Palm Sunday 2024

Canvas Church Lead Pastor Ashley Austin explores what it means to fully surrender our “yes” to God. Drawing from Isaiah 26:8, he shares how saying “yes” to God’s call puts you in line for God to work in extraordinary ways. True life is found only through fully giving ourselves to the one who gave Himself for us.

1. Introduction
2. The meaning of “Yes”
   • A. Isaiah says “Yes, Lord” – unconditional surrender and obedience
   • B. Jesus said “Yes” to the Father first – He died for our sins
   • C. Our “yes” is in response to God’s prior “yes” to us in Christ
3. Examples of people who said “Yes” to God
   • A. Abraham, Moses, Isaiah in Scripture
   • B. Mary, early Christians, people in our own churches today
4. Results of saying “Yes” to God
   • A. God does extraordinary things (prophets’ legacies, experiences of God)
   • B. Stories of impact in Victoria through ministry, testimonies
   • C. Importance of continuing to say “yes” each day
5. Factors that hinder saying “Yes”
   • A. Holding onto other things
   • B. Need to also say “No” to other things
6. Benefits of saying “Yes” and walking in God’s truth
   • A. Life is preserved, strength is renewed, hope is found
   • B. Stories of people returning to faith or being saved
7. Conclusion – Examining our hearts, spending our time/money/talk to see if God/Jesus is really our desire

Further Study

1. In Isaiah 26:8, the prophet expresses full trust in the Lord by surrendering his “yes.” How does Jesus demonstrate the ultimate expression of trusting the Father’s will through His life, death and resurrection? How does putting our full trust in Christ shape how we surrender to God? (John 6:38, Romans 5:8)
2. Remembering our pastor’s series Analytics: Beyond the Numbers, what hindered the Israelites from consistently giving God their ‘yes’ in the wilderness? How does relying on our own strength rather than Christ’s completed work have similar effects? How does recognizing we can do nothing without Jesus actually empower us to walk in obedience? (John 15:5, Philippians 4:13)
3. What produces a heart that truly desires God above all things, as Isaiah expresses? How does clearly understanding the Gospel free us from desiring other things above Him? (Colossians 3:1-2, Galatians 2:20)
4. How did Jesus’s perfect life, atoning death and victorious resurrection “pave the way” for us to say “yes” to God? What difference does it make in our surrendered lives to comprehend that we are now declared righteous based on Christ alone? (Romans 5:19, 2 Corinthians 5:21)
5. Jot down some practical ways you might regularly examine your use of time, money, and conversations to ensure Christ is truly your supreme desire? How can reflecting on Christ’s love expressed on the cross motivate us to prioritize Him above all else? (1 John 4:19, Psalm 40:8)

The Gospel

Jesus willingly and fully surrendered His “yes” to the Father through His sinless life, atoning death on the cross, and victorious resurrection (1 John 1:1-14). Like Ashley said in the sermon, “God was giving us His yes through Jesus long before we ever thought about giving Him our yes.”

The gracious work of Christ – His perfect life lived in our place, His atoning death that paid the penalty for our sins, and His triumphant resurrection that defeated death is the only basis by which we can be made right with God (John 3:16).

It is only through believing, through trusting this completed work of Christ by that any of us can be saved. When we trust entirely in Him and what He accomplished for us, rather than our own works, we are freely declared righteous by God. This is the heart of the gospel.