Main and Plain - Denying self?!? Oops!

Matthew 16:24 ESV
Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Jesus is quite clear here.  IF - anyone desires (wants) to come after me.

There is a "wanting" - and a specific wanting.

Oh, how I remember the times I wanted - really wanted to go after Him.  Oh, how I wanted to live for Him and love for Him - indeed to live as simply as possible so I might not be encumbered as I sought to go after Him.

Ah, there have been many such times.  They came and when and my walk was up and down (mostly down).

At this late stage of my life, I have to wonder why and in wondering I have sought an answer.  The answer was embarrassingly simple once I found it.  And it was embarrassing once I found it.

There is a plain and main process we can see and make use of in fulfilling our desire to go after Him.  It's not a process that ends - actually it's more like a "loop" command in old DOS.  The plain and main of it is that we begin and keep doing the same old thing over and over and over.  

This "loop" is so simple that it puts all the "how to follow Jesus" books and tapes and seminars to shame.  I put me to shame.  Please understand that this "loop" is not easy and it can be very very tedious but it's simplicity along with the promises of God to fulfill in us what He has started makes it an exciting and hopeful "loop."

Step one:  "let him (or her) deny himself."

Ok - there we go!  --Yes In know all about the calling and claiming that God does in and upon us - but that's where the "desire" comes from.

We hear the Word and the "gospel power" is unleashed, the Spirit works in us and we really really want to go after Jesus.  Ok - job #1 - deny your self.  

Really, go ahead, do it!!  Huh?  Ahhhhh, there's the rub.  Anyone out there ever been taught to deny their self?   Quit sinning - oh yeas we were told that.  Pray and read the Bible - yep.  but denying my self?  Oops---

I find it very interesting and quite distressing that so many so-called and self-proclaimed "answer men and women" have written so much which actually focuses our attention on the self.  Self-worth, self-esteem....  Being who YOU are in Jesus.  Claiming His promises for YOU.  Oh yeah - we have a lot of real helpful anti-christs out there keeping our eyes, hearts and minds OFF of step number 1.

Deny - your - self.

Hey - I'm not picking on you!!  Your getting to suffer this because I did  ;-}}}}.

Nobody ever taught me I needed to deny me.  No one ever helped me see how to live with Jesus coming before me, my, mine and I.  I am minded of the Monopoly card - "Go to jail, go directly to jail, do not pass Go and so not collect $200."

A.W. Pink says the first step is the, "denying of self itself."

Here's just a smattering of what Pink means:

- abandoning my own righteousness

- refusing to rest on my own wisdom

- repudiating my self

- ceasing to consider my comfort, pleasure, ease, benefits, aggrandizement

Look at Romans 12:1

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Catch that - "present your bodies as a living sacrifice," thing?  Folks - in most pagan cultures once your were tapped to be a sacrifice it was really all over.  Even in Jesus' day, once you took your lamb or birds etc. and presented it for sacrifice - it was all over for the bird/lamb.

Offering your self for sacrifice means that all the "me" stops.  There is no "me."  There are no plans, desires, want, wishes, etc.  You are offering yourself for death.

Plain - main and tough - huh?

Paul gets really tough on this:

Romans 8:13 ESV

For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

My "flesh" in not some bogaboo that lives in me.  My "flesh" is my self - my nature has changed in Christ but my self (flesh) is well versed in taking care of itself and quite

sneaky at getting its way/

Also, and if you don't agree then ok, but for me the "deeds of the body," are not limited to my eyes, hands, feet, etc - but include my thoughts, speculations, - in short my brain and heart where all the bad stuff comes from.  It is my "me" thoughts and affection I have to deny - to fight - and with His power, defeat.

But nobody told me this when I was in the first exciting days of my faith.  And to be honest, no one told me about it (clearly) since.

The good news is that it's not too late for me to learn.  The cost will be very uncomfortable but we are not amphibians - we either live in and for His kingdom or we live in and for the other.

This means war - and don't think that it's just a war within.  As you learn and begin to deny self you will make others very uncomfortable.  They will begin to see you as a fanatic, some kind of religious nut.

"Let him deny himself."  Go for it!  Need resources?  Write me and I'll send you some titles that will help.

God bless you all!!

