所以保罗说：“弟兄们，我劝你们。”他在这里是一位使徒！我是说，十二使徒之一，你不可能比他更伟大了。他说：弟兄们，听我说。所以在这里我们看到，他说：“所以弟兄们，我以神的慈悲劝你们，将身体献上，当作活祭，是圣洁的。”
保罗要告诉这些人要献出自己的生命。他需要一些激励。如果我告诉某人：“看，你需要献出自己的生命”，他们可能会问“为什么？”保罗在这里说：“靠上帝的怜悯。”因为上帝通过耶稣基督向你展示了他的怜悯，所以献出你的生命吧。你会说，但这些怜悯是什么？
首先，它是复数。神的怜悯是多方面的。我的意思是，无论你如何看待它，你总是能想出一个更大更好的画面。你从一个侧面看神的怜悯，你会认为它可能像我们生活中的大多数事情一样是一维的，但当你深入其中，你会发现一些全新的东西。然后你走到一边或另一边，或者你往下看，你往上看，你往下看，你试图抓住和理解赐予你的这种怜悯的美丽。你会说：“多大的怜悯啊！”你读完罗马书的前 11 章，你会发现什么是怜悯。事实上，我们都迷失了，应该受到谴责。事实上，我们无法通过自己的行为拯救自己，甚至不想这样做。事实上，上帝派他唯一的、宝贵的、圣洁的儿子死在十字架上，背负着我们的罪，在我们的审判下受到谴责。当他死去时，他付出了代价，付出代价后他又从死里复活，四十天后他被高举到天堂。他坐在至高无上的威严者的右手边，他作为上帝的仆人坐在那里为你代求。他永远活着为你代求。
现在，你需要更多的动力吗？因为如果你需要，你就迷失了。如果你需要我告诉你，如果你侍奉上帝，你就会得到一辆奔驰，你就迷失了。如果你需要我告诉你，如果你侍奉上帝，他会治愈你的身体，解决你的每一个问题，如果你需要这些，你就迷失了。如果耶稣不足以激励你过上敬虔的生活，你就不认识耶稣。所以让我们保持简单：基督，只有基督，没有其他人。我不需要其他任何东西，我的灵魂很好。
我希望我的儿子们将他们的生命交由上帝支配。“主啊，我在这里，请对你的仆人说话。你想从我这里得到什么？”仅此而已。这才是真正重要的。事实上，我亲爱的朋友，当你躺在临终的床上时，当你躺在临终的床上时，你唯一会想到的是，你是否将你的生命交由上帝支配？我的意思是，我现在想告诉你一些事情。如果我要去埃塞俄比亚，在 3 年内建立 500 座教堂，但上帝让我在中西部的一个小镇当一名看门人，我会不服从地建立所有这些教堂。这不是为了做伟大的事情，而是为了服从上帝。这是将你的生命交由上帝支配。就是这样。难道不简单吗？
有一次，一个家伙走进我的办公室，对我说：“你知道，基督徒的生活非常非常复杂”。我说：“不，不是。”他说：“是的，是的。”我说：“不，不是。”我赢了，因为我是牧师。我也可以打败他。我说：“不，这并不复杂，”他说：“但有很多决定。”我说：“不，没有。”我说：“上帝已经做出了所有的决定，儿子。”“现在你和我一样有同样的问题：你要服从还是不服从。你要把你的生命投入其中还是不投入其中。”
我希望你们明白，让我们回到“弟兄们”这个词。当我向你们讲道时，就像我家乡的传道人说的那样，我的牧师说：“我有一根手指指向你们，还有三根手指指向我自己。今天，这对我和你们来说一样重要。”我们所有人都在为此挣扎。你们总是说“我们有很多挣扎，有很多事情”。不，你只有一个挣扎，和我一样：你愿意把你的生命交给上帝吗？这是唯一的事情。这真的是唯一重要的事情。我向你们保证，我和你们一样挣扎。
你要把你的生命交给上帝吗？基督第一！主啊，你今天想让我做什么？你想让我看到什么？你想让我说什么？你想让我听到什么？你想让我如何花费你赐予我的东西？你想让我如何做你想让我做的一切？主啊，你想要什么？主啊，我在这里。这又回到了听从他的安排。我记得有一次在神学院我决定：有一天我要完全听从上帝的安排。嗯，这是一个雄心勃勃的事情。我没有做到，但我确实注意到了一些不同。我记得……你知道，当你年轻的时候，你在做牧师，你应该被关起来几年，因为你的头脑不正常。所以我刚出门就说：“好的，主啊，现在你想让我做什么？”就像“嗯，保罗，你五分钟后有一节课，所以你最好赶快去。”但我试着穿过校园，保持敏感。我就是这么傻。但我试着，每走一步，上帝，你想要我去哪里……然后，突然间，在左边，有一位女士，我和她聊过好几次。她是一位老太太，是神学院的厨师。她走出来，站在那里，有点伤心。我只是想成为这个精神巨人。那天早上，我第一次感觉到上帝告诉我什么，就是“去，告诉她我儿子的事。”你猜怎么着？呜呜。哦，我愿意像僵尸一样四处走动，看起来很有灵性，但当涉及到爱一个人时……“去，告诉她我的事情。”我记得我不得不像这样崩溃，然后走过去。那天她接受了基督。当然，这很傻，但上帝会尊重那些试图听从他安排的心。
