Restrain Your Will, Release God's Authority, Choose Life

Mar 22, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: God knew you and chose you before the foundation of the world.

Before you took your first breath, you were known. Your life is not a cosmic accident but a deliberate part of a divine plan. God, the author and creator of life, had a solution for sin even before it entered the world. This truth means you were chosen for a purpose, loved before you could ever earn it, and called into a relationship with your Creator. Your value is not found in your performance but in His preemptive, sovereign choice. [12:27]

“Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will”
Ephesians 1:4-5 (ESV)

Reflection: In what area of your life do you most struggle to believe that God chose and loved you first, and how might embracing this truth change your perspective today?

Day 2: We rationalize poor choices by asking dishonest questions.

Humanity has a long pattern of making a decision and then seeking justification for it. We often ask questions not for genuine guidance, but to find permission for the path we have already chosen to walk. This leads to rational lies that make our poor choices seem acceptable. The heart of the matter is a will set on self rather than surrender to God’s higher wisdom and ways. [52:54]

“And Jesus said to him, ‘Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?’”
Luke 22:48 (ESV)

Reflection: Where have you recently caught yourself trying to rationalize a decision you knew was not aligned with God’s will, and what would it look like to honestly lay that before Him instead?

Day 3: Abdicating your God-given authority is a form of sin.

God has entrusted each person with a measure of authority and responsibility. To neglect this duty, to “kick the can down the road” and hope someone else will handle what is yours to address, is to fail in your God-given role. This abdication is not neutrality; it is a choice that produces the same destructive consequences as outright disobedience. We are called to actively steward the authority we’ve been given. [01:00:56]

“So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”
James 4:17 (ESV)

Reflection: What responsibility has God placed in your lap—perhaps in your family, health, or work—that you have been avoiding or blaming others for, and what is one practical step you can take to own it this week?

Day 4: The greatest spiritual power is found in self-restraint.

In a world that prizes self-expression and demands its rights, the counter-intuitive way of Christ is self-control. The most powerful demonstration of a God-ordained will is the ability to restrain oneself from reacting, even when provoked. This holy restraint, modeled perfectly by Jesus, is not weakness but incredible spiritual strength under control. It is the path to true victory. [01:06:51]

“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.”
Isaiah 53:7 (ESV)

Reflection: Where is God inviting you to practice holy restraint—perhaps by holding your tongue, pausing before reacting, or refusing to defend yourself—in order to trust Him more deeply?

Day 5: Surrender your will and authority to release God’s life.

The ultimate, life-giving merger is the surrender of your will and your God-given authority back to God. This is not quitting or becoming a doormat; it is a conscious, powerful choice to align yourself with His perfect plan. This surrender is costly, but it leads to salvation, redemption, and eternal life. Every other combination of will and authority leads to death and destruction. [01:18:11]

“Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!’ And having said this he breathed his last.”
Luke 23:46 (ESV)

Reflection: What specific part of your life—a relationship, a dream, a fear—is God asking you to release into His hands today, and what is holding you back from fully surrendering it?

Sermon Summary

God acts as the author, creator, and sustainer of life, and life stands at the center of the biblical narrative. The elect exist in God’s purpose before the world’s foundation, and baptism and child dedication celebrate that prior choosing and the gift of new life. Scripture presents a decisive ethic about human will and God-ordained authority: the right merger of personal will with divine will and the proper exercise of authority produce life; the wrong mergers produce ruin. Luke 23 illustrates these outcomes through a sequence of failed human maneuvers — religious leaders hardening their wills, political authorities abdicating responsibility, and a crowd choosing death — contrasted with the singular perfect response of Christ.

The narrative traces three destructive patterns: asserting will to justify wrong choices, shirking responsibility and passing judgment to others, and demanding spectacle or self-serving outcomes. Each pattern functions like a bad corporate merger: short-term gain or face-saving yields long-term loss. By contrast, the gospel models two spiritual disciplines that change eternity: disciplined restraint of self-will and deliberate release of authority to God. Restraint prevents impulsive sin; release surrenders rightful power so God alone secures redemption.

