Are You Following Jesus - Part 6 - Man Centered or Christ Centered — Phil Beach Jr.

Into the word now, we'll push this away a little bit on. Thank you. Just so I have more room. I trip over everything. Thank you Lord for your presence. Let let let's just bow our hearts for a few moments.

Okay, let's ask the Holy Spirit of God to just speak to our hearts and to help us understand what the Spirit of God is saying to the church and To individuals. He that has an ear to hear let him hear father.

Open up the ears of our heart today. Help us to hear this very very important word from your heart. Oh God, I pray that not only will we hear it, but that it will get deep in our heart. Not only will it get deep in our heart, but that it'll radically affect the way we think.

The way we act and it'll just invade our entire life. God, I pray this word will violently get into us and uproot and overthrow everything that's in the way everything that's in your way. Resulting in making crooked paths straight a highway for the Lord to reveal himself on.

We pray father in the mighty name of The Lord Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. Amen, and amen. Now listen, I'm going to be going through a lot of scriptures. I Have a brief outline up here, but I don't know if I'm even gonna stick to it.

The way things are going here, but a brief outline. We will try as best as we can to move to get the heart of God and his word out. We're going to start out by indicating that this again is another Tape in the series.

Man-Centered or Christ-Centered Christianity

Are you following Jesus? But the subtitle is this. Are you man-centered or? Christ-centered. Man-centered or Christ-centered. I'm Begging you by the mercy of God to think with me through this process.

Think. Have your Bibles if you have them if you have paper and notes and pens write down notes. Think through this process this message from God's Word has the potential to change our entire frame of Reference when it comes to the things of God.

Equipping Faithful Men to Teach Others

And that's what needs to happen in this day that we live in first of all I want to start out in 2nd Timothy chapter 2. It it starts out like this. Paul is speaking to young Timothy and Here's what he says thou therefore my son be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus and The things which thou has heard of me among many witnesses listen the same.

Commit thou to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also. Listen carefully. Listen, please. Paul commanded Timothy to equip men faithful men. So that they can then equip other men and So that those men can equip other men listen carefully.

You are not Simply to come either here on Sundays or anywhere else. You choose to go where the Word of God is being preached. Simply to hear a sermon. You're not to come simply to gather information. You are being equipped So that you can fulfill your ministry notice the order here what Paul said, that's the Word of God.

That's the Word of God. He laid the foundation and so the Word of God spoke into Timothy's life and now Paul is telling Timothy. Commit to faithful men. So that's you. It's coming from here to you. Now.

What are you doing? Are you analyzing and judging the messages and just saying oh my what a nice thing to go and hear a preacher preach. Or are you? Understanding that you are being commissioned To take What you are being taught from God's Word and to teach other men.

How you doing? I said, well, I don't have a pulpit brother. I don't have a microphone. If you give me a pulpit or a microphone, I'll I'll preach and teach. That's the mindset. That's the mindset Of so many over the years.

I've met many many young young young ministers aspiring ministers. They want to preach they want to teach called of God have a passion. I've said over and over again Open up your home and teach. They don't want that.

They want the mic. They want the pulpit see the mindset already Seen of men. Are you teaching? What you're being taught? What are you waiting for? What are we waiting for? Start teaching. Did you forget you were a minister?

I'm not a minister Phil. Yes, you are. We're not under the Old Covenant. We're all ministers. We're all priests. We all have access to God. You're having committed to you the Word of God. Not just so it can become a reservoir in you and you can walk around and say praise God.

Hi, I've learned quite a bit over the years. Yes. Maybe someday the pulpit will open to me and a ministry will come my way and I can tell everyone all that I've learned. Pardon. Pardon, forgive me for just using you guys as an example.

You know Mike has come into our life over the past couple months. He's been blessed. I've talked to Mike a number of times the grace of God is evident in his life. I just want to say something that a number of times Mike told me about him a guy named Brian.

Brian's here today. Good to see you Brian and Mike Has told me how this guy Brian Because of his love for the word and his his passion for God's Word has discipled him and He's taught him. He's given Mike what God has given him and Mike tells me that he says this is what Mike's this is Mike's testimony brother.

