His Cross; Let Him Deny Himself 4 (luke 9, 23)

[background noise: music and singing] [Speaker 1] O Lord, unto you indeed we are gathering. We are not gathering unto ourselves. The Bible says, "Unto you shall the gathering of your people be," and the house of Jacob will not seek you in vain. Lord, we are praying this evening that our gathering will not be in vain. Your Spirit will work within us. Your Spirit will work among us. Lord, we are praying also for our brethren that are joining us on Telegram, our brethren that are joining us on Mixlr. Lord, we all together as one people that are physically here too, we are praying that as one people, Lord, you will meet with us all in Jesus' name. Lord our God, our eyes are on you. Teach us your ways. Cause us to walk in your path in the name of Jesus Christ. And Lord, again and again and again, we are praying, in the midst of all the confusion, absurdities, deception going on in the land globally, Lord, we are just praying, let your mercy avail for us. Let your mercy undertake for us. Let your mercy speak for us in the name of Jesus Christ. Thank you, eternal Father. Blessed be your holy name, our God. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Yeah, we have been looking at the matter of His cross now, journeying on this theme, "His Cross," for a while, and we are still continuing with it. And we have zeroed in to Luke chapter nine, verse twenty-three, where the Bible says, "Let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me." And last week, we were looking at the matter of "let him deny himself" in the other sense of it. This matter of "let him deny himself," we have checked it from the point of living only to glorify Jesus. We come to the matter of why that is reasonable, the matter of the mercies that we have received. And last week, we began to consider it from the point of suffering on account of the cross, suffering on account of the cross. And we were able to establish something from the book of Philippians, that it is not only given to us to believe in Jesus, but also to suffer for Him. That we have been given a privilege not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for Him. That's Philippians 1:29. Philippians 1:29, I want to move the matter from there today. So let's go to that place, Philippians chapter one, verse twenty-nine. That was the major scripture last week. Say, "For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake." We were able to make something clear about through faith from the point of victory, the point of deliverance, the point of good report, the Bible said they endured so many things, and they were called good report. And so last week, we read from some other translations, NLT, I think somebody read from NLT, somebody read from NIV. Can we have those reading again? NLT. [Speaker 2] For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ, but also the privilege of suffering for Him. [Speaker 1] We have a privilege of trusting in Him, and we also have a privilege of suffering for Him. People talk more about the privilege of trusting in Him. We don't make reference to the privilege of suffering for Him. And that was our focus last week. Let him deny himself. Denying ourselves has this other aspect of not only living to glorify Jesus, this aspect of understanding that it's a privilege to suffer for Him. That was the major thing we established last week. And that was what took us to 1 Peter chapter two. 1 Peter chapter two, that was where we closed the meeting last week. It is a privilege. Peter was rejoicing when they brought them out and they flogged them. They said they counted themselves worthy to have suffered for Christ. Suffering for the cross today is not seen as a privilege. In fact, I don't know, I don't want to talk too much on that, but it seems to be understood as something that is not part of the faith. Something that is not part of the faith. When people tend to say no, I will not compromise this because this is the truth, even believers will be saying, "E ti poju." Even fellow Christians will feel that you are too rigid, you are too sectarian, you don't need to take it this far. It seems to feel that suffering for the cross is not something we should give ourselves to. To me, it appears we do everything to avoid suffering for Jesus. We do everything to avoid it. We do everything not to be called a bad name. We do everything not to be seen as different. We do everything in the name of, "I don't want to be seen as not cooperative." We do everything to run away from suffering. But it's a privilege. What the Bible is saying is that the place of suffering honestly is a privilege to do so. And then that took us to 1 Peter, where we closed the meeting last week. We started from verse eleven. Say, "Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against your soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation." Therefore, I want you to note that the "therefore" is coming from having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles. And can we see that in other translation? What does it mean to have our conduct honorable among the Gentiles? Please, can we have other translations for that? [Speaker 3] Be careful how you live among your unbelieving neighbors. Even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will believe and give honor to God when he comes to judge the world. [Speaker 4] Live an exemplary life among the natives so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they'll be won over to God's side and be joined in the celebration when he arrives. [Speaker 1] You can see what the Bible is saying. What is the focus of Christian living? Please, what