for growth and renewal. Jesus' temptation to quit in the garden was met with a powerful act of surrender, demonstrating that our struggles can be a catalyst for spiritual growth when we trust in God's plan. This transformation is not about avoiding pressure but about allowing it to refine and strengthen us. [17:23]
James 1:2-4 (ESV): "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
Reflection: Think of a recent situation where you felt like giving up. How can you reframe this experience as an opportunity for growth and renewal through God's strength?
Day 3: The Power of Surrender
Surrendering to God is a powerful act that differs significantly from giving up. While giving up leads to hopelessness and defeat, surrendering means trusting God with our burdens and allowing His will to prevail. Jesus' prayer in the garden, "Not as I will, but as you will," exemplifies this act of surrender. It is a choice to trust in God's greater plan, even when the path is unclear. By surrendering, we open ourselves to God's transformative power, allowing Him to work in and through us. [25:03]
Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV): "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."
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 4: Finding Strength in Being Pressable
God doesn't call us to be invincible but to be pressable. Like olives that produce oil under pressure, we can find new life through surrender. Jesus' strength came not from being invincible but from allowing the pressure to produce something new. By embracing our pressability, we can experience new peace, perspective, and focus. This strength is not about avoiding pressure but about allowing God to use it for His purposes, leading us to a deeper understanding of His love and grace. [29:51]
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (ESV): "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
Reflection: In what ways can you allow God to use the pressures in your life to produce something new and beautiful? How can you embrace being pressable rather than striving to be invincible?
Day 5: Practical Steps to Surrender
To truly surrender, we must carry our cares to the King and discover God's will in our situations. This involves actively seeking His guidance and trusting in His plan for our lives. By doing so, we can rise and face tomorrow with renewed strength, knowing that Jesus is the King who can restore and renew us. Surrender is not a one-time act but a daily choice to trust in God's sovereignty and love. As we surrender, we open ourselves to His transformative power, allowing Him to lead us to new life. [33:28]
Psalm 55:22 (ESV): "Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved."
Reflection: What is one practical step you can take today to carry your cares to God and seek His will in your current situation? How can this step lead you to a deeper sense of peace and renewal?
Quotes
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As a pathway to new life, that means every circumstance we face, everything we come across, we get to exemplify the new life of Jesus. So as we look at Jesus on his road to resurrection for us all, we're looking at how he dealt with situations on his journey, right? How he dealt with things that could potentially derail him from achieving that new life so we can learn how to exemplify it every day. And it's exciting, right? Because it's Easter. Guys, and this is what it's all about. If you're Christian today, it's because of Easter. [00:05:56] (38 seconds)
And what I love about looking at Jesus in this human way, it lets us know that this feeling that we all have. Right. When the pressures of life start to get on us and start to pile on us and feel heavy. Guys, it's part of the human experience. It doesn't mean that something's wrong with you. There was nothing wrong with Jesus and he felt it. And there's nothing wrong with you when you feel it's part of our human experience. When we go through these moments and we can be encouraged, we can be encouraged with this one truth that God knows how you feel. [00:12:25] (32 seconds)
This is what Jesus' heart, Jesus is tempted to quit on the exact plan that his father had laid out for him. And we shouldn't be surprised by this, right? I know that sounds crazy to say that Jesus was tempted to quit. But listen to what it says in Hebrews 4 .15. It says, for we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weakness, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are. I'm going to say that again. We have a high priest, Jesus Christ, who has been tempted in every way, just as we are. [00:18:29] (37 seconds)
Understand that Jesus right now, his reservation is not just the physical pain of the cross. That wasn't it, right? That just wasn't it. But it's the feeling of the consequence of every sin, every depression, every shame, every guilt was in this cup. But even more than that, probably the greatest consequence was him having to go through feeling the momentary separation from Father God as he drank the cup. This was in his cup, right? [00:22:18] (34 seconds)
Because here we see that although Jesus was under that type of pressure, although he was tempted to crack and to quit, Jesus did not. He stayed on focus because I believe Jesus understood something that we need to understand. See, Jesus understood the very important difference between giving up and surrender. Look what happened in this most famous verse. After he says, my father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. He says, yet, not as I will, but as you will. [00:25:47] (42 seconds)
Surrender says, it is beyond me. So I'm going to trust you, God, with it. Surrender says, my will, what I want, my way won't work. But God, your way is perfect. Now, I want to let you know that so many of us here have cracked and given in and given up on things in our life. But I want to encourage somebody today that says, instead of giving up, we need to learn to give it up to God. Instead of giving up on the things in your life, learn to give it up to God. Learn to surrender. [00:27:11] (34 seconds)
Jesus is right in the middle of the olive grove, right? And the primary reason they grew olives is for the oil that came from them. And the only way to get oil from the olive is to press on it until it starts to produce the oil that is so valuable. See, unlike an egg that cracks under pressure, olives actually produce under pressure, right? That's what an olive does. And this is what it looks like when we surrender in the face of life's pressure, right? We need to be pressed. [00:29:51] (36 seconds)
New oil begins to flow from you. That's what we need. In the middle of the pressure, don't crack, but say, Lord, press me. And from this pressing, guys, new oil, new peace, new perspective, new focus begins to emerge. New life begins to emerge. Guys, there is truly blessing in the pressing. Again, because life's pressures can lead us to new life when we make the decision to surrender. [00:31:32] (33 seconds)
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