The Lesson Of Self-Denial

Introduction

Well, I certainly want to express my appreciation for this opportunity to be with you this evening. Thank you, Tony, and thank you to the elders for this privilege. It’s always good to be able to be with Christians in other places. We were here one year ago, as Tony mentioned, and it was a real joy to be here. And I have to say on behalf of Kathy and me that it always does a parent world of good, makes your heart feel good to see what your children are doing and your grandchildren, and particularly to see the brethren with whom they are worshiping, and to see such a good church as this where they’re they are able to be a part. And we appreciate your welcome welcoming them and the support and encouragement that they have obviously received from you in being here.

So we certainly appreciate that, and thank you so much for this privilege of being able to be with you this evening. For a little while tonight I want to talk on the subject of self-denial, and I hope that what I have to say for a few minutes will be helpful to each of us. I suspect that in some ways this might overlap and compliment a little bit the fine things that Tony had to say this morning and in his two great lessons. After the Civil War, Robert E. Lee devoted his last years in his life to serving as a president of a struggling school in Lexington, Virginia. That school was called Washington College, later Washington and Lee University. Lee died in 1870, but all the way up until his death, we’re told that Lexington became a place of pilgrimage for thousands of former soldiers.

They wanted to come to see their old commander. They wanted to visit with him. they wanted to seek his advice. They wanted to talk to him on matters of personal importance and national importance. And some of them would bring their sons to visit the old aging Confederate hero. There’s a story that’s told that on one occasion a former soldier brought his infant son to introduce him to General Lee. And realizing that the general’s death was imminent, he asked him a question. He asked him, what guiding principle should he relate to his son when he grew older. And the story goes that without any hesitation, the general simply suggested to him teach him to deny himself. Teach him to deny himself. Well, of course, we don’t know if that story actually occurred or if it’s one of those apocryphal kinds of stories about Robert E.

Lee. But what’s remarkable in either case is the fact that the very concept that someone, when asked that kind of a question, what one piece of advice could you give that he would focus on something like that? That he would say, here is a life principle that I would impart to your son if I were you. And it’s a life principle that goes against what most people would expect. It would go against the general worldview that people would hold about life and how to live life. But I would suggest to you it was great advice and a basic and fundamental principle about a person’s character. And particularly in an unprincipled world.

This is certainly a basic and fundamental principle. You know, nobody faults infants for being self-centered. I don’t believe that we are born in sin. I do not accept that idea. But we are born selfish. And any of us who have recently experienced having little children know what I’m talking about. And we don’t fault them for being self-centered because that’s just part of their immature nature. And most people, you know, when they become more mature, they learn that there are others in the world whose interests also need consideration, and that the world does not revolve around them after all. That’s what we expect to happen. The spirit of the times that we live in has been variously described as the me generation, or looking out for number one, and etc.

We see evidence of a lack of selflessness all around us in society. We see it in many marriages. We see it in homes where parents seem to care more about themselves and their own concerns than they do for the care of their children. We see it generally in a doggy dog-eat-dog world where civility is rare and the willingness to sacrifice for the good of society is even rarer. But you and I know, as Christians, we know that this principle stated by Robert E. Lee to teach him to deny himself was not original with him. In fact, it lies at the very heart of the teachings of the gospel in the New Testament. So I’d like for us to consider some thoughts about this principle this evening, as we know that it is emphasized so clearly in the scriptures.

1. The Idea of Discipleship

I’d like for us to think about the idea of discipleship. In Matthew chapter 16, verse 24, Jesus makes a very familiar statement. If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. All three of the synoptic gospels record this particular statement and identify that it seems to have taken place in Caesarea Philippi just after Peter’s confession there. And it was just after his announcement of his approaching death and resurrection. But what’s interesting is when we look at the gospels, we see that Jesus stated the same truth on other occasions. I thought about this morning when Tony talked about preaching the same sermon, or at least trying to avoid preaching the same sermon to the same audience, and we’ve all been there.

And my thoughts about that have varied from time to time. I certainly tried to avoid that. On the other hand, we recognize that there are certain lessons that people need to hear again. And there’s nothing wrong with that. And what is more is that we certainly, when we recognize certain lessons that are crucial and that are central to who we are and who we ought to be, we will share that message everywhere we have an opportunity. And we’ll repeat it. Jesus did the same thing, it seems. And we seem to find Jesus teaching his crossbearing lesson on many occasions in many places. And for example, in Luke the 14th chapter, we have here an occasion where it seems that large crowds, large multitudes were flocking to Jesus.

And he wanted them to understand what was required of them. That he was not interested in mere followers or hangers on.

And so he says here in verse 26, Luke chapter 14, verse 26 if anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. And that sounds familiar, doesn’t it? And we see him stating this principle in various places on various occasions. But what’s interesting as you compare these two passages, the one that we have read from Matthew 16, and the one here in Luke chapter 14, is that in one place he states this principle in a positive way. If you want to be my disciple, you must deny yourself. You must take up your cross and follow me.

