I. Introduction

A. Illustration – Have you ever heard the expression, “When all else fails, read the directions”? Have you ever put that advice into practice? I almost always read the directions when I’m putting something together, because I’m not good at it. But where I trip up is with computer software. I almost never read the directions until I find myself in trouble. Why? Because I think that I can figure out how to use it, so why bother with the directions? I’ve even installed and used new software while watching TV or reading a book, and that’s gotten me into trouble. So maybe it would be a good idea for me to read the directions all the time!

B. Context – For Christians, including our church, it’s always a good idea to read the directions. Why? Because for us the directions are God’s Word. The Bible is a window that allows God’s truth to shine in our hearts and lives. And God’s truth is what we are called to live by. You see, when we practice the presence of Christ in our daily lives, we surrender to the truth of God’s Word. There are four principles that we’ve got to get a grip on if we’re going to be able to practice this surrender in our daily lives.

II. Surrendering to God’s Word means Becoming Spiritually Receptive

A. (NEW SLIDE) First, surrendering to the truth of God’s Word means becoming spiritually receptive. It’s like we open ourselves up to whatever God wants to teach us. In Proverbs 2:1-5, Solomon writes to his son: My child, listen to me and treasure my instructions. 2 Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. 3 Cry out for insight and understanding. 4 Search for them as you would for lost money or hidden treasure. 5 Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. If we’re open to whatever it is God wants to teach us through His Word, then we’ll gain much fear and respect for God and know Him much more intimately.

B. Let’s look at a few biblical examples of folks who were spiritually receptive. Luke 10:39 – Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. Acts 17:11 – And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. 1 Thessalonians 2:13 – And we never stop thanking God that when we preached his message to you, you didn’t think of the words we spoke as being just our own. You accepted what we said as the very word of God – which, of course, it was. And this word continues to work in you who believe. What did all these people have in common? (NEW SLIDE) They were open and eager and willing to receive the Word. They were receptive to what the Word of God taught them.

C. Illustration - AA coouple of summers ago, our family was staying down at Yachats. One day one of the plug-ins one bathroom stopped working. I played around with the breakers and tried to get it going, but it still wouldn’t work. Then I realized something – that maybe it was tied into the ground fault interrupter circuit in the other bathroom. Guess what? As soon as I tripped that outlet, the other one worked again. Why do I share this? To prove the point that if we aren’t connected to our eternal Power Supply through being open to His leading in His Word, we won’t have the power to impact our world for Jesus Christ. Surrendering to the truth of God’s Word means becoming spiritually receptive.

III. Surrendering to the Truth of God’s Word means Being Willing to Be Submissive to the Word

A. (NEW SLIDE) Second, surrendering to the truth of God’s Word means a willingness to be submissive or obedient to the Word we receive. In John 14:21-23, Jesus says, “Those who obey my commandments are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them, and I will love them. And I will reveal myself to each one of them. 22 Judas (not Judas Iscariot, but the other disciple with that name) said to him, “Lord, why are you going to reveal yourself only to us and not to the world at large?” Jesus replied, “All those who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and live with them.” Obedience, or submission, to the Word Jesus has given us is what we’re called to.

B. James 1:22-25 says, And remember, it is a message to obey, not just to listen to. If you don’t obey, you are only fooling yourself. 23 For if you just listen and don’t obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25 But if you keep looking steadily into God’s perfect law – the law that sets you free – and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. (NEW SLIDE) When we obey the truth of God’s Word that we have received, then not only does God love us, He blesses us. That’s great news, and some pretty good motivation for us to be submissive, to obey, His Word.

C. Did you know that submission is defined as “having the mind of Christ”? Read Philippians 2:1-11 sometime to learn more about it. C. S. Lewis wrote, (NEW SLIDE) "Putting on Christ" (which is the same as having the mind of Christ) ... is not one among many jobs a Christian has to do; and it is not a sort of special exercise for the top class. It is the whole of Christianity (as cited on PreachingToday.com). Dennis Kinlaw wrote an excellent book called “The Mind of Christ” about this very topic. One phrase we’ve got to avoid if we’re going to have the mind of Christ is saying “I don’t know” when the Word clearly calls us to do something. “I don’t know” really translates as several other phrases, including “I don’t want to obey,” “I’m having too much fun,” “It costs too much,” and “I’ll do it later.”

D. Philosopher Soren Kierkegaard wrote, Christian truth itself has eyes to see with. In fact it is all eye. That's very disquieting. (NEW SLIDE) Think of looking at a painting and discovering that the painting was looking at you. Precisely such is the case with Christian truth. It is looking back at me to see whether I do what it says I should do (as cited on PreachingToday.com). Surrendering to the truth of God’s Word means being willing to be submissive (obedient) to the Word we’ve received.

IV. Surrendering to the Truth of God’s Word mean Becoming Intimate with the Living Word

A. (NEW SLIDE) Third, surrendering to the truth of God’s Word means we become intimate with the Living Word, Jesus Christ. John 1:14 says, So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. That’s like saying that Jesus moved in next door. Think about it for a minute. If Jesus moved in right across the fence from us, wouldn’t we want to get to know Him? I mean, even if we didn’t have a clue about Who He was, He’s different and loving and we’d certainly want to get to know someone like that! The truth of the matter is that our relationship with Jesus Christ becomes much closer when we surrender to the truth of God’s Word. That intimate, personal relationship with Him that we long for is possible if we obey what He has revealed to us.