And this is what he said to me at the diner brother. I'm not sure that I could really be where I'm at today a matter of fact. I'm sure I couldn't be there if Brian Didn't take me under his wing and love me teach me the Word of God.

There's a minister. Did you have a pulpit? Did you have a microphone? Do you have an international mailing list? Do you have a card that says ordained minister? No, do you work? You're a cleaner. He's a cleaner.

He's a minister. Someday In glory, he will weep tears because he'll see the fruit of his ministry in this man's life. That's the ministry brothers and sisters. That's it. I just wanted to bring that word 2nd Timothy chapter 2 that which you have heard among many witnesses.

Commit thou to faithful men who shall also be able to commit to others. There's three generations right there. Now if every minister and don't don't look at me and say well. You're the man if every minister here would fall on their face and say God forgive me number one because I have neglected your word and Number two God, I know that this isn't something I can initiate but you're on tiptoes wanting to initiate it.

It's just I'm living in my own dream world Lord. I beg you bring the one or the two into my life. That I can begin to commit the faithful teaching of the Word of God that has been committed to me then the church would grow and I'm not talking about a Church people talking about the church of Jesus Christ.

That's how it happens every minister here. What opportunities some of you have? What opportunity some of you have the people you meet? Why do you think God gives you a job? So you can make money. No, that's not why that's what the world says.

See we got to get our brains flushed. Some of so I guess some are laughing saying golly gee the Lord knows my job isn't to make money. That's right, why does God why does God open up doors of opportunity?

It's not for you. It's for him. It's for his kingdom. Come on, let's get a Christian view. Not a world view. The world view is everything happening in my life is for me. It's for me for my enlargement.

That I might fulfill my desires. Oh God cleanse us from that poison. Oh, yes. God provides your needs. Giving you a job. Thank God for it but he gives you extra to share not to indulge with and He brings people into your life because that's the ministry.

That's the ministry. What's she doing? How you doing, how you doing Psalm 115 one Norman shake your hand at 1215. Psalm 115 the first mindset that we have to get delivered from. Listen carefully right here man senator Christ centered.

Giving Glory to God Rather Than Ourselves

I want you to ask the Holy Spirit right now ask the Holy Spirit and then let the Word of God speak to you. Are are you living a? Christian life that is man-centered or is it Christ centered now as we have said over and over again.

Don't answer that question based on your own subjective feeling. You have to answer every question based on what God's Word says. Because someone can say oh I love my wife so much and Here they are in adultery they don't love their wife they think they love their wife.

They might have some kind of an emotional attachment. But you don't love your wife and commit adultery. You see so likewise. We might say well my Christian life is a very Christ centered one. But what does God's Word say?

Characterizes a Christ centered Christian life. That's the judge we have to go back to God's Word, all right, we're gonna walk through this so. Follow me closely, please follow the Word of God. Get the tape.

Take notes. Ask God to get this mindset in you. It'll change your life forever. Psalm 115 Verse 1 not unto us. Oh Lord not unto us but unto thy name give glory. For thy mercy and for thy true sake. Stop right there.

Not unto us the first and most Important change in our mind has to come as followers of Jesus is. It's not about us and our glory, but it's about him and his glory. Theologically we might agree with it, but that statement has to be wrought into our life.

It has to be wrought into the way we live. We can't live essentially looking out for ourself. Wanting our own glory. Listen if you are a man centered follower of Jesus Christ. Then everything that's happening in your life in that statement.

Everything is inclusive. Everything happening is being looked at by you through a pair of glasses. That causes you to say to everything happening. How is it affecting me? How is my glory? Being affected by what's going on.

How is my comfort being affected by what's going on? I said that's a man-centered mindset. We're gonna deal with that later. But this is what the Word of God says not unto us. Not unto us. God deliver us from us.

Deliver us from me. Deliver deliver me from me. Deliver me from my insatiable passion for myself. This is the ruin of The society and it is the ruin of the church that the religious church in the day.

Christ’s Passion to Glorify the Father

Number two. John chapter 17 the words of our Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 1. These words spoke Jesus and lifted up his eyes to heaven. Father. The hour has come glorify thy son that they son may also glorify thee.