On another occasion, he states the same principle, but he says it in a negative way. In fact, here in Luke chapter 14, you’ll see that three different times Jesus says that a certain kind of person cannot be my disciple. What kind of person? Well, the person who does not carry his cross. The person who does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters. The person who does not deny himself, does not hate even his own life. And he’s saying it’s an absolute. It’s an absolute necessity, it’s an imperative. It’s not a matter of this person may not be a disciple or should not or cannot. He simply says he cannot be my disciple. When he says it in the positive, it’s not a matter of, well, it would be nice if he would deny himself.

It would be a good idea if he would take up his cross. No, he says he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. What this often presses upon us is the fact that Jesus is talking about something that’s absolutely essential to being a disciple.

2. Rooted in an Exalted View of Self

And it’s always a challenge. It’s always a challenge to us. You know, with the passage in 1 John chapter 2 comes to mind where John talks about all the things in the world. The lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life. He says, all these things are not from the Father, they are from the world. These are these are the avenues of temptation. These are, these are the bridgeheads. These are the ways that Satan looks to try to tempt us and make a sin. And all of these have their roots. Listen, they all have their roots in an exalted view of self. Think about that. The lust of the flesh. The desire for what feels good to self.

Satan’s going to use that. He’s going to try to use it against us in every way that he can. The lust of the eyes.

The boastful pride of life is the desire for what further inflates our selfish sense of honor and glory and makes us feel important to ourselves and in the eyes of others. You see, the self-centered attitude is the greatest obstacle to living lives that will prepare us for heaven. And the devil knows that. And there’s where the struggle is, there’s where the challenge is. There’s where the fight never stops on our part as we’re striving to be disciples of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul warned of difficult days that would come even among brethren. In which self-denial would be in short supply. Such a warning is found in 2 Timothy chapter 3. If you read these verses with me, I want you to notice some of the phrases that the apostle uses.

2 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 2. He says, For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. There’s kind of a common theme that runs through that unattractive list of attributes.

It has to do with the fact that we get in our into trouble, we get ourselves into trouble, we get our marriages into trouble, we get our churches into trouble when we allow these kinds of things to come into our life, and it all comes down to a lack of self-denial, to a selfish attitude that we often can have. And you look at that, and Paul is saying this is going to happen, and I think we have to say that we have arrived at such times.

Respect. It is evident in churches where the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace have been disrupted by contention and strife. It is evidenced by half-converted Christians and a generation that seemingly seeks nothing but its own way, even in religious matters. And this could go on and on. I know I’m not telling you anything you don’t know. But we need to be reminded of the principle and the reality. Because this is a selfish love. And this kind of selfish love stands in bold contrast to the kind of self-denial needed to love God. As disciples of Christ, we should be noted above all else as people who are concerned for the welfare of others. As people who weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice.

As people who will deny self for the good of the body of Christ.

And how Newton discovered and introduced the laws of gravity in the 1600s. And this discovery was revolutionary. It revolutionized astronomical studies. But not as many people know that if it had not been for a man by the name of Edmund Halley, the world might never have learned from Isaac Newton. It was Halley who challenged Newton to think through his original notions. It was Halley who corrected Newton’s mathematical errors and prepared geometrical figures to support his discoveries. It was Halley who coaxed the hesitant Newton to write these ideas in his great work, Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy. And it was Halley who ultimately edited and supervised the publication and actually financed its printing, even though Newton was wealthier and easily could have afforded the printing costs. What am I describing here?

I’m telling you the story of someone who unselfishly stood in the background. Well, historians call it one of the most selfless examples in the annals of science. Newton began almost immediately to reap the rewards of fame and prominence. Halley received very little credit. Now, here’s where maybe you’ve heard of Halley, because he did use these principles to predict the orbit and return of a comet that would later bear his name, Halley’s Comet. But that was only after his death that he received any acclaim. And because the comet only returns every 76 years, the notice is rather infrequent. When it was the last time we got to see Halley’s comet.

Have others played a similar role as Halley in the role of selfless service. Do we think about people like John the Baptist, who said of Jesus, he must become greater, I must become less, he must increase, I must decrease. Or Barnabas, who was content to introduce others to greatness. I would suggest to you that in every congregation of the Lord’s people that I’ve ever been associated with, there are always those who are working and who are praying and often doing it quietly and behind the scenes, working and praying to support and uphold the work of the gospel, and who are willing to do so unconcerned about the praise of men or about giving credit. And such selflessness advances the kingdom. Now I tell you that because that is the essence of discipleship.

