The Miserable Dregs of Self! by J. C. Philpot
Our acceptance with God is not based on our own efforts, but on our acceptance in the beloved, independent of everything.
This sermon delves into the struggle of seeking self-acceptance before God, only to be met with disappointment and discouragement due to our inherent flaws and shortcomings. It explores how this pursuit of self-righteousness can lead to darkness of mind and bondage of spirit, causing us to lose sight of our acceptance in Christ and fall into despair. The key message emphasizes that our acceptance with God is solely based on Christ and not on our own works or intentions, offering hope and deliverance from the miserable dregs of self.
Full Transcript
The Miserable Dregs of Self by J.C. Philpott Accepted in the Beloved Ephesians 1 verse 6 We are ever looking for something in self to make ourselves acceptable to God. We are often sadly cast down and discouraged when we cannot find in ourselves that holiness, that obedience, that calm submission to the will of God, the serenity of soul, that spirituality, that heavenly mindedness, which we believe to be acceptable in God's sight. Our crooked tempers, our fretful, peevish minds, our rebellious thoughts, our coldness and barrenness, our alienation from good, our headlong proneness to evil, with the daily feeling that we get no better but rather worse, makes us think that God views us just as we view ourselves.
And this brings on great darkness of mind and bondage of spirit until we seem to lose sight of our acceptance in Christ and get into the miserable dregs of self, almost ready to quarrel with God because we are so vile and only get worse as we get older. Now the more we get into these dregs of self and the more we keep looking at the dreadful scenes of wreck and ruin which our heart presents to daily view, the farther do we get from the grace of the gospel and the more do we lose sight of the only ground of our acceptance with God. It is in the beloved that we are accepted and not for any good works, good words, good thoughts, good hearts, or good intentions of our own.
If our acceptance with God depended on anything in ourselves, we would have to believe we might be children of God today and children of the devil tomorrow. What, then, is to keep us from sinking altogether into despair, without hope or help? Why, a knowledge of our acceptance in the beloved, independent of everything,
Sermon Outline
- The Problem of Self
- The Dregs of Self
- The Consequences of Self
- The Solution
- Acceptance in the beloved
- Independent of good works or intentions
Key Quotes
“If our acceptance with God depended on anything in ourselves, we would have to believe we might be children of God today and children of the devil tomorrow.” — J.C. Philpot
“What, then, is to keep us from sinking altogether into despair, without hope or help?” — J.C. Philpot
Application Points
- We must recognize that our acceptance with God is not based on our own efforts, but on our acceptance in the beloved.
- We must not look for acceptance in ourselves, but in Christ.
- We must rely on the grace of the gospel to sustain us in our walk with God.