October 10th 2021-Surrender to Jesus

October 10th 2021

Amos 5:6-7,10-15, Heb.4:12-16, Mark 10:17-31

Surrender to Jesus

I surrender all, I surrender all All to Thee, my blessed Saviour I surrender all

The writer of the letter to the Hebrews was addressing a growing issue amongst the Jewish converts in the early church as to the identity and character of Jesus.  They were confused as to who Jesus actually is and his standing and relationship with the God of their ancestors. The writer explains through the 13 chapters the truth of who He is – the Son of God, our great high priest, the appointed heir of all things, he is greater than all of the angels, the ultimate revelation of God and the means by which every one of us can be restored to a full and perfect relationship with our creator. Put simply, Jesus is extraordinary.

The key to getting our life sorted is Jesus, the key to understanding the Bible is Jesus, the key to understanding God’s character is Jesus – the key to Life is Jesus.   It’s all about Him.

Jesus himself said ‘Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father’ John 14:9 and that we are to respond to this truth like a child; simply and with trust.

Knowing Jesus changes everything – Forgiveness for the past, Hope for the future and grace and strength for the present. It is astonishing that through Jesus Christ we can approach the throne room of Almighty God with assurance and boldness.     But first … we must decide. We must choose to make Jesus the focus of our lives. To surrender to Him. Amos was calling the people to decide to choose God. To choose life not death. Without God in their lives all their efforts and work would be empty and in vain. Jesus is calling the young man to look carefully at his life and what was controlling it; what was most important to him?

What controls us? What is most important in our lives? What guides our thoughts and our decisions? Is it fear or is it faith? Is it God or is it the world? If it isn’t Jesus then we are relying on something or someone else more than God and that breaks the first commandment. ‘What must I do?’ asks the man of Jesus – looking at salvation as something to be earned or purchased rather than a gift of God to be received. Outwardly he was conforming to the law but failed to understand that what we do on the outside must connect with our heart on the inside and that being restored to a right relationship with God is not about what we do, but all about what Jesus has done: accepting the work of Jesus on the Cross and surrendering ourselves to Him. Then we receive the right to ‘approach the throne of grace with boldness’. So; Where is Jesus in our lives? Is He at the centre? Do we defer to Him in all things? Does He control our actions, thoughts, love, generosity?