is the focus of Christian living? By our life. I keep saying that real evangelism begins with letting him deny himself. Real evangelism is not in talking. It's not come and accept Jesus, come and believe Jesus. Evangelism doesn't begin from there. I could remember one incident when somebody who was preaching, and then as he left, another person just said, "If it was somebody else that was saying this thing, maybe I would have even taken it to heart. Not this man who is a thief." He was talking about what the man did with a departmental money as a Christian. And the person was talking, they had a convention, he was bringing tracts and he was talking. The point is, real evangelism begins with lifestyle. And that lifestyle, what will make you live honorably, you will see it, we are still getting there, is self-denial. Anybody that wants to please self can never live an honorable life among unbelievers. It is practically impossible because godliness, there is something, a scripture is coming to my mind. Let me see if I can quickly pick that scripture in Proverbs. This scripture that talks about the life of the godly and the life of the ungodly. And he was making a comparison between the person who lives a godly life and the person who lives an ungodly life. And he was making a comparison between, okay, yes, it's Proverbs 29:27. Proverbs 29:27, let somebody help us with. [Speaker 2] An unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, and he who is upright in his way is an abomination to the wicked. [Speaker 1] Are you seeing the contradiction? If your ways are upright, you become an abomination to a wicked person. That is why remember the verse we read last week. He said, "They that will live a godly life in Christ will surely suffer persecution." So you will notice that there's a contradiction. So when he was talking about living honorably, look at what he was saying. When he said having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak evil against you, why are they speaking evil? Because your conduct is abominable to them. That's why they are speaking evil of you. Your conduct is abominable to them. And so because your conduct is abominable to them, what will they want to do ordinarily? What would they want to do? They want to victimize, they want to persecute, they want to frustrate. Now, what is the natural response to persecution, to frustration, to wanting to bring you down? What's the natural response? You also plan for "you get me." You too go ahead to also plan how you will bring them down. You begin to give evil for evil. But that is not to live the way of Christ. That you are living godly, they are persecuting you for being godly. If you are to still live, what will it be when your enemy is hungry? Give him food. Are you seeing self-denial? When he's thirsty, give him to drink. Are you seeing that? When he forced you to go one mile, what are you to do? You go two miles. If he by whatever constraint he wants to take the coat, what are you to do? Give him the cloak also. Except a man is ready to deny himself, the godly will find himself living as an ungodly man in a bid to revenge the persecution of the ungodly. He will find himself or herself living exactly like them. So when the Bible says having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak evil against you because your ways, your path are not like theirs, they will have cause to glorify God. They will be won over. They will have cause to believe when eventually things come. Now, when he said that, he now said, "Therefore, submit yourself to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme or to the governors as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers." Now, verse fifteen, that was where we left the matter last week, and we are moving on. "For this is the will of God." Please, what is the will of God? What is the will of God? "That by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish people." As far as God is concerned, the way to silence ignorance is through what? What is the ignorance that you want to put to silence? Looking at what we have been reading. What is the ignorance you want to silence? Yes, but how does that come to us? Even the way it comes is that our ways are abominable to them. And so it comes to us in return as wanting to bring us down, seeing us as not cooperating, seeing us as not getting along. You get the point? Now, you now want to silence their ignorance. What do you use to silence their ignorance? Good works. The way to silence that ignorance is by what? Good works. It's telling you that the only way you can silence the ignorance of unbelievers is by letting him deny himself. The only way you can do good to those whose your ways are abominable to is by self-denial. The only way good can come to them, if you are not ready to deny yourself, if you are not ready to set yourself aside and, don't forget how we amplified this matter of self-denial when we read that scripture in Luke 9:23 from the Amplified version. If you still remember very well. Luke 9:23, the Amplified translation. Please use the mic and read. [Speaker 2] And he said to all, "If any person wills to come after Me, let him deny himself, disown himself, that is, to disown himself, forget, lose sight of himself and his own interests, refuse and give up himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me, cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also." [Speaker 1] So you notice that any person that will not forget his own interest cannot do good to his unbelieving neighbors. A person who will not forget his own interest, who will not refuse himself, and I keep telling people, do you