Now Mine Eyes Seeth Thee
To live a life surrendered to God, we must recognize the true character of our self-life and consent to its destruction.
A.B. Simpson emphasizes the necessity of recognizing the true nature of our self-life, which is often filled with virulence and vileness. He urges believers to willingly lay down their self-life at God's feet, akin to Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac, highlighting that while this may seem impossible, yielding to God brings about a profound transformation. The critical moment of surrender often revolves around a single point that touches the heart, which, when yielded, simplifies the process of surrendering other areas of life. Simpson warns that refusal to yield at this pivotal point leads to a life marked by evasion and compromise. Ultimately, he encourages believers to seek God's strength to align their wills with His in every aspect of their lives.
Text
We must recognize the true character of our self-life and its real virulence and vileness. We must consent to its destruction, and we must take it ourselves, as Abraham did Isaac, and lay it at the feet of God in willing sacrifice. This is a seemingly impossible task for the natural heart, but the moment the will is yielded and the choice is made, we are astonished to find that the agony is over and death is accomplished. Usually the crisis in such cases hangs upon a single point. God does not need to strike us in a hundred places to inflict a death wound. There is one point that touches the heart and that is the Point God usually strikes.
It will likely be the dearest thing in our lives, the decisive thing in our plans, the citadel of our wills, the center of our hearts.
And when we yield there, there is little left to yield anywhere else. But when we refuse to yield at that point, a spirit of evasion and compromise enters into all the rest of our lives. Let us take Him to enable us to will His will in all things in our lives.
Sermon Outline
- Recognizing the True Character of Self-Life
- Consenting to Self-Life's Destruction
- The Crisis of Self-Destruction
- Enabling to Will God's Will
- God strikes at one decisive point
- Yielding at that point leads to surrender
- Take Him to enable us to will His will
- Will His will in all things in our lives
Key Quotes
“We must consent to its destruction, and we must take it ourselves, as Abraham did Isaac, and lay it at the feet of God in willing sacrifice.” — A.B. Simpson
“God does not need to strike us in a hundred places to inflict a death wound.” — A.B. Simpson
“When we yield there, there is little left to yield anywhere else.” — A.B. Simpson
Application Points
- We must be willing to sacrifice our self-life and yield to God's will.
- The decisive point of surrender is often the dearest thing in our lives.
- When we yield to God, we are enabled to will His will in all things.