有时我觉得我们喜欢日程表，因为我们可以以某种方式将上帝排除在我们的一天之外。“上帝，我想让每一分钟都为您而富有成效。每五分钟我都会崩溃”，而我们所做的是“主啊，我想如此活跃，以至于您没有时间告诉我该做什么。”有时我觉得我必须努力奋斗，但有一件事我这个坚硬的头脑无法克服，那就是基督的爱。我可以找世界上所有不服从的借口，找世界上所有不做我想做的事情的借口，然后“砰”的一声，像一把大锤一样，什么来了？基督的爱。基督的爱！它让我跪倒在地。
这就是我想让你了解的关于我们的主和救世主耶稣的生活的事情。听着，耶稣很贫穷——仅此而已。他确实很贫穷。不管电视传教士告诉你什么，他都是贫穷的。他没有乘坐国王的战车，他很贫穷。他多次疲惫不堪，多次痛苦不堪。他多次经历过你我必须面对的所有事情，但关于耶稣基督，有一点是：他从不空虚。他从不空虚。为什么他从不空虚？因为他有我们不知道的食物可吃。他从不空虚，原因和我们通常一样。他不空虚，因为他在遵行他父的意愿。他将他的生命交给他父支配。你空虚吗？你有没有感到空虚？猜猜怎么着，举起一面小红旗。我有。“我只是觉得很空虚，我需要休假。我只是觉得很空虚，我需要离开事工一段时间。我只是觉得很空虚，我只需要自己待着。” 不，我只是觉得很空虚，我需要把自己交给上帝，这样我就不会再空虚了。把自己交给上帝。
现在，我必须退后一步，因为你们中的一些人总是感到内疚，觉得自己没有为上帝做足够多的事。所以当我这么说的时候，你会说“是的，我只需要回去再做点什么！”不，不是回去再为教会或其他人做点什么。我说的是把自己交给上帝，这是有很大区别的。亲近上帝。他可能希望你亲近他并休息。他可能希望你亲近他并读完约翰书。他可能希望你亲近他并减少一半的活动。我说的是把自己交给上帝，而不是做一些额外的事情。
圣经中有一段很美的经文，以弗所书5:2，它说：“要凭爱心行事，正如基督爱你们，为我们舍己，当作馨香的供物和祭物献与神。”只要把自己献给神就可以了。“好吧，我没有什么可以给的。”你怎么敢这样谈论上帝？你说“等等，牧师，我不是那样谈论上帝，我在说我自己，我没有什么可以给的。”如果你说你没有什么可以给的，那你就是在说上帝什么都没给你，而我不相信这一点。上帝给他的每一个孩子礼物和恩典。不要假装谦卑。最好说：他给了我什么，我就还给他。永远不要说“我没有什么可以给的”，永远不要。虚假的谦卑是许多事情的巨大破坏者。“你的问题是你不在我里面。你的问题是你没有安居下来，把你的生命交给我。”保罗，当你这样做的时候，我会给你带来比任何东西都更多的快乐。”
你们都需要明白这一点，我们都需要明白这一点：问题不在于我们身在何处，而在于他是谁，以及我们与他的关系。这是非常非常重要的。我想让你们知道：你们大多数人都在努力追求幸福，这并不一定是坏事，只是你们做的方式完全错误。我舍己的次数很少。但是当我舍己，牺牲自己的生命，把自己交给他时，我就是世界上最幸福的人。尽管这可能让我付出了巨大的代价，但我却感到如此的平安，如此的喜悦。而所有那些时候，有很多次，当我把保罗·华许放在其他人之前，实际上意味着我把保罗·华许放在主耶稣基督之前时，我就是世界上最悲惨的人。有人能理解我所说的吗？那么，就别再说了！有时，从神学角度来说，我们只想解决所有这些问题：从神学角度来说，我为什么要这样做？为什么要那样做？停止吧。我有一个朋友住在秘鲁，有一天他走进来告诉他妈妈：“妈妈，当我这样用手臂做动作时，我的手臂很疼。”她说：“好吧，别再这样用你的手臂做动作了，它就不会再疼了。”
是一样的。你们这些真正的基督徒，你们知道什么时候把自己交给基督，什么时候把基督放在一切之上，什么时候把自己的生命作为祭品献给他，你们知道那种喜悦。你们也知道做相反的事情的痛苦。关于它的事情是：死亡。我知道这对寻求者不太友好，我对此感到高兴。为自己而死。你想修复你的婚姻吗？为自己而死，把自己献给上帝。你想修复一切。但你无法修复的是：为自己而死。“凡想保全生命的，必丧掉生命。”（马太福音 16:25）“一粒不落在地里死了，就结不出子粒来；若是死了，就结出许多子粒来。”（约翰福音 12:24）这一切都是关于耶稣基督是第一、第二、第三、第四和第五……我要说的是：不要把耶稣放在第一位，耶稣就是一切！他不只是排名第一，他是一切；我们可以说，他是整个射击比赛。他是一切。献出你的生命。