Finger Thinking - On Me

And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  Gal. 5:24  ESV

Have we?  Have we indeed nailed "our" fleshly passions and desires to the cross?

Paul says that we have done this, not that it has been done.  This is an engagement the believer will be involved in until He comes.  But are we engaged in it?  Do we, with willfull intention and humble dependence actively seek to crucify the flesh - to kill it?  Or do we merely swat at it and/or just battle those desires and passions for which we would suffer some public shame?

The life of the believer is an up-stream journey.  The world, the flesh and the devil ae the river in which we journey.  We don't just float up-stream.  Nor may we tie ourselves to the bank and wait.  We are called for a purpose and in a specific direction.  Plainly put we are to glorify God - now that it is possible through the sacrificed of Christ.
We are not "saved' for ourselves but for His glory and praise.  For His good pleasure.  And yet we seem to miss that point.

In this river there are rapids and rocks and eddys.  There are dangers.  There are calm places where the progress is pleasant and there are those places where we must paddle with every ounce of energy we have.  Why?  To "gain" something?  No!  We paddle becasue we have gained something by His grace and in humble submission and thanks we live appropriately and intentionally for the purpose of the gift.

Consider whether your salvation is of such great value as your glorifying of Him.  Do you not see the connection?  Do you not see that it is a horror to assume the gift was only about or for you?  Indeed it is a great gift but it for His glory and righteousness first and foremost.

Our redemption glorifies Him and so everything the redeemed think, feel or do is to glorify Him.  Yes, He is passively glorified in what He has done in and for us BUT He will be actively glorified in and through our lvin for Him.

Note the subtle difference:
"Jesus saved me."
"God has glorified Himself in redeeming me through Jesus the Christ, the Son of God.

Can you see the difference?

Our salvation is all fo His glory.  Certainly we benefit - we benefit worderfully - but it is for His glroy we do so.

This is not something I have understood for most of my life in Him.  Like many I was just happy to be saved.  But as I learned more, studied more I was greatly convicted that there was something missing in my understanding and appreciation.  I was more focused on what was in it for me than what His purpose is in my salvation.  I can best describe it as finally seeing salvation from His point of view as opposed to the common view most of us have.

The greatest change this has had for me is in my prayer life.  As the model prayer teaches us to begin with Him and His glory so I find myself stuck in my prayers glorifying Him and fighting what I see as my fleshly supplications and requests.  Somehow, what I need or want has grown smaller compared to my need to praise and glorify Him.

Oh, I want to eat and have a roof and enjoy the blessings of His creation but more and more I find that my desires are based upon wheher or not my "getting" is for and to His glory.  I am growing in my desire to glorify Him over and above my desire to be comforable and satisfied by anything here.  It has made many many of my requests suspect in my mind and heart.

He is my God - I am His servant and His child - I want Him and His glory to be he focus of my life and living.  Yes, that is kind of scary.  When I read in the Word and in the history of His pepole what the probable cost of that is - it is scary.

I want to forsake all for His glory and yet my flesh is terrified of what that might mean.  Of course my flesh would not have me glorify Him at all - but, except for what little I can do about it - my flesh is His problem.  Certainly the God who defeated sin and death can and will ovecome my fleshy parts.

Examine yourself - Contentment 004

Examine yourself -  Contentment 004

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. (Philippians 4:11 ESV)

LEARNED

Just a little backing up.  If you want to begin to study the Word, I have a few simple suggestions.  First, get a good translation of the Word and get one that has cross-references.  The Thompson-Chain Reference is a good option and it comes in several translations.  Second, get a good Bible Atlas.  I like the ESV Bible Atlas.  An Atlas will really help you understand the context of the scriptures you are reading.  Finally - and this is a biggy for me - get a copy of William Ames' book, The Marrow of Theology.  This is a very simple and clear outline of theology - not full of arguments, etc.  

These resources will be a big help as you begin your studies.  Stay away from "issue specific" books - especially those which tell you "how to," or get all wrapped up in areas of speculation, i.e. Revelation, millennial issues, demons, even money.  You don't want to get so hung up on one tree that you miss the forest!

OK - LEARNED

Let's talk Holy Spirit.  We can get into all kinds of long and tedious discussions about the Holy Spirit and the fruits and gifts but - let's not!

