The Christ Life for the Self Life

I have in my possession a book that is over a hundred years old, and this little book is worth its weight in gold, friends. And if you can obtain a copy of it and read it with the prayer that the Holy Spirit will take its truths and make them a reality in your life, it can change your life and alter your walk with God. Now, that's a pretty big statement, I know, but I also know that in my own life, this little book has been an instrument in the hands of God to bring change to me.

The author of the book is F.B. Meyer, and the title of the book is The Christ Life for the Self Life. I'd like to read you an extract from this book by F.B. Meyer, and have you chew on it for a while, and if you agree with it, then try implementing its truths in your own life, as I have done in mine. It's made all the difference in the world to me, in my Christian walk.

And that's the title of my message today, friends, The Christ Life for the Self Life. And my text can be found in John's Gospel, in Chapter 15. You can turn in your Bibles there now, friends.

We will be in verses 4 through 5. And let me read us this wonderful, familiar passage of scripture at this time, which speaks of Jesus as the true vine, and the believer as the branch connected to that vine. And join all the resources that the life-given vine offers, and may the Spirit of the Lord attend the reading of His Holy Word. Abide in me, and I in you, as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine.

No more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit.

For without me, ye can do nothing. I will stop there. Do you believe that, friend, that apart from Christ, you can do absolutely nothing, nothing of any spiritual value? Do you believe that? I ask that question because many pastors don't believe that, for their reliance is more upon their denominational programs for church growth, and they rely more on money and manpower, rather than Jesus and His power.

But Jesus declares here that apart from abiding in Him, we can accomplish nothing, nothing that matters from His perspective. I believe a lot of big platform ministries will one day be wood, hay, and straw at the judgment seat because what we believe to be success in our eyes is utter failure in the eyes of Christ from His perspective. And I believe, friends, our own walk with Christ can be improved right now if we are willing to make some changes in our lives.

We got to be honest and admit that we lack power, and we lack power because we are deficient of Him, for my Bible says, It is not by power nor by might, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts. But the average church member today leans more on self than Christ in their walk with God. Our attempts at evangelism, in reaching the lost, our attempts to live a holy life in following Jesus often fail to tatters in the wind of adversity.

But the Christian life is meant to be an abiding life of dependence upon Christ. It's meant to be an abundant life that overflows the banks of our human resources. Jesus said, I am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly.

If this is the case, why are so many believers struggling in sin? Why the constant failure? Why settle for defeat rather than live in the life of victory? I'll tell you why. We are attempting to live an impossible life, to live in the flesh. It can't be done.

The heart is deceitful, above all things. Vance Havner summed it up in these terms. He said, If we serve such a dynamite God, then why are we living such firecracker lives? And I believe that's true, friends.

I believe, friends, the answer lies in the fact that we have yet to appropriate Christ and all his lordship over and through our lives. We have yet to live in the experience of the Christ life for the self-life. I believe it is now time for me to read you our little extract from our book by F.B. Meyer, and I promise you, friend, that if you comply with the terms presented here in this book, your life will cross your spiritual Rubicon, so to speak.

Why, it will never be the same up-and-down existence of defeat and depression again if you are truly sincere, and if you are truly desirous of change in your life. This will bring it because Christ is the transformer. If you are willing to be transformed on the inside so your outward life reflects that change, then hang on, friends.

This message is for you. Here now is that extract from that book I promised to read you, and if you are willing to try this, friends, I promise you things can be different as you step into the overflowing abundant life. Here now are the words of the saintly F.B. Meyer.

There is all the difference in the world between praying for Christ and taking Christ. I will explain. Years ago, I was staying with Canon Wilberforce in Southampton.

It was the first flush of my new surrender. One autumn night, he said, we will sit around the fire and give our experiences. Lord Radstock sat next to me, and he commenced, and I followed.

And I talked as a young convert to this great teaching a good deal about my surrender to Christ. An old clergyman who sat on the other side of the circle arose and said, I am very startled that Mr. Meyer has nothing better than that to hear him speak. You would suppose that we only had got to give up.

Now my religion is taking in, taking in first and dropping and giving up afterwards. When you get gold, you part with the dross, and when you get real diamonds, you part with the paste. Get Christ, and the world attracts you no more.

Give me sunlight, and I will dispense with electric light. I used wants to be overcome with temper. I fought against temper.

I came to the end of myself one afternoon when a number of children refused to listen to my teaching. I was on the point of losing my temper when I turned to Christ and said, Christ, be my sweet temper. He then sat down.

Instead of fighting against bad temper, he took Christ to be his patience, his humility, his meekness, his self-control. I saw in a moment it was a better experience. I remember next morning when Ken and Wilberforce came downstairs.

As we stood together, he said, What did you think of last night? I replied, I think it will mark an era in my life. He said, It will do the same in mine. From that moment, I have tried to live that way, and whatever I have needed, I have said, Christ, be this in me.

Listen friends, those words of F.B. Meyer have transformed my own life as well, and have marked a new era for me as well. Will you take it? Will you try it? Just the other day, I was in a crisis, and I paused, and I turned to Christ and said, Lord Jesus, be my peace, and instantaneously, he was. I have turned to him often, and taken him to be my self-control, my purity, my confidence, whatever my need of him was at the time.

You see, friends, for years, I have made the mistake, like F.B. Meyer, of only doing my part of the full surrender. It was me doing this, and me doing that, and surrendering this, and surrendering that. I recently went back and leafed through one of my old Bibles, and I stood amazed at how often and on how so many different occasions I had made a full surrender of myself to God, and put the date beside it.

Where did I go wrong? I had surrendered, without a taking in, of Christ, as Lord to be master over that area of my life. I had surrendered, but had not taken in, the only one, the only true vine whose life-force flows out to the connecting branch. I was fighting the flesh with flesh, and getting nowhere.

The Christian life is a supernatural life, and I was attempting to live it, apart from tapping into that supernatural power. Christ is the only one who can take control over a thing. But like that old clergyman's example to F.B. Meyer, who said his religion was taking in first, then dropping a thing, I had to learn to take Christ and appropriate Him, His presence, His power.

Try it, friend, you'll be glad you did. I wrote the following lines that express this wonderful deliverance. He is the vine, I am the branch, when I'm in need, I turn to Him, I take Christ to be that need, for all in all, He's all I need, I in Him, and Him in me, abiding there in abundance to fill my every need, overflowing my dry banks with rivers of life, abiding abundantly in Jesus, where His power flows through my life, He is my sufficiency in this pressing hour, abiding in Him, experience His power, let us pray.