3. The Mind of Christ

And when you and I read in the scriptures about being a disciple, about discipleship and about denying self, we need to think about this. We need to think about the fact that it is not about self. It’s not about me. It is about something greater. And we commit ourselves to that. And we pray for that and we work for that. But I would like to suggest the idea of the mind of Christ in this. And this phrase, of course, is taken from Philippians chapter 2. And I’d like for us to look at this passage for a few moments. In Philippians chapter 2 and verse 5, Paul says, Have this attitude or this mind in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a bondservant, and being made in the likeness of men, and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

You know, it’s popular nowadays for folks to, especially young people, to wear the jewelry WWJD on it. What would Jesus do? And I suppose everybody has mixed feelings about that. I have mixed feelings about it because I always wonder what’s what’s what are people thinking when they do that. But at the end of the day, I have to say that this challenge, the challenge to imitate Jesus Christ in our lives as his disciples, is a thoroughly scriptural idea. We may not always go about it in exactly the right way, but I don’t know of any higher calling as disciples of the Lord than striving to do what Jesus would do. Peter talks about that in 1 Peter chapter 2, doesn’t he? That Christ in his sufferings, he talks about how he left us an example that we should follow in his steps.

And the idea is one that has resonated with people for ages. People that want to follow Jesus and people that want to be a disciple. The idea of walking in his steps, of imitating Jesus, of striving to act as he would act, to speak as he would speak, to think as he would think, is something that resonates with people. Let me give you a couple of examples again from history. Back in the early 1400s, there was a man by the name of Thomas A Kempus. And Thomas Akempis was, historians believe, was associated with a religious movement called the Brethren of the Common Life. This was a kind of a semi-monastic religious movement, and they were very interested in reform, reforming the church of that day. You know, this is some 300 years before the or a hundred years before the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.

And so he writes a work titled On the Imitation of Christ. On the Imitation of Christ. Now you may have seen this because actually it’s still in print after all these centuries. Here’s some facts about it. Next to the Bible, it was probably the most widely read devotional book ever written. It was translated into more languages than any other book except the Bible. So what was it about? Well, the title tells us it was about the high calling of trying to imitate Christ and all that we do. It was a book in which Kempis emphasized the cultivation of one’s inner life by focusing on thinking as Christ thought, of doing what Christ would do. It emphasized the principles of humility and of self denial and of renouncing the vain things of the world.

And that’s what the movement was all about. They were trying to say, well, what’s the essence of Christianity? When you get past all of the religious traditions and all of the rituals and all of the things that had crept into the Roman Catholic Church, they were asking, well, what’s the essence of Christianity? And they said, he said, the essence seems to be to follow Jesus Christ. And the essence of following Jesus Christ is imitating him to the best of our ability. That’s what he thought. And that idea resonated, and people all over Europe read that, and people still read it. It’s worth picking up and reading still. Well, fast forward down to the late 19th century, 1897. There was a man by the name of Charles Sheldon out in Kansas.

And Charles Sheldon was a preacher in a denominational church. But he also was a writer. And so he wrote a work titled In His Steps, What Would Jesus Do? How many of you are familiar with that book? Anybody? Okay, I see. I see a couple of hands back there. Good. It turns out it’s the ninth best-selling book of all time. What was it about? Well, it’s it’s a it’s a fictitious story of a preacher in a congregation who really was looking for the way to challenge his flock, to challenge his congregation. And so what he did is he challenged them. He said, let’s all take this pledge, this challenge. I challenge you, for one year, every time you’re about to make a decision, every time you’re about to do something of any importance, stop and ask yourself the question if Jesus was in my place, what would he do?

What would he do? That was the challenge in the story. And so the rest of the book is the story of how the people began to accept this challenge and they began to apply this principle, and it completely revolutionized their personal lives. It revolutionized and changed the life of that church, and it affected the life of the whole community. Pretty powerful. Very powerful. But here’s my point. You see examples like that over and over throughout history, where this idea of this ideal of the essence of being a Christian is to imitate Jesus Christ Himself. And that idea has resonated with people. And so now we have the jewelry, WWJD, what would Jesus do? It’s not entirely a bad thing for folks to think about. I can think of worse things for young people to do than to put that jewelry on.

If they’ll take it seriously.

Do we really ever really stop to think about what that means? And so I come back here to Philippians chapter 2. And I want you to notice what the apostle Paul is dealing with here. This particular passage that I’ve just read in Philippians chapter 2 is a passage that unfortunately has become the center of all kinds of discussions about theology and about the questions having to do with the deity of Jesus Christ and what happened to his deity when he became a man, did it change all those kinds of questions? And I’m not saying we shouldn’t ask those questions. If the Bible, if God wants us to learn those things, we should strive to learn them in any passage where it’s talked about. But I think it’s tragic that this passage has come to focus on that, and we’ve many, in many ways, lost sight of what the real issue was when Paul pinned these words to those brethren there in the church of Philippi.