几年前我在秘鲁和 Charo 在一起，她一直是一个非常非常有智慧的人，在教了大约 4-5 节课之后，一些罗马尼亚女孩……那是在罗马尼亚。一些罗马尼亚女孩走到她面前，说“我们不需要听你再说什么了”。Charo 说“为什么？”她说“因为你每次都说同样的话。”Charo 说：“是的，真的就这么简单。阅读上帝的话语，努力将你的生命交给他。祈求力量。放下你的生命。为他人而活，而不是为自己而活。放弃自我，这样你才可能拥有生命。”这样你才可能拥有生命。放弃自我，这样你才可能拥有生命。这就是一切的关键。
我从未放弃过任何令我感到遗憾的东西。我保留了令我后悔的东西。我从未自我牺牲过，以至于现在回想起来，我会说“我希望我没有这样做”。但我曾多次自私地说“我希望我没有这样做”。这确实是耶稣所说的：死去，将你的生命献给他。死去。我们应该在神学上正确吗？是的，我们应该。我们应该做其他事情吗？是的，我们应该。如果我们不做这第一件事，这些还有什么意义吗？不。死去，献出我们的生命。不是自我提升，自我贬低，以便基督得到提升。他必须兴旺，我必须衰微。哦，施洗约翰有多么快乐。今晚我们要谈论献出你的身体。他为什么说“身体”？出于非常重要的原因。他没有说“奉献你的心”，而是说“奉献你的身体”，今晚我们就要谈论这个话题。
如果你今天早上在这里，我能对你说些什么呢？你知道，我会对你说实话：我并不期望你听到这个信息后会彻底改变，你的余生都会一切顺利。我更希望这个信息能像马鞍下的苍耳一样，永远提醒你：你是空虚的吗？那就去死吧。你痛苦吗？那就放弃自我，为基督而活。你只是觉得内心很肮脏吗？那就把自己交给他。靠近他。不断提醒你这些事情，你和我被召唤去习惯性地、不断地放弃自我，把我们的生命献给上帝。
你们这些年轻人，你们会把自己的生活搞得一团糟，是的。我来告诉你为什么：因为你们会掌控一切，然后开始行动。当你这样做的时候，几年后，你就会在我的办公室里。你会拿起方向盘说“我要开自己的车”，你会后悔一辈子。我恳求你放下方向盘，放开方向盘，服从基督的主权。而不是服从这个传教士的主权，因为这个传教士……你知道传教是什么样的吗？有时我不喜欢传教的方式。我来告诉你为什么：因为看起来我有一些信息，我就像上帝的副驾驶，我正在把信息传递给你。但事实上，如果信息是来自上帝的，我就应该像你一样宣讲它、跑到那里、坐下来聆听它。这不是某个传教士的权威。你自己读过圣经，你同意我刚才对罗马书 12 章 1 节所说的话吗？这不是服从牧师、教会或其他任何东西，而是服从耶稣基督，把你的生命交给他，成为他希望你成为的一切。但你必须死，你必须死。
如果你今天不是基督徒，你会说“这都是些什么疯子？”那正是事实。“来吧，为一个木匠的儿子、为一个为梦想而死的疯子牺牲你的生命，你就会拥有他的第一批追随者所拥有的信仰，你会感受到他那梁木的重量。”对于那些不认识上帝的人来说，这是疯子。在这个世界上牺牲自我……我们生活在罗马帝国，这里一切都是关于自我推销、强大和有权力；得到一切，这样人们就会为你鼓掌。但在王国里却不是这样：这不是关于爬上梯子，而是关于走下梯子。这不是关于洗脚，而是关于洗别人的脚。耶稣基督知道他从哪里来，他要去哪里，基本上知道他是道成肉身的神，他拿着毛巾擦每个人的脚。这就是强大的自尊。这就是这件事的意义所在。这对你和对我都一样重要。但如果你不认识主，圣经希望你知道：圣经说了一些极其令人反感的话，你能处理吗？圣经说了一些极其令人反感的话：你不是社会的受害者，你不是别人问题的受害者，你，先生，你，女士，孩子，你才是问题所在。就像我一样。圣经说：“我们都犯了罪，亏缺了神的荣耀。”我们不是迷失的羔羊寻找牧羊人，我们是憎恨上帝的反叛者，我们用一生的时间逃离他，因为我们想成为自己宇宙的主权主宰。圣经说，如果你继续这样做，你会遭受更大的毁灭。
圣经呼吁你悔改，认识自己的罪孽并憎恨它。并回到上帝身边，他是公正的上帝，他不会原谅你，因为你违反了每一条法律。接受他派他的儿子来为你犯下的每一项罪行付出代价的事实。代价已经付出，正义已经得到满足。相信主耶稣基督，你就会得救。这就是它的意义所在。你的善行就像肮脏的破布，它们在上帝面前是死的，没有价值。它们就像我的一样。我们唯一的功绩、唯一的美德就是耶稣基督被钉在十字架上并从死里复活，这是我们唯一的希望和我们唯一的荣耀。我们唯一的希望。
(Google translate from:https://illbehonest.com/die-to-self-surrender-to-christ-paul-washer)