B. (NEW SLIDE) John 14:6 says, Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” If we open our minds and hearts to the Word, if we begin to obey, if we submit to the truth, then we will begin to discover the blessings of intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. Our Daily Bread tells this story: RUSSIAN MATINEE IDOL Alexander Rostovzev was converted to Christ years ago while playing the role of Jesus in a sacrilegious play entitled Christ in a Tuxedo. He was supposed to read two verses from the Sermon on the Mount, remove his gown, and cry out, “Give me my tuxedo and top hat!” But, as he read the words, “Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted,” he began to tremble. Instead of following the script, he kept reading from Matthew 5, ignoring the coughs, calls, and foot-stamping of his fellow actors. Finally, recalling a verse he had learned in his childhood in the Russian Orthodox church, he said, “Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom.” (OUR DAILY BREAD) By surrendering to the truth of God’s Word, Rostovzev found an intimate relationship with the Living Word. God is calling us to do the same.

V. Surrendering to the Truth of God’s Word means Transformation

A. (NEW SLIDE) Fourth, surrendering to the truth of God’s Word means transformation. It’s much easier to prevent disasters than it is to try to clean up after them. God’s Word is powerful in preventing sin disasters in our lives so that we don’t have to live with the aftermath. Psalm 119:9-16 – How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word and following its rules. 10 I have tried my best to find you – don’t let me wander from your commands. 11 I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. 12 Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your principles. 13 I have recited aloud all the laws you have given us. 14 I have rejoiced in your decrees as much as in riches. 15 I will study your commandments and reflect on your ways. 16 I will delight in your principles and not forget your word. God’s Word can help us overcome temptation so that we will not sin. How? (NEW SLIDE) Romans 12:2 – Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. We’ve got to allow God to transform us by changing the way we think. How do we allow Him to do that?

B. We allow God to change the way we think by memorizing and meditating on Scripture. In Joshua 1:8, God told him, Study this book of the Law continually. Meditate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it. Only then will you succeed. We usually tend to focus on God’s admonition to Joshua to be strong and courageous, but tucked in this passage is a powerful truth. (NEW SLIDE) If we study God’s Word and meditate on it throughout our day, we will be enabled to be much more obedient to it than we would be otherwise. Translation: we’ll be less likely to sin and our lives will be transformed. Psalm 1:1-3 reinforces this truth: Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with scoffers. 2 But they delight in doing everything the Lord wants; day and night they think about his law. 3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season without fail. Their leaves never wither, and in all they do, they prosper. God blesses people who turn from evil and meditate on His Word.

C. Illustration – In his devotional Daily with Christ, Neil Anderson writes, SINCE SATAN’S PRIMARY WEAPON is the lie, your defense against him is the truth. Dealing with Satan is not a power encounter; it’s a truth encounter. When you expose Satan’s lie with God’s truth, his power is broken. . . . Satan’s lie cannot withstand truth any more than the darkness of night can withstand the light of the rising sun. (NEIL ANDERSON, DAILY IN CHRIST, EUGENE, OR: HARVEST, 1993, MAY 21ST DEVOTION) How are we going to know what is God’s truth and what is Satan’s lie if we don’t spend time memorizing and meditating on God’s Word so that our hearts and lives can be transformed? (NEW SLIDE) The goal of salvation is transformation into the likeness of Jesus, and surrendering to the truth of God’s Word by meditating on it and memorizing it is a powerful method God uses to transform us.

D. There are lots of ways to memorize Scripture. Here is one method. (NEW SLIDE) First, pick a passage and stop for a minute to pray for godly insights. Second, read the passage through several times. Third, write out the passage. (NEW SLIDE) Fourth, answers the who, what, where, when, and why of the passage you’ve picked. Fifth, repeat one phrase of the passage over and over until you’ve got it down, and add phrases until you’ve memorized the whole passage. (NEW SLIDE) Sixth, review the passage daily and use it as situations arise where you need to it fight temptation.

E. God’s Word is powerful. Receive it. Submit in obedience to its truth. Let it transform your mind, your goals, your everything!

F. Illustration – In The Believer’s Daily Renewal, Andrew Murray writes, “THY WORDS WERE FOUND, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart” (Jer. 15:16). Here we see three states. The first is the finding of God’s word. This only comes to those who seek diligently for it. Then comes the eating. This is personal appropriation for our own sustenance, the taking up into our being the words of God. . . . Finally comes the rejoicing. . . . Eating is the central thought. . . . Eating is the only aim of searching; it is the only cause and life of rejoicing. In the secrecy of the inner chamber much depends on “I did eat them.” To understand the difference between eating and finding God’s words, compare the grain a man has stored in his granary with the bread he has on his table. All the diligent labor he has expended in sowing, harvesting, and storing his grain, all the satisfaction he has gained from his work, cannot profit in him unless he feeds on the daily portion of bread his body requires. . . . (NEW SLIDE) We must remember that finding and possessing the words of God is not eating them, which alone brings divine life and strength to the soul. (ANDREW MURRAY, THE BELIEVER’S DAILY RENEWAL, MINNEAPOLIS: BETHANY, 1981, PP. 81–82)

G. May all of us surrender our everything to the truth of God’s Word so that our lives and our world will be transformed!

VI. Conclusion

A. Please bow your heads and close your eyes out of respect for God and for each other’s privacy. How are you doing at surrendering to the truth of God’s Word? Are you actively spiritually receptive to the truth of His Word? Are you submissive in obedience to the truth of the Word you’ve received? Have you become intimately close to the Living Word, Jesus Christ? Are you allowing God to transform you by the truth of His Word? Let’s spend a few quiet moments listening to the Spirit speak to us about the answers to those questions.

B. If you’d like to surrender to the truth of God’s Word in any of these areas this morning, please raise your hand as a sign of your willingness to surrender, and I’ll pray for you. Let’s pray.