The Complete Surrender

Living a life of total surrender and absolute yielding unto the spirit of God is very important. See how Potiphar and his house were blessed because Joseph fully trusted and had his life surrendered to the Lord God Almighty.

Joseph obtained favour from Potiphar and was trusted with all that Potiphar owned. In the same way or more, all believers should surrender their lives too. Not sure of how you can surrender to God, this chapter explains how.

Genesis 39: 1-3.—Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, had bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master. His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord caused all that he did to succeed in his hands.

We have in this passage an object lesson that teaches us what Christ is to us. Note: Joseph was a slave, but God was with him so distinctly that his master could see it. "His master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD caused all that he did to succeed in his hands. So Joseph found favour in his sight and attended him, "Genesis 39:3-4. That was something new. Joseph had been a slave, but now he has become a master.

"And he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had, in house and field. So he left all that he had in Joseph’s charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate." Genesis 39:4-6.

We find Joseph in two characters in the house of Potiphar: first, as a servant and a slave, one who is trusted and loved, but still entirely a servant; second, as a master. Potiphar made him overseer over his house and his lands, and all that he had, so that we read afterwards that he left everything in his hands, and he knew of nothing except the bread that came upon his table. I want to call your attention to Joseph as a type of Christ. We sometimes speak in the Christian life, of entire surrender, and rightly, and here we have a beautiful illustration of what it is.

First, Joseph was in Potiphar's house to serve him and to help him, and he did that, Potiphar learned to trust him, so he said, "All that I have I will give into his hands." Now, that is exactly what is to take place with many Christians. They know Christ, they trust Him, and they love Him, but He is not Master, He is a sort of helper.

When there is trouble they come to Him, when they sin they ask Him for pardon in His precious blood, when they are in darkness they cry to Him; but often and often they live according to their own will, and they seek help from themselves. But how blessed is the man who comes and, like Potiphar, says, "I will give up everything to Jesus!"

There are many who have accepted Christ as their Lord but have never yet come to the final, absolute surrender of everything. Christians, if you want perfect rest, abiding joy, strength to work for God, oh, come and learn from that poor heathen Egyptian what you ought to do. He saw that God was with Joseph and he said, "I will give up my house to him." Oh, you learn to do that. There are some who have never yet accepted Christ, some who are seeking after Him, thirsting and hungering, but they do not know how to find Him.

Let me direct your attention to four thoughts regarding this surrender to Christ: First, its motives; second, its measures; third, its blessedness; and lastly, its duration. First of all, its motives. What moved Potiphar to do this? I think the answer is very easy: he was a trusted servant of the king and he had the king's work to take care of, and he very likely could not take care of his own house. All his time and attention were required at the court of Pharaoh. He had his duty there; he was in high honour, but his own house got neglected. Very likely he had had other overseers, one slave appointed to rule the others, and perhaps that one had been unfaithful, or dishonest, and somehow his house was not as he would have it.

So he buys another slave, just as he had formerly done, but in this case, he sees what he had never seen before.

There is something unusual about the man. He walks so humbly, he serves so faithfully and so lovingly, and withal so successfully. Potiphar begins to look into the reason for this and finally concludes that God is with him.

It is a grand thing to have a man with whom God is to entrust one's business. The heathen realized this, and between the need for his own house and what he saw in Joseph, he decided to make him overseer. I ask you, do not these two motives plead most urgently that you should say: "I will make Jesus master over my whole being?" Your house, Christian, your spiritual life, the dwelling, the temple of God in your heart,—in what state is that? Is it not often like the temple of old, in Jerusalem, that had been defiled and made a house of merchandise, and afterwards a den of thieves? Your heart, meant to be the home of Jesus, is it not often full of sin and darkness, full of sadness, full of vexation? You have done your very best to get it changed, and you have called in the help of man, and the help of means; you have used every method you could think of for getting it put right; but it will not come right until He whose it is, comes in to take charge.

If there is any trouble in your heart, if you are in darkness, or in the power of sin, I bring to you the Son of God, with the promise that He will come in and take charge. As Potiphar took Joseph, will you not take Jesus?

Has He not proven Himself worthy to be trusted? Come and say, "Jesus shall have the entire charge; He is worthy." Think not only of His Divine power but think of His wonderful love; think of His coming from heaven to save you; think of His dying on Calvary and shedding His blood out of intense love for you. Oh, think of it; Christ in heaven loves everyone who is given to Him, and whom He has made a child of God. "Having loved His own that were in the world, He loved them unto the end."

Must I plead in the name of the love of the crucified Jesus; must I plead with you Christians, and say, Look at Jesus, the Son of God, your Redeemer, and ask you to make Him overseer over all? Give Him charge of your temper, your heart's affections, your thoughts, your whole being, and He will prove Himself worthy of it. Joseph had been for a time just a common slave with the other slaves that had served Pharaoh. Alas! Many Christians have used Christ for his own advancement and comfort, just as he uses everything in the world. He uses father and mother, minister, money, and all else the world will give, to comfort and make him happy; there is danger in using Christ Jesus in the same way. Brethren, this is not right. You are His house, and He has a right to dwell therein. Will you not come and surrender all, and say, "Lord Jesus, I have made you overseer over all"?

But now, secondly, the measure of that surrender. We read in the 4th verse: "He made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had." Then in verse 5: "From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had''—there you have it the second time—"the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had''—there the third time. Then in verse 6: "So he left all that he had''—there you have the words the fourth time—" in Joseph’s charge, and because of him he had no concern about anything but the food he ate.” What do I see here? That Potiphar actually gave everything into Joseph's hands. He made him master over his slaves. All the money was put into Joseph's hands, for we read that Potiphar had care of nothing. When dinner was brought to the table, he ate it, and that was all he knew of what was going on in his house. Is not this entire surrender?—he gives up everything into the hands of Joseph. Ah, beloved Christians, I want you to ask yourselves: "Have I done that?"

You have offered more than one consecration prayer, and you have more than once said: "Jesus, all I have I give to you." You have said it and meant it, but very probably you did not realize fully what it meant. With the word ‘surrender’, there always seems to be a larger and more comprehensive meaning. We do not succeed in carrying out our intentions, and afterwards, take back one thing and another until we have lost sight of our original intention. Beloved Christians, let Christ Jesus have all. Let Him have your whole heart, with its affections; He Himself loves, with more than the love of Jonathan. Let Him have your whole heart, saying, "Jesus, every fibre of my being, every power of my soul, shall be devoted to you." He will accept that surrender. He spoke a solemn word: “You must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother," Say this today: "Lord Jesus, the love to father and mother, to wife and child, to brother and sister, I give up to you. Teach me how to love you. I only have one desire, which is to love you. I want to give my whole heart to be full of your love."

But when you have given your heart, there is yet more to give. There is the head—the brain with its thoughts. I believe Christians do not know how much they rob Christ of in reading so much of the literature of the world.

They are often so occupied with their newspapers that the Bible gets a very small place. Oh, friends, I beseech you to bring this noble power which God has given you, the power of a mind that can think heavenly, eternal, and infinite things, and lay it at the feet of Jesus, saying, "Lord Jesus, every faculty of my being I want to surrender to you, that you should teach me what to think, and how to think, for you and your Kingdom." Bless God, there are men who have given their intellect to Jesus, and it has been accepted by Him. And in this connection, there is my whole outer life. There is my relation to society, my position among men, my intercourse in my own home, with friends and family; there is my money, my time, my business; all these should be put in the hands of Jesus. One cannot know beforehand the blessedness of this surrender but blessed it surely is. Come, because He is worthy; come because you know you can not keep things right yourself, and make Christ master over all you have. Give father and mother, wife and child, house, land, and money, all to Jesus, and you will find that in giving all you receive it back a hundredfold.

Thirdly, look at the blessing of the entire surrender. You have here the remarkable words: "From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had, in house and in the field." Genesis 39:5. I ask you, Christians, If God did this to that heathen man because he honoured Joseph; if God, for Joseph's sake, blessed that Egyptian in this wonderful way, may a Christian not venture to say: "If I put my life into the hands of Jesus, am I sure God will bless all that I have?" Oh, dare to say it. Potiphar trusted Joseph implicitly and absolutely, and there was prosperity everywhere because God was with Joseph. Beloved friends, if you surrender everything, depend upon it, the blessing from that time will be yours. There will be a blessing within your own inner life and a blessing in your outer life. He blessed Potiphar in the house, in the field, and everywhere.

Oh, Christian, what is that blessing you will get? I can not tell all, but I can tell you this: if you will come to Christ Jesus and surrender all, the blessing of God will be on all that you have. There will be a blessing for your own soul. "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you." Isaiah 26:3.

