You Are Not Your Own

In this GoToMeeting session Mr. Tom Fannin welcomes everyone and makes mentions of the recent spring holy days. Tom discusses the importance of recognizing that we belong to God and Jesus Christ and were redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus. He emphasizes the need to live a holy life and cites passages from Peter and Paul's writings. Tom discusses the importance of being owned by God and not being influenced by the world. He also discusses the blessings of being owned by God and the need to trust and rely on Him. In closing, he highlights the fact that we cannot direct our own steps and need God's guidance in our lives and reminds listeners that as God's people, we are chosen and a possession of God. Greetings to everyone and welcome to another session of GoToMeeting. It's really nice to be back on with everyone again. Here we are just past now the spring holy days, Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread. Hope everyone had a good holy day season. I know we did here in Ohio where I'm at. Had a lot of brethren travel in and spend the feast with us. It was really a joyful feast and we got a lot out of it. So, you know, time goes by and here we are now on the countdown to Pentecost. So as we start the message, I wanted to kind of ask a question here. As we move forward now to Pentecost, do we take time to consider that we belong to God and Jesus Christ, that we are not our own? No, we were purchased, we were redeemed, as God's word says, and we'll be reading in a little bit by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. And we know entering into covenant with them, God and Jesus Christ through baptism, allowed us to be in this position with them. So let's go back to first Peter and I see what Peter writes about this. First Peter. First Peter 1 in verse 14. He says, as obedient children, do not conform yourself to the former lusts as you did in your ignorance. But according as he has called you is holy, you yourselves also be holy in all your conduct. For it is written, you be holy because I am holy. If you call upon the Father who judges according to each man's work without respect to persons, pass the time of your life's journey in the fear of God. Knowing that you are not redeemed by corruptible things, by silver or gold, from your futile way of living, inherited by tradition from your forefathers, but by the precious blood of Christ as a lamb without blemish and without spots. So, you know, we read this, I'm sure all of us during the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread season, as we remembered, you know, what Christ did for us, and we remembered also our covenant, but we remember, you know, what did it take to be redeemed? And we know, as we read here, it took the death of Jesus Christ, his blood that he poured out for the remission of sin. And along with this, we keep in mind that, you know, we are to be a holy people unto God, and we'll look into that a little bit more later in the message. But this is something we continually keep in mind, is what our conduct should be at this time. Let's go back to what Paul wrote, very similar in 1 Corinthians, the sixth chapter. In 1 Corinthians 6, verse 19 and 20, Paul writes here, What? Don't you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, which you have within you from God? And you are not your own. And so that's what we're going to be focusing on in the message, is you are not your own. For you were bought with a price, therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. And, you know, when you think about this, what a blessing it is for each of us, all of us a part of the church, to know that we are a possession of God. Let's go now to Romans, the sixth chapter. And we know to be a possession of God, to be able to say we're not our own, we entered into a covenant. So Romans 6, we know we get, we covered this one when it comes to baptism. In Romans 6, we're going to read, starting in verse 11, It says, In the same way also you should indeed reckon yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God through Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore, do not let sin rule in your mortal body by obeying it in the less thereof. Likewise, do not yield your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin. Rather, yield yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead. And your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not rule over you because you are not under law but under grace. What then, shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Paul writes here, may it never be. Don't you realize that to whom you yield yourselves as servants to obey, you are servants of the one you obey, whether it is of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness. But thanks be to God that you were the servants of sin, that you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered to you. And we know that's baptism. The calling we receive, us answering that call and wanting to be in covenant with God and Christ, that came from the heart. The desire to do this, the desire to be owned by God. And having been delivered from sin, you became the servants of righteousness. So it's good to remember this. You know, many of you probably remember when you were baptized and some have been baptized in the church for 40, 50 years. And maybe they don't remember everything that was said to them when they were baptized or when they were counseled for baptism. But one thing that we all agree to is when we were baptized and after that, we would walk differently. We would seek after God and Jesus Christ and do the things that please them. So we we agreed to do this. So this is something we we need to remember. Let's turn back now to Ephesians, the second chapter. We're going to start reading in verse one. But when we think about our lives and in the physical flesh we're in. Who do we want to be owned by? What do we want to be owned by? What do we want to be controlled by and influenced by? Those are personal decisions we make every day. Let's read here in verse one of Ephesians two, it says, now you are dead and trespasses and sins. Very similar to what we've been reading. In which you walked in times past, according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working within the children of disobedience. And so we know this world, Satan's