As human beings, we share a common desire; that desire is to be in charge of our lives. Consider the lyrics shared by Lesley Gore:
You don't own me, I'm not just one of your many toys; You don't own me, don't say I can't go with other boys
And don't tell me what to do. And don't tell me what to say
And please, when I go out with you, don't put me on display, 'cause
You don't own me, don't try to change me in any way;
You don't own me, don't tie me down 'cause i'd never stay
Oh, I don't tell you what to say; I don't tell you what to do
So just let me be myself; That's all I ask of you
I'm young and I love to be young; I'm free and I love to be free.
Consider also the lyrics shared by Frank Sinatra:
And now the end is near, And so I face the final curtain
My friend I'll say it clear, I'll state my case of which I'm certain
I've lived a life that's full, I traveled each and every highway
And more, much more than this, I did it my way
Regrets I've had a few, But then again too few to mention
I did what I had to do, And saw it through without exemption
I planned each charted course, Each careful step along the byway
And more, much more than this, I did it my way
Yes there were times I'm sure you knew, When I bit off more than I could chew
But through it all when there was doubt, I ate it up and spit it out,
I faced it all, And I stood tall and did it my way
I've loved, I've laughed and cried, I've had my fill, my share of losing
And now as tears subside, I find it all so amusing
To think I did all that, And may I say not in a shy way
Oh no, oh no, not me, I did it my way
For what is a man what has he got, If not himself then he has not
To say the things he truly feels, And not the words of one who kneels
The record shows I took the blows, And did it my way; yes it was my way
Finally, consider the lyrics shared by Bobby Brown:
Everybody's talking all this stuff about me; Why don't they just let me live
I don't need permission; Make my own decisions - That's my prerogative
Now if we compare the lyrics of those three songs to the following three passages of scripture:
1 Corinthians 3:16-17: 16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
1 Corinthians 6:18-20: 18 Shun fornication! Every sin that a person commits is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against the body itself. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.
2 Corinthians 6:14-18: 14 Do not be mismatched with unbelievers. For what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship is there between light and darkness? 15 What agreement does Christ have with Belial? Or what does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will live in them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Therefore come out from them, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch nothing unclean; then I will welcome you, 18 and I will be your father, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”
…we can derive three observations:
• OBSERVATION 1 - Regardless of age, gender or ethnicity, people like to have control over their own lives
• OBSERVATION 2 - The texts from 1st and 2nd Corinthians suggests that the followers of Jesus Christ are expected to live their lives as the dwelling places of God
• OBSERVATION 3 - Observations 1 and 2 are misaligned, disjointed, incongruent, askew, dissimilar, mismatched, incompatible, discordant, contrasting, unequal and diametrically opposite. What we want does not mirror, echo or emulate what God wants for our lives.
So we ask today, ‘Who is the Boss of Me?’ Am I the captain of my own ship, doing my own thing, being my own person, keeping it real, ‘living large and in charge; a big-time baller and shot caller’, expressing myself and living according to my own rules? Am I the temple of the Holy Spirit, made of sinful flesh but seeking daily to serve my redeemer? Do I define the season of Lent as a 365 day period of allowing the Holy Spirit to form Christ in me? Am I somewhere in between worshiping myself and worshiping God? Who is the Boss of Me?
Does God own me? Can God tell me what to do? Can God tell me what to say? Does God have the right to change me or to put me on display? When the end is near and we face the final curtain, will God be impressed that we were the deity of our own lives? Will God be impressed with our self-directed defiance? Will God applaud the fact that we did it our way, not asking permission but making our own decisions?
After all, are we not old enough to drive, drink, vote, serve in the military, marry, and maybe even run for POTUS? Why can’t we the boss of ourselves? Isn’t that our prerogative?
The answer to these questions is contained in one word that is common to all three scriptures – ‘temple’. Temple – the place where we find the presence of God. Temple – the place that defines the purposes of God. Temple – the place set aside for the people of God. Temple – the place of holiness. Temple – the place of sacrifice. Temple – the gift to God that was upon the heart of David. Temple – the extravagant gift given to God by Solomon. Temple – the remnants of which are treated as a sacred wall of wailing. Temple – the place where God reigns supreme.
The admonitions in these three scriptures are pretty strong. Now we could dismiss these sayings as outdated religious writings, directed to a church that was infected by the sin the church was created to arrest. We could dismiss these sayings as a collection of narrow minded diatribes from someone who called himself the Chief of Sinners. We could dismiss these sayings as better suited for the Hebrew Bible.
But if we completely blow off these three passages, and declare them invalid, worthless, pieces of null and void rubbish, then the question remains ‘How then shall we live as followers of Jesus Christ?’ Do we acknowledge Christ as Savior but ignore him as Lord? Do we use the Gallop Poll, the daily horoscope or the Farmer’s Almanac to give us direction? Do we use decision trees and other statistically-based tools to settle on a path to take? If not Christ, then who will guide me through the valley of the shadow of death? If not Christ, then who is the boss of me?
Let’s go deeper. Can I trust myself to lead myself? Can I use all of my past experiences as predictors of what I will experience? What is my track record of decision making? Have I ever made a misstep? Have I ever made a decision that seemed good initially, but later turned out to be unwise? If not Christ, then whose words and deeds should influence my thinking? If not Christ, then who else should whisper in my ear? Can I trust the same person who whispered in the ear of Eve? If not Christ, then who is the boss of me?
Let’s go even deeper. Do I know that I really cannot direct my own life, but am too proud to admit it? Do I need God’s guidance, but am afraid that I will be seen as weak? Am I afraid that I will be seen as vulnerable if I admit that I cannot handle life on my own? Have I constructed a wall between myself and the Holy Spirit such that I only let him influence my life at 11AM on Sundays? Am I afraid that others will see through the mask of self-assurance that I wear? Am I ashamed to be dependent on God to guide my life?
As we ask ourselves these questions and search for direction and purpose in our lives, please know that all of the answers are bundled into the word ‘temple’. Temple – the place where we find the presence of God. Temple – the place that defines the purposes of God. Temple – the place set aside for the people of God. Temple – the place of holiness. Temple – the place of sacrifice. Temple – the place where God reigns supreme.
So who is the boss of me? God. Who wants to hold sway over how I live? God. Who knows what is best for me? God. Who arranged to pay my sin debt? God. Who wants me to be a sanctuary for his Glory? God. Who is the boss of me? God.
“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever.” Amen.