Jesus Christ is gripped with a passion and This passion is to glorify his father and when we are gripped by the power and person of the Holy Spirit and Gripped by the power of the Word of God, which is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword.

We will begin to discover what it is to live a life of passion. But that passion will not be motivated for ourself, but it'll be motivated for father. Thank you for what you've given me. Thank you for the doors that you've opened up to me.

But God my passion now in this mission field called secular work or whatever is to be a light for Jesus Christ. My passion is that you might be glorified. God forbid that I should glory. Save in the cross of Jesus Christ.

That's what Paul's passion was. God forbid that I should glory. God forbid that you should give me something and men should look at me and think I'm something. Where is that? Where is it? Philippians 1 Goes from Jesus to Paul.

Paul carried this torch. Thank God. Thank God. He found a man who would carry the torch. The flame that burned in the Son of God. Paul got burnt and he never was the same again. That's the thing that makes Paul so special.

Not because in himself he was anything he claims to be the chiefest of sinners. What made him special was he got too close to the Christ and he got burnt. He was ruined. He was ruined everything that was important to him.

He considered to be dung. Garbage cow manure. Wow. Where's that encounter today? Does that live in you? You say no, it doesn't. Cry out to God then. Because it lives in Jesus. And he'll give it to you.

He'll give it to you. We're deal listen, we're dealing with an entire worldview. It's either a man-centered worldview or a Christ-centered worldview. If you want a Christ-centered worldview, this is where it's got a start not unto us, but unto you.

I've got so many more scriptures that coincide with this Revelation 4 8 through 11. You can mark that down and Revelation 5 11 through 14 all scriptures that testify to the passion of the Holy Spirit and all those who Followed Christ in the day of the Bible that they were going to give God the glory.

Christ the glory the lamb the glory. Everything was for him and unto him. Great trouble has come to the church in this late hour listen because we have thought and bought into the lie that says. The most important thing about life is what I get out of it young people.

Listen the most Devastating lie that has infiltrated the church today is Believers go through life saying this the most important thing in life is what I get out of it. Multitudes of believers live from day to day week to week month to month.

Interpreting all that happens to them from the man-centered vantage point. How is this affecting me? How is this affecting me. Listen. When we try and serve Christ. When we try and serve one another.

When we try and cultivate a healthy family life. With such a self-centered way of interpreting life. The result will be spiritual ruin broken relationships. Disillusionment and ultimately the destruction of the fundamental truth that as followers of Jesus We are to deny ourselves.

Take up our cross and die. So that we might offer ourselves to the living Christ. Who then can live his life through us up here on the board? We have are you following Jesus and I have two statements, which these two these two phrases are very familiar when.

Diagnosing the Poison of Self-Centered Christianity

To a doctor or or someone in a profession that has the job of Diagnosing problems and then offering a treatment. I have the word diagnosis and I have the word treatment. When you go to a doctor He doesn't just look at you and say oh, how are you here?

I'd like to give you these pills. I think they'll do good. Hi, how are you here? Just take these. No, he what he does is he sit down and he talks to you and he Diagnoses what the problem is. Then once there is a and once there's an understanding of the diagnosis, then he offers a treatment he offers a treatment and Then if the treatment is followed generally, the the person is cured from their problem.

Well God's Word is speaking to us today and He is Diagnosing our problem as the church and our problem is we've bought into the lie. We are a man-centered self-centered people and This mindset of listening affects the way we read the Bible.

It affects the way we fellowship with one another. It affects the way we pray it affects the way we think when we gather together. Such in a setting like this or even if you gather together in homes this mindset like I said is an invisible pair of glasses and Everything we look at it affects the way we interpret everything happening in our life.

It always comes back to how's this affecting me me me I and. So God's Word is a clarion call this morning to us. The diagnosis is this we are a man-centered People and that is step number one point number one the poison.

The poison that is infesting our lives. Destroying our capacity to even hear and understand what God is saying. Now listen. For the past couple days. I spent several hours going through Hackett's town and I visited a number of businesses a number of restaurants and I found it to be intriguing that each Restaurant slash business has their own motto.

I wrote some down in order for our Instruction so we can see how much of the spirit of the world is in our own way of thinking. Listen carefully the next few moments, please. One business. We want you to have what belongs to you your right to be satisfied.