called the God of this world, and he certainly guides and influences all a lot of what goes on in this world. And we know that God allows him to. But we know Satan influences most of the people in this world and what's going on in this world. And as Paul writes here, we had our part in that. It says, among whom also we all once had our conduct in the lusts of our flesh, doing the things willed by the flesh and by the mind. And we're by nature, right by nature, we have this inherited nature that comes down from Adam within us. It says we're by nature, the children of wrath. Even has the rest of the world. But God, who is rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, has made us alive together with Christ. For you have been saved by grace and he has raised us together and caused us to sit up in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. So, yeah, we all had our conduct in these things in the past. But where are we at today, all of us? Do we struggle with what owns us or who owns us? Do we struggle with ourselves? Wanting to own part of ourselves still. Do we struggle with this world and the influences of the world and all the lusts of the flesh, the things out there in this world that Satan is behind a lot of it? Do we desire those things, do those things own part of us or take part of us away from God and his ownership of us? Well, that's a question we all have to answer every day as we examine ourselves. But truly, God wants us to be a total and complete possession for him. But we need to be mindful of that. Let's go back to Jeremiah 17. Jeremiah 17, we'll start in verse 7. And we'll just consider something here. Why does God need to completely own us? Something we need to think about. Why? Why does he need to be in control of our lives and directing us in every way? Well, Jeremiah 17, 7, it says, blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose hope is the Lord. That's what we're all striving to do, is put our total trust in God and look to him for all things. And that's what he desires for us to do. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters. It sends out its roots by the river and it shall not fear when the heat comes, but its foliage shall be green. And he is not worried in the year of drought, nor will it cease from yielding fruit. So that happens occasionally. There's times where there's drought. Wherever it may come from or however it may come. But there are times we face this, but if we're putting our hope and trust in God as a possession of his. Then we don't have to worry. It says going on here in verse 9, the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who could know it? Yet us with God's spirit within us, we have an understanding of what the heart's like. And what motivates the heart and the nature that, again, as we mentioned earlier, that we inherited. We have an understanding of what this fleshly heart is like. Goes on to say here, I, the Lord, search the heart. I try the reins even to give each man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doing. So again, we need God in charge of our lives and in control of us because of ourselves. But where would we wind up? Well, we couldn't do it without God and Jesus Christ and without their spirit within us. Let's go to Jeremiah 10. Jeremiah 10, verse 23. It says, oh, Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself. It is not in man who walks to direct his steps. So it's not in us to do these things, to walk by ourselves. It's the end thereof would be death. And we know the scripture talks about there's a way that seems right within man's mind. But if it's not the way of God and not directed by God, we know what the end is. So we need to be owned by God completely because we can't do it on our own. Let's go back to first Peter again, first Peter two. So we read earlier about being holy as God is. God certainly is holy. He wants us to be holy. And let's read again here in first Peter two, verse nine, what God says of us or what God thinks of us as his people. It says, but you are a chosen stock, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for a possession of God. So that's who we are as the church, the called out ones. We're a people that he has at this time called. We know there's a purpose for us and we're looking forward to as being firstfruits in the kingdom to rule and reign with Christ for a thousand years. But we are a people right now at possession of God. That you might proclaim his excellent virtues, who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, who are once not a people, but now are the people of God. Who had not received mercy, but now have received mercy. Beloved, I exhort you as strangers and sojourners to restrain yourselves from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul. And again, you see this message repeated again and again in the New Testament about who we are and who we need to be and then the separation that we need to have. And that's what we talk about here in the next couple verses. We're going to read about the separation we need to continue to have from this world as possessions of God. Let's go back to second Corinthians six. Second Corinthians six. In verse 16, it says, and what agreement is there between a temple of God and idols? For you are a temple of the living God, exactly as God said, I will dwell in them and walk in them and I will be their God and they shall be my people. Therefore, come out of the midst of them and be separate, says the Lord and touch not the unclean and I will receive you. And I shall be a father to you and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. So, yeah, we are the sons and daughters. If the spirit dwells within us and certainly it does, all of us in covenant have received God's spirit. So we're literal sons and daughters. That's why we can call out all the fathers, as Paul mentioned there in Romans. So, brother, and again, another admonishment here is being owned by God, not being our own. We need to continue to try to separate ourselves from what goes on out here in this world and the things of this world. Let's also go to Ephesians five. We get another admonishment here from Paul in Ephesians five. Ephesians five and verse six. Paul writes here, do not let anyone deceive you with vain words. And certainly there's a lot of vain words spoken out here in this world. But yet