Me, Myself, and I
The sermon explores the challenges of self-knowledge and the necessity of dying to the old man to experience true obedience and reliance on God.
Miles J. Stanford delves into the struggle of self-awareness and surrender in the Christian journey, emphasizing the difficulty in truly understanding the sinful nature within us compared to knowing the Lord Jesus. He highlights the necessity of recognizing the flesh's power, its blinding influence, and the need to die to the old self through faith in Christ. Stanford explains that believers must undergo a process of self-exposure, facing their fleshly nature, rejecting self-sufficiency, and embracing humility and dependence on God for true obedience. Only through acknowledging our inadequacy and fully relying on Jesus can we find deliverance and experience the joy of resting in God's sufficiency.
Text
"Oh, wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" (Romans 7:24).
While both are essential, it is far more difficult to get to know the old man than it is to know the Lord Jesus. Many who know something of Him, know little or nothing of themselves.
"There is not a more difficult lesson in the Christian life than to come to a true knowledge of what the flesh is. Its terrible power, its secret and universal rule, and the blinding it exerts in keeping us from the knowledge of what it is, are the cause of all our sin and evil. Hence it comes that so few really believe in their absolute inability to obey God or to believe in His love. And there is nothing that can deliver us from it but that entire willingness to die to the old man, which comes when by faith we understand that we have died in Christ Jesus." -A.M.
"It seems that God's Spirit has to take every growing believer through a drastic process of self-exposure. That fleshly principle lurking within has to be looked in the face. Its presumptuous claim to be a sufficient source of wisdom and ability has to be exposed in its big lie. Its save-yourself attitude has to be recognized and rejected. And such knowledge can only come through failure, humiliation and despair." -N.G.
"If you come to feel, through ever-recurring misery and defeat, that unless Another shall lead you into the land of fruitful obedience your whole Christian career will be a spiritual and moral chaos, then perhaps you are ready to venture your all upon your union with the Lord Jesus in His death and resurrection."
"There is no joy like that of realizing our nothingness, while at the same time reposing upon the Father's all-sufficiency."
"I thank God through Jesus Christ, our Lord" (Romans 7:25).
Sermon Outline
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I
- Understanding the Old Man
- The Difficulty of Self-Knowledge
- The Power of the Flesh
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II
- The Role of the Holy Spirit
- Self-Exposure and Humiliation
- Recognizing Our Inability
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III
- The Necessity of Union with Christ
- The Process of Dying to Self
- Embracing God's Sufficiency
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IV
- The Joy of Nothingness
- The Path to Fruitful Obedience
- The Assurance of Deliverance
Key Quotes
“Oh, wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” — Miles J. Stanford
“There is no joy like that of realizing our nothingness, while at the same time reposing upon the Father's all-sufficiency.” — Miles J. Stanford
“If you come to feel, through ever-recurring misery and defeat, that unless Another shall lead you into the land of fruitful obedience your whole Christian career will be a spiritual and moral chaos.” — Miles J. Stanford
Application Points
- Reflect on the areas of your life where the old man is still in control and seek God's help to overcome them.
- Embrace the process of self-exposure as a means to grow closer to Christ and understand your dependence on Him.
- Cultivate a mindset of humility, recognizing your nothingness while trusting in God's sufficiency for your spiritual journey.