I Am Mine No More: Freely Die, For Him I Live
Notes
Transcript
Mulan
Mulan
Good morning Mt. Zion! It is so good to be with you this morning. I am thankful to once again have the opportunity to share with you in God’s Word.
Do you remember the movie Mulan? Laurel and I watched Mulan last Sunday night and I enjoyed the nostalgic feeling I had as I belted out the lyrics, “I’ll Make a Man out of YOUUUUUUU!” Of course, our dog Zephy began to howl as he does every time I sing. I think it’s because he enjoys singing with me. Either way it all ended when Laurel said, “Daddy stop. Daddy stop.” (*laughter*)
Anyway I enjoyed watching the movie. There is one part in there where I was reminded of the idea of indebtedness. Or the idea of being in debt to someone or something. Mulan and her fellow troops set out to find the Captain’s father and his troops. But they arrive at a town that was totally destroyed. On their way to another town Mushu, the dragon, apparently accidentally lights one of the canons and as it flies off and explodes it gives away their position. The Huns, their enemies, see this and attack. It looks like utter defeat as Mulan’s army runs out of firepower. Then Mulan, with the last canon, hits a mountain and causes an avalanche. The entire Hun army is taken away by the avalanche and Mulan barely survives saving both her and the Captain. When the Captain comes to he looks to Mulan and says, “I owe you my life.”
I owe you my life
I owe you my life
We have heard these words many times in movies and different stories through life. We know exactly what they mean. Sometimes they have the most impact when they become relatable to our lives and situations.
Radio Program Story
Radio Program Story
Like this story: A Christian Radio station received this letter in the early 2000s:
"Dear brothers and sisters, I will try to summarize my thoughts, though it is not easy to write everything. Especially when I owe my life to you.
The fact is that your programs saved me when I had decided to take my life by suicide.
I was arrested in July 1999 at the Hungarian-Austrian border, where I was then taken to Germany. I do not want to write the reasons why, since the allegations against me were found to be untrue, and I do not want you to have any prejudice against me.
I suffered so much in prison; being far away from my homeland and my parents, and living among strange people whose language was foreign to me. They threw me into a cell without any light. And of course, I was alone. I spent six months there. Everyone shouted at me. Everyone wanted me condemned. I had no idea what to do.
In those painful times, I was given a tiny radio receiver. One Sunday night, I wanted some peace from the suffering and to get far away from those people. I started searching for programs around 8 PM when all of a sudden, some Hungarian words hit my ears. I fine-tuned to the wavelength and found your message on the air. I almost jumped with joy. But sorrowfully the program soon ended.
The next day, I was ready and waiting for the broadcast. In fact, I spent the whole day trying to catch the program even before it began airing in the evening hours. Every day after that, I counted the hours like a child until the program came on.
Praise God my decision to commit suicide grew weaker and weaker as time passed. I had avoided God and Jesus for two years, like many young people nowadays. They are interested in other things and are not keen to know more about topics like faith.
I am sure if I hadn’t come to this particular cell, I would never have been enlightened. I have been listening to your programs with full attention, and they have helped me understand things I never would have thought of before. I learned that Jesus, God and the Bible stories are not fairy tales.
I feel that Jesus has held my hands and given me strength to endure the dreadful times in my life. Since that night, not one day has passed without listening your programs. May God bless you all abundantly."
– Sz. K., Germany
Our Story in Christ
Our Story in Christ
Stories like these help us to put into perspective the indebtedness we often feel we have toward Christ. We read passages like the text for today and say, “Jesus, I owe you my life!” However, we shouldn’t view this as a negative indebtedness but instead as a willing servanthood! Indebtedness is what we feel when we hand our lives over to sin. Liberation, freedom, is what we have when we hand our lives over to Christ.
Paul utters these exact words at the end of chapter 2 in Galatians. Read his words with me:
For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.
Here is Paul’s closing arguments against Peter and the Jewish Christians. In these four verses he brings each of his points together in one!
Defends Freedom - He defends freedom just as he did in the opening verses
Freely Responds - He freely responds to his new life in Christ
Freely Justified - He shows that we are freely justified through the crucified Christ
Freely Dies - He proclaims that he freely dies, living for Christ.
A Good Sandwich
A Good Sandwich
I love a good sandwich. But what people don’t understand is that a good sandwich is only great when it has all its parts. While the meat is the favorite and best part of a sandwich, it will never be complete without the two slices of bread. Paul here makes a good “spiritual sandwich” in concluding his response.
The meat is so great. It is one of those great verses of all Scripture. One of those John 3:16 verses that is well known and frequently quoted. But it is only complete with the outer slices of bread.
The bread here is in verses 18 & 21. These verses deal with the same problem he has defended against and responded to in earlier passages. They are dealing with the idea of being justified through faith and not works. Look at these verses again:
Galatians 2:18, 21
For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor.
I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.
Sin is a serious problem and it can only be dealt with by the atoning blood of Jesus. This is found through the grace of God. If we could deal with sin and justify or make ourselves righteous by the works of the law then why does Christ need to die? Actually, in that case, being justified by works, His death would be pointless. It would be in vain. But this isn’t the case. And Paul teaches that trying to rebuild the requirement for the Old Law and following it would make you a sinner because you cannot possibly be made perfect through the Torah. Our justification only comes through what Jesus has done for us, so we die to the law and live to God as Paul says in verse 19.
For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God.
Paul shows us that: We no longer have the burden of trying to earn God’s acceptance through our own efforts. We have gained God’s approval through justification in Christ.
With this new relationship we have found an amazing freedom to live a a life devoted to God. This means we are always trying to please God, but do not have to depend on our actions to justify us! Praise God for this!