within the churches, we also have to be careful of the same thing. Pay attention to what we hear. For because of these things, the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience. And mentioned there earlier again about the children of disobedience, right? That there's a wrath coming upon everyone who doesn't turn to God and Jesus Christ and repent. And we know that time's coming. It says, therefore, do not be joint partakers with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light. Because the fruit of the spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth. So that's what we need to be considering. The things that are about the spirit. That are about the power of God. The things that were goodness and righteousness and truth exist. That's what we are to separate ourselves to. Proving what is well pleasing to the Lord and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness that rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention the things being done by them in secret. But all these things being exposed by the light are openly revealed to us. Right? To those of us that have God's spirit. That have the truth that have the understanding. These things are revealed to us. And then we can see them plainly. And then we can move away from these things and and repent of what we need to repent of. Right? But that's why we have God's spirit to help with these things. Again, it's his possession. Go back to Matthew, the 16th chapter. As you read here in Matthew 16, verse 21. It's good to think about what goes on in our minds. It's good to think about what goes on in our minds. And where are our minds at continually? And do we struggle within our minds? I think all of us would say, yeah, continually. There's a there's a struggle within the mind. But we have to get control of that. Let's re-hear what Christ mentioned to the disciples here in verse 21 of Matthew 16. It says for the time that time, Jesus began to explain to his disciples that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem and to suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes and to be killed. And to be raised the third day. But after taking him aside, Peter personally began to rebuke him, saying God will be favorable to you, Lord, in no way shall this happen to you. So, again, as we talked about earlier there in our mind, sometimes there's a way it seems right. There's a way that maybe we think or perceive things that that might not be right. In God's eyes, in Christ's eyes, based upon their word and the thing they tell us to do. So Peter here, his thinking was off. Verse 23, it says, then he returned and said to Peter, get behind me, Satan, you are an offense to me because your thoughts are not in accord with the things of God, but the things of men. So, again, for us, we need to be thinking about are our thoughts continually in line with God's thoughts? Or are our thoughts in line with the things men think about, the things that are according to the flesh? And Jesus said to his disciples, if anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself and let him take up his cross and follow me. For whoever desires to save his life shall lose it and whoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. So the key here is, as Christ says, let him deny himself. And that's part of what we all have to work on is being in the flesh, being carnal. At times in our minds, we have to learn to deny ourselves and who we are. And to have the mind of Christ, which we'll look about, we'll be looking into here in a little bit, but denying ourselves is an important part of this and trying to think continually like God thinks. Let's go back now to the Philippians, the third chapter. Well, again, the theme being here, we are not our own. We were bought with a price. We belong to God. It's important that we put the past behind. The things that still might be in our minds, the things that trouble us, sometimes the things maybe we revert back to, we need to put the past behind. That's a key point, because God doesn't want things of the past, the things that we've repented of, the things that we've been forgiven of, troubles, whatever they may be in our past lives and who we were. God doesn't want that with us. Philippians 3, verse 7, it says, yet the things that were gained to me, these things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. When you think about Paul and his life and all that he accomplished in life before his calling, yeah, he was very zealous. He did accomplish a lot in life. He was a go-getter. Verse 8, then truly I count all things to be lost for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. That's what his mind was on then. All the things in the past to him were, he counted them as loss because of the knowledge that he now had of Jesus Christ. For whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as dung that I may gain Christ and may be found in him not having my own righteousness, which is derived from law, but the righteousness which is by the faith of Christ, the righteousness of God that is based on faith. But we need to consider the righteousness that's based on faith, thinking about who owns us and what it took to be owned by God. That I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his suffering being conformed to his death, if by any means I may attain unto the resurrection of the dead, not as though I've already received, nor have already been perfected, but I'm striving. And that's all we all do is strive and striving just means putting great effort into it. So that I may also lay hold on that for which I also laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not count myself as having attained, but this one thing I do for getting the things that are behind. And reaching forth the things that are ahead. I press towards the goal of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. So then let as many be perfect be of this mind. And if anything, you are otherwise minded, God will reveal even this to you. So again, we've got to put the past behind and move forward. And God will reveal to us anything that's going on that, you know, again, we need to be repenting that ever we need to be moving on from. Because it's his possession, he certainly wants us to be doing that. And this is this is a key point for us. But what does God want each one of us to be? Well, maybe a simple answer to that would be like him. No, God and Jesus Christ, they want us to be like they are. Go back to 1 Corinthians 13. 1 Corinthians 13. Verse nine. It says, for we now for we know in part. And we prophesy in part. But then that which is perfect has come. Then that which is in part shall be set aside. When I was a child, I spoke as a child and I understood as a child. And I reasoned as a child. But when I became a man, I set aside the things of the child. And God wants all of us to be growing up. No longer be children, no longer being tossed to and fro. But he wants us to grow up spiritually. He wants us to be on the meat of the word. He wants us to have more understanding. It says, for now we see through a glass darkly. But then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part. But then I shall know exactly as I have been known. So that's what we look forward to. And that's what God wants. He wants us to be able to know in full. And the more we yield to God and Jesus Christ, the more as we'll read here, more understanding we do have. But that's what we look forward to, all of us, that being like God and Jesus Christ and knowing face to face. Knowing more than we know now, that's what we look forward to. And we will. Let's go back to 1 Corinthians 2. And we know these things, as we'll read here, by God's spirit. 1 Corinthians 2, 9 and 10, it says, but according as it is written, the eye is not seeing nor the ear heard, neither has entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love him. So the scripture out of Isaiah, In verse 10, it says, but God has revealed them to us by a spirit. For the spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. So God wants us to know more. And we'll read this in verse 10. So God wants us to know more. It's his possession in owning us. He wants us to have a better understanding continually. And God's spirit within us helps us to know and understand even the deep things of God. Things that angels look into and want to know. You know, I'll just ask the question here. You know, I'll just ask the question here. When we strive to let God completely own us, when we completely trust in God and look to him, do we understand more? Do we know more? You know, I can say of myself, the more I let God rule within me, and the more I look to God, the more I see and understand. And I hope all of us do the recent holiday season, keeping Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread. We have a better understanding now than we have. Now, every year, if we're looking to God in Christ and preparing and studying and doing these things and yielding, we have a better understanding every year. And we should, shouldn't we? Because God's spirit is great. It's all powerful. And it leads us into more understanding. So, yes, the more we look to God and yield to him, the more understanding we have. Now, there's things we need to be doing. Let's go back to Philippians, the second chapter. And we'll just, we'll read one through five. It says, now, then, if there be any encouragement in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the spirit, if any deep inner affections and compassions, fulfill my joy that you be of the same mind, having the same love, being joined together in soul, with the same heart, with the same mind, having the same love, being joined together in soul, minding the one thing. And so all of us in the church, hopefully this is the mind that we have, all of us being unified together, all of God's children. But as we read on here, the next three verses, I want to emphasize a three-letter word here, let. It says, let nothing be done through contention or vainglory, but in humility, each esteeming the others above himself. Let each one look not only after his own things, but let each one also consider the things of others. Let this month be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. So this is what we need to be doing, is having the mind of Christ. And God and Christ, they want us to have their minds. They want us to think like they think. They want us to have their hearts. But we need to do our part to let these things be so within us. Let's also look at what it says in Colossians. Colossians, the third chapter, verses 15 and 16. And it says here again, and let, we have to allow it. Let the peace of God rule in your hearts. And didn't we consider this when we kept the Passover, in the days of unleavened bread, that we considered Christ and the peace that we have through the chastisement that he received? That's brought out there in Isaiah 53. You know, our peace, the peace we have, the chastisement of our peace, Christ took that upon himself. So it says, let the peace of God rule in your hearts, because we can have that through Christ. To which you were called into one body and be thankful. Let, again it says here, let the word of God dwell in you richly, in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing each one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. So brethren, we need to be letting these things in our lives, in yielding to these things, because certainly God's spirit within us, God and Jesus Christ in us, they want these things to be the things. Let's go back to Isaiah 45. Now we talked about let there quite a bit, the things we need to let happen. One thing we need to be careful about is not fighting or resisting God. Can we do that? Well, certainly we can. But we certainly don't want to be doing that. It's brought out here in Isaiah 45 verse 9. It says, woe to him who fights with the one who formed him. A potsherd among the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him who forms him, what are you making for your work? He has no hands. So brethren, let's just remember, we don't want to be resisting God and Christ. We want them to be forming us and working with us as they desire. You know, Stephen, as he was talking to the Pharisees there before he was stoned, he told them, he said, you know, you always are resisting the spirit. So let's not find ourselves resisting. Or fighting with the one who's forming, forming us and working with us to perfect us. Let's be mindful of that. I want to bring out something else we need to be considering too. Let's go back to first Peter again. First Peter, the fifth chapter. First Peter five. We're going to be reading verses one through three here. So as we read