How about this? We guarantee your complete satisfaction or your money back. No questions asked. Now just be listening to each one of these sayings and identify the underlying truth of each one of these sayings.

Number three. How's this some of you might know where I got this? We labored day and night to please your appetite. How many knows and they went observant around here? Where golden skillet? It's golden skillet.

They have it right on their sign. Think about that. We labored day and night to please your appetite. Hmm now we know the Burger King slogan, don't we and I love doing this. I'm gonna do it. Hold the pickles hold the lettuce special orders.

Don't upset us. All we ask is that you have it your way. You let us have it your way. Your way your satisfaction your pleasure. Guaranteed that you're gonna be happy or we'll just give you we'll do anything to make you happy.

Oh Dear God have mercy. How about this? We aim to please our customers. How's this one here? This is a good one is a long one. You as our customer are the most important part of our business. We want you to be fully satisfied if you don't fully enjoy your dining experience, please let us know.

Please let us know. We don't want you to be unhappy lastly. You are our valued customer and our sole purpose is to satisfy you. Unbelievable, huh? Now, let me say something. I am NOT suggesting these sayings are wrong in themselves and for the purpose that they serve a Business a restaurant.

I'm not here to judge that. They're fine. And frankly if you go to a restaurant and you don't like the food Probably good that you can talk to the manager and get a free coupon for another meal. I Happy do it but my concern the concern of the Word of God the concern of the Holy Spirit is that this Mindset and I'm sure we we gathered the mindset that's coming from all of these slogans and sayings.

It's all has to do with us being happy Satisfied getting our appetites met. This is a man-centered view and This mindset has come into the church and affects When we go to God's Word when we go to prayer when we gather together people all over the land followers of Jesus with a world view mindset all over the land are Coming to God gathering praying reading and this is what they're really saying in their heart.

Oh God. What is in this for me? Am I getting happy are my desires and needs being met? Are they are? They offering something in this church That will benefit me. Enlarge me make me more happy more successful.

Give me more power honor wealth. Lord, I want to go to your word today Lord. How can I be happy? What can I get a promise from your word that everything will be? All right that my life will be happy and prosperous and then I'll get everything I want God speak to me in your word God.

I go to prayer today Father I want this and I want that God I'm asking you to do this in the name of your son. Jesus. I claim the authority of Christ the whole thing is Tainted with poison. It's the pointed of a man-centered point of view man-centered man.

Now grant you there is a place early on. And I walk with God where things relate to us. It's called immaturity. I Don't know of any child That has a mature outlook on life. I don't know if any child As soon as they can start making sounds it all has to do with how the world's affecting them.

It's okay. How many love children? Oh You just love chill. You love to hug them and embrace them. Isn't it wonderful? But you know what I heard a testimony years ago about a disease a disease that plagues certain children and the disease is That even though the child grows and matures physically they continue with an emotional mental and spiritual stature of a six-year-old.

And I heard the testimony of a husband and wife who had two kids and the one was a normal kid and the other Had this disease and he was about 25 years old and he was picked up By a special-ed bus every day and he walked out.

25 years old gonna go to school. 25 years old. In school. Come on come on, we'll take you come on. He comes home he goes into his room. He closes his door he sits and he rocks back and forth. 25 years old.

His younger brother comes in. How you doing? Okay, where's mommy? I want mommy to come in 25 years old. Child never grew up brothers and sisters. God has great love for children. He has great love for spiritual children and spiritual infants.

But it's never. Never was and never will be God's intention. That we live the rest of our lives with pacifiers in our mouth and diapers on. Fussing about everything that has to do with me me me on that.

I'm unhappy. Why do you think that the the Christian family isn't is just as bad off as the world? Because the Christian family will not submit to God's discipline and grow up the poison the mindset. The slogans all of these things identify this man-centered worldview.

The Treatment: Repentance and a Christ-Centered Mindset

And now for the next few moments. We've seen the diagnosis. How many want to know about the treatment. God give us ears to hear? There is a treatment that can cure us. From this dreadful poison and disease that's destroying the church.

It's destroying Families is destroying lives. Here's what it is. We're gonna make a transition now and it's going to be hard. This is going to be a hard transition because it's against your nature. It's against your fleshly nature what we're about to do now.