So Paul says: “I urge you, brethren.” Here he’s an apostle! I mean, one of the big twelve, you can’t get much bigger than this. And he says: brothers, listen to me. So here we see, he says: “Therefore I urge you brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice.”
Paul is going to tell these people to give their life away. He needs something of a motivation. If I were to tell someone: “Look, you need to give your life away” they would probably ask “Why?”. And Paul says here: “by the mercies of God.” Because of God’s mercies demonstrated to you through Jesus Christ, give your life away. You say, but what are these mercies?
First of all, it’s a plural. The multi-faceted mercies of God. I mean it doesn’t matter how you look at it, you’re always going to come up with a bigger and better picture. You look at the mercies of God from one side and you think maybe it’s one dimensional like most things in our life but then you go behind the thing and you discover something completely new. And then you go to one side or another or you go below and look up, you go up and look down and you try to grasp and comprehend the beauty of this mercy that’s been given to you. And you say: “What mercy!” You go through the first 11 chapters of this book of Romans and you discover what mercy. The fact that we were all lost and deserve condemnation. The fact that we could not save ourselves by our own works and didn’t even want to. The fact that God sent His only begotten precious, holy Son to die on a tree carrying our sin and condemned under our judgement. And when He died, He paid the price and after paying the price He rose again from the dead and forty days later He was exalted in the Heavens. He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on High and He sat there as God’s man for you. And he ever lives to intercede on your behalf.
