Total Abandonment and Absolute Trust
Pete’s friend Rocky Fleming wrote a book about the journey to the inner chamber. In this allegory, the goal is to get across the obstacles surrounding the castle and then enter into the King’s court and into the King’s inner chamber. This is an analogy about entering into God’s presence. Over the door to the inner chamber is a sign that says, “He who enters in must enter with total abandonment and absolute trust.”
Jesus said, He who loses his life shall find it and he who finds his life shall lose it. He said, I am the narrow way and the narrow gate. I am the way, the truth and the life, no man cometh unto the father except by me. He said, there is a broad way that leads to destruction. But I am the narrow gate and the narrow way that leads to life everlasting. 1 John 5:13 says, these things have I written to you so that you may know that you have life everlasting.
The politically correct will say that Christianity is too exclusive. They say that it’s narrow minded and elitist. Likewise, the people of Jesus’ day asked him, “weren’t we good enough? Didn’t we do works in your name?” Jesus said to them, “depart from me ye workers of iniquity. I never knew you.”
To approach God’s throne of grace we must enter through the narrow gate. We must leave our selfish self at the door. In order to enter in, as Oswald Chambers said, we need to conduct our own “white funeral.” According to Galatians 2:20, I was crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life that I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.
Chambers also said that the kingdom of self is heavily defended territory. However, Jesus said, he who loses his life shall save it and he who saves his life shall lose it. Total abandonment means to relinquish control of my own life to him, giving up the option to reclaim it.
In a wedding ceremony, the vow we make to God and to one another is to give up the right to ourselves in dedication to our wives. Likewise, As sons of God, To bring ourselves through the narrow way Jesus Christ, we need to leave our selfish selves at the gate.
To enter in we must enter on His terms, not ours. Jesus is the only way. On our own we do not deserve God’s grace and mercy for salvation. For there is none good (in the flesh), no not one. However Jesus Christ lived the perfect life. He who was without sin became the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in him.
To approach God’s throne of grace, we must “put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ”….clothed in his righteousness alone, faultless to stand before His throne. To forsake the devil and the ways of this world, resist the devil and he will flee from you. Resisting the devil is to turn our hearts unto the Lord… to set our affections on things above and not on the things fo this world. When we walk in the light as he is in the light, the blood of Jesus Christ will cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The cleansing is in the walking in the light.
Abandonment means to give God permission to help himself to my life. As the bond servant said, bound to his master by the bond of love, “my joy and rejoicing is to serve you Lord… to honor you to the praise of the glory of your grace.” The greatest joy is in the object of joy: Rejoice in the Lord alway, and again I say rejoice.
Spurgeon said, when people leave a sermon, the greatest compliment is not when the people say, “Isn’t Spurgeon a great preacher.” Instead the greatest complement is, “isn’t God a great God?” The message doesn’t point to the messenger, it points to the message of the good news of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
Personal abandonment and absolute trust is the prerequisite for God to heal the land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” The first requirement is to “humble thyself.” To approach a holy God, we must abandon ourselves in humility as a humble servant in prayer and praise to our Lord.
When he was being nailed to the cross Jesus said, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” As the scripture says in Romans 12, be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good.
The Christian Group Phillips Craig, and Dean sings a song “I am crucified with Christ, and yet I live.” The lyrics and music for this song are a confession of total abandonment and absolute trust.
Here is the link to the URL for this song: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwji0dGfnKjsAhVOLK0KHU2JCQkQwqsBMAd6BAgLEA0&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dqjf_D6h6hlk&usg=AOvVaw3wWICkdE7uX7uryXq2S-nP
Here are the lyrics:
As I look back on what I thought was living
I’m amazed at the price I choose to pay
And to think I ignored what really mattered
Cause I thought the sacrifice would be too great
But when I finally reached the point of giving in
I found the cross was calling even then
And even though it took dying to survive
I’ve never felt so much alive
For I am crucified with Christ and yet I live
Not I but Christ that lives within me
His Cross will never ask for more than I can give
For its not my strength but His
There’s no greater sacrifice
For I am crucified with Christ and yet I live
As I hear the Savior call for daily dying
I will bow beneath the weight of Calvary
Let my hands surrender to His piercing purpose
That holds be to the cross but sets me free
I will glory in the power of the cross
The things I thought were gain I count as loss
And with His suffering I identify
And by His resurrection power I am alive
And I will offer all I have
So that His cross is not in vain
For I found to live is Christ
And to die is truly gain
For I am crucified with Christ and yet I live
Not I but Christ that lives within me
His Cross will never ask for more than I can give
For its not my strength but His
There’s no greater sacrifice
For I am crucified with Christ and yet I live….
…Amen. That we may live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael