(Clip) No More Bargaining, Unconditional Surrender — Tim Conway

Paul's Obedience to the Heavenly Vision

When the Apostle Paul recounts his testimony to King Agrippa, he says this, he says, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. You know what has happened to him? He wasn't disobedient. He wasn't setting forth his own will.

Conversion as Submission to God's Will

You know what happens to him? He's so lost at this point. He's so desperate. His only concern is to do what the Lord wants him to do. I was not disobedient. And in conversion, that's what happens. We suddenly take a submissive posture.

Lord, what do You want me to do? And what does He want us to do? Isn't it amazing? I mean, that voice comes to us and He could just knock us into oblivion because of our sins. And He says to us, this is what I want you to do.

Trusting Christ in the Face of Sin

I want you to trust Me. Paul, trust Me. That's what He says to us. And He says, I was not disobedient. I mean, suddenly we come face to face with the enormity of our sin. We see the hopeless state, the helpless state.

Recognizing Deserved Judgment and Personal Lostness

Lord, tell me what You want. Lord, Your will. What do You want me to do? You recognize He spared me thus far. And you come face to face. I remember, brethren, when it first hit home, I deserved hell. I was not thinking about the rest of my family or my co-workers.

I deserved hell. And it wasn't until that point where God came and all the fight was gone. And I saw myself so lost. Just help me, Lord. Help me. There's surrender. No more terms. No more bargaining with Him.

Abandoning Negotiation Through Unconditional Surrender

All the fight is gone. Your negotiating days are over. You recognize You deserve to be blasted. You deserve the deepest, darkest, fiery parts of hell. You recognize that. You recognize Your lostness, Your hopelessness, Your helplessness.

Lord, whatever You want, just have mercy on me. And all there's hope is they're not. His name gets called and God just doesn't strike Him down dead. There's that hope. He spared me. He spared me. No more bargaining.

Unconditional surrender. He's not disobedient to this heavenly vision.

This excerpt was taken from the full sermon, The Conversion of Paul, which Tim preached in 2015.