Try that; trust Jesus for everything, and trust everything to Him, and the blessing of God will come upon you—the sweet rest, the rest of faith. It is all in the hands of Jesus; He will guide you; He will teach you; He will work in you; He will keep you; He will be everything to you. What a blessed rest and freedom from responsibility and from care, because it is all in the hands of Jesus! I do not say trouble and trial will never come; but in the midst of trial and trouble, you will have the all-sufficiency of the presence of Jesus to be your comfort, your help, and your guide.

Joseph was sold by his brethren, but he saw God in it, and he was quite content. Christ was betrayed by Judas, condemned by Caiaphas, and given over to execution by Pilate; but in all that, Christ saw God, and He was content. Give over your life, in all its phases, into the hands of Jesus; remembering that the very hairs of your head are numbered, and not a sparrow falls to earth without the Father's notice. Consent now and say: "I will give up everything into the hands of Jesus.

God blessed Potiphar in the field; in the visible life outside of his house; and God will bless you, that, in your intercourse with men, you may be a blessing; that by your holy, humble, respectful, quiet walk, you may carry comfort; that by your loving readiness to be a servant and a helper to all, you may prove what the Spirit of God has done within you. Oh, my brother, my sister, you have no conception of it,—I have not—how God is willing to bless the soul utterly given up to Jesus. God can delight in nothing but Jesus. God delights infinitely in Jesus.

God longs to see nothing in us but Jesus, and if I give up my heart and life to Jesus, and say, "My God, I want that you should see in me nothing but Jesus," then I bring to the Father the sacrifice that is the most acceptable of all. Oh, believers, come today; come out of all your troubles, all your self-efforts, your self-confidence, and let the blessed Son of God take possession.

Let me direct your thoughts, and lastly, to the duration of this surrender. I want to emphasize this—because in many cases the surrender does not last. Some go away, and for a time have much gladness and joy, but it soon begins to decrease, and in a few weeks or perhaps months is all gone. Others who do not lose it entirely, complain sadly at times, that it goes away and comes again. They say: "My life has been very much blessed since that surrender I made to God, but it has not always been on the same level." What did Potiphar do? We read in the 4th verse: "He made him overseer in his house and put him in charge of all he had" What a simple word! He left it there.

Children of God, if you will only get to that point and say, "For all eternity I leave it in the hands of Jesus," you will find what a blessing it is. Potiphar found now that he could do the king's business with two hands and an undivided heart. I might try to rescue a drowning man by holding fast somewhere with one hand, while I reach out the other hand to the man, but it is a grand thing for a person to be able to stretch out both hands, and that person is the one who has left all with Jesus—all his inner life, all his cares and troubles, and has given himself up entirely to do the will of God.

Will you leave it there? I must press this because I know temptations will come. One temptation will be that the feelings you had in your act of surrender will pass away; they will not be so bright.

Another is that circumstances will tempt you. Beloved, temptations will come; God means it for your good.

Every temptation brings you a blessing. Do understand that. Learn the lesson of giving up everything to Jesus, and letting Jesus take charge of everything. Leave all with Jesus. Do not think that by surrender today or on any day, however powerful, however mighty, things will keep right themselves. You need every morning afresh, when God wakes you up out of sleep, to put your heart, your life, your house, and your business, into the hands of Jesus. Wait on Him, if need be, in silence, or in prayer, until He gives you the assurance, "My child, for today all is safe; I take charge." And morning by morning He will renew to you the blessing, and morning by morning you will go out from your quiet time in the consciousness, "Today I have had fellowship with my King, and it is all right." Jesus has taken charge. And so, day by day, you can have the grace to leave all in the hands of Jesus.

In conclusion, let me speak to two classes. There are times when your heart is restless; there are times when you are afraid to die.

To believers who have done it before, and who long with an unutterable longing to do it fully and perfectly,—Child of God, you can do it, for the Holy Spirit has been sent down from Heaven for this one purpose, to glorify Jesus; to glorify Jesus in your heart, by letting you see how perfectly Jesus can take possession of the whole heart; to glorify Jesus by bringing Him into your very life, that your whole life may shine out with the glory of Jesus. Depending upon it, the Father will give it to you by the Holy Spirit, if you are ready. Oh, come, and let your intercourse with God be summed up in a simple prayer and answer—"My God, as much as you will have of me to be filled with Christ, you shall have today." "My child, as much of Christ as your heart longs to have, you shall have; for it is My delight that My Son is in the hearts of My children."