know that you cannot defend your interest the way God can defend it? And do you know that the person who can properly defend it is the one telling you that if you are in a relationship with somebody, and the person happens to be the oga and you are the person under, the subordinate, and that person is not reasonable, it does not mean you throw away proper respect for him. It does not mean you begin to speak evil of the person, tear down the person, reduce the person, do all kinds of things and then become rebellious and stubborn. Because what you don't understand, your life can never punish disobedient when your own obedience is not fulfilled. The Bible says getting ready to punish disobedient when your obedience is fulfilled. I tell people, the reason why some things about the oppression you are facing have not changed is because there's still disobedience in your own life. It's because you are trying to follow you are not going the Gospel way. And you see how God is talking about this matter of let him deny himself as believers. Now, you notice that he says, "Not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh." Now, what is the will of God? When the Bible says this is the will of God, what does it mean? What God wants. There's no other way to explain this is the will of God apart from this is the will of God. "As free, not using your liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king." Now, look at the specific case of the matter of the cross in our secular life. Remember where he's coming from. He's coming from silencing ignorance. "This is the will of God." Your life may be abominable to them. All of that. He wants to pick a specific role, specific role. Servants. "Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh." Can we see that in other translation? NLT. [Speaker 5] NLT: You who are slaves must accept the authority of your masters. Do whatever they tell you, not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are harsh. [Speaker 6] Amplified translation: You who are household servants, be submissive to your masters with all proper respect, not only to those who are kind and considerate and reasonable, but also to those who are surly, overbearing, unjust and crooked. [Speaker 1] Have you seen something? Brother, please, ordinarily, what is that scripture saying? Without self-denial, you will submit to anybody who is good and kind. If somebody is giving you, take this, take that, and he's good and kind. Will you be denying anything? The natural nature of man is as long as the person is doing you well, you too want to do well. But the Bible is teaching us about let him deny himself. The reason why this thing is becoming so important today is because it seems to me that the matter of the suffering on account of the cross is daily dying in Christian circle. Somebody said, "Do you know that Christians must stand for justice?" I said, "Yes, Christians must stand for justice." That is the position. But where Christians try to stand for justice, but what become prevalent is injustice. What do I mean? I said the Master made it clear. The Master did not say that you should go two miles ordinarily. He said if they constrain you, which means you have said something, you have stood against it, you have made some point about it, but the person is not reasonable. He's not somebody that can listen to reason. He's not somebody that is somebody who is crooked, somebody who is perverse, somebody who is wicked. The Master did not say go one mile with him again. What did He say? He said go two miles. Don't go one mile again, go two. Now, people have said, "Then how will things work out?" And that is where we miss faith. Where we miss faith is this. Do you realize that it was through the greatest injustice that humanity had ever experienced that Christianity was born? The judge could not find any fault. It got to a point, the judge was looking for self-justification. He said bring water. "Me I wash my hand o. Me I no dey o." They say He must die. The judge was so weak a person, he could not stand again because he also was trying to get a particular interest. He was not in the good books of the Roman government and he doesn't want a situation where riot will come again. So quickly to save his own position, the judge said, "Okay o, you go and do what you want." Then we saw the record of God. He who committed no sin and no fault was found in Him, yet wicked and evil men, they perpetrated the whole thing, they worked carefully and systematically and they got Him executed. But do you realize that it was through that same execution that the purpose of God was established? Who tells you that wickedness can defeat God's purpose? It is because we have not been paying attention to faith. We are not looking at the Bible. And who tells you that because a man is wicked, he cannot get mercy? Is it not through the providence of God that the very people, the very people who saw their brother weeping? Their brother was weeping and was begging them, because that was what Judah later made us to know. When they met with Joseph, he said you see I told you that day when the boy was begging us. The boy was weeping and he was begging them, and his brothers were busy doing such a callous thing. And they sold him into slavery and they sent him away like that and they collected money over their blood brother. Yet in the judgment of God, what God was arranging was that He was to preserve them. What God was arranging in that injustice was that those people so that those people will not die. So who tells you that because a man have done wickedness, a man have not done well, a man have been unjust, who tells you that