A great idea. A world with no hate and no fear. All greats love and all cheers. Families, hugs, and no tears.
Hey, let me just bask for a minute. Brand new whip, no windows tinted. Party in the street till the sun come get us. And tell the whole crew they can all come with us. And we ain't got to lock the doors. And we don't need cops, of course. And we don't care about your skin. We just want an all-out win.
They tell me it's illogical, but anything is possible. If God be for us, we can overcome all obstacles. They say love covers a multitude of sins. So I'm here to put some love in the wind. Tell a friend.
Hey, Limitless, I'm excited to announce the launch of the Limitless Student Ministries. That will be the ministry that will minister to our middle schoolers and our high schoolers. Now, if you would like to be a part of this ministry, we're going to have a training in February and March to prepare for our launch. And if you want to be a part of it, we need you to sign up.
I know a lot of people have come and said, "I have a dream. I have a drive. I have a vision. I have this desire to minister to middle schoolers or high schoolers. How can I do that?" Well, now the opportunity is available. We'll have a training in February and March. But you need to sign up at the QR code on the seat pocket in front of you or outside at our connection table.
I'm excited to start this ministry and have an opportunity to minister to our middle schoolers, to our high schoolers, and continue fulfilling the vision of Limitless Church. Can't wait to see you there.
Calling all Limitless visioneers. I want to see you the 25th, 10 a.m. That's right. January 25th, 10 a.m. For the Limitless Lean In. That's for all of our visioneers here. We're going to celebrate all that God has done in this past year and cast vision for what God is going to be doing in this upcoming year.
I want to see you there 10 a.m. Food will be provided, but I need you to register. So register at the QR code on the seat pocket in front of you or outside at our connection table. I can't wait to see you. 25th, 10 a.m. Make sure you're there.
Hey, Limitless, I want to let you know about an event that's happening today after service. It is my honor to participate in the Martin Luther King Jr. celebration happening at Trinity Life Center today at 5:30. I will be doing a prayer of rededication as well as Brother Leron Gordon will be on the program as well. And we invite you to celebrate with us in a time of unity, celebrating the life and the mission of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
All right. Good morning, church. Good morning, church. Good morning. Good morning. Good to see each and every one of you this morning.
Excited to dive and to dig into the word this morning. But before I do, I've got a few things I want to address. Two of my two things. Two and a half, maybe three. It really depends. I stuck with the name, but I didn't leave room for variables.
So the first of the two things I want to talk about next week is actually this Saturday. We're having what we're calling a visioneer lean in. Okay. And so if you serve here in any capacity as a visioneer, we want to let you know, we've been talking about it for a couple of weeks. This Saturday at 10 a.m. we're having a visioneer lean in.
This is an opportunity to hear the vision for our upcoming year, to hear some of the plans, some of the things that are going to be happening so that you can be prepared to know how to pray, to know how to schedule, to know how to be excited. And then get in anticipation for everything that God is going to do as it pertains to you as a visioneer.
We don't call them volunteers here. We call them visioneers because there are people who are assisting and executing the vision of this church in those areas. And so we want to let you know what that vision is for this upcoming year. So if you serve in any capacity, please be here Saturday at 10 a.m.
It'll be 10 until what time? Yeah. Those are the people. That was a trick because I wanted to see. But yes, 10 to 11:30, we will have food here for you. We will end promptly at 11:30. But we want you to make sure you're there. Please sign up because we want to make sure we have enough food for everybody.
And I will say if you're here and you say, "Hey, I'm interested in being a visioneer. I want to serve in an area here." Then I encourage you to do so. You can sign up outside. There are many different areas. Kids ministry is always an area that is in need. Tech is always an area that is in need. Our experience team, connection team. There are areas for you to plug in.
Don't let this be a place that you just come to and leave. You come and you experience it. You see these things. Everything that you see is because of a visioneer. Your chairs, the restroom, the lights, the sound. Everything happens because someone came in and decided to serve.
So I encourage you if you've been thinking about that, go ahead and make that step. Sign up to be a visioneer. And join us this Saturday to hear all that God is doing. Register at the QR code.
The second announcement that I want to make in my two things is an announcement that I made last week, but some of you weren't here. And for those of you who were here, you're going to pretend like you weren't here when you hear this announcement.
