(Rev.) It Ain’t Me

Text:

Mark 13:3-11:

3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately,

4 Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?

5 And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you:

6 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

7 And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet.

8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.

9 But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.

10 And the gospel must first be published among all nations.

11 But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.

 

Galatians 2:20:

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

 

Theme:

(Rev.) It Ain’t Me

 

Introduction:

• The first text used is in Mark.
  • The Gospel According to Mark is the second of the four Gospels of the New Testament and therefore the second of the books of the New Testament. The Gospel is believed the have been written by Mark, the young interpreter of Peter.  Although Mark was not an eye or ear witness of Jesus and His teaching, Mark absorbed the words of Peter to give him his content for the book.
    • In his not passionately living the events of Jesus’ life, Mark understandably does not portray Jesus in any subjective aura like the other Gospels.
      • Matthew à the Messiah
      • Luke à the Universal Redeemer
    • Mark gets right to the heart of the matter in depicting Jesus during His ministry in Galilee.
      • Mark gives us the full picture of who Jesus was – the wonder-working Son of God!
    • The second text used is in Galatians.
      • The Epistle to the Galatians is universally accepted as a letter written by the Apostle Paul.
        • Outside of briefly affirming his calling as an apostle, Paul focuses on the simplicity of the Gospel as not a Judaic derivation but a Divine declaration.
        • Galatians gives the reader the clarity of God’s Word, Will and Way!
      • Our texts give the call to “Check Ourselves”!!!
        • Self Examination is important for the sinner…!
          • Lamentations 3:40, “Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.”
          • Matthew 7:5, “Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”
        • Self Examination is important for the believer…!
          • 1 Corinthians 11:28, “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.”
          • 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”
          • Galatians 6:4, “But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.”
        • Self Examination is important for the Called Preacher…!
          • What is the Called Preacher?
            • The Yale Lecture Series explains the Called Preacher in this way à “Every living preacher must receive his communication direct from God, and the constant purpose of his life must be to receive it uncorrupted and to deliver it without addition or subtraction.”
              • The Called Preacher gets all that He has from God in order that all can be given over to the Work laid upon Him by God.
            • The Called Preacher needs a KNOW!
              • Knowing WHO YOU ARE
                • Your Calling à 2 Peter 1:10, “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:”
                • Your Gift à 1 Corinthians 12:8, “For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;”
              • Knowing WHOSE YOU ARE
                • We are made by Him à 1 Thessalonians 2:4, “But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.”
                • We are equipped by Him à Psalms 68:11, “The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.”
          • The Called Preacher is Accountable!
            • Jeremiah 10:21, “For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the LORD: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered.”
            • The characteristic of the Called Preacher that differentiates them from other believers is POWER!!!
              • Luke 4:32&36, “And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power…And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.”
              • David even spoke of this power when he wrote in Psalms 145:11, “They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power;”
              • Where does this power come from?
                • It is at this juncture that the Called Preacher must speak with clarity and intent à It Ain’t Me!!!

 

Body:

• The preacher tends to get the attention of people through this POWER with which the Word is brought.
  • People look to the preacher as if they are the source themselves à It ain’t the preacher!
  • People look to the position that position has as the source à It ain’t the office or position!
  • People tend to rely on the rhetoric and rituals of the church as the sources à It ain’t practices!
  • People look to the sounds and senses of the church experience as the source à It ain’t the entertainment!
• It is important that the called preacher makes it clear to himself and the people that “IT AIN’T ME”!!!!
  • There are two ways in which the Called Preacher must live the knowledge that IT AIN’T ME:
    • First à Look to God!
      • In the Gospel According to Saint Mark, Jesus sounds a resounding call to reality for the called preacher as He speaks to His disciples.
      • Verse 11 of our text explains, “But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.”
        • The first element of the reality of “It Ain’t Me!” is the fact that it could be Satan or Sin that lives you your power.
          • We are always warring with sin either in the form of our adversary or that of the flesh within us!
          • Romans 7:15-17, “For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.”
        • The second element of the reality of “It Ain’t Me!” is that we have to LOOK TO GOD so that He can be our catalyst and motivation and POWER to go on.
          • We must invite God into our lives!
          • Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”
        • The third element of the reality of “It Ain’t Me!” is that we must receive God into our lives.
          • God won’t force His way into our lives…willingly receive Him.
            • John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
          • In accepting Him, we also are to accept what He has to give us…His Word/words!
            • “But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.”
              • “whatsoever shall be given you”
                • Hebrews 13:5, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
                • The Called Preacher must speak what God has given and nothing else!!! Don’t speak another’s words or your own!!!  If you do, God is against you!!!!!!!
                • Jeremiah 23:30-31, “Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour. Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith.”
              • “in that hour”
                • He will give us what we need WHEN we need it!!
                • Matthew 6:11, “Give us this day our daily bread.”
                • Psalms 23:1, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.”

Conclusion:

• Second à Give credit to God!!
  • “it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.”
    • Here God makes it clear who gets the credit for our provisions and direction à GOD!!!!
  • Also in the Epistle to the Galatians, Paul gives his personal testimony of who gets the “credit” for His life.
    • The text explains, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me”
    • The Bible gives us clarity as to who gets the credit è IT AIN’T ME!!
      • Paul writes in our text above that it is not he but CHRIST that lives in him!
      • Job was chastised abruptly by God when he was caught complaining. God rebuked him by saying in Job 38:4, “Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.”
        • Job was reminded of the fact that IT WASN’T HIM!!!
      • David exclaims to the doubters in Psalms 34:19, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.”
      • David also states in Psalm 100:3, that “Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.”
      • Luke even told the story of Jesus in Luke 6:19, “And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.”
  • God’s MERCY is shed on all…
    • 1 Peter 3:18, “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:”
    • But these blessings of God’s POWER can only be experienced when the believer or the PREACHER submits!!!
      • As the other half of the text in Galatians explains, “and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
        • It Ain’t Me…It is the one who gave His life for me
        • It Ain’t Me…It is the one who went back to Heaven to prepare a place for me
        • It Ain’t Me…It is the one who saved me on Wednesday night
        • It Ain’t Me…It is the one who picked me up, turned me around, and placed my feet on solid ground
        • It Ain’t Me…It is the one hears my cry of repentance, reaches down, picks me up, dusts me off, and gives me another chance.
        • It Ain’t Me…It is the one who gives me new mercies, a new song, a new walk, and new talk
        • It Ain’t Me…It is the one who is the Father of all creation…the Father of the motherless child
        • It Ain’t Me…It is the one who is the Only Begotten of the Father
        • It Ain’t Me…It is the one who maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
        • It’s God…It’s my Rock in a weary land
        • It’s God…It’s my shelter in the time of a storm
        • It’s God…It’s my balm in Gilead
        • It’s God…It’s my lily in the valley
        • It Ain’t Me –> It’s God!!

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