Surrendering Control: Embracing God's Will Through Prayer
Summary
The sermon begins with the speaker emphasizing the importance of praying for God's kingdom to come and for His will to be done. The speaker encourages the audience to acknowledge the brokenness of the world and ask God to bring His upside-down reality into our lives. This is a reference to Jesus' teachings in the longest recorded sermon in scripture, where Jesus flips the values of the American dream and emphasizes the importance of qualities like meekness, mercy, and peacemaking. The speaker also highlights the connection between praying for God's will and living in obedience to Him.
The speaker then discusses the importance of surrendering control to God. They encourage the audience to reflect on the areas of their lives where they have been trying to take care of themselves instead of trusting in God's ability to provide. The speaker invites the listeners to give God control over these areas and to allow His kingdom to manifest on Earth. This message highlights the need for humility and reliance on God's guidance and provision.
The speaker also reflects on the importance of prayer and addresses common doubts and struggles people may have with prayer. They acknowledge that there may be times when prayers feel unanswered or when it is difficult to pray due to a desire for control over one's own life. However, the speaker encourages the audience to consider the idea that prayer gives God control and emphasizes that this does not mean giving up the ability to make decisions in life.
The speaker then discusses the concept of control and its relationship to prayer. They acknowledge that everyone wrestles with the desire to control information and situations in their lives. They emphasize that prayer can be a way to surrender control and give it to God. The speaker encourages the audience to lean in and gain something from the sermon, even if they are unsure about the church or God.
Finally, the speaker addresses the difficulty of making tough decisions in life. They mention two extremes: being paralyzed by indecision and making foolish decisions under the guise of God's will. The speaker then introduces the topic of knowing God's will and emphasizes its importance. They provide three steps to consider when discerning God's will. The first step is to ask God to show His will, acknowledging that seeking our own direction is not the same as seeking God's will. The second step is to compare it with the Bible, as God's will is never contrary to His word. The third step is to seek wise counsel from others.
Key Takeaways:
- Praying for God's kingdom to come is a call for our lives to be reordered according to His values. This involves acknowledging the brokenness of the world and inviting God to work in our lives. [10:56]
- Surrendering control to God is a crucial aspect of Christian living. It involves trusting in God's ability to provide and allowing His kingdom to manifest on Earth. This requires humility and reliance on God's guidance and provision. [0:00]
- Prayer is a means of surrendering control to God. It does not mean giving up the ability to make decisions in life, but rather a reorientation towards focusing on what truly matters. [08:23]
- Knowing God's will is important in making decisions in life. This involves asking God to reveal His will, comparing it with scripture, and seeking guidance from wise people. God's will is never contrary to His word. [17:15]
- The desire for control is a common struggle. However, surrendering control to God through prayer can lead to transformation and becoming more like God. Even in uncertainty, there is value in leaning in and gaining something from the sermon. [05:27]
Study Guide
### Bible Study Discussion Guide
#### Bible Reading
1. Matthew 6:9-10 (NIV)
> "This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.'"
2. Matthew 6:33 (NIV)
> "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."
3. Romans 12:2 (NIV)
> "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."
#### Observation Questions
1. What does Jesus teach us to pray for in Matthew 6:9-10?
2. According to Matthew 6:33, what should we seek first in our lives?
3. How does Romans 12:2 describe the process of understanding God's will?
4. In the sermon, what are the three steps mentioned for discerning God's will? [17:15]
#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does praying for God's kingdom to come and His will to be done challenge our personal desires and plans? [09:02]
2. What does it mean to surrender control to God, and how does this relate to the concept of humility and reliance on God's guidance? [05:27]
3. How can comparing our decisions with scripture help us discern God's will? [18:30]
4. Why is it important to seek wise counsel from others when trying to understand God's will? [20:25]
#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on an area of your life where you have been trying to maintain control. How can you begin to surrender this area to God? [06:31]
2. When you pray, do you find it difficult to trust that God will provide? How can you cultivate a deeper trust in God's provision? [08:23]
3. Think of a recent decision you made. Did you seek God's will in that decision? How might the outcome have been different if you had followed the three steps mentioned in the sermon? [17:15]
4. Identify a specific situation where you struggle with the desire for control. What practical steps can you take to surrender this control to God through prayer? [09:02]
5. How can you incorporate the practice of seeking wise counsel into your decision-making process? Who are some wise individuals you can turn to for guidance? [20:25]
6. Consider the qualities Jesus emphasizes in His teachings, such as meekness, mercy, and peacemaking. How can you actively cultivate these qualities in your daily life? [11:32]
7. What is one specific way you can reorient your life to focus on God's kingdom and His values rather than your own desires? [10:56]
Devotional
Day 1: Embracing God's Upside-Down Kingdom
In a world that often feels broken, we are called to pray for God's kingdom to come and His will to be done. This is not a passive prayer, but an active invitation for God to reorder our lives according to His values. It is a call to embrace the upside-down reality of God's kingdom, where qualities like meekness, mercy, and peacemaking are valued above worldly success. [10:56]
Matthew 5:3 - "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you can invite God's upside-down kingdom to reorder your values today?
