30th Mar 26 | 13:54
Studies by Book
Luke 14 25-33 The cost of discipleship 09 Deny the self
📖 Luke 14:25-33
31Dec19 - *Deny the self* - _Luke 14:25-33_ - Bible reading: _Galatians 2:20_
_Luke 14:27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple._
We need to be constantly reminded that we cannot be Christ’ disciples by our own strength. We will fail miserably if we try to do so. Discipleship is a walk in the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit alone, who enables us to be disciples of Jesus.
We have understood the first requirement to be a disciple of Christ, when Jesus said that we have to hate our loved ones. We then went into the second requirement of being a disciple of Jesus, which is to hate our life.
Now, we will consider the third requirement to be a disciple of Jesus. _Luke 9:23 Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, *let him deny himself*, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me._
The third requirement to be a disciple of Jesus is to *deny the self*.
In the story of the Rich Young Ruler, we see that the self gets attached to money or mammon. Money is not neutral but powers of darkness, come along with money and takes control of our ‘self’. This was the reason Jesus gave the young man this instruction. _Mark 10:21-22 Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me." (22) But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions._ The young man decided to hold on to his money but in doing so, he enthroned self.
The Lord is not calling us to sell all our material possessions and go and live as hermits but He is calling us to live as stewards of the material possessions of life and hold the material in an open hand. The self will want to clasp and grab the material and make it our identity, our security and our wellbeing. This is the reason the self and mammon are closely associated but when we hold money in stewardship and release money for people and the gospel of Jesus Christ then we build our treasures in heaven. We will be truly rich.
Our identity must be in Christ. _Colossians 3:3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God._ To have our identity in Christ, the self must go to the cross. _Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me._
This is why Jesus went to the cross for all of us, so that we should no longer life for ourselves. Sin is with the self. Therefore, to deal with sin, we must take the self to the cross. _II Corinthians 5:15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again._
*Thought to ponder*
```Are you living your identity in Christ?```