this, we need to consider the church, what the church is. The called out ones. What the function of the church is and our responsibility as individuals in the church. And there are certain things God has structured and put in place. As part of his functions within the body. And he set it up this way. God and Jesus Christ have. But let's read about something here we all need to be mindful of in the church. First Peter five and verse one, it says the elders who are among you, I absorb you even as a fellow elder, which Peter was an elder, but also an apostle and an eyewitness of the sufferings of Christ. So yeah, Peter was there. He was an eyewitness to these things that happened. And a partaker of the glory that is about to be revealed. It says, feed the flock of God that is among you. Exercising overship, not by compulsion. But willing, that's, that's how all the elders within the churches should be conducting themselves. A joyful, willing attitude to serve God's people. Not in fondness of dishonest gain, but with an eager attitude. No eager, eager to again, serve God and serve Christ and serve the brethren eager to do that. The important thing here is not as exercising lordship over your possessions. So yeah, elders within the churches of God, there's things that of their own that they possess, have possession of and they're in control of. But that's not the people of God. They don't own the people of God. They don't possess them. But by being examples to the flock of God, and that's what the elders, all the elders should be, examples, examples of God, of God and Christ. You know, Paul talked about himself. And he said, you know, you, you follow me as I follow Christ. And certainly if Paul wasn't following Christ, he wouldn't want anybody to be following him, but follow me as I follow Christ and the elders should be the same way. And the ministry is, as we also know, within the churches of God. So I, I bring this out because we all need to be thinking about that. Because within the churches of God, sometimes we don't see this. But we see the brethren become their possessions. And how do you see that? And how do you see that? Well, a lot of it's through control. And when you see churches try to control people and their thinking and what they're doing, they're ruling over them. So they're forgetting that all of God's people belong to God. God owns them. They were redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. And sometimes that's forgotten. So brethren, that's all, all of the something we need to pay attention to and be mindful of. Because all the spiritual leaders within the church of God need to be leading the brethren to Christ continually. And to remember that we're helpers of joy. We're the helpers of the joy of the brethren, the joy of what we know. What we're called to, the hope we have, what we look forward to. And you know, everyone, we're all responsible for our own salvation. And we're all responsible for working that out with fear and trembling. So yeah, we have to be mindful of who we are a possession of. And we're not possessions of men. We're not possessions of churches or organizations. We're possessions of God. So it's up to each of us to recognize that. While we're in Peter, let's go back to 1 Peter 2. We have Christ as our example, don't we? And he was a possession of God. He was God's only begotten son. He was completely obedient to God in every way. Didn't do anything of himself, did he? But as he was led and directed by God, his father. And that's why we have Christ as our elder brother and our example to look to. Peter talks about this in 1 Peter 2, verse 21. It says, to this, you were called because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example. That you should follow in his footsteps. So we walk as Christ walked. That's what we agreed to, to walk as Christ walked. Who committed no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth. Who, when he was reviled, did not revile in return. When suffering, he threatened not, but committed himself to him who judges righteously. Who himself bore our sins within his own body on the tree, so that we being dead to sins may live into righteousness by whose stripes you were healed. For you were a sheep going astray, but you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls. So, brethren, an important thing here to bring out again. In verse 23, it says, he threatened not, but committed himself to him who judges righteously. And Christ was totally committed to God, the father. And that's where we need to be in our lives, too. He's totally committed to God. It's his possession. Let's turn back now to Psalm, the 57th chapter, Psalm 57. I'm going to read starting in verse 1. It says, Be merciful unto me, O God. Be merciful unto me, for my soul, sir, trusts in you. Yea, in the shadow of your wings, I will make my refuge until these great troubles pass by. That's where our minds need to be. You know, totally trusting in God. Taking refuge in God until these times pass by. And, you know, we know whether we're going to be changed or go to sleep and wait for Christ to call our names and awaken out of the graves. We trust in God and wait for these times to pass by. Because we know the outcome. That I will cry to God most high, to God who fulfills his purposes for me. And there is a purpose for all of us. And we look to God as his possession to fulfill that in us. He shall send from heaven and save me from the scorn of him who should swallow me up. Salah. Think on that, right? God shall send forth his mercy and his truth. My soul is among lions. I lie among those who breathe out fire. The sons of men whose teeth are spears and arrows and their tongue is a sharp sword. And, you know, in this world, we face a lot of different things, don't we? All of us. It says, be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be above all the earth. They have prepared a net for my steps. My soul is bowed down. They have dug a pit before me. And to the midst of it, they have fallen themselves. Salah. It says, my heart is fixed. O God, my heart is fixed. I will sing and give praise. So we, too, need to have a fixed heart upon God continually. So we'll just conclude by saying, as we look forward to the next feast, Pentecost, that we count down to, let's just keep in mind that, you know, we're not our own. We were bought with a price. All of us.