Now, do you need more motivation? Because if you do, you’re lost. If you need me to tell you that if you serve God you’ll get a Mercedes, you’re lost. If you need me to tell you that if you serve God he’ll heal your body and fix every one of your problems, if you need that, you’re lost. If Jesus is not enough to motivate you to godly living, you don’t know Jesus. So let us keep it simple: Christ and Christ alone, no one else. I have need of nothing else, it is well with my soul.
I want my sons to put their life at God’s disposal. “Here I am Lord, speak to your servant. What do you want from me?” That’s all. That’s all that really matters. And as a matter of fact, my dear friend, when you’re on your deathbed and you will be there, when you are on your deathbed, the only thing that is going to be running through your mind is, did you put your life at His disposal? I mean, I want to tell you something right now. If I were to go to Ethiopia and start 500 churches in 3 years but God told me to be a janitor in a small mid-western town, I’d be disobedient planting all those churches. It’s not to do great things, it is to obey God. It is to put your life at His disposal. And that is it. Isn’t it simple?
I had a guy walking into my office one time and saying “you know, the Christian life is very very complicated”. I said “no, it’s not”. He said “yes, it is,” and I said “no, it’s not” and I won because I was the pastor. I could also whoop him. I said “no, it’s not complicated,” he said “but there are so many decisions.” I said “no, there’s not.” I said “God’s already made all the decisions, son.” “Now you’ve got the same problem I do: you’re going to obey or not. You’re going to put your life there or not.”
And I want you to understand, let’s go back to that word “brethren.” When I’m preaching this to you, as my preacher back home says, my pastor, he says “I’ve got one finger pointing at you and I’ve got three pointing back at me. This is as much for me as it is for you today.” All of us struggle with this. You always say “we’ve got so many struggles and so many things”. No, you only have one struggle and it’s the same one I have: are you going to put your life at God’s disposal? That’s the only thing. It’s really the only one thing that matters. And I guarantee you, I struggle with it just as much as you do.
Are you going to put your life at God’s disposal? Christ first! Lord, what do you want me to do today? What do you want me to see? What do you want me to say? What do you want me to hear? How do you want me to spend what you’ve given me? How do you want me to do everything you want me to do? How do you want it, Lord? Here I am, Lord. This goes back again to being at His disposal. I remember one time in seminary I decided: I’m going to live one day totally at the disposal of God. Well, that was an ambitious thing to do. I didn’t make it but I did notice some differences. I remember just… You know, when you’re young and you’re in the ministry, you ought to just be locked away for a few years, because you’re just not right in the head. So I just got outside of the door of my house “OK, Lord, now what do you want me to do?” It’s like “Well, Paul, you’ve got a class in five minutes so you better get there.” But I’m trying to walk across campus, just being sensitive. And just being goofy is what I was. But I’m just trying, just with every step: Lord, where do you want… And then, all of a sudden, there out at the left, there was a lady that I’ve talked to several times. She was an older lady, a cook there at the seminary. And she came walking out and was standing there kind of sad. And I’m just trying to be this spiritual giant. And the first time I felt like God told me anything that morning was “Go, tell her about my Son.” And guess what? Grrrr. Oh, I was willing to walk around like a zombie, looking spiritual, but when it came to just loving somebody… “Go, tell her about me.” And I remember having to collapse like this and just walk over there. That day she received Christ. Sure it was goofy, but God will honor a heart that makes any kind of attempt to be at His disposal.
Sometimes I think we love Day-Timers because we can somehow write God out of our day. “God, I want to make every minute productive for you. Every five minutes I’m going to break down” and what we’re doing is “Lord, I want to be so active that you have no time to tell me what to do.” Sometimes I think I must struggle so much but there’s one thing this hard head of mine can not pound through, and that’s the love of Christ. I can make every excuse in the world not to be obedient, every excuse in the world not to do what I want to do, and then “bang”, like a sledgehammer comes what? The love of Christ. The love of Christ! It just knocks me to my knees.
