Learning to Yield

Learning to Yield 

James 4:7-8: Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

Ø The word "yield" is rarely used in the Bible; instead “surrender or submit” is more commonly used.  It is a voluntary surrender of one’s will to follow and obey God’s plan and His appointed authorities.

·        Our fallen nature doesn’t like to yield or submit; therefore it becomes a choice… a difficult choice. It is the opposite of resisting or rebelling.

·        When I learned to drive, I had to learn what the “yield” sign means; I must slow down and even stop to allow others to go instead of me. Sometimes I get so caught up in my “busyness” that I don’t want to yield…even when the sign tells me I must…so I’ll race someone through the intersection causing danger and often harsh words.

·        It’s good for me to slow down, and even stop sometimes, thereby giving someone else the right of way or even control. Learning to yield is a necessary part of my spiritual maturity. We see the great saints of the past gladly yielding in joyful submission.

John 1:23-27: He said: “I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the Lord,” ’as the prophet Isaiah said.” 24 Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees. 25 And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know. 27 It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.”

·        John the Baptist wasn’t a wealthy man, or even a well-dressed man, he wore camel hair clothing and ate locusts and honey. He had no reason to be “self-confident.” However John found his identity in the scriptures rather in the social culture of the times.

·        John didn’t believe he should be seen and not heard. In fact just the opposite, he was bold and loud. The art of yielding or submitting does not mean being unimportant. Our Father in heaven thinks we are very important. We has work for us to do.

John 3:26-30: And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified—behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!” 27 John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’ 29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease. 

·        The NLT says, “He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.”

Ø  Pray this with me, “Lord You must increase, but I must decrease.”

·        When He overflows in us, everything that is within us that does not please Him is emptied out and replaced with His perfect love.

·        The bride does not belong to best friend of the bridegroom. The bride belongs to the Bridegroom, therefore the best man willingly steps aside.

·        “Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled.” John felt nothing but joy in submitting to Jesus to the point where it was Jesus alone that could be seen and heard, and loved.

·        This brought extreme joy to John!

·        This may seem difficult for those of us that struggle with a “low self-image.”  There are some of us that feel like “wall-flowers” and should just stay away. No, a thousand times no!

·        He wants all of us to live life to the fullest and John the Baptist is an example to us.

Matthew 11:10-11: For this is he of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.’ 11 “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

·        John didn’t see himself as “great”—he didn’t have any special talent, holiness, or great accomplishments. John was great because he pointed people to Jesus! He was willing to become lesser so Jesus could become greater…how about you?

·        And yet… Jesus says he who is least in the kingdom is greater than John.

·        John’s preaching was the end of the Law and the beginning of the Promise of grace. Everything that was prophesied was being fulfilled!

·        The Son of God was becoming a man so that men could become sons of God…filled with His Spirit.

·        Paul tells us that we are the “temple” of the Spirit of God. Maybe you think you are deeply flawed, but that’s not how God sees you. You are more beautiful than Solomon’s Temple. Solomon’s Temple was one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

·        The Spirit of God wants to make His home in you, that is why Jesus came and died, yet was resurrected for you. He wants to be with you forever. He has adopted you as His son…that is how much He loves you. Let that truth settle deeply into your soul.

·        Your body, is an imperfect earth suit, but it is still glorious to God. 

Galatians 4:6-7: And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

·        Those who are sons have the Spirit of the Son in their hearts. This gives us both the right and the ability to cry out “Daddy!” to God our Father, just as Jesus did.

·        We have access to the same intimacy with God the Father that God the Son has.

·        Sons are never slaves-- and slaves are never sons in their father’s house. Jesus shows us this in the parable of the prodigal son… the son was determined to return to his father as a slave – but the father refused, and would only receive him as a son.

·        There is a beautiful progression. First we are set free from slavery. Then we are declared sons and adopted into God’s family. Then, as sons, we are made heirs. We are an heir of God through Christ. We inherit God Himself.

·        For some, this might seem like a small inheritance. Yet for those who are really in Christ and who really love God, to be an heir of God is the richest inheritance of all.