So we are excited about all the things that God has done in our church. And one of the things that I'm most excited about right now is your generosity as it pertains to our new home fund. Um, last year we had a list up on the wall of things that we needed to get taken care of. And we raised $332,000 last year towards our new home fund.
Oh, y'all can make more noise than that. That's a lot of money. It's a lot of money. And here are some of the things that we did with that. We did some site work. We took a lot of money from the church. We took a lot of money from the church.
We took down, I don't know if you, most of you remember who have been in there when you walk in, the ceiling tiles were falling down. We took those down because that's a hazard. Um, and we started on our plumbing. Um, we did framing, electrical material, labor, demo, HVAC, drywalls, uh, insulation doors from top to bottom, a bunch of things we were able to get done.
But the only reason that we were able to get any of this done is because of your generosity. It's because you sacrificed from what you had to say, "Hey, I believe in what God is doing. I want to move next door to our building so that this building can be used to minister to our middle schoolers and our high schoolers." And you said, "Hey, I want to do that. I want to sow into that."
And as a result of you sowing, we have officially finished phase two. Then we are now in the final phase, phase three of our building project. Come on. Hallelujah. I don't know about y'all, but that is a big deal to me because when you start a project and you see something, you know, you're not sure of how it's going to get done.
You come in, you say, "All right, God, I trust you." I never forget, um, I was having a conversation with a friend of mine and, uh, we were here at the office and we were writing out all the numbers and I'm vision casting. And they said, "Well, how are you going to get it done?" And I said, "Well, we don't leave that up to the Lord. Cause, uh, I got nothing. I got nothing. I got nothing. I got nothing, but we're going to trust God."
And I'm reminded of the saying, you know, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time, bit by bit. And so because of, I don't know why you would eat an elephant, but anyway, uh, but that is what we've done. And we've gotten to the end, almost to the end of the line. And I praise God. And for on the, from the bottom of my heart and my wife's heart, thank you. Thank you for sowing. Thank you for believing in this church. Thank you for sacrificing.
Some of you from the little that you had just to say, "Hey, I believe and I'm sowing." And so we still have a little ways to go. There's still things to be done. And we got a little bit that we need to finish. And we're going to talk about that next week. But this week, I just want to celebrate all that God has done in the life of this church as it pertains to us moving next door.
And my faith is that by the end of this year, by the time we do Christmas at Limitless this year, we will do Christmas at Limitless in our new building. Hallelujah. So continue to pray, continue to give, continue to hear the Lord. If you say, "Hey, I have a trade. I have a gift. I'm a contractor. I do this. I do that. I'm willing to sow my gift that God has given me to see this thing finished." Please let us know.
Joel is somewhere around here getting stoned. He's in the back. Joel is somewhere around here getting stoned. He's in the back. Joel is in the back, has a white hat on. Go see him. He coordinates this entire project. Please go. Yeah. Let's make some noise for Joel. Please go see him and let's get in that building by Christmas. Amen. Amen.
All right. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for your word. God, we are here today to hear from you. Thank you for your presence already being here. We ask that you would speak that our ears would be open to hear you. Our hearts will be open to receive what you're saying today, that we would not just be hearers of the word, but that we would be doers of the word as well.
God, it is only you that can speak to each one of us individually. And yet all of us at the same time. You know the needs of our hearts. You know the problems. You know the tests. You know the issues. God, speak to us today. We desire to hear from you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Amen. Right before I get started, while I'm thinking about this, I know that for the past couple of weeks, y'all been coming to church. Hallelujah. Thank you for that. Amen.
But I know that for some of you, you guys have been like, "Man, there's a lot of people in here." And for some of you, that might be a little bit uncomfortable. We do have a 9 a.m. service, and there are seats available there. And I only say that because I understand. I spoke to one of my visionaries, and they were like, "Hey, you know, it was a little much when I walked in there." And I was like, "Yeah, that's how we, you know."
But I was like, "Hey, you know, if it's more comfortable for you, there are some seats at 9 a.m." And so if you want to come there, there are some seats that are available. But 11 a.m., we're going to be rocking. So I encourage you, if that you or if you say, "Hey, you know, I need a little bit more space or I'm bringing, you know, a couple people with me," consider that service.
But I know some of y'all, y'all like, "Nah, no, we good. We're going to be right here." But I want to, I do want to offer that to you just so that I can be considerate of everybody. All right.
