I AM MINE NO MORE

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.   Human beings are not the strongest living creatures on earth, but they are the wisest.  Their intellect is what causes them to be deemed the highest form of life on the earth.

 

B.   Because man occupies this position, he has a tendency to forget God.

 

C.   Having pushed God to the side, he believes that he is his own.

1.    Psalm 73:9

 

They set their mouth against the heavens…

 

2.    Job 21:14

 

Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.

 

3.    Psalm 12:4

 

Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own:  who is lord over us?

 

D.   NOTE:  Some are not as bold as those of the past. 

1.    They would never deny God.

2.    They would never tell Him that He is not Lord over them.

3.    However, they continue to live their lives as if they are their own.

 

E.   The title of our lesson this morning is:  “I Am Mine No More.”

 

I.             TO BE MINE:  THE DEFINITION

 

A.   I am my own master.

1.    Either God is believed not to exist, or, one forsakes God.

2.    All have someone who governs their life.

3.    If it is not God, the individual believes that he is the master of his own life.

4.    Example:  Pharaoh (Exo. 5:2).

 

And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go?  I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.

 

B.   I am free to do as I please (Ex., the Gentiles, Rom. 1:28).

 

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.

 

C.   There is no one to hold me accountable (Ex., the Jews, Rom. 2:3).

 

And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?

 

II.           TO BE MINE:  THE DELUSION

 

A.   Those who believe that they belong to themselves believe a delusion.

 

B.   They believe they are the king of their life, but they are not.

 

C.   As the Creator, God owns all things, including man.

1.    Psalm 24:1

 

The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

 

2.    Colossians 1:16

 

For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities or powers:  all things were created by him, and for him.

 

D.   Because man is a living, intelligent creature, he has a difficult time wrapping his mind around the idea that the Creator has full control over him.

1.    Since God gave man freewill, man believes he should be able to do whatever he desires with no consequences.

2.    Examples: 

a.    Do we allow this with our pets?

b.    Do we allow this with our children?

c.    Do we allow this with our employees?

3.    The same is true with God.  We have a freewill, but He has the right to rebuke, punish, and destroy as Creator.  (The potter’s house, Jer. 18:1-6).

 

III.         TO BE MINE:  THE DANGER

 

A.   Without rules to govern our lives, there is absolute chaos.

 

B.   God is not a God of chaos. 

1.    He is a God of design and order.

2.    This is why He has established laws in all spheres of our lives, including man’s conduct.

 

C.   With rules comes accountability.

1.    When God gave Adam and Eve rules to follow in the wilderness, there was accountability to those rules.

2.    When the rules were violated, God held them accountable.

a.    Genesis 3:11

 

And he said, Who told thee thou wast naked?  Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?

 

b.    When God confronted the serpent, the woman, and the man, two times He stated:  “Because thou hast…” 

1.    These words indicate that God was holding these individuals accountable for their actions.

2.    What follows is severe consequences because they violated the law of God.

 

D.   All those who want to be their own master need to keep the danger of accountability to God in mind.

1.    In Romans 2:3, God asked the Jews if they thought they would escape the judgment.

2.    Romans 2:5 answers that question.

 

But, after thy hardness and impenitent heart, treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.

 

IV.         TO BE MINE:  THE DELIVERANCE

 

A.   When we seek to be our own master, we sin against God. 

 

B.   That sin separates us from Him. 

 

C.   That sin has a penalty that must be paid (Ezek. 18:20).

 

D.   Fortunately, God loved us enough to send His Son to pay the price for us (1 Tim. 2:6).

 

Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

 

E.   One of the conditions that must be met in order to be redeemed by Jesus’ blood is repentance. 

1.    Repentance can be defined as “a death to self.”

2.    Verses:

a.    Romans 6:6

 

Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

 

b.    Romans 6:11

 

Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

c.    Galatians 5:24

 

And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

 

F.    Yes, the convert dies to self, buries the old man of sin in the waters of baptism, and rises as a new creature in Christ.

1.    2 Corinthians 5:17

 

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:  old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

 

2.    1 Corinthians 6:20

 

For ye are bought with a price:  therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

 

V.           I AM MINE NO MORE:  THE DESIRE

 

A.   It is one thing to intellectually understand that self was crucified when we obeyed the gospel of Christ.

 

B.   It is another thing to desire to no longer be our own.

 

C.   Two verses:

1.    Job (Job 23:12b)

…I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.

 

2.    John 4:34

 

Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

 

D.   Barnes:

1.    “The mind may be so absorbed in doing the will of God as to forget all other things. Intent on this, we may rise above fatigue, and hardship, and want, and bear all with pleasure in seeing the work of God advance” (e-sword).

2.    “…the main business of life is not to avoid fatigue or to seek the supply of our temporal wants, but to do the will of God. The mere supply of our temporal necessities, though most people make it an object of their chief solicitude, is a small consideration in the sight of him who has just views of the great design of human life” (e-sword).

 

E.   Over and over in life, we are presented with two options:  self or God.

1.    It is easy to choose self over God.

2.    Sometimes, we do not even think about God’s will in certain matters.  We just do what we please.  I suppose we believe, or, at least, hope God understands, overlooks, or just immediately applies His grace to our lives.

3.    When the decision time presents itself, we MUST have a desire to do the will of God.

 

VI.         TO BE MINE NO MORE:  THE DESTINY

 

A.   Heaven is the dwelling place of God.

 

B.   Heaven will only be filled with godly people, that is, those who do the will of God.

1.    Titus 2:11-13

 

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared unto all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.

 

2.    Revelation. 22:14

 

Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they might have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

 

C.   Heaven is not for the selfish, that is, those who choose self over God.

1.    Luke 9:23

 

And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

 

2.    Luke 9:26

 

For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.

 

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.   In the book of Philippians, Paul makes an interesting statement about why he was choosing to send Timothy to the Philippian Christians to learn of their state (Phil. 2:20-22).

 

For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state.  For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s.  But ye know the proof of him, that, as a son with a father, he hath served with me in the gospel.

 

B.   We sing a hymn entitled:  “None of Self and All of Thee.” 

1.    It shows the progression through which individuals go to reach that point.

2.    The stanzas:

 

First:           O the bitter pain and sorrow that a time could ever be.

                   When I proudly said to Jesus, “All of self, and none of thee.”

 

Second:        Yet He found me; I beheld him bleeding on th’ accused tree.

                   And my wistful heart said faintly, “Some of self, and some of thee.”

 

Third:           Day by day His tender mercy healing, helping, full and free,

                   Bro’t me lower while I whispered, “Less of self, and more of thee.”

 

Fourth:        Higher than the highest heavens, deeper than the deepest sea,

                   Lord, thy love at last has conquered.  None of self and all of thee.