·        You are precious to Him. His heart burns with love for you. The Son of God did not die for you to become invisible; that is not the submission the Bible talks about. He died to make you a son, and as a son we must learn to walk as sons.

Luke 2:49-52:  And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” 50 But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them. 51 Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

·        Jesus was the Only Begotten Son of God-- and as the Son He knew that He must yield to the Father and be about His Father’s business.

·        But He also was subject to Joseph and Mary.  He was learning to be obedient, because there was a day coming when obedience would be strictly required.

·        Obedience and yielding to the Father must also be learned by us if we are also to be about our Father’s business.

·        We are being prepared and sanctified for Him. Our choice to submit means we put Him first in all things.

·        As we learn to yield to the Father, we will also grow in wisdom, stature, and favor.

·        John the Baptist understood this, John knew his job was to prepare the way and clear the path, and then he stepped aside for everyone to look to Jesus, the King of Kings. He must take His rightful place, and we must step aside. This is yielding. 

Luke 4:5-8: Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.” 8 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”

·        Now Jesus is no longer a child and He has been filled with the Holy Spirit. It’s time to confront the enemy just like the first Adam did. He is about His Father’s business.

·        The enemy’s tactics are simple; put your eyes on the world and its pleasures, instead of on the Lord. It worked with Adam, he tries it on Jesus.

·        Jesus said, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”

·        Our God is a jealous God because of His extreme love for us. He knows how easily we are led astray into things that are not good for us. The culture is always enticing us with worldly things to lead our love away from where it belongs…on Jesus!

·        There is no other God but Him. Everything is a counterfeit. All worship, honor, and praise are rightfully His, and His alone. And He alone has the right to ask for our full surrender.

·        The Lord wants to keep it simple for us, He is the Lord, and He will not share His glory. There is no other like Him and we should not settle for less. His beauty, majesty, and splendor are unique.

·         Our God is a good God and He loves us. And He knows there are great dangers out there lurking to suck us in.

Ø It’s only when we take our eyes off of Him and His nature that we desire to become greater again and lose our joy!

Matthew 26:36-39: Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” 37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. 38 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” 39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

·        Jesus had a yielded heart… He yielded His own desires and will for that of the Father. No one took His life from Him, He freely gave it up. He calls us to follow in His footsteps. He’s asking us to freely give up our will for His will. 

Philippians 2:5-8: Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

·        Paul describes for us the mind of Jesus… it was an obedient mind. It is all too easy for us admire it from a distance. God wants us to be awed by it, but also to see it as something that we must enter into and imitate. It is something that we have choice about.

·        Jesus wasn’t trying to get what he already had; He already had the divine nature. But He humbled Himself and became obedient to the cross. Crucifixion was such a shameful death that it was not permitted for Roman citizens.

·        Jesus came all the way down to the most despised death of all, a condemned criminal on the accursed cross.  Even the death of the cross shows that there is no limit to what God will do to demonstrate His love and saving power to man.

·        There is no greater way to glorify God than through obedience, yielding, and submitting.

·        He knew He was loved, and it was through the Father’s love that the Son could obey. This is also the key to our obedience.

Luke 9:24-26: For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? 26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.

·        There’s a losing and a gaining, and its’ all in the context of gaining and losing “for his sake.”

·        When we surrender, we must remember we are yielding to Him who has yielded more than any man. Jesus possessed everything in heaven and on earth yet He gave up everything so that we could possess Him.

Ø  And possessing Him only comes through surrender to Him. He says if we do not submit to Him we are ashamed of Him!

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

·        The Lord is calling us to offer ourselves as a “living sacrifice.” A living sacrifice still has a choice to submit completely to God.

·        It is often so hard for us to sacrifice anything, let alone our whole being. He held nothing back from us as He offered Himself as a “Living Sacrifice” for us; it was His radical love for us that led Him to the cross.

·        Therefore, it is our “reasonable service” to offer ourselves to Him in our own radical love offering to Him.

·        You can offer yourselves more to Him, more than you ever have before and hold nothing back from Him. I hope this is the desire of your heart.

·        The world cannot understand this because they do not know the love of Christ. He has proven Himself worthy of our sacrifice. No one else has bled and died to give us new life.