All right. So we're in our series called Fully Committed. And we've been talking about what does it mean to be fully committed to Jesus? We've been talking about what does it mean to reset? What does it mean to have a life of devotion? As we come into this new year so that we don't go into it like we've come into any other year, we're saying this year, we are living a life that is fully committed to Jesus.
And so today I want to continue down that path of commitment, continue down that path of devotion, and today I want to talk about what I believe is one of the most difficult yet necessary things that we have to continually do as believers. One of the most difficult yet necessary things that we have to do as believers.
I encourage you to put your seatbelt on. All right. If you can't say amen, say ouch and don't move. Nobody will know that they talking about you. Okay. Let's go.
Matthew chapter 16, verse 24. Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone wishes to follow me as my disciple, he must deny himself, set aside selfish interests and take up his cross, expressing a willingness to endure whatever may come and follow me, believing in me, conforming to my example in living."
And if need be, only just a word from me so that he may believe with other people right away. Oh, hang on a second. I don't know if you're ready. Talk of giving rather than uttering.
So, fiancé from Christ verily niche an abirfess congregation to give up control or possession of something. This is what it means to surrender.
In 1862, General Simon Buckner sent a message to the Union General Ulysses S. Grant, and he sent him a message. And the message was this, a white flag. Sent him a message signaling his intent to surrender.
During World War II, German forces in various battles needed to signify surrender. They needed to signify their intention to surrender. And so they would come and they would wave a white flag. The message was that we are surrendering.
To show their intent to yield, their intent to submit and to concede, they waved. They waved a white flag. What I believe is the litmus test for believers today as we grow in faith and our relationship with God is what is our level of surrender?
What is our level of surrender? Jesus says, "If anyone wishes to follow me as my disciple, he is my disciple. He must surrender all. All means all. He must surrender all."
And the thing about surrender is surrender goes completely against the flesh. Even when I'm talking about surrender right now, some of y'all can feel it in your stomach, and you're just uncomfortable now. Surrender. What do you mean surrender? Surrender. Give up. What I'm giving up. For what?
It goes completely against the flesh. It is one of the most undesirable things that we do as Christians because surrender requires sacrifice. Surrender requires sacrifice. It requires us to deny ourselves.
As we're in the middle of this fast, this is what we're doing. We're denying ourselves. We're pushing away something that we hold dear to show our commitment as an act of surrender to God.
The level of our commitment and devotion is shown in the level of our surrender. The level of our commitment and devotion to God is shown in the level of our surrender.
Turn with me to Genesis chapter 22, and let's start in verse 1. Verse 1 says, "Now, after these things, God tested the faith and commitment of Abraham and said to him, 'Abraham,' and he answered, 'Here I am.'
God said, 'Take now your son, take your only son of promise, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the region of Moriah. And offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains on which I shall tell you.'
He says, 'The son that you love, the son that was promised to you that I gave you, I want you to sacrifice him.' Verse nine says, 'When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built. Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood and bound Isaac, his son, placed him on the altar on top of the wood. Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. But the angel of the Lord called for him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham." Again, he answered, "Here I am."
And the Lord said, "Do not reach out with a knife in your hand against the boy and do nothing to harm him. For now, I know that you fear God with reverence and profound respect, since you have not withheld from me your son, your only son of promise."
See, the Lord had something unimaginable in store for Abraham. And before that thing could be released, before he could know what that thing was, before he could see that thing, the Lord wanted to confirm Abraham's life.
See, Abraham's son was a gift from God to Abraham. Abraham was 100 and Sarah was 90. Yeah, you ain't supposed to be having no kids at 100. Not gonna hold you. It's probably not something you should do.
But it was something that they wanted, something that they prayed for. But the question was, would Abraham be willing to surrender the very thing that he held dear? The thing that the Lord gave him, the thing that he loved, that he prayed for, that he cried over, that he spent time with.
What was Abraham's level of surrender to the Lord? For those of us who have kids, kids, we can't even fathom this thought. We like, "Lord, don't test me like that."
Because imagine going the majority portion of your life, begging and pleading with God for a child, going past the age of childbearing. And then the Lord blesses you with the very thing that you spent your entire life praying for. Then you have that thing. You pray over that thing. You love that thing. You nurture that thing. You care for that thing. And then God says, "I'm gonna need that about you. I'm gonna need you to give that on back."