Day 2: Surrendering Control to God
As followers of Christ, we are called to surrender control to God. This involves trusting in His ability to provide for us and allowing His kingdom to manifest in our lives. It requires humility and a willingness to let go of our own plans and desires, trusting that God's plans are better than our own. [0:00]
Proverbs 3:5-6 - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you are struggling to surrender control to God? How can you begin to trust Him in this area today?
Day 3: The Power of Prayer
Prayer is a powerful tool for surrendering control to God. It is not about giving up our ability to make decisions, but rather about reorienting our focus towards what truly matters. Through prayer, we can invite God into our lives and allow Him to guide our decisions and actions. [08:23]
James 5:16 - "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective."
Reflection: What is one decision you are currently facing? How can you use prayer to invite God into this decision-making process?
Day 4: Discerning God's Will
Knowing God's will is crucial in making wise decisions. This involves asking God to reveal His will, comparing it with scripture, and seeking guidance from wise people. God's will is never contrary to His word, and discerning His will can provide clarity and direction in our lives. [17:15]
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 - "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."
Reflection: What is one decision you are currently facing? How can you apply these three steps to discern God's will in this situation?
Day 5: Surrendering Control Through Prayer
The desire for control is a common struggle, but surrendering control to God through prayer can lead to transformation. Even in times of uncertainty, there is value in leaning into God and seeking His guidance. By surrendering control, we can become more like God and experience His peace and joy. [05:27]
Philippians 4:6-7 - "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you are struggling to surrender control? How can you use prayer to surrender this area to God today?
Quotes
1. "Jesus literally takes everything that we think the entire American dream and he flips it upside down and he says In My Kingdom this is actually what matters."
2. "If you came in today and you're like I'm not sure about the church thing I'm not sure about the God thing I do think there's a place today for you to lean in and actually gain something from what we're talking about because uh maybe there's an area of your life that you keep bumping up against something maybe it's a job that you just can't seem to get the promotion or you seem to at every turn lose your job at the last moment or maybe you continue to struggle with your finances or you struggle in that relationship maybe there's an area of your life that today you could say you know what I haven't been successful taking this one on by myself so far and so today I'm going to give god control of this area of my life."
3. "When you pray your circumstances may not change but you will certainly be changed because when you pray you become more like God."
4. "Knowing the will of God and there are two extremes here that I think we need to be cognizant of the the one extreme is I can't do anything until I'm 100% certain that that's the thing that God wants me to do and the way that works itself out is when I see that I I need to make a decision I pray and I pray and I pray and I Ponder and I hope and I don't have 100% Clarity and so I cannot move I am paralyzed by the need to have 100% certainty before I do anything and there are lots of things this may happen in right."
5. "God's will is never contrary to God's word. If God tells you to do something and you look at what that something is and it's unbiblical, God did not tell you to do that thing."
6. "So you pray and what you wanted doesn't actually happen, your prayer feels unanswered in some way or you pray and nothing happens and you're like does God even hear me do my prayers even go higher than this roof..."
7. "The kind of control that we're being asked to give away isn't the control that rips away from us the ability to make decisions in our life, in fact, this acknowledges that we get to make some of those decisions instead it's a reorienting of who we are to be focused on the things that matter the most..."
8. "When I give up control, it's not a net loss, it's a net gain because it's here that I'm seeing God's Kingdom Come On Earth as it is in heaven."
9. "Not being in control feels a little weird, but we pray Our Father in Heaven may your name be honored, may your kingdom come, may your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven."
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