Text: Matthew 16:24-26
Theme: Deny Yourself
Introduction:
The Lord is good and His love endures forever. This lent led us to think about the steps to elevation, I mean the spiritual elevation. Following Christ is the foremost step on the spiritual ladder. Today, I would like to meditate with you based on Matthew 16:24-26 about the Self. I would like to request you know yourself, love yourself, and deny yourself. Jesus says that if anyone wants to follow him, let him deny himself.
KNOW YOURSELF
Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as ‘an individual's typical character or behavior; a person in prime condition; the union of elements (such as body, emotions, thoughts, and sensations) that constitute the individuality and identity of a person.’ Cambridge Dictionary puts it as ‘the set of someone's characteristics, such as personality and ability, that are not physical and make that person different from other people.’
The Encyclopaedia of Britannica defines it as ‘the personality or character that makes a person different from other people: the combination of emotions, thoughts, feelings, etc., that make a person different from others.’ Collins Dictionary defines it as ‘A person's self is the essential part of their nature which makes them different from everyone and everything else.’ The synonyms of the word self are personality, character, temperament, identity, soul, spirit, psyche, and heart.
According to renowned psychologist Carl Jung, the self gradually develops through the process known as individuation. The self is considered the center of an individual's world and encompasses more than just personal identity. The way you perceive the world is a reflection of yourself, along with your thoughts, actions, and characteristics. Psychoanalytic therapy helps with the transference of self. Transference is the process by which a person redirects feelings and desires from childhood to a new person or object (study smarter).
The essence of all Religions is that ‘Each soul is potentially divine’, i.e., we’ve infinite powers lying dormant within each of us. This awareness of the divinity, the kingdom of God within, as inner-Self, Life, Consciousness, Spirit, Atman, and Rooha. Greek philosophers had said ‘Know Thyself’. Striving to go within, to know the kingdom of God within, is education, religion, and the purpose of our vocations. Knowing that I have the same God in me as you have in you, gives us self-confidence, and this Vedantic awareness is what matches the idea of democracy; no undue privilege for anyone, equal chances for all (Sunil Kumar, Times of India – 03.03.23).
We are created fearfully and wonderfully as unique personalities or unique selves (Psalm 139:13-14). We grow through socialization which helps to ensure a consciousness of the presence of extraordinary power in everyone’s life, that is, God, the creator of the universe and humans. When we grow in the Church through Sunday Schools, MYF, and Yong Adult Fellowships, how yourself is tuned? Are you led to the Lord or led to worldly ideas and ideals? Christ would like to help you to know yourself and love yourself.
LOVE YOURSELF
Love yourself is a command (Leviticus 19:34, Mark 12:31, James 2:8). You can love yourself in a sinful way by being conceited, prideful, and arrogant and you’re better than everyone, but another one is naturally loving yourself. No doubt You are extremely handsome and beautiful because God has created you and made you irrespective of your color complex (Song of Solomon 4:7). For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10). Whoever gets a sense loves his own soul (Proverbs 19:8).
No one hates his own body. They nourish their bodies and cherish with good and tasty food and drinks (Ephesians 5:29). But Paul warns them not to be lovers of self which means lovers of evil, crookedness, and wickedness at the cost of others’ interest. They are lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, and unholy. (2 Timothy 3:1-2). They have haughty eyes and proud hearts (Proverbs 21:4). They are deceivers because of their high self-esteem (Galatians 6:3).
Bible warns such persons and says that the praise should come from another person and not from your own mouth, from a stranger, and not from your own lips (Proverbs 27:2). Appreciate the love of God for you (1 John 4:19), who is rich in mercy, because of his great love even when we were dead because of our offenses, he made us alive together with the Messiah (Ephesians 2:4-5).
Loving yourself involves choosing to see yourself as God sees you and benefits you. You can enjoy the quality of life that God intends for you by deciding to love fully, which includes loving God, loving yourself, and loving others. There is a distinction between loving self and being selfish. Selfishness directs your attention only to yourself. Loving yourself empowers you to serve others while being selfish makes it difficult. Loving yourself frees you to love God, and love others. (Whitney Hopler, Author of ‘Wake up to wonder’).