Abraham was willing to obey and surrender even the thing he held closest. And he was able to do that because he knew something. There was something that he knew that allowed this level of obedience.
He knew. What was it that Abraham had? What was it that he knew that allowed this? Here's the thing. Abraham was completely convinced and secure in the goodness of God. He was completely convinced. He was convinced 100% and secure in the goodness of God.
When I brought Cadence home for the first time, a lot of you know that Cadence's testimony. When I'm bringing him home on the first day from the hospital after he has spent this time in the NICU and they put him in the car seat and they don't even walk you to the door anymore. You go to the door and you put him in there.
And I remember for the first couple of weeks, my wife would go in the back and put her fingers in between the seatbelt and Cadence because when I put him in there, he ain't going because he already he ain't going nowhere. OK, I secured him down tight. This was tight. This was tight. I made sure that the back was tight. That car could have did a 360. He wasn't moving.
I made sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was secure. That he wasn't moving. Speed bump. It didn't matter. He was. Abraham was secure in the goodness of God. It didn't matter what happened, what the Lord asked for, what was going on. He was so convinced and he was secure in the goodness of God.
See, our fear of surrender is really our unbelief. It's not that God is better than everything that he's telling us to give him. We don't believe that he is better than whatever it is that he's telling us to give him.
When we struggle to surrender, when we struggle to give God what he's asking us, what we're really saying is that I believe that once I've given it to you, God, once my hands are open and empty, that you aren't big enough or good enough to fill it up again.
That is the fear. That whatever I'm giving you, that you aren't good enough or big enough to fill it up again. And that is a lie that the enemy has deceived us and did everything in his power to get us to give him. That is the fear. That is the fear. That is the fear.
To believe. You know that if you give that to God, that's it for you. You can forget about happiness. You can forget about peace. You can forget about joy. Uh-uh. And we've believed the lie. We've believed it.
Genesis chapter 22, verse 15. God ain't big enough. Okay. Don't believe me. Let's see what the scripture says. Genesis 22, 15. And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time. A second time.
And he said, "By myself, on the basis of who I am, I have sworn an oath, declares the Lord, that since you have done this thing and have not, since you have done this thing, since you have sacrificed and you have surrendered the thing that you held dear, since you have given it up, since you've opened your hand and give it to me and have not withheld from me, your son, your only son of promise.
Indeed, I will greatly bless you. And I will greatly multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven and like the sand on the seashore. And your seed, your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies as conquerors through your seed. All the nations of the earth shall be blessed because you have heard and obeyed my voice.
Because you have heard and obeyed my voice. There was a blessing on the other side of Abraham's surrender. There was a blessing on the other side of Abraham's surrender.
There wasn't a loss of joy on the other side of his surrender. There wasn't a loss of purpose. There wasn't. And this is us. There wasn't even the loss of who Abraham was.
Because what we believed is, "Oh, if I give it to God, then I'm just, I'm not going to be who I am." Maybe that's the thing. Maybe you don't need to. Anyway. But there wasn't a loss.
There was exceedingly and abundantly above all that he could ask or think on the other side of his surrender. And if you are here or watching online under the sound of my voice, there is something that God is asking you to surrender.
And the question that we are left with out of this story in Genesis is what could be on the other side of what God is asking us to surrender? What could be on the other side of what God is asking us to surrender?
Is peace on the other side of what God is asking us to surrender? Is freedom on the other side? Is breakthrough on the other? Is wholeness on the other side? Is joy on the other side?
I can tell you what the type of faith that you've been wanting to have is on the other side of surrender. The type of spouse that you want to be, the type of parent that you want to be, the type of Christian that you'd want to be, the type of relationship that you want to have with the Lord. It is on the other side of surrender.
This is why the enemy will do anything and everything in his power to make sure that you do not surrender everything to God. This is why the enemy will do anything and everything in his power. Get this to make sure that you do not fully surrender to God.
This is why the enemy will do anything and everything in his power to make sure that you do not fully surrender to God. Key word, fully. Oh, you can surrender 75, 85. I'll even let you get to 95. Not 100.
Because as long as I still have a peace, I got you. As long as I still have a peace, I got you. Because here's the thing. The enemy is not trying to make you. He's not trying to make you forget about surrendering, okay?