That is the thing I want you to see about the life of our Lord and Savior Jesus. Listen to this, Jesus was poor – and that’s all there is to it. He was. Regardless of what the TV-preachers tell you, the guy was poor. He didn’t ride around in a king’s chariot, He was poor. He was many times tired, He many times had anguish. He many times had all the things that you and I have to deal with but here’s the thing about Jesus Christ: He was never empty. He was never empty. And why was He never empty? Because He had food to eat that we know not of. He was never empty for the same reason we usually are. He wasn’t empty because He was about doing the will of His Father. He was putting His life at the disposal of His Father. You’re empty? You’re ever feeling empty? Guess what, let a little red flag go up. I do. “I just feel so empty, I need a vacation. I just feel so empty, I need to get away from the ministry for a while. I just feel so empty, I just need to get by myself.” No, I just feel so empty, I need to put myself at God’s disposal and I won’t be empty any more. Put myself at God’s disposal.
Now, I have to step back here for a second because I’ve got some of you in here who are always under guilt that you’re not doing enough for God. So when I say that, you’re going “Yeah, I just need to get back in there and do some more!” No, not get back in there and do some more for the church or anybody else. I said put yourself at God’s disposal, there’s a big difference. Draw near unto God. He might want you to draw near unto Him and rest. He might want you to draw near unto Him and read through the book of John. He might want you to draw near unto Him and cut half of your activities. What I’m talking about is putting yourself at His disposal, not doing something extra.
A beautiful passage in Scripture, in Ephesians 5:2, it says: “Walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” Just give yourself to God. “Well, I have nothing to give.” How dare you talk about God that way? You say “Hold it, pastor, I’m not talking about God that way, I’m talking about me, I have nothing to give.” If you’re saying you have nothing to give, you’re saying that God gave you nothing and I don’t believe that. God gives every one of His children gifts and graces. None of this false humility stuff. It’s better to say: what He has given me, I shall return to Him. Never say “I have nothing to give”, never. False humility is a great destroyer of many things. “Your problem is that you’re not in me. Your problem is that you’re not dwelling and putting your life at my disposal. When you do that, Paul, I’ll give you more joy than anything else.”
And that’s something you all need to understand, we all need to understand: it’s not where we are, it who He is and our relationship to Him. That is something very very important. I want you to know: most of you are striving to be happy and that’s not necessarily bad, you’re just doing it totally the wrong way. The times that I have died to self have been very few. But the times that I have died to self and laid down my life as a sacrifice, put myself at His disposal, I have been the happiest man on the face of the earth. Even though it might have cost me greatly, there was such a peace, such an overwhelming joy. And all the times, and there have been many, when I’ve put Paul Washer before other people, which actually meant I’ve put Paul Washer before Jesus Christ the Lord, I have been the most miserable human being on the face of the earth. Can anyone out there identify with what I’m saying? Well then, stop it! Sometimes, theologically we just want to get through all these things: theologically why do I do this and why do I do that? Just stop it. I’ve got a friend of mine down in Peru and one day he walked in and he told his mum “Mum, when I do like this with my arm, my arm hurts.” She said “well, stop doing that with your arm and it won’t hurt any more.”
It’s the same thing. Those of you who are truly Christians, you know the times when you have surrendered yourself to Christ, you know the times when you’ve put Christ before everything, when you’ve presented your life to Him as a sacrifice and you know the joy of that. And you also know the misery of doing the opposite. The thing about it is: die. I know this isn’t too seeker-friendly and I’m glad about that. Die to yourself. You want to fix your marriage? Die to yourself and offer yourself to God. You want a fix to everything. But what you can’t fix: die to yourself. “One who tries to gain his life will lose it.” (Mt 16:25) “Except a kernel falls to the ground and dies, it bears no fruit. But if it dies, it bringeth forth much fruit.” (Jn 12:24) It’s all about Jesus Christ being first, and second, and third, and fourth and fifth… What I’m saying is: don’t put Jesus first, Jesus is everything! He’s not just first in the rank, He is everything; the whole shooting match, as we might say. He’s everything. Lay down your life.
I was with Charo several years ago in Peru and she’s always been a very very wise person and after teaching about 4-5 classes, some Romanian girls… It was in Romania. Some Romanian girls came up to her and they said “We don’t need to hear anything else you’ve got to say”. Charo said “Why?”. She said “Because you’re saying the same thing every time.” Charo said, “Yes, it’s really that simple. Read the Word of God, seek to submit your life to Him. Pray for power. Lay down your life. Live for others, not for yourself. Die to self that you might have life.” That you might have life. Die to yourself that you might have life. That’s what it all comes down to.
