In this sermon, the speaker begins by expressing gratitude for the prayers offered for Rebecca and their family. The sermon takes place on the last day of Youth Bible School, and the speaker emphasizes that our outer life is a reflection of our inner life. The speaker then directs the audience to 1 Corinthians 6, where it is stated that believers are bought and owned by God. The sermon emphasizes the importance of recognizing God as the captain of our lives and surrendering our rights to Him.

Hello, welcome to Charity Ministries. Our desire is that your life would be blessed and changed by this message. This message is not copyrighted and is not to be bought or sold. You are welcome to make copies for your friends and neighbors. If you would like additional messages, please go to our website for a complete listing at www.charityministries.org. If you would like a catalog of other sermons, please call 1-800-227-7902 or write to Charity Ministries, 400 West Main Street, Suite 1, Ephrata, PA 17522. These messages are offered to all without charge by the freewill offerings of God's people. A special thank you to all who support this ministry. Is it well I greet you in Jesus' worthy name? The name by which it can be well with our souls. Isn't that right? It's good to greet you in that name. It's good to see many of your faces here. And it's good to be called brothers and sisters. With that kind of connection through Jesus Christ our Lord. So I do bring you greetings in the Lord. I bring you greetings from Ghana, West Africa, where my wife and I live. And greetings from the rest of the missionaries there. Their hearts are often here with you at meetings like this. And we thank you for all the prayers that many of you pray. For us there in Ghana and especially for the people that God has called us to serve. Some of you know that my wife Rebecca has been sick for the past few months, maybe since April or May. And so we arrived here in the USA about three and a half weeks ago on medical leave. To seek some restoration in health for her. And it seemed like God's timing for us to come back and do that. So that's what brings us here to the States. And while our hearts yearn to go back to the people of the Goinja tribe where God has called us. We know that this is His time for us to be here. And God doesn't make mistakes. So we're thankful for what He has for us. In the spirit of our life here and for today. So we appreciate your prayers. Many of you have come up to me and expressed how you've prayed for Rebecca and for our family as we're here. And I just want to say thank you for that. Well this is Youth Bible School and this is the last day of Youth Bible School. And tomorrow you're going back to your places. And you know, the outer life is a test of what's really in the inner life, isn't it? That's just how it is. What comes out in our outer life is the test and the ground on which is played out that which has happened. And which is the reality of our hearts. That's how God has made it. I believe what the Lord wants to share to each of us this morning in this opening message. Can be a life guiding principle for each of us. That can guide us on every turn and every choice and every decision. So if you will, could you open the Word of God to 1 Corinthians chapter 6. 1 Corinthians chapter 6. And while you're opening there, could you stand and we'll read God's Word together. 1 Corinthians chapter 6. And we're going to start reading in verse 19. What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own. For ye are bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. The title of the message this morning is ye are not your own. Let's bow our heads for a word of prayer for the Lord. Lord, we really are before you. There are many more than two or three gathered here. And it's in your name, Lord, that we got here and we came here. And it's in your name we have the association that we have with each other. So, Lord, we now ask you to open your word and expound to us truths. You are God. You're the one that the angels have to cover their face and cry holy, holy when they see you. You're the one, Lord, that the posts of the temple shake at your presence. So now speak to us, Lord. Speak to my heart, to every heart here, that we would be affected, rightly affected, by your all-powerful words. Lord, open your mouth and speak to us. We give you control of this service and of this time. In Jesus' name, amen. You may be seated. Ownership. Property. Possessions. I own that. I possess that. I bought that. Ye are not your own. You are bought property. These are the words of the Spirit of God speaking to us this morning. And if we look at the context, we see Paul, through the Spirit of God, dealing with the sins of the flesh. Many of those outward sins. He shows us what a filthy thing sin really is. He goes on to tell us that the body is the temple of the Holy Ghost. And therefore, should never be profaned, since that's where God dwells. And then if that wasn't enough, he goes on towards the end of this passage, which is where we took our text from, and tells us that there's