He don't even want you to surrender less. He just wants to make sure that you surrender to anything and everything except God. You can surrender to anything and everything except God.
So you can surrender to lustful desires. You can surrender to addiction. You can surrender to your finances and your desire to have money. You can surrender to this world. You can surrender to your flesh. You can surrender to your emotions. You can surrender to what you want to do.
It is all fine as long as you don't surrender to God. That's the enemy's play. That is his play. I will let you go to church. I will let you worship and cry your eyes out. But Monday, you mine.
But that's what it is when we're not fully surrendered. There is no middle ground. It's all or nothing. And he says, as long as you don't give him all, I got you.
All the areas of our life so that he can have full control. Full control, instead of trying to control it ourselves, instead of trying to control it in our lives, instead of trying to accomplish it in our own power, instead of trying to work it out on our own might, we surrender and we give him control and we give him access to do whatever he wants to do.
What is our level of surrender? And this is scary for us, okay? This is scary because we want to make sure that we want to know what's going on. We don't like surprises. We want to see ahead. We want to know what's going to happen.
That's not surrender. Surrender says, "God, I don't care. I don't. It's yours. You do it what you want to do. I'm gonna be here. God, you do with it what you want to do."
What are we being called to surrender? Because all of us are called to surrender something in this life. We are always being called to a level of surrender. The question is, what are we being called to surrender?
For some of us, God is calling us to surrender these burdens and these anxieties that we have. We need to surrender the what-ifs and the what-happens and the what-might-happens in our life. He's calling us to surrender it. He's calling us to let it go and to trust in his love for us, to trust in his ability to protect us and to keep us.
He loves you. He can keep you. He can uphold you. There is nothing in your life that God can't hold. Do not let the enemy continue to lie to you and say, "Oh no, this is too much."
Trust in his ability to keep you. Trust in his ability to hold you. Trust in his ability to hold you.
Being called to surrender. Some of us are being called to surrender control. Yeah, don't say amen, say ouch. Because we want to control everything, don't we? We want to know the outcome. We want to know when it's going to happen, how it's going to happen, what it's going to feel like, what day should we expect the trial.
How long is the trial going to last? What is the outcome of the trial? We want to make sure that we come out the trial better than what we want to control everything.
We want to control conversations. We want to control relationships. We want to control outcomes. We want to control everything. And that desire to control has only led us to a place of stress, of worry, of fear, of anxiety.
Because you want to control everything. And God is calling you to surrender that fear that you're dealing with.
Because what happens when we don't... When we get to a place where we feel... When we feel like we're out of control, we lose our minds. Okay. Just me?
When we feel like we don't have control over a situation, we lose it. Because we're not in control. The lie of the enemy is that you are never in control.
So it will be better for you to relinquish your falsehoods. To relinquish your false sense of control and surrender it to God. To say, "God, I'm handing it to you. I'm giving it to you. Do with it what you want to. Whatever happens, whatever the outcome is, whatever the plan is, whatever is going to happen, God, I surrender it to you. I'm not taking it back. I am giving it to you."
I learned this new phrase a couple months ago. I use it very often. Not my monkey, not my show. That's an old saying. Not my monkey, not my show.
So when something happens or I tend to be worried about something that's going on, I just remember, not my monkey, not my show. So what does that mean? It means it's not mine in the first place.
It's not mine in the first place. I'm not in control. So if I'm not in control, why am I worried about something that ain't got nothing to do with me?
I'm just going to show up. I'm going to be obedient. I'm going to do what the Lord has told me to do. I'm going to walk in that obedience, and I'm going to actively continue to surrender whenever the situation is.
The stresses or the worries or the things that the enemy tries to put back on my shoulder to make me believe that I'm in control, I'm going to do that and go ahead and give it all right back on up. Yeah? Surrender. Surrender.
When I first planted this church, we had a worship leader that was here, and he asked me, he says, "How you doing? You know, is everything all right? Good? I'm like, yeah, I'm happy. I'm fine."
He's like, "Man, I'm praying for you. I want you to know. I want you to know that I'm praying for you." I was like, "Okay. Thank you. Do you want to tell me why are you praying for me?"
And he says, "Yeah, man, I just came from this church, and there was this pastor. He was a church planter, and he planted this church a couple years back in Davis. And he said the stress and the things that were on him as a result of his church plan, he had a heart attack."