The Holy Spirit is both Comforter and Reminder.  He is given in sufficient and necessary measure to every believer.  There is no necessity for any more-than-ordinary signs of Him being given.  He is given - and that is that.

So???????

How He works is not a concern of mine.  That He works in us is.  He is sent to comfort us and to remind us.  Yes, I know He is the "seal" of our salvation, but He is also active in us.  

OK, He is active in us and if we pay attention with intention, we will see His working.  No thunder or lightening but some very curious moments of comfort and remembering.  I know - I seem to be getting a little weird.   But a couple of things I've experienced make me lean towards being weird.

Every once in a while I will have someone relate something they heard me say in a lesson and I am clueless about having said it.  It's not in my notes and it is unfamiliar to my recollection.  Thankfully, it is something true and sound but it is not something "I" thought up.  Now you can get as skeptical as you want, but I KNOW I didn't come up with it and so I "blame" ;-) the Spirit for a timely word for me to speak that - well - I didn't know I spoke.  I'm not trying to get all mystical or even miraculous here - it just has happened and I cannot lay claim to it.

I've also been reading the Word – something I’ve read time and time again and "Bam," I realize something I never saw before.  Of course I run to some good resources to check myself.  But I believe it's just (just????) the Spirit doing what He does in the hearts and minds of believers.

On the flip side, I have found myself convicted out of the blue and embarrassed (ok, more chagrined) that I had never seen that issue as an issue - if I saw it at all.  It's wonderfully humbling and assuring when that happens - It's not fun but it does get the job done.

My point, I guess, is this.  You don't need all the bells and whistles that are commonly attributed to the Spirit for Him to be working in your life.  He works in many, many ways, but we've somehow gotten diverted by all the yeeehaaaw things that are seen to be His.  I believe that He is more often the "still small voice," as opposed to the attention grabbing event.  

He can and has provided much for believers in the way of knowledge and insight when there was little to work with in the first place.  But folks, I believe that the more of the Word we get in our minds and hearts, the more He has to work with.  I believe the more we exercise our faith in the simple and mundane things like prayer, study and worship, the more regularly He works in us.

Hey, I'm more than willing to be absolutely wrong here.  But what I know to be true has served to undergird and confirm what I have experienced which is what I build my belief and trust on.  

It's not sitting around waiting for Him to do or say or impart something.  It's slowly, deliberately, regularly and earnestly engaging in the "disciplines," of our faith that makes us more sensitive and available to His working.  Now, that's my carefully determined view - it does not have to be yours.

But we all need to desire His working in our lives.  He is the only means of our growth - it is by His power working on and in us that we must rely upon for any kind of progress along the Way.  You can quote the Bible from cover to cover but without Him and His work - that's all you can do.

I don't believe you have to pray for Him to "come," or "be present."  I just think you have to be faithfully obedient and available and PAYING ATTENTION to see how He is in you and works in you.  You are "filled" by Him - everywhere you go and in everything you do He is present - think on that one.  Every poke of conscience and every inspiration to serve comes from Him.  Most of all, the power to keep going is all of Him and none of us.

I had a coach whose rule was - "You don't come to practice, you don’t get in the game."  He knew that unless we practiced individually and as a team, victory was dubious at best.  Practicing our faith, engaging in the "exercises" of our faith makes us fit and hail to be put into the game.  Trust me, God calling someone out of the bleachers to play is the exception, never the rule.

This and That 110912

"Preserve my understanding from subtilty of error, my affections from love of idols, my character from stain of vice, my profession from every form of evil. May I engage in nothing in which I cannot implore Thy blessing, and in which I cannot invite Thy inspection. Prosper me in all lawful undertakings, or prepare me for disappointments.  give me neither poverty not riches. Feed me food convenient for me lest I be full and deny Thee and say, Who is my Lord? or be poor, and steal. and take Thy name in vain." Puritan Prayers

My heart aches to carve this prayer upon it.  Oh, how I desire to make it mine and to slowly and deliberately let it, with the help of the Spirit, so alter my mind that I care for nothing but Him and His.

How far have I come that such a prayer seems alien to me?  How far have I to go until such thoughts come to my mind and such words to my lips.  My failure in this overwhelms me and troubles my soul.  I may pray it or the like - but words are words - it is the Spirit in and of this prayer I crave.

Michael "sheepdog" Sanders
ms@tc2v1.com