Practically, the text applies these principles to parenting, community life, and personal decisions. Parents receive children as stewarded gifts and vow to shepherd them toward a saving knowledge of Christ. Churches commit publicly to support that formation. Individuals face daily crossroads where choices either release life or release death — symbolized by the crowd choosing Barabbas over the innocent one. The sermon urges decisive, morally coherent action: do not kick responsibility down the road, own the authority God has entrusted, and choose the costly but eternal path of surrender. Surrender costs in this life but transforms identity, secures redemption, and aligns the believer with Christ’s victorious pattern of restraint and release. The clearest invitation remains: restrain self-will, release authority to God, and accept the life offered through Christ’s atoning work.

Key Takeaways

1. Chosen before the world's foundation God’s choosing precedes human existence; identity originates in divine election rather than human performance. Recognizing election reshapes how one treats doubt, shame, and ambition: decisions flow from being chosen, not from having to prove worth. This foundation invites trust and steady obedience even amid suffering. [12:27]
2. Children entrusted as sacred stewardship Parenting functions as delegated authority, not personal ownership; each child carries a unique purpose from God’s design. That stewardship calls for intentional spiritual formation, not passive hopes or cultural default. Prioritizing gospel formation surpasses social amenities or fleeting comforts. [34:54]
3. Will and authority must merge True transformation requires aligning personal will with God’s will while exercising God-given authority rightly. Misaligned mergers — insisting on personal desires or abdicating responsibility — unleash destruction and justify self-deception. Choosing alignment shapes public judgment, family decisions, and moral courage. [48:34]
4. Restraint then release equals victory Disciplined self-restraint paired with willingly releasing authority to God models Christ’s redemptive work. Restraint prevents the impulsive sins that escalate into catastrophe; release transfers the cost to Christ’s atoning sacrifice and secures eternal gain. The path demands courage because surrender carries temporal cost yet promises ultimate restoration. [68:17]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[11:41] - Baptistry & Opening Welcome
[12:12] - Life, Sin, and God's Plan
[12:27] - Chosen Before the Foundation
[12:52] - Children Dedicated to God
[13:29] - Baptism Declaration
[34:54] - Parenting as Stewardship
[36:05] - Church's Commitment to Children
[48:34] - Will, Authority, and the Cross
[60:19] - Pilate, Abdication, and Choice
[68:17] - Restraint, Surrender, and Victory
[79:09] - Call to Surrender and Salvation
[80:15] - Closing Prayer and Blessing

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
Luke 23:1–25 (ESV)
1 Then the whole company of them arose and brought him before Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.” 3 And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” 4 Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man.” 5 But they were urgent, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place.” 6 When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. 7 And when he learned that he belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. 8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. 9 So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer. 10 The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. 11 And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, arraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. 12 And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other. 13 Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, 14 and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was misleading the people. And after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him. 15 Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him. 16 I will therefore punish and release him.” 17 Now he was obliged to release one man to them at the festival. 18 But they all cried out together, “Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas”— 19 a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city and for murder. 20 Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus, 21 but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” 22 A third time he said to them, “Why? What evil has he done? I have found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore punish and release him.” 23 But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. 24 So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted. 25 He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus over to their will.

Observation questions

What three groups of people are shown mishandling their will and authority in Luke 23?
What rational lies do the religious leaders use to justify their decision to condemn Jesus? [52:54]
How does Jesus respond to Herod’s questioning, and what does that reveal about His use of will and authority? [01:06:51]
What two contrasting outcomes result from the crowd’s demand—Barabbas released and Jesus condemned? [01:14:28]

Interpretation questions

Why is Pilate’s initial verdict (“I find no guilt in this man”) a good example of using will and authority rightly, and why does he later fail? [59:39]
How does the release of Barabbas—a known murderer and insurrectionist—symbolize what happens when we choose self-will over God’s will? [01:15:19]
In what way does Jesus’ silence before Herod demonstrate strength rather than weakness? [01:07:53]
The sermon describes two spiritual disciplines modeled by Christ: restraint and release. How do these work together to produce redemption? [01:08:17]