Love yourself is a way to appreciate yourself. Loving yourself means holding yourself in high regard, and taking care of yourself. Love yourself means taking care of your physical, mental, and emotional health. It means trusting yourself and setting healthy boundaries in relationships and food habits. Acknowledging and validating your feelings, and avoiding comparisons (Katy Weniger, Content Writer).
Be kind and gentle toward yourself. Love yourselves means finding peace within yourselves, resting comfortably within the depths of your being, and respecting your feelings. Buddhist psychology suggests we create more suffering for ourselves by clinging to pleasant things and having an aversion toward painful feelings (Psychology Today by John Amodeo). A well-being survey reveals that having positive feelings about yourself may be a "key to happiness, success, and popularity." (Crocker, & Knight, 2005). Loving yourselves is strongly built on forgiveness which you received from God, and forgive yourself for all misdoings, failures, and shortcomings you have committed.
DENY YOURSELF
The Dictionary of Bible Themes defines self-denial as “the willingness to deny oneself possessions or status, in order to grow in holiness and commitment to God.” Denying yourself is an essential part of the Christian life. Jesus called upon those who wish to be His followers to reject the natural human inclination toward selfishness. Self-denial for the Christian means renouncing oneself as the center of existence and recognizing Jesus Christ as one’s new and true center. Through daily self-denial and crucifying of the flesh, our life in Christ grows, strengthens, and develops more and more. Christ now becomes our life. It is to become more like Jesus in holiness and obedience to God. Denial leads to crucified status (Galatians 5:24).
Self-denial refers to Kenosis (emptied himself -Philippians 2:7). Benson comments ‘let him in all things deny his own will, however pleasing, and do the will of God, however painful.’ Barnes comments ‘let him surrender to God his will, his affections, his body, and his soul.’ For Matthew Poole, it is to put off our natural affections ‘towards pleasures, profit, honors, relations, life, or anything which would keep us from our obedience to the will of God.’ John Hill writes, ‘let him deny righteous self, and renounce all his own works of righteousness.’
Smith puts his explanation as ‘I must come to the end of my own ambitions, my own goals, my own desires, my own self way, and I must just reckon that old life of the flesh to be dead, crucified with Christ, that I might live a new life after the Spirit in Christ Jesus.’ The Greek verb translated deny also means "to say no." William Barclay brings new meaning to self-denial ‘To deny oneself means in every moment of life to say no to self and yes to God, dethrone self and enthrone God, obliterate self as the dominant principle of life, and make God the ruling principle of life.’ John O Reid says ‘this means we must disown and renounce ourselves and subjugate everything—all our works, interests, and enjoyments—to the standards set by God.’
St. Paul wrote to the Philippians who were good Christians but selfish and self-promoters, “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake, I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:7-8).
St. Peter says denying yourself means living for Christ throughout the earthly life at all costs (1 Peter 1:2). The world is full of hunger for lust, power, money, and fame. It is nothing more than a vapor, a breath, and a shadow. The passing pleasures and cares of the world will only gratify and satisfy the immediate desires.
Paul further personally exhorted Titus with these words that self-denial teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope, that is the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:11-14). Fasting is one of the disciplines of self-denial. I have exhorted you on the first day of this month that Fasting leads you to know the Will of God, to know the ways of God, and to know the wisdom of God for our lives on the earth.
Perhaps the most significant way we practice self-denial is in how we love and esteem our brothers and sisters in Christ. John the Baptist said to this disciple let him increase and let me decrease after knowing that Jesus has a greater role to play than himself (John 3:30). Self-denial is the basis for Christian fellowship and service within the church: “Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, (Philippians 2:4-5)
When you are willing to sacrifice your time, energy, rights, position, reputation, privileges, comforts, and even your very life for the sake of Christ, you exemplify what it means to deny yourself: “Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:26).
Conclusion: Today we are reminded that we should deny ourselves to fulfill the desire of Jesus Christ. However, if you don’t love how, you would deny yourself. So, I urge you to Know yourself, love yourself, and then deny yourself.