a fact. There's a truth of ownership. And these are the words. Ye are not your own, for ye are bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. Buying things. You know, that's something that's understood in every culture and in every country and in every race. And probably, more than in any other country, perhaps, we understand buying and owning things here in America. We like to buy things. We have to buy things. Each of us this morning owns the clothes, or most likely owns the clothes that you came with. They're yours to use. No one else may use them unless you give them rightful permission to borrow your shirt or your coat. We own our own animals. We sell them. We use them for work. We butcher them and eat them and dispose of them like we like to. Because we bought them. They're ours. We value. We take a value assessment, and then we buy. One, two, three, or four means of transportation. A car, pickup, pickups, or vans. And we use it. And then we get rid of it like we want to, because we bought it. So think about the process of buying for just a moment here. You know, when you buy something, you as the buyer decide what you're willing to pay for it. And then you part with a sum of money in order for you to take possession of that object. That's what happens. When we buy a piece of land, which is how we often get land in this country with money, we look at this land, we decide it's so useful for us in this and this way, and then we give a portion of money. And in return, we get this land to possess it. And we get ownership of the land. A few days ago, I needed a watch, and so I went up to Walmart, and this watch here was valued on their table at $16. And I decided as a buyer that that was worth it to me, so I willingly parted with $16, a $10, and a $5, and a $1. And in return for that, I got a watch. We know what buying is. Ye are bought. Sitting here this morning, if you're a Christian, you're a bought piece of property. Somebody somewhere paid something and exchanged something, and so you're now bought. You're owned. And Paul in this passage, as he pleads with us that we might wholly be given over to the Lord of all, Paul pleads with us through this most tender theme of redemption this morning. We know we are created. Everyone who's alive on this globe is created. We also know that we're sustained, believer or unbeliever. You are sustained by God. You can't be alive one second without God holding you up. Isn't that right? But the Word of God today pleads the blood. The Word of God, in asking that we be given over wholly to the Lord, and let Him be Lord of our life, pleads the blood. What a delight to understand that we are not our own by right of purchase. To understand and cause that my body is to live its entirety for the Lord, because it's the property of the Lord of heaven. You, you were bought with a price. You know, rebellion, sin, the devil's pit. Those aren't words we like to associate with if we're now believers. But you think about those words, that describes everything that we used to be, doesn't it? Rebellion, sin, headed towards destruction, and the devil's pit. Now, bought, exchanged, purchased, not with silver or gold. Rather, the value that was placed on your soul to rescue you and me from that rebellion, sin, and destruction. That value was the life and blood of Jesus Christ. Let's talk about value for a minute. I remember when I was still a young teenager living in my father's home. Maybe I was even 10 or 11. My brothers and I invested in some cows. Some, I think they were like Holstein bulls or steers that the dairy didn't want. And we were going to raise them, and we were going to make money. And so we bought them, and we bottle fed them, and we doctored them through their sicknesses that little cows get. And we got up in the night when we had to, to give them their medicine. And at the end of all this, we had kept track in a ledger of all of our expenses. And I remember when it was time to sell them, calling the auction. And the auction had a service where they would tell you what the average price per pound was going for, for cattle. So we listened to that price. Of course, our cows, we knew were above average, but in our estimation. So we just used that average price per pound, and we knew how much our cows weighed. And so we figured out what we'd make. And so I remember telling my dad, you know, this is what the cows are going for. And so we're going to be able to sell our cows for, let's say, $400. And my father said, how did you know that? And I said, well, that's what the cows are going for. It's a market that's average. And even if we just get average, this is what we'll make. And my dad said something to me then that I still remember. He said, your cows are worth what somebody will pay them, pay you for them. That's what your cows are worth. How many of you ever heard of the Kelly Blue Book? Most people on this side of the room here. You know, we own a vehicle. And I think nowadays you can even type it into the Internet and find out what your car is worth. But, you know, that's actually not true, is it? Your car is worth exactly what somebody will pay you for it, isn't it? And we read in Matthew 27, verse 9. You don't have to turn there. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, And they took thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value. Thirty pieces of silver. That's approximately $400. If I did my references right in today's money, that's how much the children of Israel valued the Lord Jesus Christ. When they looked to buy his betrayal. But you and I, we, yeah, we were bought. But Paul doesn't stop there. You were bought with a price. Shall we remind ourselves, just for a few minutes here this morning, the price of redemption? What it cost the Lord Jesus Christ to leave heaven. What it cost him to live here. What it cost him to die. The pain that he shed during the last moments of his life. And then something else which you need never face if you're a Christian. He faced separation from God, didn't he? God looked down upon you, upon my soul, and valued you. He, as the buyer, set a price that he was willing to pay for our souls. And that price, beloved, exceeds any other payment that was ever paid. Bought? Yes. Bought with a price. God, looking down on my soul and your soul, lost, and choosing to pay for us with the blood of Christ. You've been acquired. Think of all the agony that Jesus suffered. That was the sum which he had to pay to buy your soul. So God values us. That was what he was willing to part with. As he looked out from eternity and decided to buy our souls back, he chose the most precious commodity, if we dare call Jesus Christ that, and he chose that to pay for us. O soul, do we understand what it means when the word of God tells us, you were bought with a price. It cost God something. It cost God something to buy your soul. And how do we live our life as if it never cost Jesus anything? As if God used something very cheap to purchase us, when in fact he parted with that which was the greatest and most noble thing and person there ever was. We have been bought with a price. We have been acquired and rescued and it cost a great deal. O Lord, will you not give us a revelation anew each day of our redemption? And I feel like young people and all the others that are here this morning, brothers and sisters, if we could grasp this truth of redemption, it would be the motivating factor for having our life being wholly given over to God. God didn't just save me with something he had in the background. God didn't just save me with some extra change he had. God took stock of your soul and valued you with the blood of Jesus. I can't comprehend that this morning. I don't know if you can. I don't feel worthy of that. But according to how we read in the word of God, that's what he used to pay for us. And we won't deny it that we've been bought. But as sure as is our redemption, as sure as that, and we're staking our life on it, aren't we? We're staking all of eternity on the fact that we've been redeemed. As sure as that fact is the fact that now you're not your own. You're not yours anymore. You're somebody else's. Oh, what blasphemy. What blasphemy it must be for God, for the Lord Jesus Christ, to pay this kind of price and then you and I to live like he didn't pay anything at all. I'm my own. My own choices. What I think matters most. I'm my own boss. He doesn't own anything at all. When he actually did pay. And he paid a price. You're not your own. When you think of being your own, think with me for a minute of a ship. A ship that's built just like any other ship. But as we look upon this ship, it's on the Atlantic Ocean and it's being tossed about wherever it will. Because it's its own ship. Something strange about this ship is when you look inside on the back and inside the captain's quarters, you don't see anybody. Because, you see, this ship is its own ship. And so, however the storms want to blow it, there it goes. Algae grows on it. Or at times the sun blisters its deck and cracks it. Sometimes it's driven into coves. Sometimes in and out, tossed about. Because it's its own ship. And the difference between that picture and the picture of a ship built identical. And yet when you look on the deck, there's a captain on deck. And he's got the wheel of that large ship in his hands. And that captain's very important because he doesn't just captain the ship. He made it and bought it. And what he asks of that ship is that at his slightest move, the ship willingly turns and is guided. And what a useful ship that is. Though sometimes beaten down with the identical storms as the other ship. It has a captain. It has someone who bought it at its helm to guide it safely through. And so who are you this morning? Are you your own? Are you living your life as if your own? Are you bought? Whose property are you? Who has a right to possess you? You know, nobody can use your property without getting rights from the owner, right? Can't just go on somebody else's property and plow up their land and plant your own corn and take it home. You didn't. You don't have the rights for that. Whose property are we anyway? And by what right? God says, I