Application questions

In what situations are you most tempted to rationalize a poor choice by asking questions you don’t really want answered? [53:16]
Where have you been “kicking the can down the road” instead of taking responsibility for a decision God has placed in your hands? [01:01:22]
How can you practice restraint this week in a situation where you’re prone to act impulsively or selfishly? [01:07:17]
What is one area of your life—parenting, work, relationships, health—where you need to consciously release your authority to God, even if it costs you? [01:08:44]
The crowd chose Barabbas over Jesus—a choice that released death instead of life. What daily choices are you making that release death rather than life into your home or community? [01:15:19]
How does remembering that you were chosen by God before the foundation of the world change the way you handle doubt, shame, or the need to prove yourself? [12:27]
If parenting is a sacred stewardship and not ownership, what’s one practical way you can shift from a passive or cultural approach to intentionally shepherding a child toward Christ? [34:54]

Sermon Clips

36s

#SurrenderDontExert

“So the merger is when you show self restraint and when you finally release your authority. You don't exert it, you release it. And this picture is one humanity despises. It's called surrender. You you don't quit, you don't give up, and you don't give over. You actually use your authority, the God given authority to rule, reign, subdue, fill and multiply, making a conscious decision that I'm gonna release that to God and surrender myself to his will.”

34s

#CostlySurrenderSaves

“Now here's the danger in this. When you do this, it will cost you dearly dearly, but it'll save you eternally. This is why we don't choose this. You're like, I'm doing the right thing. You're paying the highest price. The gospel. Right. Then I'm gonna because you don't have to surrender to his will. Use your authority and walk away from God. Go ahead.”

30s

#DontBeBlinded

“There ain't a single one of you in this room in Morgantown or Glasgow who doesn't know what needs to happen. You don't need a degree in theology. You don't need to understand sociology, world history, world power. You don't need nothing. What do you do with a man who has done nothing wrong? You release him. And see how blinded humanity can get.”

23s

#IdentityUnaffected

“Here's what he wants them to know. The one thing you need to realize is what you do doesn't affect who I am. I'm gonna be seated at the right hand of God. I'm gonna be seated at the highest position with the highest authority ever. God is going to exalt me and seat me and I will ultimately judge everything.”

36s

#AskWhatYouRelease

“Because you can tell yourself a lot of different reasons why you're going to do what you're getting ready to do. But you gotta ask yourself, but through that choice, what do I release? Do I release my God ordained authority back to God surrendering to his will? That's going to cost you. But it's far less of a price to pay than to abdicate your authority and turn your will over to others?”

47s

#SurrenderToGodsPlan

“And that I surrender to the authority and the will and the plan of God for me. That Christ came and lived perfectly, died painfully, rose triumphantly under his own power, strength, and authority. And the wisest, most powerful thing any human being can do is to surrender to the power, the plan, and the purposes of God for your life. And I could tell you what that is, that you might be saved of your sin, redeemed from sin, adopted by God, justified through faith, transformed by the spirit, Kept secure by God Almighty.”

30s

#ChristLikeMergers

“I pray God today there's a lot of good healthy life changing mergers. Where we do what Christ does. We show restraint of our own self will, and we then finally release our authority surrendering to God so that God can then allow the punishment that was on Christ to be the punishment that pays my price.”

24s

#EternalPriceOfChoice

“You won't pay a price in this life, so to speak, but you will surely pay an eternal price. Why don't you do the most powerful thing you could ever do? Do what Jesus did. I'm gonna show self restraint. You can't force me to do anything I know I'm not supposed to do, nor can you stop me from releasing my authority to do anything I wanna do.”

43s

#MergeForEternity

“Sometimes it is a lose lose. When it comes to our relationship with God. Okay? There most of it all of the time for humanity, it has seemingly been a lose lose relationship. Okay? But with the education and understanding of what God wants us to do with our will and his will, Can you merge those together properly? Yes. And his authority and our authority. Can you merge those together properly? Yes. So if we can merge our will with his will and our authority with his authority, you will produce eternity changing possibilities.”

