MARY: A CHARACTER OF ABSOLUTE SURRENDER AND BELIEVE IN GOD

 

MARY: A CHARACTER OF ABSOLUTE SURRENDER AND BELIEVE IN GOD

(The Teaching Ministry of Dr Joel Dabbas)

SCRIPTURE:  "And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. [31] And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
[32] He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
[33] And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
[34] Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
[35] And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
[36] And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. [37] For with God nothing shall be impossible. [38] And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her." - Luke 1:30-38 KJV

Most believers desire to experience God’s greatest work in and through their lives. The question becomes how to do that and whether or not we are willing to do what is required to see the Lord move in and through us. It is not by the force of our will, but rather the opposite: absolute surrender, that is the key to unlocking God’s power. Also, it is the call beckoning every follower of Christ.

Mary showed us this principle in our anchor text, she was told something unimaginable by an absolute stranger, an Angel-Michael. What she said was stunning "Be it unto me according to Your word." What Mary was saying is that "I don't own any rights to my relationship to Joseph, i don't even own the right to my body as long as it is God laying demand on it." This is not mere surrender but absolute surrender.

You can't manifest God beyond the level of your surrender. I was told a story many years ago of a man who built 2 story building and he said "Lord, I give you the ground floor, it is for you, one day, fire gutted the building and burnt one room in the middle floor. The man wasn't happy and he went back to the Lord and screamed "Lord, but I gave you this property but the Lord told him but you gave me only the ground floor and that is why it is save." The man finally gave every part of it to God and it was secured. You see!! There is a huge difference between I have surrendered, and that I have absolutely and totally surrendered everything to Jesus. Some submits their life and not their Job, money, social life, money etc unto God.

Genuine surrender requires total surrender. It is coming to the point of recognizing that your life and time on earth are not yours.

Many years ago, we used to sing a hymn from the Methodist Hymnbook and SS & S that says;
"Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in endless praise."

When you come to the point where God owns your life and all that you have, you have come to the place of genuine and absolute surrender unto Him.

Note the following:

1. Absolute surrender is an appeal to all believers, to give themselves wholly to the person and mission of Jesus. 

Romans 12:1 KJV says that "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."

Mary's response i believe was passionately triggered by the mission of Jesus (Matthew 1:21). She was told the Son you will birth will set His people free from their sins.

How are you responding to getting the lost souls saved?
How are you responding to the core mission of Jesus to this dying world?

2. Absolute surrender is a decision you should make in response to God's benevolent gift of salvation.

This decision is not one that comes without conditions or demands. In fact, choosing to walk in absolute surrender is a lofty one. It requires a total life commitment to the Lord, and not to the ways of this world. It offers up every part of oneself as a living and holy sacrifice. The life of the surrendered looks noticeably different in every aspect especially regarding the way in which they think. Absolute surrender demands a different way of thinking and seeing which means not being “conformed to this world, but…transformed by the renewing of [the] mind . . . .” (Rom 12:2a).

3. Authentic absolute surrender equals Authentic worship (Romans 12:1-2)
If you know anything about God, you will know that one thing God is fond of is authentic worshippers-those that worship Him in Spirit and in truth. A life of authentic surrender breeds a life of genuine worship and praise unto God.
Every time people glorify God through the life Jesus lived in human flesh, it was because one woman called Mary lived a life of sacrifice and absolute surrender unto God. When they sang "hossanah, hossanah blessed is He who comes in the name of our Lord." Some one that lived a life of absolute surrender made it happen.

Now, consider what generation will rise if you genuinely surrender yourself to Jesus Christ. Consider people who will be set on fire by your surrender to Him.
Consider the impact you will make by being absolutely surrendered unto God.

Say this "O Lord, I genuinely and authentically surrender my entire being unto You, take all of me and make it Yours. Help me to carry Your very essence in this earthly frame, so that the world will see You and feel You through me in Jesus Name." Glory!!!