Sermon - You Are Not Your Own
I Corinthians 6:19,20 “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.”
Imagine waking up in the morning and finding that your neighbor has built a fence in the corner of your front yard and has moved in some hogs. It then begins to rain, and in a few hours your rich, green lawn is turned into a swamp of mud and filth. Your outrage would certainly be justified! To use the property of another against his consent and for purposes which are dishonoring to him is both inconsiderate and illegal. In the same manner, every believer belongs to the Lord, spirit, soul, and body.
I think all of us would agree with David when he said, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Man has been studying his existence for centuries and still does not understand all there is to know about our makeup. I am also afraid that Christians don’t understand much about our existence as well. I am talking about who we are, why we are and what we should be since we belong to God.
However, Paul wanted them and us to know that to God, our existence is important. Paul informs us what our attitude should be and challenges us to view our existence from God’s perspective. We were created by God, deformed by sin, reborn in Christ Jesus and reclaimed for his Glory. We were made for the Lord’s use and glory. Our spirits have been revived, our minds are being renewed, and our bodies were designed to serve the Lord in this life and in the life to come. The body is the instrument wherein a man serves God. It is the instrument whereby he glories God. Let us consider three things this morning:
I. The body is a temple of God. “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God,”
In the OT God had a temple for His people; in the NT God has a people for His temple. At the moment of salvation, the Body of every believer becomes the temple of the Holy Spirit. He comes to indwell us and make our body a sacred habitation. We take great care of our church buildings. The sanctuary is maintained with special attention to its cleanliness. A high degree of reverence is shown for what we commonly call “God’s House.” God dwells in the body of every believer. My body is the temple of God. The claim which believers must admit - “Not your own” Ye do not belong to yourselves.
Several years ago, I read an article about Queen Mary, who made it her practice to visit Scotland every year. She was so loved by the people there that she often mingled with them freely without a protective escort. One afternoon while walking with some children, she went out farther than she’d planned. Dark clouds came up unexpectedly, so she stopped at a nearby house to borrow an umbrella. “If you will lend me one,” she said to the lady who answered the door, “I will send it back to you tomorrow.” The woman didn’t recognize the Queen and was reluctant to give this stranger her best umbrella. So she handed her one that she intended to throw away. The fabric was torn in several places and one of the ribs was broken. The next day another knock was heard at the door. When the lady opened it, she was greeted by a royal guard, who was holding in her hand the old, tattered umbrella. “The Queen sent me,” he said. “She asked me to thank you for loaning her this.” For a moment the woman was stunned, then, she burst into tears. “Oh, what an opportunity I missed,” she cried. “I didn’t give the Queen my very best!” Since your body is God’s temple always do your best!
2. Your Life is a trust from God. “...and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price”
Since my body belongs to God and you are His temple, He given my life as a trust to me. Whenever you have something in your possession that belongs to another, it is a trust, and you are responsible to take good care of another’s possession. If I loaned you my phone, it is given to you as a trust. You should not abuse it or neglect it. You should treat it in the way I would want it treated. Since my life is not mine, I should handle it with honor in respect of the One to whom I belongs. I am the property of Him who purchased me at such a great cost. Things are often valued based cost of the item. Consider the price of our redemption (I Peter 1:18,19). We are the trustees of a great trust; we hold it for the Lord, and we should use it according to His directions.
3. Your Lifestyle is a Testimony for God, his greatness and goodness. “...therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” Here is the purpose of our existence, it is to be used to bring glory to God. Paul challenges us to live for God and allow our lifestyle to honor Him. Our lifestyle displaying God’s light is the instrument through which we can bring glory to God. When we defile the body, we sin against the resident of the body, the Holy Spirit. When we defile the body, we sin against the redeemer of the body, Jesus Christ. When we defile the body, we sin against the role of the body, our testimony.
We are God’s chosen method of advertising His praises and showing His glory. The word “praises” means, “excellencies.” The virtues and excellencies of Christ are to be seen and magnified in our life. In a world that needs to see more of the holiness of God, the Greatness of God and the love of God, God has chosen believers to show for his glory!
Ro 12:1 “And so, dear brothers and sisters, [a] I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. [b] 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