I have never given anything away that I have felt sorry for. I have kept things that I have regretted. I have never been self-sacrificing, that I look back on it now and say “I wish I hadn’t done that”. But I have been selfish so many times and said “I wish I hadn’t done that”. It is really what Jesus said: die and give your life to Him. Die. Should we be theologically correct? Yes, we should. Should we do the other things? Yes, we should. Does any of it matter if we don’t do this first thing? No. Die to ourselves, give our lives away. Not self-promotion, self-demotion so that Christ might be promoted. He must increase, I must decrease. And oh, did he have joy, that John the Baptist. Tonight we’re going to talk about offering your body. Why did he say “body”? For very important reasons. He didn’t say “give your heart”, he said “give your body” and we’re going to talk about that tonight.
If you’re here this morning, what can I say to you? You know, I’ll be honest with you: I’m not expecting you to hear this message and just be flat out transformed and everything go right the rest of your life. I’m more hoping this message would be like a cocklebur under the saddle and it’ll be always this reminder to you: Are you empty? Then die. Are you miserable? Then die to self and live for Christ. Are you just feeling all dirty inside? Then put yourself at His disposal. Draw near unto Him. A constant reminder of these things that you and I are called to habitually, continually die to self and to give our lives to God.
Some of you young people out there, you are going to terribly mess your life up, you are. And I tell you why: because you’re going to take the reigns and you’re going to run with it. And when you do, well, in a few years you’ll be in my office. You’re going to take the steering wheel and you’re going to say “I’ll drive my own car” and you’re going to regret it all the days of your life. I implore you to throw down the reigns, to let go of the steering wheel and to submit to the sovereignty of Christ. Not to the sovereignty of this preacher, because this preacher… You know what preaching is like? Sometimes I don’t like the way it’s done. And I’ll tell you why: because it looks like I’ve got some message and I’m like God’s copilot or something and I’m giving the message to you. When in fact it is: the message, if it is of God, it’s like I should speak it, run down there, sit and listen to it just like you. This is not on the authority of some preacher. You’ve read the Bible yourself, do you agree with what I just said about Romans 12, verse 1? It’s not about submitting to a pastor, a church or anything else but submitting to Jesus Christ and putting your life at His disposal and becoming everything that He desires you to be. But you have to die, you have to die.
If you’re not a Christian here today and you’re saying “what is all this lunacy?” That’s exactly what it is. “Come, lose your life for a carpenter’s son, for a mad man who died for a dream and you’ll have the faith His first followers had and you’ll feel the weight of His beam.” It is lunacy to someone who doesn’t know God. To die to self in this world… We live in the Roman Empire where it’s all about self-promotion and being strong and powerful; getting everything so that people will applaud you. Not in the kingdom: it’s not about going up the ladder, it’s about going down it. It’s not about having your feet washed, it’s about washing other people’s feet. Jesus Christ, knowing where He came from, where He was going, basically knowing that He was God in the flesh, put on a towel and wiped everybody’s feet. Now that’s strong self-esteem. That’s what this is about. And it’s just as much for me as it is for you. But if you don’t know the Lord, this is what the Bible wants you to know: the Bible says something that is extremely offensive, can you handle it? The Bible says something extremely offensive: you are not a victim to society, you are not a victim of other people’s problems, you Sir, you Ma’am, you child, you’re the problem. Just like me. The Bible says: “we’ve all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” We’re not lost sheep looking for a shepherd, we’re God-hating rebels running with all our life to get away from Him because we want to be sovereign lord over our own universe. And the Bible says, if you keep doing that, you’ll be even more destroyed.
The Bible calls you to repent, to recognize your sin and to hate it. And to run back to God, a just God, who could not forgive you because you have broken every law. Accept that He sent His Son to pay for every crime you’ve ever committed. The payment has been made, justice has been satisfied. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. That’s what it’s about. Your good works are like filthy rags, they’re dead before God and have no account. They’re just like mine. The only merit, the only virtue we have is Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected from the dead, our only hope and our only glory. Our only hope.
link: https://illbehonest.com/die-to-self-surrender-to-christ-paul-washer
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