You Are Not Your Own

Message Clutch Student Ministries Pastor Jordan Biel Rock of Grace A/G 04.16..2006

1 Cor 6:19-20 says “Don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” NLT

God is not giving a suggestion here, nor is just making remarks – He is giving us the truth and then a command.

We are not our own – we don’t own ourselves because we did not create ourselves. God created us and when we messed up, God forgave us and bought us back with the price of losing His Son Jesus on the cross.

We were bought back with a high price. We were once lost, but now we’re found. We were once sinners who lived in sin, but NOW we are different, Now we are redeemed – we are set free from sin!.

So, why is there all this talk about some people claiming to be Christian and claiming to be homosexual?

Let me make it loud and clear to all of you – if you are unsaved and do not confess to being a Christian and this is your first time here, and you say that you are gay, you know what – we accept you just the way you are, because Christ accepts you just the way you are – but He does want to see you changed. We don’t expect you to “clean-up” before you come to church – only Jesus Christ can clean you up when you come to Him as you are.

BUT, for those of you who claim to be Christians and you’ve been coming to CSM for a while now and you claim to be gay, homosexual, or bi-sexual – guess what – You’re not a Christian! WHY? You can’t be both!

I’m not preaching “hell, fire and brimstone” because I like to. I’m warning you in love and rebuking you as your pastor because I love you.

You’ve got to know what God says in His Word and you’ve got to start living it or you won’t even be aloud back to CSM! Is that simply our decision? No – that’s what the Bible says to do.

1 Cor 6:9-12 9 Don't you know that those who do wrong will have no share in the Kingdom of God? Don't fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, who are idol worshipers, adulterers, male prostitutes, homosexuals, 10 thieves, greedy people, drunkards, abusers, and swindlers — none of these will have a share in the Kingdom of God. New Slide11 There was a time when some of you were just like that, but now your sins have been washed away, and you have been set apart for God. You have been made right with God because of what the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God have done for you. 12 You may say, "I am allowed to do anything." But I reply, "Not everything is good for you." And even though "I am allowed to do anything," I must not become a slave to anything.” NLT

You are not your own! Because: “You have been bought with a price…”

1 Cor 6:15-20 says “Don't you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which belongs to Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never! 16 And don't you know that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, "The two are united into one." New Slide 17 But the person who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him. 18 Run away from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. 19 Or don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” NLT

God is not surprised by this – He’s dealt with sinful “Christians” since Adam.

When Moses lead God’s people out of Egypt, they walked through the wilderness for years. Finally, they got impatient and when Moses was away, they made golden idols to worship like everybody else did in Egypt. They were physically out of Egypt, but Egypt was still in them – the sinful ways of the culture had been instilled in them. So when pastor Moses left, they reverted back to their old ways.

I don’t care if the culture at school says it’s normal to be gay and “bi” that’s not normal!

Here me saying: that’s not normal!

So God gave us a warning in the Bible of what happened to them as they became sexually active with each-other and starting worshipping idols.

1 Cor 10:1-13 “For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert.”

6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: "The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in pagan revelry." 8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did-and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test the Lord, as some of them did-and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not grumble, as some of them did-and were killed by the destroying angel.”

11 “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! 13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” NIV

God is saying : “don’t be ignorant” Do you know what ignorant means? Ignorant means willingly stupid – stupid on purpose – unknowing on purpose.

Remember in my message last year called “Stop Sinning” we talked about how sin is just stupid.

When you do something stupid, it means though you knew the negative consequence you did it anyway.

And to be ignorant is to shut me out right now and ignore what the Bible says about homosexuality.

The Bible says that “no homosexual with go to heaven” “none will have a part in the Kingdom of God.”

I don’t know about you, but I WANT to go to heaven. I don’t want to go to hell. So don’t be ignorant of the truth.

And remember what we talked about 2 weeks ago – truth is not relative. Truth is NOT what we make it. TRUTH is TRUTH whether we agree or not.

TRUTH is TRUTH whether it seems fair or not. That’s just the way it is because that’ just how God is – when He says something, He sticks to it. He’s not like man – He’s not like us.

He doesn’t say one command 3,000 years ago, then changes His mind today just because we’re in the 21 Century.

Yes, time has changed, but God has not. The fact that only people who are remorseful and repentant of their sins and forgiven of their sins by Christ and continue to walk w/out sin are Christians who will go to Heaven.

Please, hear God tonight begging some of you to leave your foolish behavior behind you and decide to really BE a CHRISTIAN – a Christ-follower – one who does not live in sin – but lives in Christ!

Remember what CSM is all about?