I said, "What?" He said, "Yeah, he had a heart attack. And, you know, I served there, and it's part of the reason that I'm able to be here now. The church isn't there anymore."
And at that moment, I had to make a decision. Am I going to allow the concerns, the stresses, the other things, all of the things that come with this put me in a grave? I just got here. So, it's not my desire.
And so, in that moment, I had to make a choice to surrender. "God, I surrender this church to you. I surrender the people to you. I surrender the finances to you. I surrender all of the everything, what ifs, ands, or buts. I surrender it to you."
The Bible says, "Unless the Lord builds the house, the laborers labor in vain." Wait a minute, so I don't got to build it? Well, if I ain't got to build it, then I ain't got nothing to worry about.
So, Lord, I'm going to place this in your head, and I'm going to actively surrender it to you. And let me tell you something. When you surrender, and this is an everyday process, but when you do, there is a peace that's on you.
You know how kids be running? You know how kids be running around because they ain't got no bills and they ain't got no worries? Yeah, like that. Like that. You'll be walking around like, "How do y'all just do what y'all want to, huh?" And they're like, "Yes, we do."
But that is the peace of knowing that they're taken care of because it's not their responsibility, which is the same peace that we should have because God will take care of us when we surrender those things to him.
There's a peace. You're walking around worried. You're worried, stress, high blood pressure, aneurysm, all of this stuff because you're worried. And God said, "I just wish you would give it to me. I wish you would give it to me. I wish you would just let me have it."
But we're afraid. We're afraid that if we give it to him, we don't know what's going to happen. As if there is anything not good in God.
I wish you would just let me have it. And if it's not, I just wish you would just let me have it. Surrender our burdens, surrender our anxieties, surrender our control.
Some of us are being called to surrender our plans to him. Yup. Because we be planning, boy. Why? We'll put it in the calendar. Yep.
We know how much money is here, how much money is there. We're going to put it in the account. Nobody touch it. We're not giving it away. We're not talking about it. Leave it there because we got a plan.
We're going to follow this 401k plan. We're going to follow this. We're going to make sure that my young adults, we're going to make sure that we graduate, that we get the degree, then we're going to get the job. House fits two and a half kids, pet, everything looks lovely.
That is the plan. And we plan that we're going to be here by this point. And then once we get there, we're going to do this and we're going to build the account. And then we're going to build this. And we have this plan. There is no room for plan B and any diversion away from that plan is unacceptable.
And anytime anything comes up that might divert, hurt us from that plan, we lose it. Some of us need to surrender our plans to him.
The Bible says, "A man plans his ways, but God orders his steps." He can't order your steps if you don't surrender your plan. Because otherwise you're saying, "No, this is my plan, God. I'm just, I'll step on my own. Thank you."
And then you upset when you fall. Surrender your plans to him. This is God. I know I have a plan, but I'm giving that to you.
Can I tell you something? This might not be a secret. This was not my plan. Surprise. Yeah. Didn't plan this one. This was not in my bingo card at all.
Something happens when you decide to say, "God, no matter what. Do with my life what you will." When you say, "God, here is what I desire. I have these finances put aside. I have a plan. I have this thing. But God, if you should, if you should."
Our plans. We cannot be committed to any plan that doesn't leave room for the Lord to his plan is so much better. From personal experience, I can tell you, you can fight all you want. You're just going to be miserable. You're just going to be angry and upset and sad.
Surrender your plans to him. Jeremiah 29 says, "I know the plans I have for you. I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. He didn't even say, "I know, and then I'm going to let you know."
He didn't say, "I know, and then I'm going to make sure you find out later." He says, "I know the plans that I have for you," says the Lord. Plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster to give you a future and a hope.
He says, "I know the plans." And that's why in Proverbs 3, he says, "Because you don't know the plans, you don't know the plans. Trust and rely confidently in the Lord with all your heart. And because you don't know the plans, do not rely on your own insight or understanding.
In all your ways, know, acknowledge, and recognize him. And he who knows your plans will make your path straight, removing any obstacles that will block your way. He knows the plans he has.
So since he already knows them, you might as well submit yours to him. Some of us are being called to surrender our plans.
And lastly, some of us are being called to surrender our life. Today, some of us are being called to surrender our life. For too long. We've played. We've played hopscotch.
