Not Ourselves, but Christ Jesus
To live for Jesus alone, we must die to our self-importance and self-will, allowing God's fullness to crowd us out and leading us to true peace and life.
A.B. Simpson emphasizes the necessity of dying to self in order to fully live for Christ. He illustrates how our self-importance and personal ambitions can become idols that hinder our relationship with Jesus. Just as the dot over the letter 'i' signifies self, it can overshadow our lives and become a rival to Christ. Simpson calls for the death of this self-life, urging believers to allow the Holy Spirit to fill them completely, leaving no room for self. The ultimate goal is to experience the fullness of God and the peace that comes from surrendering all to Him.
Text
Your Christian influence, your reputation as a worker for God and your standing among your brethren may be an idol to which you must die before you can be free to live for Jesus alone. If you have ever noticed the type on a printed page, you must have seen that the little "i" always has a dot over it. It is that dot that elevates it above the other letters in the line. Now, each of us is a little i, and over every one of us there is a little dot of self-importance, self-will, self-interest, self-confidence, self-complacency-or something to which we cling and for which we contend. But it just as surely reveals self-life as if it were a mountain of real importance. This i is a rival of Jesus Christ.
It is the enemy of the Holy Spirit and of our peace and life.
God has therefore decreed its death, and the Holy Spirit, with His flaming sword, is waiting to destroy it that we may be able to enter through the gates and come to the Tree of Life. Lord, crowd me out by Thy fullness, even as the glory of the Lord left no room for Moses in the tabernacle.
Sermon Outline
- The Idol of Self
- The Death of Self
- Living for Jesus Alone
- Crowded out by God's fullness
- Entering through the gates of life
Key Quotes
“Your Christian influence, your reputation as a worker for God and your standing among your brethren may be an idol to which you must die before you can be free to live for Jesus alone.” — A.B. Simpson
“God has therefore decreed its death, and the Holy Spirit, with His flaming sword, is waiting to destroy it that we may be able to enter through the gates and come to the Tree of Life.” — A.B. Simpson
“Lord, crowd me out by Thy fullness, even as the glory of the Lord left no room for Moses in the tabernacle.” — A.B. Simpson
Application Points
- We must be willing to let go of our self-importance and self-will to live for Jesus alone.
- The Holy Spirit is waiting to destroy our self-life so we can enter through the gates of life and come to the Tree of Life.
- We can experience true peace and life by surrendering our self-will and living for Jesus alone.