SERVICE RECORDING · SUNDAY 1 NOVEMBER 2026 · LADIES’ SUNDAY · JOAN GICHUHI · MATTHEW 19:14
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It was Ladies’ Sunday, and Joan Gichuhi’s sermon asked one searching question: is your heart surrendered to God? To surrender is to give up all resistance: to stop fighting God’s will, to trust His sovereignty, and to say with Jesus in Gethsemane, “not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). The sermon described what that heart looks like, and the closing word showed where it begins: on the right foundation. Watch or listen to the recording, then use these notes to read the passages and reflect.
Scriptures in this sermon
| Passage | Main point |
|---|---|
| Matthew 19:14 | Let the little children come to me: the childlike heart the kingdom asks for |
| Matthew 26:39 | Jesus in Gethsemane: “not as I will, but as you will” |
| Matthew 11:28 | Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened |
| Psalm 55:22 | Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you |
| 2 Corinthians 5:20 | We are Christ’s ambassadors |
| Matthew 7:24–27 | The wise man built his house on the rock |
Outline of the sermon
- A childlike heart: humble, dependent and trusting (Matthew 19:14)
- Letting go of what entangles the heart: offences, unforgiveness, bitterness
- A transparent heart that comes to God just as it is (Matthew 11:28)
- A healed heart: God wants His children whole (Psalm 55:22)
- A life led by the Holy Spirit: “not my will, but yours be done”
- The foundation: build your house on the rock (Matthew 7:24–27)
1. What Surrender Means
Surrender means giving up any kind of resistance. A surrendered heart is totally yielded to God: it trusts Him and His sovereignty, and submits to His will even when that will is hard. Jesus showed us what this looks like. Facing the pain, the shame and the humiliation of the cross, He still prayed, “not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). Christ is our picture of complete trust and total dependence on the Father.
2. The Childlike Heart (Matthew 19:14)
“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
Look at a small child: there is no pride in them (kiburi). Given an instruction, they follow it. They depend completely on their parents and trust that they are safe as long as they are with them. It is no coincidence that Jesus pointed to children as the attitude of the kingdom.
As we grow up, these qualities fade. Life’s disappointments, the wounds people cause and the work of the enemy, who comes to steal (John 10:10), teach us to stop trusting. Many of us see God the Father through the lens of our earthly fathers, and a broken or absent father can distort how we see God. But those wounds are not a reflection of God. We can go back to being childlike.
Lesson: The kingdom of God calls us back to childlike trust: humble before God, dependent on Him, and confident that He is good even when life has taught us otherwise.
3. Letting Go of What Entangles the Heart
A surrendered heart lets go of the things that weigh it down: offences, unforgiveness, bitterness, the desire for vengeance or vindication. We hold on to them because we do not trust God to defend us, and sometimes they become a protective shield we hide behind. God reminds us that we cannot carry these weights and run our race (Hebrews 12:1).
Offence grieves the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30–32), and we can be offended without knowing it, because we have learned to act as if a matter is settled when it is not. Often it is in the place of prayer that the Holy Spirit brings such a matter to the surface: “first, let us deal with this.”
Lesson: Until there is a true letting go, there cannot be healing. Surrender the offence, the vengeance and the vindication to the Lord, and let God come in and do what He needs to do.
4. A Transparent Heart (Matthew 11:28)
We sometimes think we must have everything together before we come to God. But He formed us and knew us before we were born (Psalm 139:13–16); nothing is hidden from Him. When we come bare and transparent, He reaches the things hidden deep inside that hinder the work of the Spirit.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
These are burdens of the heart. You do not have to come mature or put together: come as you are. He came to set the captives free (Luke 4:18) and He wants to carry your burden for you.
5. A Healed Heart (Psalm 55:22)
God desires to take our pain and set us free; He wants us whole and healed, which was His original order for His children. A heart that lives in its wounds cannot bear the fruit God intends, and that fruit is for others (Galatians 5:22–23). It matters to God that you are not okay. He does not overlook it.
“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.”
A long season of pain can make us think it is normal, or even that God wants us to stay there. God may be teaching us in the season, but He also wants to heal it.
6. A Life Led by the Holy Spirit
A surrendered heart submits its emotions, desires and will to God. Job is our example from the book we are studying: he had every reason to question whether God loved him, yet he did not let go of God. Will we trust God’s will when it does not make sense, and say yes when we do not like it?
What a Spirit-led life looks like
- It says yes to the will of God, without rebellion or delay
- It trusts God in quiet seasons, when we do not understand what He is doing
- It has emotions under the Spirit’s control: in what we say and how we treat our spouses, children and one another
- It hears His voice through time spent with Him: “My sheep listen to my voice” (John 10:27)
We are Christ’s ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20), here on one mission: to represent the kingdom of God. That mission cannot be achieved unless our hearts are fully aligned to the will of the Father.
7. Response: Build on the Right Foundation (Matthew 7:24–27)
The closing word connected surrender to its foundation. Jesus said that whoever hears His words and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock: the rain, the streams and the winds came, and it did not fall (Matthew 7:24–27).
Building the house
- First, the land: the foundation of Christian living is giving your life to Jesus Christ. No one is born a Christian; there must be a personal confession (Romans 10:9–10).
- Then, keep showing up: every time you come to church, to prayer, to Bible study and to home fellowship, another block is set in the foundation, even when you cannot see change (Hebrews 10:25).
- His presence meets us: where two or three gather in His name, He is there (Matthew 18:20). Sometimes He ministers to you simply because you came.
Lesson: Trials will come as long as we live in this flesh. A house built day by day on the rock is what stands when the storm comes.
The Grand Lesson
“Not my will, but yours be done.”
A surrendered heart lets go, comes to God as it is, receives His healing and follows His Spirit, built on Jesus Christ.
- Surrender is not a single prayer but a posture of the heart: childlike trust in a good Father.
- Whatever we hold on to in place of trusting God (offence, bitterness, vindication) limits what the Holy Spirit can do in us.
- God cares that you are wounded, and He wants you whole so that your life bears fruit for others.
Note
- Write down the offences the Holy Spirit brings to mind and take them before the Lord in prayer.
- The church begins three days of prayer and fasting from midnight through to Wednesday, with revival meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday evening.
Conclusion
“Is your heart surrendered to God?”
- Let go, come as you are, and let the Lord bind up your wounds. Keep showing up: He is building something in you that will stand.
- What does Jesus’ prayer in Matthew 26:39 teach you about surrender?
- Which childlike quality in Matthew 19:14 have you lost, and how can you return to it?
- Is there an offence you have been holding on to? What would it mean to let it go today?
- Read Matthew 11:28 and Psalm 55:22. What burden do you need to bring to the Lord?
- From Matthew 7:24–27: what are you doing each week to build your house on the rock?
Prayer focus: Lord, search my heart and show me what I am holding on to. I let go of offence and bitterness, I bring You my wounds, and I surrender my will to Yours. Lead me by Your Spirit. Amen.