We two feet in one day, one feet in the next, depending on where the bag may fall. We try to be for God when it's convenient for us. But the moment that it requires something too much, then we're out.
Then we're back to what's comfortable. Then we're back to what we feel is right. When we're back to what we feel we want to do. We tried to play the field for two weeks. For too long, only to realize that we have gotten nowhere and we're frustrated at the lack of peace we have.
We're frustrated that we're gaining the things of the world, but we have no joy. We're gaining the things of the world, but we have no real progress. For too long, we have tried to be the God of our own.
Today, we're called to surrender our life. Verse 33 says, "For whoever seeks to save his life will eventually lose it through death. And whoever loses his life in this world will keep it from the consequences of sin and separation from God."
Another version says, "All who are obsessed with being secure in this life will lose it all, including their lives. But those who let go of their lives and surrender them to me will discover true life."
We have to get to a place to where we become a people that are no longer worried about what we think we need, but rather we are satisfied in the God that we already have.
Know that God is everything. Whatever it is that you're being called to surrender to today, let today be the day that you yield to the love of God, that you relinquish your power, that you relinquish your control, that you give up your perceived authority, and let today be the day that you just wave the white flag.
Say, "God, I give it all to you, God. God, I'm tired of trying to do it on my own. God, I'm giving you my plans. I'm giving you my worries, my anxieties, my fears. God, I'm yielding it all to you, God. I'm waving this white flag over my life, God, and I surrender all to you."
I surrender all to you, God. Let today be the day that you wave that white flag, and waving the flag is not admitting defeat.
Waving this flag over your life is not admitting defeat. What we are doing is we're proclaiming victory over our flesh. Victory over our flesh. Victory over our flesh. Victory over our desires and our wants.
We're saying, "God, you are greater than our struggles. You are greater than our control. You are greater than our plans. I'm yielding to you." He is the fountain of water that fulfills every need that we have.
Today, we bring our burdens to him. We embrace the truth today, that surrender and let him go does not mean losing. It means gaining. We gain in him. We gain the life that he promises. We gain renewed faith. We gain a joy. We gain a purpose that only comes from walking fully surrendered in him.
Let today be the day of surrender. True life isn't found in what we hold tightly to. True life isn't found in what we hold tightly to and what we can control. It's found in surrender.
It is found in surrender. Thank you for your word. Thank you for speaking to us today, God. Today, we wave the white flag of surrender over our lives, God. We surrender all.
God, even now, as you're speaking to our hearts and what it is that we need to surrender, God, we give it to you. We choose to hold it no longer, God. We say, "Have your way."
Not to pick it back up again. Not to half give you anything. We fully surrender to you. God, I bind fear even now in these moments. I bind fear in the name of Jesus, for you have not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, of peace, of a sound mind.
God, I thank you that we believe that you are good enough and that you are big enough to handle anything that we would give to you. And we believe that victory is on the other side of surrender. We claim it so. And it is ours. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Amen. I'm gonna have our offering team come forward at this time as we transition to offering and another opportunity to surrender, even in this.
To say, "God, I surrender control. I surrender plans. I surrender it to you, God. I believe that you are big enough to take care of me. I believe that you are big enough to provide for me. I believe that you are big enough that I won't be in lack, but that I will have sufficiency in every area. And out of that, I give.
Out of that, I tithe. Out of that, I give offering. Out of that, I am generous. Why? Because I trust you. So today we give not out of compulsion, not out of, because it's time to. We give. We give out of, thank you, Jesus.
We give out of, "God, thank you again." God, this is my opportunity to show my surrender because my flesh doesn't desire. So now I get to put my flesh on notice with this seed to say, "I surrender all."
Heavenly Father, I thank you right now over those who are giving. I pray right now that you would speak to all of us, God, what would you have us to sow today? Not out of compulsion, but out of a cheerful heart, God.
We believe that you give seed to the sower, God. And we believe that you have given us seed and we sow this seed into good ground. Speak to us right now. Thank you, Jesus.
God, we believe that we have heard from you and we make a decision right now to put the enemy on notice and we decide to move out of faith and out of obedience out of an act of surrender today in this. Amen.
If you're here for the very first time, there's a couple ways that you can give should you choose to participate. There's a QR code on the seat pocket in front of you. If you're watching online, you can go to limitlesswoodland.com.