We are here to experience God and get closer to Him and become more like Jesus – and in that process, we’re going to screw-up, we’re gonna make mistakes – it’s inevitable because we’re not in heaven yet. So what we must do as those who’s made mistakes – we must repent of our ways and ask God to forgive us and start living the way we know we should.

BUT for those who have seen others make mistakes, you must learn to drop the stone! You too were in sin when God saved you and you must learn to forgive others when they sin – even if it’s against you!

You’ve got to understand that people – especially students are going to mess-up a lot, you can’t judge all of Christianity and even the place of CSM because a few students claim to be gay or because a few students talk during worship or whatever.

Look, if we’re doing our job as CSM in reaching the lost people, there’s gonna be gays, lesbians, atheist, all in here – and hopefully they will soon be changed by the power of God in Jesus Christ, but you must be patient with them as God was patient with You!

1 Cor. 10:10 “And do not grumble, as some of them did-and were killed by the destroying angel.”

You who are Christians, don’t grumble and mumble and say things like, “oh, youth was better before – how it used to be.”

Be careful not to “grumble” and complain – but be faithful to God and have patience with those that are still growing – as we all are.

I’m not being “mean” tonight – I’m just trying to “clean-house” of all the garbage. And when you’re a real Christian, you like the Lord cleaning your house - even if it hurts. We know that if a father really loves his child, he’ll discipline him. In the same way, you know that God loves you when He corrects you tonight and you know that I love you enough to hold you accountable to the truth.

Before we close tonight, I want to go over some guidelines and HOUSE RULES of CSM.

As much as we love to have fun and hang-out together, there is a time for everything.

1. Don’t talk too much

There’s a time to hang-out and talk in the Living Room and Game Room and Café before and after service – that’s why we have those places – but when service starts, it’s time to have service.

It’s time to worship God. It’s time to talk to God not to your friends.

In our worship time, if you’re talking a lot and goofing off, and you’ve already been asked before –and I know many of you guys have – you’ll be asked to leave.

2. Don’t leave during the service

Bathroom

Jeremy Burnett teaches kindergartners who can hold their pee for 3 hours!! If they can hold their pee for 3 hours, you can hold yours for an hour.

Here’s an idea – go to the bathroom before you come in at 6:30! It’s not that difficult.

Now we’re not arbitrary tyrants on power trips – if you’ve gotta go and you don’t normally go every week, we’ll let you go, but if you have to go like 3 weeks in a row you won’t be allowed. And if you push past security, you won’t be allowed back in!

“to talk”

You can not leave the service “to talk.” I don’t care how important you think it is – it’s not important enough to leave – it cant wait an hour until service is over.

If you leave to talk in the Café or outside or whatever, you also, won’t be aloud back into to CSM. PERIOD. IT”S an HOUR and a ½ !!! If God cant’ keep your attention for an hour and a ½, you’ve got a problem!

3. Don’t Distract others from what God is doing

a. PHONES This includes text messaging – just turn your cell phones off!

b. NOTES Don’t pass notes – especially using the notes that I spent hours on to make for you.

RESPECT God for His Word being spoken and respect me for taking the time for preparing a message for you guys every week. Can you do that? Are we mature enough to do that?

c. TALKING Don’t talk while I’m preaching that ticks me off.

1/month we have small groups where we can discuss the message or what God is doing, and before CSM and after CSM or at the altar – you can talk, but just please don’t distract others and talk during the message or the worship or any part of the service.

4. Respect Your Adult Leaders.

Rules with out relationship leads to rebellion. So get to know them otherwise you won’t understand them. But whether you know well yet or not, respect them and listen to them – they are your leaders whom God has placed in your lives because He loves you.

CSM is what you make of it. If you want it to be like most youth groups where we just get together to play games and act like we’re growing in our relationship with God, but really were more concerned with who’s dating who, and what’s going on after service, what people are wearing and what people are saying and all that nonsense, you can have that – but not here – you can go to another youth group – believe me, you’ll find one.

But here at CSM, we are going to accept and love the students that are lost who walk through those doors, we’re going to patient with them as they grow up and mature as a Christian.

And we who are here are going to be growing in our relationship with Christ – we are not going to be swayed by the world to believe that truth and morality is relative to whatever I think. We know the truth and the truth is Christ and what His Word says – and that truth will set us free – even if it hurts at first.

1 John 1:9-10

9 “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.” NLT

God is always faithful and always willing to forgive us of our sins – whether it’s homosexuality or gossip – sin is sin – whatever it is.

And all sin can be forgiven and forgotten by Jesus Christ. Ask God to “cleanse you” and give Him a “place in your heart.”