God will not also use you to save him? Why do you always think that the person who is unjust to you, it will not be well with him? Is it because you don't understand the heart of the Gospel? And that is why you notice that the Bible consistently warns us that we must be careful, we must be very, very careful to leave place for God, to leave vengeance for God, because when you try to work vengeance, you will be working against God's purpose. I just imagine that like we said one time, if Joseph was to now take vengeance, then what happened to his own purpose? What happened to the purpose of God for his own life? The purpose have been compromised. Do you see that if vengeance was to come to humanity for killing Jesus, then who would be saved? If God is to make it what we normally think about because as the Lord said, "Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth." So do you think that salvation should come to any man for killing Jesus? You see, I'm saying these things so that when you see injustice and you have spoken against injustice and you have stood against injustice and it looks like things are not working, don't ever think God have abandoned you. Because it is when we think that way, you know what we now do? We abandon the path of leaving our justice in the hand of God to what? Bringing it into our hands. And when we do so, many times, many times, look at what the Bible says. The Bible says be slow to speak, be quick to hear, be slow to anger. Why? Because the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God. The reason being that the way God look at things, the way God work things out, and I keep telling believers, look at the way mercy came to us as Gentiles. The Bible says God made Israel to become blind. God made them to reject God. God made them to be stubborn so that through their disobedience, God can come and save the Gentiles. Aren't you seeing God working through I don't know whether you are understanding me. God want to save the Gentiles so that the wild olive can be grafted in. The Bible says God gave them a high of stupor that they should not see, a mind that will not understand so that God can save enough Gentiles until God have saved enough Gentiles, God will now come back to now have mercy on them so that both the Gentiles and the Jews will be saved by mercy. I'm showing you the ways of God, contrary to the way we think. The reason why this matter of let him deny himself, the discipleship of Jesus, the matter of the cross, anybody that will be able to follow consistently must understand matter of you must die first. Your interest should not be your interest. And I keep telling people, do you know that you cannot defend your interest the way God can defend it? And do you know that the person who can properly defend it is the one telling you that if you are in a relationship with somebody and the person happens to be the oga and you are the person under, the subordinate, and that person is not reasonable, it does not mean you throw away proper respect for him. It does not mean you begin to speak evil of the person, tear down the person, reduce the person, do all kinds of things and then become rebellious and stubborn. Because what you don't understand, your life can never punish disobedient when your own obedience is not fulfilled. The Bible says getting ready to punish disobedient when your obedience is fulfilled. I tell people the reason why some things about the oppression you are facing have not changed is because there's still disobedience in your own life. It is because you are trying to you are not going the Gospel way. And you see how God is talking about this matter of let him deny himself as believers. Now, you notice that he says not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. Now, verse twenty, "For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God." Are you seeing something? He says what is the if you do wrong and they punish you and then you are patient? Aren't you supposed to be patient before? If you do what is wrong and people do all kinds of things for your wrong, he say anyway me too I have done wrong, that's why. So what is special about that patience? He said but if you have done what is right, you have done what is correct in every way, you have not done anything that worth this thing that they are doing and you are taking it patiently, the Bible says this is commendable before God. And I like the way the Bible says something in verse twenty-one. Look at how it brings it back home to us. "For to this you were called." What is our call as Christians? To suffer wrongfully and take it patiently? To respect even people who are unreasonable? They are cheating us and we still respect them because it says, "Okay, he's my boss." He's doing that, we still live patiently, we are not arrogant, we are not revengeful, we are not bitter, we are not full of anger, we are not looking for how to give them back. We learn look at how Psalm 37 put it. He said, "Fret not yourself because of the evildoer. Neither become discontented because of the man that bring evil to come to pass." Let's read this. Let's read this together. Psalm 37 from verse one. Are we there together? "Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like grass and wither as the green herb." Don't fret. God can defend you. He can. He says for they shall soon be cut down like grass and wither as the herb. The man saying this demonstrated it in his life. There was a time when he did no wrong and Saul wanted to kill him. Saul was pursuing this man, pursuing him, pursuing him. At two different junctions, instances, God tested David with this matter. Saul was delivered to his