Have you ever had a moment where you knew you were wrong… and you felt it? A moment when you said the right words. You even shed a few tears, said you were sorry, but deep down… nothing changed? How about this question: Have you ever admired Jesus, but quietly kept control? Ever said, “Lord, you’re right”, but walked away still negotiating? We’ve built a church culture, especially in America, that confuses emotion with devotion. We think intensity equals authenticity, assume that because we feel deeply, we’ve been transformed deeply. But sentiment doesn’t = surrender. Scripture makes a clear, uncomfortable distinction between regret & redemption, tears & surrender. If we don’t understand the difference, we can spend years looking spiritual. Singing. Confessing. Agreeing. Even weeping, but still never stepping off our throne. That’s the story we’ll see today. A man who has what seems to be a deeply spiritual moment complete with public confession, emotional breakdown, declaration of truth, all of it! In fact, if there had been some kind of “an altar call”, he probably would have gone forward, knelt, cried, prayed. Yet he walks away from that powerful moment unchanged. I call it “almost surrender.”, a dangerous spiritual condition. That’s why we need this sermon, to help us know if we are just weeping, or surrendering, & how to do that.
