TERMS
OF PEACE:
TERMS
OF SURRENDER
LUKE
14:31-33
Luke
14:31-32 Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down
first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that
cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a
great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.
Susie: In commentaries,
there seem to be two views of this example Jesus gave. One is that we as
believers must wage war against sin, the flesh, and the Devil. The cost would
be giving up our pet sins and lusts. However, to me this idea falls apart
because a) the Devil is more powerful than we humans but not more-so than God,
and b) we do NOT make peace with Satan.
Susan: Matthew
Henry and The IVP New Testament
Commentary Series both view God as the King whose army far outnumbers our own
resources to withstand His wrath. Resisting God is futile. It would be asinine
for the creation to wage war with its Creator, the design battling the
designer. How crazy is that?!
Susie: When
faced with an army far greater than your own, the prudent thing to do is seek
peace, to send an ambassador to negotiate with the foe. Praise the Lord that He has already sent us
His terms of peace. They are nothing short of total surrender! In order to have
peace with the all-powerful God who would rightly condemn us to death, we must
surrender ourselves completely and plead the fact that His Son died in our
place. His terms are generous indeed because in exchange for our complete
surrender of our worthless, sin-filled selves, the Lord places upon us the robe
of Jesus’s righteousness and places within us His Holy Spirit to guide us,
ultimately taking us into His own home to live with Him forever.
Susan: Once
we surrender to God and align ourselves with Him, we are no longer His enemies
of God and slaves to sin, for Jesus then calls us friends and even co-heirs.
John
15:15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his
lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of
my Father I have made known unto you.
Romans
8:16-18 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the
children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs
with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified
together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy
to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Susan: We are
then given His armor to fight against sin, the flesh, and Satan. He fights our
battles for us while we remain in this fallen world.
Ephesians
6:10-13 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his
might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the
wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this
world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the
whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and
having done all, to stand.
Luke
14:33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath,
he cannot be my disciple.
Susan: Jesus
intended to weed out those who were emotionally enthusiastic but not vitally
engaged.
Susie: The
people who tagged along only hoping to see miracles or be miraculously fed were
not prepared to face the realities of Jesus’s cross and persecution of those
who placed their lives in His hands.
Susan: Does
forsaking all mean that we must give away everything we own and take a vow of
poverty? Not at all:
Expositor's
Bible Commentary (Abridged Edition): New Testament
This
is clearly a crucial verse. But does it mean that it is impossible to retain
any possessions at all if one wants to be a true disciple? In contrast to the
cares of the rich young ruler (18:22), Jesus does not say a disciple should
sell all his possessions and give everything away. His thought probably is that
of a continual abandonment of things, yielding up the right of ownership or the
desire to cling to things, rather than outright disposal of them. The disciple
of Jesus may be given the use of things in trust, as a stewardship, but they
are no longer his or her own. This understanding is therefore consistent with
the command to use our possessions wisely (cf. 16:1-12).
Susie: When a
person or nation surrendered to an earthly king, in essence they became his
possession. As believers, God is our Master: He owns us. Therefore, in reality,
we do not own anything. We belong to Him, and all we own is His as well. We
have the use of it but must hold it loosely, giving God free reign to use it as
He sees fit for the glory of His kingdom.
Philippians
3:7-8 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea
doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and
do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
Susie: Moses
enjoyed all the rights and riches of a prince of Egypt, but he gave it all up
in order to identify with the one true God and His chosen people.
Hebrews
11:24-26 (CJB) By trusting, Moshe (Moses),
after he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose being mistreated along with God’s
people rather than enjoying the passing pleasures of sin. He had come to regard
abuse suffered on behalf of the Messiah as greater riches than the treasures of
Egypt, for he kept his eyes fixed on the reward.
Susan: The
point Jesus is making is that we must not love things or even people more than
we love Him. Loving the things of this world more intently than loving Jesus is
the beginning of destruction and separation from Him.
Susie: If someone
is clinging to the things of this world, they have not truly surrendered their
lives to the Lord. They are not His disciples.
1
John 2:15-16 (VOICE) Don’t fall in love with this corrupt world or worship the
things it can offer. Those who love its corrupt ways don’t have the Father’s
love living within them. All the things the world can offer to you—the allure
of pleasure, the passion to have things, and the pompous sense of
superiority—do not come from the Father. These are the rotten fruits of this
world.
Ponder
this and Apply it: When surrendering to a king, one hopes for
mercy, that the punishment that is deserved will not be applied or in the least
will be lessened. When we surrender to the King of kings, we are met not only
with mercy to forgive our sins but with His marvelous grace to bestow on us
gifts we could never earn or deserve. If you are a believer, take a moment to
count the blessings you have received from your gracious King and say thank
You! If you have not yet surrendered your life to Jesus, place yourself in His
powerful but gracious hands, knowing He will forgive you and usher into His
family as a child of the King.
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