Surrender

Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done. And after those days we took up our carriages, and went up to Jerusalem. There went with us also certain of the disciples of Caesarea, and brought with them one Mnason of Cyprus, an old disciple, with whom we should lodge. - Acts 21:13-16

    Faith in Christ is nothing less than the surrender of one's life to the rule and dominion of Jesus Christ as Lord. It is that implicit confidence in him that causes a person to trust Christ to control all the affairs of his life. Faith is losing your life to Christ. Anything short of the surrender of heart and life to Jesus Christ as Lord is not faith (Matt. 10:37-38; Mark 8:34-38; Luke 9:23-24; 14:25-33; John 12:25). In Acts 21 :13-16, Luke gives us several examples of that surrender of life that always accompanies true faith.

    Paul, being 'bound in the Spirit' to go (20:22), was, as we have already seen, on his way to Jerusalem. He did not know exactly what awaited him there. But the Holy Spirit assured him that 'bonds and afflictions' (20:23) would certainly be waiting for him. Still this faithful servant of God was determined to finish his course with the joyful awareness that he had been obedient to Christ, no matter what difficulties and dangers awaited him.

    All along the way the Lord tested his resolve and proved his faith. First, the disciples at Tyre pleaded with Paul, urging him not to go up to Jerusalem because the Holy Spirit had shown them the danger awaiting him (21:4). Then Agabus came down to Cresarea and made a very bold and vivid prophecy of the bonds awaiting Paul at Jerusalem (21:10-11). After that all the disciples began to weep and begged Paul not to go up to Jerusalem (21:12). The disciples at Tyre, Agabus and these disciples at Cresarea were all spiritual men. They all had Paul's best interests at heart. They all spoke to him by the Spirit of God. But Paul knew what the will of God was, and he was determined to do God's will, regardless of cost or consequence. What an example he sets before us! When God has shown us his will, when the path of our responsibility is clear, we must be obedient and walk in it, no matter what it may cost us to do so. Nothing will justify the neglect of disobedience to the known will of God (1 Kings 13:26).

    1. True faith involves a loving commitment and surrender of life to the Lord Jesus Christ

    When Paul called upon the saints at Rome to present their bodies as living sacrifices to the Lord (Rom. 12:1-2), he himself had already done so. His life was one of self-sacrificing devotion to Christ, as verse 13 indicates: 'Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? For I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.'

    The Lord Jesus Christ is worthy of all that we might be called upon to do or suffer for him, and infinitely more. This is an obvious fact to all who know him. It is not something that has to be proved. He who is worthy of heaven's highest praise is worthy of our hearts' highest love, esteem and devotion. He is worthy of our full surrender to his claims and total commitment to his glory.

    1. He is worthy because of who he is: God over all and blessed for ever, our incarnate mediator and substitute (Isa. 9:6-7; John 1:1-3,14; Phil. 2:6-8; Col. 2:9; 1Tim.3: 16;Heb. 1:1-3).

    2. He is worthy because of all that he has done for us: his engagements to be our surety (Heb. 10:5-14), his assumption of our nature (2 Cor. 8:9; Gal. 4:4-5), his representative obedience (Rom. 5:19) and his sin-atoning, substitutionary, sacrificial death (Rom. 5:6-8; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1Peter 2:24; Gal. 3:13).

    3. He is worthy because of all that he is doing and will yet do for us: his advocacy (1 John 2:1-2), his providential rule (John 17:2), his preparation of heaven for us (John 14:1-3), the resurrection of the saints (1 Thess. 4:13-18) and the perfection of glorification (Eph. 5:25-27).

    When we think of who Christ is, what he has done and what he has promised, we are compelled to shout with the saints in heaven, 'Thou art worthy!'

    2. True faith loves and esteems the Son of God above all things, even above life itself

    To those who believe, 'He is precious' (1 Peter 2:7). Faith perceives the infinite worth of Christ and the comparative worthlessness of all but Christ (Phil. 3:4-11). I realize that there are varying degrees of consecration to Christ and that believers grow in grace, but wherever grace is experienced, indebtedness is felt (Luke 7:36-50). The believer is never satisfied with anything done for, or given to, Christ. Love yearns to give more, do more, surrender more and be more for Christ. Faith can never be satisfied with anything less than total commitment to Christ, total communion with Christ and total conformity to Christ. Faith counts that kind of devotion to be a very reasonable thing (Rom. 12:1-2; 14:7-8; 2 Cor. 5:15).

    3. True faith surrenders to the will of God

    When the disciples realized that Paul could not be persuaded to follow the course of personal safety, they submitted their friend, the cause of Christ and their own lives to the will of God, saying, 'The will of the Lord be done' (21:14). In the same way, it is our responsibility and in our best interests to submit all things to the will of God. It is an act of faith to submit all our plans to his will (James 4: 15). And it is an act of patience to humbly endure personal trials, troubles and heartaches, realizing that all that we suffer, we suffer by the will of God (1 Sam. 3:18). As we seek to walk in obedience to the will of God, three things need to be understood:

    1. The secret will of God is his eternal purpose and decree of predestination. God is the first cause of all things (Rom. 11:36; 2 Cor. 5:18; Eph.1:11). Some things are permitted by God, and some things are directly caused by God, but all things were decreed by God in his eternal purpose (Isa. 46:9-11).

    2. The revealed will of God is that which we are responsible to obey. Our responsibility is determined not by the decree of God, but by the revelation of God. We are responsible to do what we know God has commanded us to do in his Word (John 2:5). For example, all men are responsible to re pent (Acts 17:30); all believers are responsible to be baptized, confessing and identifying with Christ in the watery grave (Acts 2:38); and all who know Christ are responsible to be his witnesses (Acts 1:8). Once we know God's will in any area of life, we must obey, without consideration of cost or consequence.

    3. The providential will of God is whatever comes to pass in time. All that comes to pass is brought to pass by the will of God (Rom. 8:28; 1Thess.5:16-18). It is our responsibility to trust God's will of purpose, obey God's will of revelation and submit to God's will of providence, saying, 'The will of the Lord be done.'

    4. True faith perseveres to the end

    Verse 16 speaks of 'one Mnason of Cyprus, an old disciple, with whom' Paul lodged at Jerusalem. What charming words! If I should live to be an old man, let me live to be 'an old disciple'! I want no more. 'Mnason' means 'one who remembers'. He had seen, heard, learned and experienced much of Christ, of redemption and of grace. What precious memories he must have enjoyed! He came from the little island of Cyprus, the home of Barnabas. And he was 'an old disciple'. Those words imply that he was a man advanced in years, but literally they mean he was 'a disciple from the beginning'. Mnason was one of the original group of believers. Thirty years had passed since the death of Christ. Mnason was one of the very few left who had seen, heard and believed Christ in the flesh. Most of his friends from the early days had gone already to heaven. But Mnason was still a disciple. He was still learning from his Master, following his Master and growing in grace. He was still given to hospitality and a man so highly esteemed in the church that his acceptance of Paul carried such weight that the Jewish brethren received him gladly (21:17). Thank God for old disciples!