have the right to claim you because I paid for you. And so no one else, including ourselves, has the right to use up our life. The only one that has the right to use up our life is the one who paid the highest price for it. Let the fact that you were bought with such an enormous price, let it govern and motivate all your actions and your decisions. How is it that though we know we couldn't pay for our life, we wouldn't, we didn't, and we couldn't. But we want to live life as if we do own it and possess it. And that every faculty was at our own pleasing. How inconsistent are we? Aren't we? We want the liberation from Satan's grip. We want eternal life. And yet to get that, Jesus has to pay the price because we can't. And so he buys you. We want the freedom, but we're not ready to exchange ownership of the ship. We still want to be our own. You are not your own. And so, Paul, as you speak this to us through the word of God, the question comes to us. Are we living like we're our own? What are my responses like? What are my thought patterns like? When I'm faced with a decision to look at something, to buy something, to say something, am I my own? What about your rights? Do you have rights? We just said that land that's been purchased by someone, all the rights of that land are for who? The purchaser. And you know, when something is somebody else's, you handle it with much care, don't you? Remember that axe that flew into the water in the time of Elisha? He went out to fell some trees with some of the servants of the prophets. They were felling trees, and an axe flew into the water. And what did the young man say? Alas, but it was borrowed. Alas, but it was borrowed. Borrow a book, and you'll be very careful how you bend the pages down. But if it's your own, you know, it's your own. Do with it what you like. But it's a borrowed book. And so when your little brother or your son picks up a crown, you say, wait a minute, that's borrowed. We can't do anything with that. Wait a minute, beloved. Your life is somebody else's. You can't do what you're doing with it. Oh, the carefulness. Oh, the carefulness that we should take with someone else's possession. You may not choose what you do, what you say, or what your life will be engaged with. I may not choose what I will look at and what I will do. I'm a possession of somebody else. Bought and paid for. Did he buy you so you could be free to do as you wish? So that I could keep my insignificant, can I say puny, little self at the controls? Going nowhere and fulfilling my desires, which at the end of the day is self. And self is really a horrible tyrant. Never satisfied. Inconsistent. Just beaten about by the storm. Sometimes it's algae. Sometimes the boards are cracked up. What about that man? You remember the man in the Bible who had the talents? He had one talent, didn't he? Well, did you know what? It's not a sin to bury your own talent. But that talent wasn't wasn't his, was it? That talent was not his. It may or may not be a sin to bury your own talent. But that talent wasn't his. That talent was the master's. And he wasted it. He buried it. It wasn't his own. And so how he wasted it was sin. And how you and I waste my life. And your life is sin. Because we're someone else's. And so you're wasting someone else's possession. Who owns you? Many of us act sometimes as if we're at liberty to be idle. Or be at work as we choose. To employ our time and our powers. One way or the other. Like it really doesn't matter. All the while, it matters much more than that. Because God has an investment in you. Which is way higher. And which will never show up on the investment screens at Wall Street in New York. He has invested into you. He has bought you. With the blood of Jesus Christ. And so he cares. He sees. And it's very important to us. What our powers are engaged in. Who do you live for? Who owns you? Come up against the temptation. And the Bible knew we would. And so the instruction is. Remember. Remember, beloved. It cost a price. It cost a price to free you. What's your reactions? Are they your own? What's your purity level? Who would people around you say that you live for? So we're bought. We're not our own. Let's dwell for just a minute, if we can. On being owned. You're no longer a possessor. That makes you a possession. Yes, you are possessed. Possessed by God. By right of the price he paid for you. And so, Satan can't tell you that you have no right to be God's. Oh yes, in your own, in and of our own self, we have no rights. And yet, we have a right to be God's. Because he purchased us. And so those lies that tell you you have no rights to stand where you stand. You can answer them back by holding up that story of redemption. Saying, because of what Jesus paid, I'm his. It was an act done. Outside of yourself and your powers. And now your act is to engage your runner at the very touch of your captain who bought you. He has every right to buy you. And he did. If you've given yourself to the Lord. And you're now possessed by him. You know, we know what a possessed person is, don't we? Some of you have seen