Transcript

Dying to Self

Shane has been such a blessing to our lives. It's wonderful to see him go through the different stages of development. Presently he's in the "I want to show you my stuff phase." Whenever you are in his presence, he tries to impress you with anything he can find.

I suppose for all children the desire to impress their parents never fades even as they increase in years. The stuff they use to impress them might change, but the innate desire to impress them remains constant. Look at me mom and dad. Are you pleased? Are you happy with what you see?

As adults we have that same innate desire with God. There are exceptions, but especially anyone who considers him or herself "religious" is trying to impress God. Look at me God. Are you pleased? Are you happy with what you see?

Last week we learned how the Pharisees were trying to do it. They invented thousands of man-made traditions, like washing your hands (Mt. 15:2), which they thought impressed God, but it didn't. We do the same today when we add rituals to the Word of God. God is not impressed. Moreover, some professing Christians engage in all types of sensational behavior that is not biblical in thinking God is impressed. He's not. Some Christians live according to the Bible, but they follow God's law in a joyless fashion out of sheer duty. Some may do what the Word teaches, but they conduct themselves with absolutely no heart involvement. As Jesus said last week, "This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me" (Mt. 15:8). God is not pleased.

So what impresses God? How can we please the Almighty? Such a concept is throughout the Scriptures. 2 Corinthians, 5:9, "Therefore we also have as our ambition…to be pleasing to Him." What does God want to see in us? How is He please with us?

First He wants us to come to Him through Christ. Apart from Christ our sin remains and we are His enemies. We will never be found pleasing God when it is confined to our own self-righteousness. Second He wants us to live a consistent life of self-denial. And this is where I want to go this morning with this brief message.

In explaining the primary command for discipleship Jesus said, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me" (Mk. 8:34). In the Gospel of John, Jesus remarked, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal" (Jn. 12:25-25). Paul commented in Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the lifewhich I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me."

Beloved, self-denial, or as it is commonly called, "dying to self," is not an optional command. It is a required characteristic that will mark every true believer of God. Every true child of God does not add Christ to his or her life. Every true child of God dies to self and shows Christ to be his or her life. This becomes the grid through which we sift every decision. And though we all fall short, this becomes our ultimate passion in the life which we now live.

Listen to some heroes of the faith: Spurgeon, "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." Wesley, "I am no longer my own, but Yours. Put me to what You will, rank me with whom You will; put me to doing, put me to suffering; let me be employed for You or laid aside for You, exalted for You or brought low for You; let me be full, let me be empty; let me have all things, let me have nothing; I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to Your pleasure and disposal." Edwards, "Resolved, never henceforward, till I die, to act as if I were any way my own, but entirely and altogether God's."

We must die to self to come to Christ. Conversion means full awareness of our own bankruptcy and total surrender to Christ's Lordship. And we must continually die to self daily (a true spiritual battle I trust all of you are engaging) with the life we have remaining. The old nature, though dead, has this continual tendency to resurrect itself. How are you doing? Are you as the old-times would say, "mortifying the flesh?" Is you life marked by a continual pattern of dying to self? Let's find out!

• Is it seen in your recreation? Does your Facebook page say "me" or does it say "Christ living through me" when viewed by others?
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• Is it seen you're your contentment when no humans recognize your service in this church?
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• Is it seen in your selflessness to promote others even at your own expense?
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• Is it seen in your theology? Do you always say, "Christ was crucified for me on that cross" or do you also say, "On that cross I was crucified with Christ?" Wasn't that what you illustrated with your baptism?
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• Is it seen in your love as you love others despite their consistent tendency to hurt you?
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• Is it seen in your planning that realizes your time and money and talents ultimately belong to God?
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• Is it seen in your submissiveness to honor and respect God-ordained authority in your life?
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• Is it seen in your self-concept? Can you say with the apostle Paul, "For I know that nothing good dwells in me" (Rom. 7:18) or are you more concerned about your self-esteem?
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• Is it seen in your focus that desires to give more attention to the inward condition of your heart (that God sees) than the external actions (that man sees).
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• Is it seen in your prayers that desires God's will regardless of the cost?
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• Is it seen in your joy that increases when you live a cross-centered life rather than a self-indulgent life?
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• Is it seen in your self-examination when you realize your worry and critical spirit and defensive spirit and irritability and resent and fear and jealousy result from an over-emphasis on self?
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• And is it seen in your faith that believes (as John the Baptist did - Jn. 3:30) He becoming greater and you becoming lesser is for your greatest good? Do you believe that true joy and peace results from less of me and more of Him in me?

A few years back I came across the following words from an unknown author. I'm not sure if any quote outside the Bible has made a bigger impact on my life. I printed it on an insert in your bulletin. I believe if we put this into practice we will have a more spiritually productive and fulfilling life, a more unified home, a more unified church and a walk that shows we are truly saved because only grace operative can produce these traits. As I read this list I would like to have you carefully ponder these words.

When you are forgotten or neglected or purposely set at naught, and you sting and hurt with the insult or the oversight, but your heart is happy, being counted worthy to suffer for Christ-that is dying to self.

When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinions ridiculed and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart, or even defend yourself, but take all in patient loving silence-that is dying to self.

When you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, or any annoyance, when you can stand face to face with waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility, and endure it as Jesus endured it-that is dying to self.

When you are content with any food, any offering, any raiment, any climate, any society, any attitude, any interruption by the will of God-that is dying to self.

When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation, or to record your own good works, or itch after commendation, when you can truly love to be unknown-that is dying to self.

When you see your brother prosper and have his needs met and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy nor question God, while your own needs are far greater and in desperate circumstances-that is dying to self.

When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself, can humbly submit inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart-that is dying to self.

I'd encourage you to keep these words and review them often. Is your life marked by "dying to self?" Are you following the example of Jesus Christ who "made Himself nothing" (Phil. 2:7 NIV)? Is the Father pleased with you?