"Take A Look At Your Self-Denial"
Real Discipleship • Sermon • Submitted
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· 3 viewsReal Discipleship begins with Self- Denial
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God spoke to me in so many ways as I wrestled with this sermon. It was hard because I wanted to just look at the text, deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Jesus. But when I tried to just breeze through deny yourself it was as if God had me at a railroad crossing the lights came on
and the gate came down the bell was dinging and as each railroad car came by there was an image of a moment in my life where self-denial would have change so many decisions and outcomes in my life.
How many of us if we look at our lives and moments of our past is we had exercised self-denial our circumstances would have been different, my spiritual situation, what would have changed if I watched less television and prayed a little longer read my bible instead of surfing the internet, if I denied myself those shopping sprees and saved for a rainy day; we all have a story. I love to hear the stories of those who denied themselves to obtain a goal. Charles Albert TIndley was the son of slaves. He denied himself of the things other young people did and by 17 he taught himself to read. He moved to Philadelphia and worked as a Janitor at the Calvary Methodist Church, he took correspondence courses through the Boston School of Theology and thirty years later he returned to Calvary as their Pastor. The Church grew to 7000 members and was renamed Tindley Methodist Temple.
Matthew 16:24 (NKJV): Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me
1.SELF-DENIAL
the sacrifice of one’s own desires; unselfishness. Selflessness
Abram demonstrated self-denial when he left all he knew and journeyed by faith to the place whose builder and maker was God.
When Queen Esther knew the fate of her people was hanging in the balance and the King intended to destroy them because of Hamans evil plot she said if I perish I perish but Im going to see the king. Self-denial will put its life on the line.
JESUS IS SAYING IN THE TEXT YOU HAVE TO GIVE UP SELF TO DO WORK WITH ME IF YOU PLAN TO HANG WITH ME DO LIKE ME SELF HAS TO GO
What does that look like for us today?
Self-Denial Prepares Us For God’s Use
Self-Denial Prepares Us For God’s Use
Romans 12:1 (NKJV): I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
SELF-DENIAL HELPS ME LOVE GOD AS I ACKNOWLEDGE THE HIM MOVING IN MY LIFE
2.SELF-DENIAL MAKES US EFFECTIVE FOR GOD’S PURPOSE
a. Love for the world is gone
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.
For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
3. THREE OPPONENTS TRY TO BLOCK YOUR PATH TO SELF-DENIAL
a, SELF-WILL
Self-will and Stubbornness
• Forbidden.
2 Chronicles 30:8 I un be ye not stiffnecked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the LORD, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever: and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you.
Psalm 75:5 Lift not up your horn on high: speak not with a stiff neck.
Psalm 95:8 Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness:
• PROCEED FROM
•UNBELIEF
2 Kings 17:14 Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God.
PRIDE
Nehemiah 9:16 But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments,
AN EVIL HEART
Jeremiah 7:24 But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.
• EXHIBITED IN
•REFUSING TO LISTEN TO GOD
REFUSING TO LISTEN TO THE
MESSENGER OF GOD
REFUSING TO WALK IN THE WAYS OF GOD
b. SELF-SUFFICIENT
c, SELF-RIGHTEOUS
SÈLF RIGHTEOUS
Christians are called to live righteous lives. Proverbs 21:21 tells us: “Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor”
However, God doesn’t want us to be self-righteous. A self-righteous person is defined as one who is confident in his/her OWN righteousness; a self-righteous person also shows superiority above all others, especially if they have a different opinion than theirs.
Isaiah 64:6 speaks of the righteousness of the people as filthy rags in the sight of God.
hints about the character of a self-righteous person
1. Self-righteous people think of themselves as being important.
2. Self-righteous people like to be praised for their works.
5. Self-righteous people condemn sinners.
SELF SUFFICIENT
a. Your own strength
b. Your bootstraps
c. Your resources
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Christ is the ultimate example of self-denial
Philippians 2:6–8 (NKJV)
who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
SELF-DENIAL
WHY DID JESUS START WITH THIS AS
THE PATH TO DISCIPLESHIP
IT WAS NECESSARY
1. IN FOLLOWING HIM
And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it—lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.
2. FOR WARFARE OF THE SAINTS
No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.
3. THE TRIUMPH OF BELIEVERS
And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
“To deny oneself is to be aware only of Christ and no more of self, to see only him who goes before and no more the road which is too hard for us. Once more, all that self-denial can say is: ‘He leads the way, keep close to him.’”
I have now concentrated all my prayers into one, and that one prayer is this, that I may die to self, and live wholly to Him.
- Charles Spurgeon