Poured Out

Part 1: Surrender

Scripture

Luke 14:25-33

²⁵ Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, ²⁶ “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. ²⁸ For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? ²⁹ Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, ³⁰ saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ ³¹ Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? ³² And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. ³³ So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

Sermon Recap

This week, Pastor Pete began our Poured Out series for Missions Month with a message on Surrender from Luke 14:25–33. Jesus was surrounded by crowds who admired Him for His miracles and teachings, but He turned to them with startling words: “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” True discipleship, Jesus explained, isn’t about admiration or convenience—it’s about surrender. Like a builder who counts the cost or a king who weighs the odds of battle, Jesus calls us to follow Him with eyes wide open. The Christian life is not a part-time commitment, but a continual offering of our expectations, relationships, and possessions to the One who gave everything for us.

Pastor Pete reminded us that surrender is not about losing, but about gaining something far greater. Jesus doesn’t take from us to punish us—He frees us from attachments that keep us from true joy and purpose. Like Eustace in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, who couldn’t peel away his dragon skin on his own, we must let Christ remove the layers of pride, fear, and control that bind us. Only then are we free to join Him in His redemptive mission for the world. Surrender is not a one-time event but a way of life—pouring ourselves out daily as a living sacrifice for His glory.

The

One Thing: Surrender everything to join Jesus in His mission. When we release control and trust Christ fully, we discover that His plans are not a loss, but the life we were made for.

Discussion
Questions

Connecting

What’s one thing—big or small—you’ve had to “let go of” recently that actually turned out okay (or even better) in the end?
If you had a free weekend to do anything you wanted, no responsibilities, what would you do to fully relax or recharge?

Considering

Why do you think Jesus told the crowds to “count the cost” of following Him? What does that say about His view of discipleship?
How does surrendering our expectations, relationships, and possessions prepare us to join Jesus in His mission?

Confessing

What expectations, relationships, or possessions might have too strong a hold on your heart right now?
Where do you find it hardest to believe that Jesus’ way of surrender actually leads to freedom?

Committing

What is one concrete step of surrender you can take this week—something to release, submit, or give up to God?
How can you actively join Jesus in His mission—through serving, giving, or inviting others—out of a heart of surrender?

Next Steps

As part of our annual theme, Deep & Wide, we invite our church family to go deeper in relationship with God so that we can be the greatest blessing to one another and the world around us. Each week, we will follow up from the sermon with simple, practical steps to help us receive God’s blessing and apply the truths of the gospel more deeply into our lives.