Surrendering Rights to God
Pastor Tan Thai · Mar 1, 2025
This sermon teaches believers about the meaning of bearing the cross—relinquishing personal rights to serve God. Based on Matthew 5:38-42, the pastor guides the congregation to surrender five fundamental rights: the right to revenge, the right to protect honor, the right to control material possessions, the right to use time, and the right to control money. The message emphasizes that surrender is harder than suffering, and uses Christ and Paul as examples of the servant's attitude toward God.
The sermon opens by pointing out the tension between modern society's values—respecting individual rights—and Christ's teaching about bearing the cross to follow Him. The pastor observes that many believers ask what rights they receive when they become Christians and join the Church, but Jesus clearly teaches that to be His disciples, one must bear the cross, which means dying to self and surrendering the right to live according to one's own desires. Bearing the cross sounds easy but is actually very difficult because it demands the death of the self and especially the surrender of the freedom to act according to personal will. Among the two experiences of suffering and surrendering for God's work, surrender is far more difficult, because knowing clearly that one has the right to freedom but must surrender that right to another person is extremely challenging.
The pastor analyzes five fundamental rights that believers must surrender when serving God, based on Matthew 5:38-42. First is the right to revenge. Moses' law, "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth," was not intended to encourage personal revenge but to regulate legal judgments and prevent it. When Christ teaches "do not resist the evil person," He means not to seek revenge or harbor resentment. Even when wronged, believers cannot justify their actions by saying they are "teaching the offender a lesson" because this is merely a rationalization for revenge. Paul teaches in Romans 12:17-21 that we should not repay evil with evil; instead, if our enemy is hungry, feed him; if thirsty, give him drink, because vengeance belongs to God.
Second is the right to protect one's honor and face. Being slapped on the cheek is humiliation and loss of face, but Christ teaches that if struck on the right cheek, offer the left cheek as well. The pastor tells the story of Hudson Taylor, a missionary in China, who was pushed into muddy riverbank by a wealthy man, but instead of retaliating, he invited the man onto the boat so he could witness to him about the Gospel. Christ Himself was mocked and humiliated, yet never cursed or threatened in return. Believers today may also be ridiculed for their faith, but it is better to lose worldly honor than to deny Christ.
Third, fourth, and fifth are the rights to control material possessions, use time, and use money. When Moses' law protected people from having their outer garment—the most essential item for warmth—taken away, Christ teaches to give even the inner garment if necessary, because all material things in this world belong to God and we are merely stewards who should hold them with an open hand rather than a clenched fist. Roman soldiers could compel people to carry heavy items for one mile, but Christ teaches to go two miles without complaint, because everyone has 24 hours each day, a season of youth, a period of strength, and believers must understand that their time belongs to God. When someone asks or wants to borrow money, believers should not refuse if it is a genuine need, for if someone has material wealth and sees a brother in need but hardens his heart and does not help, then God's love cannot be in that person. A person's true character is most clearly revealed by their attitude toward money and possessions.
The pastor uses Paul as a shining example of the attitude of surrender. Although Paul was an apostle, had seen Christ, and had the right to take a wife with him in ministry or receive financial support from the church, he chose differently. He worked as a tentmaker to support himself and Barnabas rather than accept money from the church, so that God's work would not be hindered by financial concerns. He surrendered his rights because of his love for God's work and his desire to see it flourish, understanding that surrender is not a sign of weakness but of spiritual maturity and devotion to Christ.
The sermon concludes with a reminder of Christ's attitude. From being the Creator of the universe, the Second Person of the Godhead became human, born in a small village of a young woman and a carpenter. Throughout three years of teaching, He shared with the lowest classes of society. Then He was betrayed, tortured, mocked, and crucified. All of this He endured to save sinners like us. Therefore, Paul exhorts the believers in Philippi to have the same attitude as Christ—not focused on personal gain but on others' benefit, humbling themselves, obeying even to death on the cross.