hand and his soldier said, "Ah! God have put your enemy in your hand. This is the best time to finish him." What did David say? He said, "No man can touch the anointed and remain innocent." And you know that David said something. He said God knows how to deal with him. Either he will die by war or whatever, he said but his own hand will not do it. He said for they shall soon be cut down and wither as the herb. What he told us to do? Look at what he told us to do from verse three. Trust in the Lord and do good. Dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness. Do you see that? Trust in the Lord. Do good. Dwell in the land and feed on the faithfulness of God. Feed on what God has said. Endure wrongfully. Endure patiently. He says, "Delight yourself also in the Lord," instead of being oppressed, being depressed, being full of bitterness, full of anger. You are never happy again. Somebody is oppressing you and you are also oppressing yourself because yourself in you is also oppressing you. Is that not double punishment? Delight yourself! Be positive in your thought. Look to God. Trust the Lord that God is going somewhere. There is a good God want to bring out. Look at how God did with Joseph. Maybe God want me to later save this man. Begin to think the way God thinks. Our major problem today is that we don't have the mind of Christ. We don't have the mind. The Kingdom mind is lacking. There is a Kingdom mind that make us to first seek God and His righteousness. "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord. Trust also in Him and He will bring it to pass." What he telling you to do? Commit it to prayers. Tell the Lord what you want. Keep telling the Lord. Keep doing good. Keep telling the Lord what you want. He says God will do it. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light and your justice as the noonday. Rest in the Lord. Wait patiently for Him. Do not fret because of Him who prosper in his way, because of the man who bring wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger! Forsake wrath! Do not fret, it only causes harm. It only causes harm. You will not represent the Kingdom. Your own life too will not be better. Mental sickness, emotional instability, all those things, you are also dying in your own hell. Do you want to read the Message for us there? Just that verse eight. [Speaker 4] Bridle your anger, trash your wrath, cool your pipes. It only makes things worse. [Speaker 1] Do you see that? It only makes things worse. That is what most of us don't know. You are the one they are oppressing. You are the one again having depression. Somebody is punishing you, you are punishing yourself. Let us pray, brethren. We'll take this matter from here. Let him deny himself. There is a life of the cross. As the cross did also so many things to the side, there's something also about it, the suffering for the cross. It's a privilege to also suffer. And we must understand this, the Christian life. Speak to the Lord. Speak to the Lord. It's already 6:30. When we get home, we'll pray more and more on this matter. Just talk to the Lord. Let me invite our brother Godwin to close the meeting for us. [Speaker 7] Father, we want to thank you for your word this evening. Your word says day unto day your talk speak and night unto night you show knowledge. Thank you for your word again. Thank you for how you have come to us by your word. You appeared to us again this evening and we are saying thank you. Father, we are asking all we are asking is to help us to know more of your word and through your word to follow your pattern, to live like you in the name of Jesus Christ. This is our heart desire. We just want to know more of you. We just want to see more of you and to live like you all the days of our life. Grace to deny ourself every day of our life in the name of Jesus Christ. Thank you, precious Daddy. As we go again this week, go with us. Continue to give us testimony. Continue to show yourself to us by your word in the name of Jesus Christ. We pray for your servants. Lord, continue to show yourself to him bigger and bigger, brighter and brighter, deeper and deeper in the name of Jesus Christ. Thank you, precious Daddy. We pray for our online brethren, you continue to expand this word to them in the name of Jesus Christ. Thank you, precious Daddy. In Jesus' mighty name we pray. Amen. Let's share the grace together in fellowship. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us now and forevermore. Amen. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives and we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever and ever. Amen. [Speaker 1] Praise the Lord. [Speaker 7] Hallelujah. [background noise: music and speaking] [Outro] This message is coming to you from Family Tent Ministry, a Christian ministry involved in reaching the lives of singles and married through preaching and teaching of God's word, discipleship, family life enrichment, social and community development, and mission heat. Our regular activities are: Discipleship class every Monday, 5:00 PM; Adolescents and Singles' Club, every first Saturday of every month at 10:00 AM; Marriage Forum, second Saturday of every month at 10:00 AM; Family life seminars, regular school outreaches, and everyday counseling. For further counseling, you can reach us at our location, Life Camp by the First Bridge, Elere community, opposite Rejoice filling station along Ije Road, Akure, Ondo state, Nigeria. You can also reach us through our social media handles, familytent@yahoo.co.uk, familytentministry01@gmail.com, www.familytentministry.org. Our phone numbers are 080-33-86-11-36, 070-33-61-38-48. God bless you all.