them. We have quite a few of them in Ghana. Where I live. And we read of them in the Bible, don't we? This man was possessed. And it seems like every word. Down to the little things of how he moves his legs. I mean, he's a possessed man. Just possessed by this demon. Are you a possessed person? Are you possessed by Jesus Christ? So that everyone who sees you says, he's possessed by God. Every move. Every thought. Goes to the filter of knowing, I'm not my own. I was bought with a price. A high price. And so we live for something much higher than our own whims. And our own wishes. And, oh, I feel like doing that. And feel like doing that. We are the special property of the Lord. The special investment of God. That means the trials that come our way were already filtered through God, weren't they? And so if we're his property. We can rest in knowing. He'll carry us safely through it. It's not our responsibility. That we got in this trial. If his hand is upon your wheel. And to do that is real joy. Beloved. It's empowerment. All of a sudden you find your prayers are being answered. His power is flowing through you. Your mouth is his mouth. Because you're not your own. You're someone else's. And the someone else's that you are has power way more than you or I could by ourself. You're not your own. Maybe that is why right now. Your power is so sapped. Or is so drained. Why my prayers are not being answered. And I'm not living a power filled life. Oh soul be admonished today. If your life is powerless. And you are ineffective. And you have unanswered prayer. It's not because you need to learn more theology. It's not because you need to learn a better way of articulating your prayers. It's because you or I are living like we are our own. And so all we've got is our own powers. And our own efforts. And so they don't amount to much. If you're your own. You have to fulfill all your own dreams and desires by your own power. Go ahead and try to fulfill them if you like. But don't expect any supernatural power. Any blessing from heaven. Any answer. Any answer at all from the hand that span the stars and spin them into place. If you're your own. We don't seem to understand. That we can't own ourselves. Because if we own ourselves. And then we let all our own whims direct us. And then we expect God to answer our prayers and to empower us. Do you see the lie that's in our hands when we do that? It's kind of like that person who decides they don't want to be connected to the power in New York City. Or on the big power grid anymore. You know, there's some of these people who like to live in the mountains. And there's nothing wrong with mountains. And they buy their own generator. Just a little tiny generator, you know, that they can pick up. And that's fine. They can run a light bulb. But when a real problem comes. And they hook up a big welder to that small generator. You know what happens? Zap. It's not going to work, is it? And so here we are. And problems come and we're powerless. And all of a sudden we realize we were our own person. May God help us. To recognize that we're bought. We're not our own. And then when we're run by Him. We're connected right to the power source. Prayers are being answered. Because they're His prayers. Power is flowing through us to speak that word in season. Because it's Him standing there anyway. And it's not my own. What an honor to be owned by Him, beloved. Are you owned by Him this morning? It's such an honor. You know, if you think about items. Items are really valued by who owns them, aren't they? If there'd be a vehicle pull up this morning. Or even something like a horse. And somebody would say. Guess what I saw outside? I saw a horse. You say, well, what of that? You know, that horse is. It's owned by the Queen of England. And you go out there to take a look at this horse. Because it's owned. There must be something special about it. For the Queen of England to invest. Her money. Her time. And all her influence and powers on keeping and maintaining this horse. You're owned. You're bought. By someone. Way higher than the ranks of the Queen of England. You're owned. You're bought. You're a possession. By the Lord of Sabaoth. And the angels looking down. They don't understand redemption. I don't know if they even. They can't comprehend. Especially when they look at me. And look at you. How God. Would like to spend. That valuable commodity of the blood of Jesus Christ on us. And own us. They don't understand it. And so they can't even think about it. You were bought. With a price. Because God values you. And so now He owns you. And can display you to the world. Not because you're such a wonderful thing. Not because I'm so wonderful in myself. But the glory comes because I'm owned by Him. And so people look at. Us. Because of our attachment. To our great and majestic owner. Amen. May He. Christ. Speak to our hearts today in every moment. That we would be not our own. Our responses to this and that situation would be not our own. Our decisions of where to drive. Today in a few minutes of off time. Would be not our own. Because we're