But I'm praying that with the power of the Holy Spirit every one of us can be in agreement right now. But I'm hoping that it doesn't just happen now. I hope this stays with you when you get in your car and when you go.

You ready? Here we go everyone together with all the spiritual muscle you got all The spiritual Holy Ghost you got all the Word of God you got here we go one two three man centered to Christ centered there we are.

Now all of a sudden we have a Christ centered Way of thinking where does that lead us? It leads us to Matthew 4 17. Matthew 4 17. When the church Individual members of the church are arrested By the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Word of God the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ and it Penetrates and goes deeper than just tickling and it gets into the very depths of your being and shakes you and wakes you.

It Keeps you up at night and you think about it when you get up in your and it and it and it tries your soul During the day and it makes you miserable and it makes you want to cry out Oh God when you get a hold of the truth of God's Word like this.

This is the first thing that begins to happen with the new Mindset. It's no longer man-centered. It's no longer about you. It's Christ centered. Matthew chapter 4 verse number 17 beginning in 16 the people which sat in darkness saw great light and To them which sat in the region in the shadow of death light is sprung up.

From that time Jesus began to preach and to say repent. For the kingdom of heaven is at hand. The word repent means that after sin after receiving the knowledge Accompanied by heartfelt regret sorrow and grief.

One has a change of heart and mind Which radically affects the actions words deeds and thoughts of the one who truly repents. When we make the transition by the power of grace from a man-centered mindset and a man-centered Christianity to a Christ centered system.

Christianity the first and foremost characteristic of our life will be we will live a life of Repentance that is it won't be all about us. Repentance says I am wrong. Repentance says God is not committed to giving me that which will satisfy my sinful desires.

God is not committed to give me that which satisfies me. That which makes me happy. Contrary to the slogan that we read it is not our right as Christians to come to God or to fellowship with one another and demand that my experience with you God and my experience with you has to mean that I feel so good and happy and That you benefit me somehow personally.

That's a man-centered. Secondly a Christ-centered mindset. Worldview. John chapter 6 37 to 40. First of all, we will repent. We will beg God for repentance. We will not be demanding our way when we recognize our way is in the way.

We don't demand it. We don't look to God to give it to us. We don't go to God's Word to try and find a promise to secure that we're going to get our desires. We repent and say God I'm wrong. This is not right.

This is not right. I ask you by the power of your living Christ who lives within me deliver me from this wrong thing. John chapter 6. Verse 35. I am the bread of life. He that cometh to me shall never hunger and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

Verse number 50. This is the bread which come down from heaven that a man may eat thereof and not die. Listen, I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If a man eat of this bread He shall live forever.

Believing Into Christ and Becoming a New Creation

And the bread that I give is my flesh which I give for the life of the world. First there's repentance. Secondly, there's a believing in to Jesus Christ. It is a believing in to Jesus Christ where we make a transition when we believe.

You see the idea of believing in Jesus is misleading because Really the scriptures teach it's more than just believing in someone mentally but it's literally a believing in to. We're inside. We are immersed into the person of Christ through the Holy Spirit and he is immersed in us.

The two become one. That is we lose our life and we exchange it for another man centered it's I believe in God in Jesus and his word as It relates to how it affects me. Christ centered is I believe in to Christ.

I lose my life and now Christ is my life. And it's all about him and his place and his reign and his will. Thirdly that brings us into a new creation. 2nd Corinthians 5 14 through 21 if Any man be in Christ?

He is a new creation. The Christ centered view is That we are a new creation. It's not about us anymore it's about Christ. Christ is now our life. Colossians 3 3. The Bible says in Colossians 3 3 That Christ is our life.

You are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ our life shall appear Christ our life. Listen beloved. Have you gotten the revelation that to be a follower of Jesus to be a born-again?

Christian to be born from above means that Christ becomes your life. You lose your selfish life. You disown it. You walk away from it. You walk away from what you were into what he is. And then what he is becomes your life.

It is a selfless life a life devoted to whose will the will of the Father. You see this whole thing of Christianity. It's all about one person Jesus Christ. My god is this life transforming. Galatians 2 20.

