It Is Not in Man That Walketh to Direct His Steps
The sermon emphasizes the importance of Christ living in us and reproducing Himself in us, and how this is the foundation of Christian holiness and divine healing.
A.B. Simpson emphasizes that through our union with Jesus Christ, we are not only redeemed but also transformed into His likeness. He explains that Christ is the perfect model for humanity, not to be merely imitated but to be reproduced within us, leading to true Christian holiness and divine healing. Simpson acknowledges human failure but encourages believers to accept God's grace and allow Christ to direct their steps, relinquishing both good and bad to fully depend on divine impulses. This transformation is essential for living a life that reflects Christ's character and purpose.
Text
United to Jesus Christ as our Redeemer, we are accepted in the Beloved. He does not merely take our place as a man and settle our debts. He does that and more. He comes to give a perfect ideal of what a man should be. He is the model man, not for us to copy, for that would only bring discouragement and utter failure; but He will come and reproduce Himself in us. If Christ lives in me, I am another Christ. I am not like Him, but I have the same mind. The very Christ is in me. This is the foundation of Christian holiness and divine healing. Christ is developing a perfect life within us. Some say man can never be perfect. It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. We are all failures.
This is true, but we should go further.
We must take God's provision for our failure and rise above it through His grace. We must take Jesus as a substitute for our miserable selves. We must give up the good as well as the bad and take Him instead. It is hard for us to learn that we must relinquish even the good in order that we will depend upon divine impulses rather than even our best attainments.
Sermon Outline
- The Model Man
- The Foundation of Christian Holiness
- The Provision for Failure
- The Need to Relinquish the Good
- Relinquish even good to depend on divine impulses
- Depend on divine impulses rather than our best attainments
Key Quotes
“If Christ lives in me, I am another Christ.” — A.B. Simpson
“It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” — A.B. Simpson
“We must take Jesus as a substitute for our miserable selves.” — A.B. Simpson
Application Points
- We must take Jesus as a substitute for our miserable selves and give up our good and bad to depend on divine impulses.
- We can rise above our failures through God's provision and grace.
- We must relinquish even the good in order to depend on divine impulses rather than our best attainments.