There's buckets that will go by and we have a generosity box on the wall on your way out. Our ushers are going to pass the offering bucket. And if you could do me a favor as they do that, would you stand? We're going to worship and then I'll be right back to dismiss.
All right, let me just, can we stretch our hands towards our seat? Father, we thank you for the opportunity to show us and to grow into good ground.
We thank you that you've given seed to the sower and so we sow this seed and command it to go, to grow and to multiply in the name of Jesus. God, thank you for what you're doing in each and every one of our lives and we thank you for the harvest that will come from this.
Hide your word in our hearts, God. We can't wait to see what you do with the seed that it will reach to the utmost and take care of everything that needs to be done. We can't wait to be taken care of exceedingly and abundantly above all that we could ask or think.
I thank you that because of this seed, God, and as a result of this seed, that you would open up the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing that we would not have room enough to receive. In Jesus' name, amen.
Very quickly, no walking in these next few moments. Our altar team is here to my left. I want to offer you this opportunity, the first step, the first step of surrender is surrendering your life.
If you have not surrendered your life to Jesus, then we want to offer you that opportunity today. The scripture says that if you would believe in your heart and confess with your mouth, Jesus as Lord, then you will be saved.
This idea of relinquishing your control over your life and saying, "God, I give you control over my life. You are Lord. You are King. You are ruler over every area of my life. I believe that you sent your son to die for me and that on the third day he rose with all power in his hands.
And I want to make you Lord of my life." If that's you today, we would love nothing more than the opportunity to pray with you, than the opportunity to walk with you through this process as you make Jesus the Lord of your life.
Secondly, if you're here today and you say, "Pastor, yeah, that was me today. I recognize that there are some areas that I need to surrender. I've been 75%, 80%, maybe even 90, but I have not surrendered all. And today I want to surrender all."
And we would love to pray with you as well. Maybe you say today, "Hey, I want to recommit my life. I've given my life to the Lord, but I haven't lived in full surrender to him. And I want to recommit my life to him." We want to pray for you.
We've seen God. We've seen God do miracles. And we are in expectation of what he will do. And maybe the enemy is even moving right now and telling you not today. Maybe he's saying you've already done that.
How many times are you going to go up there? Maybe he's saying you don't need to, you can do it next week. You can do it by yourself. Let me go ahead and call him out as the liar that he is.
The scripture says today is the day of salvation. Don't put it off another day, another week, another service, another moment. Do it today. The enemy is afraid of what will happen if you would surrender.
Today is the day of surrender. Today is the day that you wave the white flag. Today is the day that you surrender.
And just as a bonus, next week, we're celebrating baptism. So if you have never made a public declaration of Jesus, then we want to invite you to participate in baptisms with us.
What is baptism? It's this act of saying, "Hey, I'm going public with my faith. I'm participating in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus through water baptism. As I go down, old, but I come up brand new."
So if you've never been baptized and you would like to, then we would love nothing more than to celebrate with you and invite your family, invite your friends, because we're going to celebrate people moving from death to life.
And if that's you, sign up outside. I'll be outside at the table. We have a video. If you need more understanding, our team will call you. We'll be there. We'll be there. We'll be there. We'll be there for you to make sure that you're ready and prepared.
But we desire life, life in this church like never before. And we believe that revival starts with you, in your heart, in your home. And then it spreads to this entire city, because we're going to turn this city upside down for Jesus.
Father, I thank you. I thank you for what you're doing in the lives of your people, and you're speaking to them right now. God, I pray that they will move out of obedience.
I pray that they would hear you right now, God. They would hear you beckoning them and they would run. Your word says that you stand at the door and knock. And I pray today that they would open that door, that your voice would be heard, that it will be clear, God, that you would move like never before.
Today is a day of salvation. Today is a day of surrender. Today is a day of freedom. We declare it so, in Jesus' name. Amen.
The altar team is to my left, to your right. If you would come up, then we have more altar workers here, so you can feel free to come up and get praying for. We love you. I can't wait to see you guys next week as we celebrate baptism. Bring somebody with you. Bring a family, a cousin, an aunt, an uncle.
As a matter of fact, we have new invite cards outside. Boom. Grab an invite card, give it to somebody. Let's fill this place up. God bless you guys. We'll see you next week. And don't forget, it.
on Jan 19, 2025