What’s going on? Well, what’s going on when you read the opening verses is that there seems to be some issue there that’s affecting the unity among the brethren. I don’t know what it was exactly. But he begins by saying, if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there’s any consolation of love, if there’s any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, he says, please make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, being united in spirit and intent on one purpose. He’s saying to them, You’ll make me the happiest man alive, you’ll make my joy complete if you will learn the lesson of unity among yourselves. How do you do that? Well, he goes on to say, do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit.

But with humility of mind, regard one another as more important than yourselves. That’s a novel idea. And then he says, do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Here’s what Paul is saying. He’s saying to those brethren, you’re having some problems here among yourselves. Your unity and your fellowship one with another is being disrupted. And so he says, what you need to do is you need to come back and resider yourselves and focus again on the importance of being united, of being of the same mind and having the same love and focusing on the one purpose that ties us together. Focus on the tie that binds. And he says we need to put away selfishness. We need to put away being conceited.

We need to put away arrogance and selfishness and all these other things. And he says we need to start being more concerned about the interests of others. And there’s the context, then, where Jesus says, or where Paul says, here’s another part of the answer. Imitate Christ. Have this mind in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus. He said, there’s the answer. Take the mind of Christ unto yourself. Learn to have the attitude. Learn to have the mindset and the disposition that he had. What was it? Well, although he existed in the form of God, he did not regard equality with God as a thing to be held on to. To be grasped. But he emptied himself. He emptied himself. He took on the form of a bond servant.

He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death on the cross. Have this mind, he says. The mind of striving to imitate perfect self denial. What did Jesus do? He emptied himself. I personally don’t believe that Paul is saying he emptied himself of X, Y, or Z. Some people want to go so far as to say he emptied himself of his divinity. I don’t believe that’s what he’s talking about at all. I think he just means he emptied himself. That’s what it says. He emptied himself. And that’s what you and I are called upon to do here. Paul says, have this mind in yourself. Be willing to empty yourself. And what we need to strive to do is instead of being full of ourselves, we need to empty ourselves just as our Lord emptied himself.

4. Crucified With Christ: Cross-Shaped Discipleship

And that’s going to be the solution to a whole lot of problems. Well, then, as we follow the Lord’s example of self-denial, the old self will be crucified, must be crucified. But Paul says in Galatians 2 and verse 20, I have been crucified with Christ. And 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 up for me. The cross, which the condemned man carried was the instrument of his death. When Jesus says, To be my disciple, you have to take up your cross and follow me. The people understood what carrying the cross meant. It meant death. That’s what it meant.

It was an instrument of death. It symbolized death. And when Paul says, I’ve been crucified with Christ, he’s recalling that idea. All those sermons that Jesus must have preached in various places where he talked about the importance of cross bearing. Taking up the cross. The cross represented the major purpose of Jesus in coming as a man. He came to give himself in sacrifice. He came to die for us. He came to die for you and me. And you and I know that when Jesus went to his execution, he literally carried his cross, didn’t he? He did it in a literal way, and history tells us that there have been some who followed Jesus to a literal martyr’s death. But the principle that we need to get from this is that our Lord calls for the same commitment from those who follow him.

For any of us who follow him. True discipleship is a cross-shaped discipleship. And until we understand that principle, we still have more to learn about what it means to be a disciple. It is cross-shaped. The Lord said it in different ways.

That we must be abased to be exalted. That we must become a servant to be considered great in the kingdom. That we must die to self so that we can live in Christ. That we must empty self so that we can be filled up to all the fullness of Christ. Everyone who wishes to come after him must die to his own personal desires. You and I must die to self. And one of those occasions when Jesus preached his cross-bearing sermon, Luke chapter 9 tells us that he said it this way. In verse 23, if anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. That’s the only place where that word is found, but it’s a pretty significant word, isn’t it?

We must do this daily.

It is a way of life.

Conclusion

And yet all of us are plagued with a tendency toward the idolatry that enthrones self. And unless you and I are willing to subordinate self to Christ, we become as guilty of idolatry as were the ancients. Instead, we need to say, like Joshua said, as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. We need to preach the singular importance of denying self. We need to teach it in our Bible classes. We need to teach it and model it in our homes in front of our children. It is the most important lesson our children can learn from us. Teach him to deny himself. And so as we close this evening, let’s think about the invitation that Jesus gives.

And he extends an invitation where he is inviting you to take up your cross and follow him. He is inviting all of us to do that.

And when you do that, when you deny yourself, when you subordinate your will to the will of the Lord, then you can enjoy a more abundant life and you can live with the hope of heaven. And it is our prayer that you would make that decision. If there’s any way that we can help you as in your search for the truth and your desire to follow the Lord mo more closely, we want to encourage you. We want to give you the opportunity. And right now, as we offer the invitation, if we can help you in some way, please come forward and make your wish known to us.