Sermon – God’s Property-There has Been an Ownership Transfer
Scripture-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, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.”
Introduction: 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. Paul alerts the Corinthian Church to the idea of an ownership transfer. What is a Transfer Of Ownership Agreement? A transfer of ownership agreement is a contract used to transfer ownership of something sold by one person (the Seller) to the person buying the products (the Buyer). These agreements can be used to sell a goods, a business, a vehicle, or even land. Paul uses this idea to describe the believer’s new relationship with God. Believers do not belong to themselves any longer, we have been brought with a price and we belong to God.
Paul wanted the Church at Corinth and us to know that to God, our existence and conduct are important. Corinth was a wealthy city because of its commerce, since it is situated on two harbors, it makes easy the exchange of merchandise between countries. The merchants from Italy and Asia, landed their cargoes there. In addition to their wealth, Corinthians worshiped Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation. And the temple of Aphrodite was so rich that it owned more than a thousand temple slaves, courtesans, whom both men and women had dedicated to the goddess. And therefore it was on account of these women that the city was crowded with people and grew rich. The wealth and influence was tempting even to the church.
Paul informed the believers of what their attitude should be and challenged them to view their existence from God’s perspective. Mankind was created by God, deformed by sin, informed by the word, reborn by faith in Christ Jesus and reclaimed as God’s property for his Glory. Believers were made for the Lord’s use and glory. As Believers, 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 in which a man serves God. It is the instrument believers use to glorify God. The Biblical principle of ownership involves recognizing that all that we are, all that we have or will have ultimately belongs to God, and that He has entrusted to us life, earthly resources, gifts, talents and the responsibility for their stewardship.
Our society is filled with an individualism that emphasizes the importance of the individual, for example the individual's freedom, interests, rights, needs, or beliefs against the predominance of other institutions in regulating the individual's behavior, such as the state or the church. Yet, God calls the believer into His very own family, under his direction, under his guidelines and privileges. Let us consider three things from this text:
I. The Believer’s Body is the 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 Old Testament, God had a temple for His people; in the New Testament, 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 that believers should admit “is that you are not your own” You do not belong to yourselves.
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 give God your best! Everything about the believer reflects their attitude towards their God. How we live, what we wear, what we say, how we treat others reflect our love for God. I know that woman would have acted differently, if she had another chance.
2. The Believer’s 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 me life as a trust to me. For example, a trust is a fiduciary relationship in which one party called the Grantor gives a second party called the Trustee the right to hold title to property or assets for the benefit of a third party called the Beneficiary. The bank and trust must never forget those possessions belong to another. 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 on the cost of the item. Consider the price of our redemption.
I Peter 1:18,19 says, “For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.” We are the trustees of a great trust; we hold it for the Lord, and we should use it according to His directions. Since God is holy, we should strive to live holy.
3. The Believer’s Lifestyle Should be a Testimony of God’s love, 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 forth his glory!
Romans 12:1-2 “And so, dear brothers and sisters, 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. 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.”
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, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.”
Paul reminds us that believers are God’s Property. Believers do not belong to themselves. Believers must allow their body to be God’s temple, representing God’s standard. Our attitude, conduct, dress, and actions should reflect our owner. The Believer’s Life is a Trust from God. God himself purchased our freedom with the precious blood of Jesus. Our freedom is freedom from Satan to obey the will of God. Believers are called to be members of God’s family who always remember who they are and to whom they belong. The Believer’s Lifestyle should be a living testimony of God’s love, his greatness and goodness. We should glorify God in our body, and in our spirit, which are God’s.” We have life as a trust. We must treat life with great care, avoiding any abuse or misuse, and we don’t know when it will be recalled. It is a trust so we know the day will come when we must give an account. Paul encourages believers to honor God with their bodies.
The Bible says in Proverbs 22:1, "A good name is more desirable than great riches." Calling ourselves Christians is a huge responsibility. Christ's name is part of our identity. Paul calls for believers to remember who you are. As new creations in Christ, they must live a different way, experience a new beginning, embrace new opportunities, and make new choices. Doing everything for the glory of God.
