The Body of Christ Fellowship Church
Date: July 25, 2010
Speaker:
Pastor Willie J. Henderson, Jr.
The Importance of Denying Self
Focus:
Scriptures:
|
Psalms 85:10 Philippians 2:21 |
Mark 8:33-34 1 Corinthians 16:25 |
Luke 9:23 |
Points:
The truth should not be just head knowledge, but our life.
Love and kindness without the truth equals compromise.
To be in union with God, we must follow His interests not your own.
If we hate grace, we are cursed.
The Lord didn't call us to be lord of ourselves.
The world will give you instant success and comfort in exchange for your soul.
Mercy and truth must meet.
Summary:
Mercy is God's love and kindness. If we don't mix the truth with love
and kindness, we are compromising. Often times we compromise with people
by not telling them the truth. We do this because we don't want to deny
ourselves. We don't want them to dislike us. A lot of church folks today are seeking their own
interest and not the things which are Jesus Christ's. When Peter rebuked
Jesus saying that Jesus should not die, Peter was not speaking the things that
interest God. Jesus turned and rebuked Peter by saying, "Get thee behind
me, Satan; for thou mindest not the things of God, but the things of men." (Mark
8:33) Peter did not want to deny himself. If Christ was going to die,
where would that leave him? Jesus requires those that follow Him to deny
themselves. Self is made up of our heart, mind, soul, and strength.
God did not design the soul to be lord of itself. The scriptures are clear
on the criteria for following Jesus. We must deny ourselves and take up
our cross. Will you suffer for Jesus? He suffered for us.
Self-denial is not just a Sunday thing. It means acknowledging God in all
our ways. This includes every aspect of our lives: who to marry,
what career path to take, etc.