Illustration
Illustration
It’s just like a relationship between a parent and a small child. I remember when Laurel was trying to be helpful once and bringing me a cup of water. Her little hands weren’t quite large enough to fully grip the cup and as she carried it toward me here fingers let loose and the cup of water spilt every where. Immediately she says, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” And then she proceeded to run and get a towel to clean the mess.
I got down on her level and told her that accidents happen and that it was okay. When I tried to take the towel and clean up the water she told me no and insisted to clean it herself. Such a sweet girl. But if any of you have ever seen the way a 3-year-old cleans you know it is not thorough. So, after she walked off feeling successful and accomplished I, as her dad, got down and cleaned up what she couldn’t.
You see, I love Laurel not because of anything she has done but because she is my child. There is nothing she could ever do to remove my love for her. And she loves me. I know this because she makes every effort to try of show me by giving me a hug, telling me she loves me, carrying me a cup of water, or trying to clean up that water when it spills. She is always trying to please me, but she will never have to depend on her actions to receive my love. I will always love her. And when accidents happen and mess-ups occur I will tell her how much I love her. I will tell her that accidents happen. I will comfort her and try to teach her how to avoid making the mistakes in the future. And after she makes a mess of trying to clean up her mess, I will quietly come behind her and clean up what she couldn’t.
Isn’t this exactly what God does with us? You remember Romans 8:31-39?
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
You see God loves us so much. And we love Him. And we show our love for Him by the way we serve and try to please Him with our whole life. And when we sin and mess up we ask forgiveness. We say sorry and we try to never do that again. All the while He is comforting us and telling us over and over how much He loves us. And after we make a mess of trying to clean up our own mess, God comes behind us and cleans up what we could not. What an awesome God we serve! A God who loves us beyond measure and who will always care for us! A God who has made it so that I will never have to rely on my inadequate works and ways to justify myself, but instead a God who has already justified me, approved me, counted me righteous in His sight by offering up His Son, Jesus the Messiah, as a substitute on my behalf upon the cross! Praise be to that God!
Verse 20: I Am Mine No More
Verse 20: I Am Mine No More
Now, we have finally arrived. Over the last several weeks as we have looked at all the many lessons packed into Galatians 2, we have been working ourselves up to the main message found in verse 20: I Am Mine No More! This is a powerful confession! Look specifically at what Paul says here:
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Paul says five key things in this verse:
I have put off my old ways
“I have been crucified with Christ.” This verse really says a few things:
When Christ was crucified so was the old law. It is no longer in effect and therefore, our justification does not come through it but through Christ.
Christ died so that we could live for Him. This means that we put to death our sin. We die to our old selves. We die to the worldly ways.
We are crucified with Christ, dying to our old ways. And if we are crucified with Christ then we we will resurrected with Him as well! This is seen in baptism as Paul talks about later in chapter 3.
I live to please God and not myself
“It is no longer I who live.” Paul is not saying that he has no personality. God still honors our individual personalities. We don’t need to try and be someone different. God made us unique for a reason. You can see Paul’s personality all throughout his letter. Instead, Paul is saying that his former life of sin and selfish desires has come to an end. He now lives to please God and not himself.
I trust in that Christ will work in and through me
“It is Christ who lives in me.” Christ now powers all that we are. We trust Christ, and He will work in and through us to give spiritual effectiveness to all we say, think, and do.
I live by the strength I have through faith in Christ
“I live my life by faith in the Son of God.” The life we now live is by the strength we have through our faith in Jesus Christ. Paul speaks of this often in Philippians (to live is Christ, let us have the mind of Christ, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me). We can live for Christ because of the strength He gives us through our faithful obedience to Him.
It is personal what Jesus did for me
“Who loves me and gave himself for me.” Do you notice the he…me relationship here? Jesus (he) loved and gave....for me. That is personal! That is powerful!
This verse is so powerful! Read it again:
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
God has done what we could never do for ourselves. He has once and for all dealt with our sin and guild and disobedience and failures and angers and resentments and pride and lusts and everything else that makes us sinful and stained! He has taken it all away though His wonderful Son, Jesus Christ, and he accepts us totally as we are only because of who and what we are in Christ!
This makes me loudly and proudly proclaim, “I Am Mine No More!” Since He died for me, I will freely die and for Him I will live! Just think about this great truth and treasure! When we faithfully believe, trust, and obey our life now has Christ’s life operating in us! And therefore, I am mine no more isn to a condemnation to slavery but instead it’s a liberating proclamation of service to Christ!
I Give Him My Life
I Give Him My Life
It’s not merely that I owe Him my life as we have heard stories of people stating in the past. But instead, it’s I Give Him My Life because I deeply desire to die to myself and live for Him!
The mentality is similar though. When I worked for the juvenile detention center in Nashville a kid came to the facility who was caught up in some really bad stuff. I made a pretty quick connection with him. We talked for several months while he was there. We prayed. We read Scripture. We talked about real life and how to overcome obstacles. And overtime there was a noticeable change in his behavior and life mentality.
He was released and set out in the “real world” once again. A few years later he connected with me on Facebook. He said that he had a successful job, was married, and had a kid on the way. Then he said something that hit me hard. He said, “Officer Johnston, I owe you my life. You took the time to pour yourself into me and it saved me. When I got out I became a totally new and different person. I just want you to know how much I love you.” I had no words to say back except to say I was proud of him and for him. That I loved him too and I only wanted him to keep living a right life.
Jesus gave us His time and poured all of himself into us so that we could be saved. And we are! All that he asks of us in return is to keep living a right life for Him. Are you doing that this morning? If you have a need please come while we stand and sing.