23s

#PilateGoodMerger

“Right here, Pilate is operating really, really wisely. This is a good merger. Okay? He's using his will to draw a conclusion or a verdict, and he's using his authority to confront the religious leaders. He's in a really stable position at this point. Okay? He's rendered the right verdict. He's exerting his will using his mind saying, no, that's not right.”

21s

#AbdicateResponsibilities

“Okay? And that is the abdication of your responsibilities. He's going to now shift this to somebody else to make the decision. This is right in his face and he's not going to see, not doing what you absolutely should do gets you the same place of doing the things you absolutely shouldn't do.”

40s

#UseYourAuthorityNow

“Why are you still having a conversation? Just release the man. You have thousands of Roman soldiers in town that if someone should raise a hand against him or start rioting against you, you can squash it immediately. What is the fear here? So Pilate decided. He's finally going to decide what to do with his will and his authority.”

32s

#ResponsibilityBoomerang

“And I know this is on the epic scale, but God would have this word be drilled down to my individual scale. The capacity to see what is right and completely ignore it is utterly amazing. Herod hasn't found any reason for this either. He sent back to us because it's a boomerang. You don't get to kick your responsibility to the curb. It's coming back. As you can see, he's done nothing to deserve death.”

20s

#WillExertedIsRestraint

“The greatest demonstration of the exertion of your God created will is self restraint. Ain't nothing or nobody gonna make me do what I know I'm not supposed to do.”

23s

#DangerousWrongMerger

“So understand that this is a dangerous place to be with what you're going to do. This is a terrible merger. Your will and your authority are gonna produce catastrophes. When we wrongly exert our will and authority, we're capable of believing the most rational lies known to me. I have a right to be happy. I have a right to experience love.”

27s

#RationalLiesWeTell

“And this is man's incredible pattern of behavior that we practice to this day. You you've already made the decision of what you wanna do and that you're going to do it. Now you try and ask questions in certain ways to get some rational explanation and ultimately, you can't rationalize a poor choice. You have to tell yourself rational lies in order to go ahead and make that choice.”

24s

#PredeterminedAccusations

“It's what we wanna know. If you really are him, then you need to tell us. Okay? Which seems like a legitimate question and you'll see in a second that it's not. Because one thing we do know is they've already got predetermined notions in their mind. Okay? The reason that they're accusing him and arresting him is because they think he's the Messiah. So this isn't an honest question.”

25s

#DontSeekSelfAccusation

“They've already made their minds up. They're now just kinda asking a question to see if they can get Jesus to self accuse himself. Jesus answered, if I tell you, you're not going to believe me because you've already made your mind up. What you're doing now is you're playing games to try and rationalize the poor choices that you are about to make.”

25s

#DecisionsAlreadyMade

“And this happens today, they already know what they wanna do. They wanna kill them. Right? And so sometimes you'll hear it asked today, but don't I have a right to be happy? Well, you've already answered that question in yourself. You've already you feel like you have the right to be happy. Now that how do I like, do you want me to answer that question? Because if I do, you're not gonna believe me.”

28s

#ReligionAndRome

“Then the whole assembly rose. This is that religious group and led him now off to Rome. So we see religion and now we see Rome off to Pilate. And they began to accuse him saying, we found this man subverting our nation, which basically means he's disturbing the peace. He's a rabble rouser. He's ruffling feathers. He's disturbing the tranquil nature of our nation. This is what he is doing.”

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Restrain Your Will, Release God's Authority, Choose Life

Devotional

Day 1: God knew you and chose you before the foundation of the world.

Day 2: We rationalize poor choices by asking dishonest questions.

Day 3: Abdicating your God-given authority is a form of sin.

Day 4: The greatest spiritual power is found in self-restraint.

Day 5: Surrender your will and authority to release God’s life.

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Restrain Your Will, Release God's Authority, Choose Life

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