bought. And you know. He was not his own, was he? He. Our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. The best man that ever lived. He didn't live unto himself. Did he? He didn't even die unto himself. For I came down. From heaven. John 6 38. For I came down from heaven. Not to do mine own will. But the will of him that sent me. No self-promotion there is there. That's a declaration. From the man of all men. The best of mankind. That pure and anointed Christ. His declaration was. I didn't come to do my own will. No. Not my own will. And surely if anyone. Could have justified themselves in doing their own will. It would have been the one that came from heaven. Away with the lies of Satan. Which tell us that by surrendering. We make ourselves. Boring. And useless. And nothing. I tell you this morning that the one. Who effected. This earth more than any other man that ever lived. His testimony was. I don't do my own will. And yet he speaks. He speaks beloved. And you can't get away from him. No matter where you are from. Or what religion you are part of. You can't get away from his influence. The influence. Of Jesus Christ the anointed one. Still speaks. And he as one. Who declared. I don't do my own will. I do the will of one that sent me. Oh Lord. May we have that testimony. The same testimony as you have. You who span time and culture. And who influence. The Bible says he lightens every man's heart that cometh into the world. I don't understand that. But I believe God's Word. He didn't do his own will. He didn't do his own will. So why does my soul. Why oh soul do you struggle so. To bend your will. Will it be said of you. Will it be said of you. After it's all done. He wasn't his own man. He was Christ man. You know really. Those are the ones who really affect eternity aren't they. For whether we live. We live under the Lord. And whether we die. We die under the Lord. Whether we live therefore or die. We are the Lord's. Beloved you're not your own. And I don't know why sometimes we can. We feel like we can give options where the Word of God doesn't give any options. God does not separate. In this Word of God that I understand. Just by feeble interpretation. He doesn't separate salvation. And surrender does he. You're bought. So you're not your own. Sometimes. In our human reasoning I think. I don't want to blame anybody but. We are affected sometimes by the. Can I say that the chief. Ecumenical gospel that's. That's preached sometimes around us. Even in this country. In many countries we're sort of affected by it. And it says that you can be bought. And your ticket to hell can be cancelled. And then you're paid for to go to heaven. And still be your own. And still be your own. So can we separate salvation and surrender? God didn't separate it. Beloved I don't know what to say except for the Bible says that. Since you're bought you're his possession. So if you're living as if. You're your own possession. I'm not sure that when you get to the end. That you'll be able to claim. That you were bought and paid for. Beloved. Let us not separate what God doesn't separate. There seems to be no option. But to be his. And oh. What a joy to be his. Wouldn't you rather be owned by him. Than owned by your puny self. Yourself which will just wreck you on the shores. It's just the lies of Satan for the moment. When you have that moment of free time to say. Please yourself. And at that moment we have to say self. Who's he? I've got something. I've got someone so much higher who owns me. He paid a dearer price. Oh. May we remember. That not to be his. Is the way to final ruin in the end isn't it? To be our own. Remember beloved to be our own. Is to not have a way to pay for. Eternal damnation. So what. Of you. Is God's. Is it all of you? Is all of us. God's. God valued you. He looked upon our souls. And paid. A price. You are not your own. God give us grace to stop living lives. Like we are our own. God give us grace to let the theme of redemption. Be an overwhelming. Filter in our life. That everything filters through. I'm. A bought one. I'm. A purchased one. With a great price. Highly valued beloved. That's what you are. Highly valued of God. You're not your own. For you're bought with a price. Therefore glorify God. In your body. And in your spirit. Which are God's. Bow your heads for prayer. Oh God. Give us fresh revelations. Of what it really means that you redeemed us. That you paid. You bought us. With a price. Oh Lord. Speak to us in our hearts. That Lord. We wouldn't. Commit the sin. Of being our own. And thinking that we can cheat God. Out of something you paid for Lord. Yes Father. You paid a great price. Thank you for that love. Thank you that you're going to own us. Thank you that you're going to guide us. Thank you that you're going to direct us Lord. We willingly this morning. Say we need. We want the captain. To be the creator. And the purchaser. And the guider. Of our ship. Make it more so Lord. That all else would fade into oblivion. As we realize. You bought us. With a price. We are not our own. In Jesus Christ name. Amen. May God bless you all.