I Am crucified with Christ nevertheless. I live yet. Not I but Christ liveth in me. So you see we go from repentance. I'm all wrong. My man-centered view is all wrong. My man-centered ideas are all wrong.

Going to God's Word with a man-centered view is all wrong. Going to prayer is all wrong. There is a place when we relate things to ourself, but we've got to grow out of it. God is looking for men men Who are willing to die for him not babies who need to be coddled.

He wants men. The vision of the body of Christ is that we might what come to the measure of the fullness of God that belongs to Christ the full expression of the manhood of Christ. So we we go from repentance to believing into Christ to Christ becoming our life.

Christ-Centered Christianity as Life in the Body

But that all that is so far is just about individuals, but that brings us into a family. 1st Corinthians chapter 12. We go from individually being united to God quickened made alive in Christ. Then we come into a family.

Verse 12. 1st Corinthians chapter 12. This is the skeleton of the message and as God enables We're going to go into much more greater detail about these things and my god our lives can be changed. But look at this.

This is Christ centered Christianity. For as the body is one and has many members and all the members of that one body being many are one body. So also is Christ. For by one spirit are we all baptized into one body?

Whether we be Jews or Gentiles whether we be it delivers us from being self-centered people it gives Christ as Our life, but then it baptized he baptizes us into a body where we're related to other people and.

So it's not about us and it's not even about Christ in me. But it's Christ in the body expressing himself through members Who every day of their life Live to express Christ. Oh. This thing called Christianity has gotten way out of hand now that we have this truth and acknowledge.

We do not belong to ourselves. 1st Corinthians chapter 6. What? Verse 17 he that is joined to the Lord is one spirit. We're one spirit with the Lord. He is our life. See. It's not me. It's I'm. I'm with the Lord now.

I'm one spirit with him. He's the head. Oh my god Lord help us to see. First Corinthians chapter 6 verse 19 what don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit? Which is in you? What you have of God you are not your own you are bought with a price.

You don't belong to yourself. You don't belong to yourself. Man centered it's all about me. Christ centered. It's all about him. It's all about Christ. Do you sense? The poison. You sense it having infested our lives our thinking.

Remember the question we asked earlier. Are you living a man centered or a Christ centered? I warned you don't answer it before the light of God's Word shines into your heart. Now what's going on? I thought so God's Word never lies.

God's Word is truth. God's Word is light. God's Word this morning exposes every one of us and Shows us our need to fall before him and his word that he might wash us and Cleanse us when we come to realize we don't belong to ourself.

We acknowledge that we're God's property and if we're God's property we're here for whose use. His use not ours. Next time we get together. We're gonna look into what God's Word says. Regarding why he has bought us and purchased us.

What is his use. Not how we can use God, but how he wants to use us. Now we're closing. Listen closely now in light of the Word of God listen where. Where in this wonderful salvation is there a place for man?

A Prayer for a Renewed, Christ-Centered Mind

Self-centered thinking or living. Where. Where is there a place to come to God? To come to his word to gather together with other believers and say Lord what's in it for me? Rather we must now be renewed in the thinking of our mind and come afresh to God and to his word and to our gatherings with fellow believers and Pray this prayer.

We're going to close with this prayer. This is the prayer of a new mind a Christ centered follower of Jesus Christ. Oh Father, I repent. I have been man-centered in My outlook. I now pray by the power of Jesus Christ.

How can you? Receive more glory. Through bringing a greater expression of the beauties and perfections of your son through our life. Through our earthen vessel. Oh father my whole existence is now for you for your pleasure for your satisfaction.

To bring glory to your name by having died to my selfish life. And having received Christ as my life Father I now yield my whole being Spirit soul and body to you. So Christ who is my life? My true life.

May have free course to live his life Through me father. I pray these things In the name of your lovely son Jesus Christ. Now, I know this was a lot we have it on tape. Listen, we're gonna go over and over and over this and over and over again.

Until we get it and you know how you'll know when you get it your life Will be free. See people think this is bondage. Oh This is this right now like like she said when you come into the emancipation of being free from yourself.

You live a life of freedom Joy in the power of the Holy Ghost. God bless each and every one of you and remember. If someone asked what you do for a living you better tell them I'm a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ.