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Self-Defense or Self-Denial?
9 Plays7 days ago
Series: Faithfulness to Jesus
Mark 14:53-72
Recommended
Transcript
Understanding Stress Tests
00:00:01
Speaker
I'm curious this morning how many of you have ever undergone a stress test. You ever seen these at the doctor's office when they want to hook you up to these little electrodes on your chest, probably, sometimes on your back?
00:00:17
Speaker
And they're testing to see whether or not your body responds a certain way under pressure, under times of stress. There's another type of stress test.
00:00:28
Speaker
It's in the engineering field. Those of you who are engineers know that there is a engineering stress test. And that test is used to find flaws or weaknesses, like when they build a bridge that you would drive over.
00:00:44
Speaker
They put that bridge under a stress test to make sure it can hold up under the daily situations that it's supposed to undergo. Friends, those two types of stress tests measure failure under pressure.
00:00:59
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that's That's what they're designed to do. Failure under
Spiritual Stress Tests: Faith vs. Failure
00:01:02
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pressure. But this morning I want to talk about another type of stress test, and and that's a spiritual stress test. The spiritual stress test doesn't measure failure under pressure, it measures faithfulness under pressure. So the big question this morning is, friends, when was the last time your faith was tested under pressure?
00:01:27
Speaker
When was the last time somebody called you out on what you believe? When was the last time you were with a group of fellow believers and they asked you specifically about something that you may not agree with?
00:01:41
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Were you quiet?
00:01:44
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Did you stand up for what you believe in?
00:01:49
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Did you pass that stress test with flying colors? Or were you more like Peter? that we're going to read about today.
Peter's Shortcomings and Disciples' Responses
00:01:59
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See, Peter, for all of his great qualities, friends, he came up real short when it counted most.
00:02:07
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He was more interested, we'll see this morning, about saving his own skin rather than sticking up for Jesus. He was more concerned with self-preservation rather than self-denial. And friends, I think that the sad truth that we're experiencing here in this great nation is over the last 20 30 years, we have as the church produced a generation of Christians that are Peters, that are ill-prepared when the stress test of spirituality comes their way.
00:02:39
Speaker
I think we're going to see quite often that it's tough to stand up under the pressures It's tough to stand up for Jesus, but this is exactly what the scriptures are going to teach us today.
00:02:51
Speaker
This is what we're going to look at in the end of Mark 14. I know we've been in Mark 14 now, it seems like. three or four weeks. This, i I promise, this is the last of it. And just to let you know, just two more weeks and then we'll be out of Mark altogether.
00:03:04
Speaker
So Mark chapter 14 is all about these two responses of the disciples. One which passes the stress test and one which does not.
00:03:15
Speaker
One which leads to failure under pressure, that is self-preservation, you'll see in your notes. That's Peter we'll read about. And second, one that's all about passing that spiritual stress test, and that's the self-denial that Jesus shows us.
00:03:33
Speaker
That's where we're going today. We have quite a lengthy passage today. I thought about breaking it up into two parts, but it simply won't do the story justice.
Mark 14: The Narrative 'Sandwich'
00:03:42
Speaker
If if you've ever read this section of scripture and you thought about it like a movie, there's a lot of camera movement between these two scenes that that we're going to read about today.
00:03:57
Speaker
If you follow the action real closely, it starts with the camera focused on Jesus and the high priest, and then it quickly cuts over to what's happening out in the courtyard. Then it goes back to the high priest, and then it ends back in the courtyard.
00:04:11
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A lot of action back and forth in and Mark designed it this way so that when we read it there's these two very contrast pictures going on.
00:04:23
Speaker
One of Peter in what not to do and one of Jesus of what to do. This is the last of the Mark sandwiches that we've talked about before, right? The sandwich being starting with Peter and ending with Peter of examples what not to do and right in the middle of that sandwich is Jesus and what it looks like to be faithful.
00:04:43
Speaker
Let's read I'll read the entirety 53 through 72 and just picture with me that this is a movie scene as it's unfolding.
Jesus' Trial and Silence
00:04:54
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Chapter 14, 53 says, And they took Jesus to the high priest's home where the leading priests and the elders and the teachers of the religious religious law had gathered.
00:05:06
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Meanwhile, Peter followed him at a distance. And he went right into the high priest's court. There he sat with the guards, warming himself by the fire.
00:05:17
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Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find evidence against Jesus. So they could put him to death, but they could not find any. Many false witnesses spoke against him, but they contradicted each other.
00:05:33
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Finally, some men stood up and gave this false testimony. We heard them say, I will destroy this temple made with human hands, and in three days I will build another made without human hands.
00:05:45
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But even then, they didn't get their story straight. Then the high priest stood up before the others and he asked Jesus, Well, aren't you going to answer against these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?
00:05:58
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But Jesus was silent and he made no reply. And then the high priest asked him, Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One? To which Jesus said, I am.
00:06:12
Speaker
And you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power God's right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest tore his clothes to show his horror, and he said, Why do we need other witnesses?
00:06:25
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You have heard all this blasphemy. And what is your verdict? Guilty, they all cried. He deserves to die. And some of them began to spit at him, and they blindfolded him and beat him with their fist.
00:06:40
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Prophesy to us, they jeered. And the guards slapped him as they took him ah away.
Peter's Denials and Increasing Distance
00:06:48
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Here's the other story. Verse 66. Meanwhile, Peter was in the courtyard below. One of the servant girls who worked for the high priest came by and noticed Peter warming himself with the fire.
00:07:00
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And she looked at him closely and said, you were one of those with Jesus Nazareth. But Peter denied him. I don't know what you're talking about, he said. And he went out into the entryway and just then a roster rooster crowed.
00:07:18
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When the servant girl saw him standing there, she began telling others, hey, this man is definitely one of them. But Peter denied it again. And a little later, some of the other bystanders confronted Peter.
00:07:33
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And he said, you must be one of them. You're a Galilean. But Peter swore, ah curse on me if I'm lying. I don't know this man you're talking about. And immediately the rooster crowed a second time.
00:07:49
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Suddenly Jesus' words flashed through Peter's mind. Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times that you even know me. And he broke down and wept.
00:08:06
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It's a masterful written account, these two stories, as they're intertwined with one another. One showing what to do, Jesus, in faithfulness, and Peter in unfaithfulness.
00:08:21
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One denies himself, the other defends himself and denies his master. The outer story, this upper part of the sandwich, we say, begins right here in verse 53. Look with me, verse 53 says,
00:08:35
Speaker
They took Jesus to the high priest's home where the leading priests and the elders and the teachers of the religious law, they all gathered there. it's a It's a picture, friends, of Jesus being dragged into this mockery of a trial, and it's Jesus alone against everybody else.
00:08:55
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Against the high priests, against all the chief priests, against all the elders, against all the scribes. And there's just Jesus alone.
00:09:06
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Where are the disciples? Well, you'll remember, just look up a couple of verses at verse 50. Verse 50 tells us that all the disciples deserted him and ran away. He's all alone in this mock trial, Jesus is. And the only one who's come to his defense, the only disciple is Peter.
00:09:31
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Thank you, Lord, for Peter. But look what it says right there. in verse 54. Meanwhile, Peter what followed him at a distance, a safe distance, you could say.
00:09:48
Speaker
He's doing something, the author here, just by the words he's using. He's letting you know as a disciple they were with Jesus for three years. But in this moment of spiritual stress test, they're no longer with him. Matter of fact, they're further away from him.
Theological Analysis of Peter's Denials
00:10:07
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there's physical distance, but what he's really pointing out is there's a spiritual distancing happening. And it's a foreshadow of really Peter's later denial of Jesus.
00:10:19
Speaker
And I thought to myself this week how awkward this movie scene must have been. Here's Peter slinking in, if you will, as they're getting ready to try Jesus, and he's hiding back and warming himself around the fire with the very guards that had just beaten Jesus and spat on Jesus.
00:10:41
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And he's warming his hands with these guys, watching from a safe distance.
00:10:48
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Friends,
00:10:51
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there is no following behind Jesus in this world. There's no following him from a safe distance. For somebody who's taking notes, that might be something that you want to write down.
00:11:04
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We cannot follow Jesus from a safe distance.
00:11:08
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We must be with him as disciples. Peter, who hears what's going on in the courtyard, is warming himself by the fire when all of a sudden it says the camera focuses right on Peter and this girl, this servant girl, who accuses Peter right off the bat the first time.
00:11:30
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Hey, you're a Nazarene. You were with Jesus, the Nazarene. And how does Peter respond?
00:11:40
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I know what you're talking about. Matter of fact, I don't know what you're talking about and I don't know who that is that you're talking about. Two different types of the word know using here.
00:11:51
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I don't know him is the Greek word oida. It's a theological word. It's a I don't know everything about who Jesus is, basically.
00:12:02
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And the second word here is epistemi, right? This is a practical knowledge. Not only do I not know who he is like the Messiah, I don't even know who he is as a as a person, as a friend, somebody I've been following for three years.
00:12:18
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It is a complete and total denial that Peter is pictured at here. And it says that he leaves the fire to head out to the front courtyard, to the entryway.
00:12:32
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I like Justin Peters, he says this, he says, Peter's biggest hope right now is that a change of location will save him, but it just pushes him even further away from Jesus.
00:12:47
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Physically, he has now left the fire and he's gone even further away from Jesus. And in his denial, spiritually, he has now separated himself even further.
00:12:59
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Justin Peters goes on and says, A change of place or a change of location is no substitute for a change of heart. It says, like a guilty conscience here, this servant girl accuses Peter for a second time, and this time she enlists bystanders. So no longer is it just a one-on-one, the servant girl and Peter. Now she's gathered in a few other people.
00:13:21
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Hey, you know who this guy is. He's one of them, meaning he's a follower of Jesus. it's It's a very specific choice of words here. it's it's ah It's a picture of association.
00:13:34
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Hey, this guy, he's not just ah naar a Nazarene, he's a Galilean. Not only is he a Galilean, he's somebody who follows Jesus. Do you know what that means?
00:13:47
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I don't know him, Peter says a second time. Active denials.
00:13:54
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The further you get away from Jesus, friends, the easier it is to deny him. The third accusation is the boldest, and so is Peter's denial. It says he begins to curse and swear.
00:14:07
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i don't know this man you speak of. And it's at this third denial that you can imagine the scene is getting darker and the curtains are drawing close and you hear the crowing sound in the background.
00:14:24
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And it says, Peter's eyes are opened and he remembers what Jesus said. And as the scene grows dim, says, Peter breaks down and weeps. Under the spiritual stress test, he fails under that pressure.
00:14:40
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He was more concerned about saving his own skin. Imagine when they identified him by the fire and this girl says, hey, you're one of them. You're a follower of Jesus.
00:14:50
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Imagine if he would have stood up and go, you're right. I'm proud of it. I'm a follower of Jesus. What would they have done to Peter? They would have taken him and started doing the same thing they're getting ready to do to Jesus.
00:15:04
Speaker
Friends, it's a fear that that Peter goes through right here, and it's that fear that leads him to walk away in denial. and I think we're quite easy sometimes to go, not me.
00:15:21
Speaker
I'm not going to deny Jesus. right How many of you, if I took a poll this morning, would say, you know what, I woke up this morning thinking to myself, I may accidentally deny Jesus today.
00:15:34
Speaker
Nobody here is gonna admit that. But you know how we deny Jesus? We do it by this. You're out with your friends and your family. You're out with other church believers that may go to another church that doesn't quite align with what we believe.
00:15:46
Speaker
And they put you on the spot and they ask you something that you know to be truth. and you don't speak up.
00:15:57
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You just deny Jesus. Friends, I don't feel like we are that many years away here in this great nation where you're going to be maligned for being a Christian.
00:16:11
Speaker
You're not going to be able to sit here openly and just go, hey, I'm i'm going to be a Christian and I'm to step out into the world and nothing's going to happen to me. We're not very far because what they're doing now is they're lining things up.
00:16:23
Speaker
First you're a Christian, now you're a conservative, then you're an extremist, then you're a racist. Start falling in the blanks and they're going to start grouping that all together under the heading of Christian.
Modern Denials of Faith
00:16:38
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So I thought to myself this week, what happens when we're in that crowd and we get confronted? Are you a Christian? Is that really what you believe?
00:16:50
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Yes, that's something I believe. That's what the Word of God says. Or, you know what? I don't really want to upset anybody in this group.
00:16:59
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I don't want to get into the debate with that person. I don't have the time. That's that's my own personal favorite. That's what I like.
00:17:09
Speaker
It's just not worth it. That's another excuse we like to throw out. That person, they believe what they believe. As long as I believe what I believe.
00:17:23
Speaker
Friends, I think sometimes our silence can speak louder than our own words. When it comes to the cause of Jesus, when it comes to the cause of Christ, you and i when we're called to the carpet, we must stand up.
00:17:35
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We must respond. We must pledge our allegiance. We can no longer be silent. We can't be concerned about saving our own skin.
00:17:47
Speaker
As disciples, as followers of Jesus, our walk requires us to be with Him. not following from a safe distance. So Peter, friends, is the negative illustration for us here today.
00:18:00
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um And before we're too hard on Peter, remember, we're often Peter. So if that's the negative illustration, what's the positive illustration? Well, it's Jesus himself.
00:18:12
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The NIV says here at verse 55, look with me at verse 55, says the Sanhedrin was looking for this word. is is They are actively seeking some way to condemn him.
00:18:27
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They're not pulling together a trial to give him a fair trial. They're pulling together this mockery of a trial to condemn him. But it says no grounds can be found for accusation.
00:18:40
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so So the Sanhedrin must resort to a false testimony. See, Jewish law required at least two valid witnesses to come forward and both of their stories had to line up for that charge to be held up in court.
00:18:52
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It says they can't even get two people to get their story straight. I actually like the and the NLT as it reads that, right? They can't even find two people to to consort together the right way.
00:19:03
Speaker
Hey, let's get your false testimony and let's get your false testimony. Let's just condemn Jesus. What does one guy say? Oh, Jesus says he's going to tear down the temple that was made with hands. Did Jesus ever say that, by the way?
00:19:18
Speaker
No. They can't even get their story straight. They can't get two people to agree to falsely testify against Jesus. It's kind of a
Jesus' Affirmation vs. Peter's Denial
00:19:29
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mockery. So it says basically they just push forward.
00:19:33
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They push on because they can't get these two witnesses. And it says, the high priest confronts Jesus with this question of identity. Are you the Christ?
00:19:45
Speaker
Friends, there's no gray area. There's no, I can remain silent during that question. Are you the son of the blessed one? To which Jesus finally responds,
00:19:57
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Period. Period. Even if he didn't respond the rest of the way, if he simply said, I am, Sanhedrin would have known exactly what he meant. Because when Moses was asking God, how do i tell them who you are? He says, I am who I am.
00:20:19
Speaker
And Jesus responding, are you the Christ? Are you the son of the blessed one? And he says, I am. Friends, there's only one response that the Sanhedrin is giving here. And that is blasphemy.
00:20:31
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How dare you put yourself in line with God? Not only does he say, I am, but he says, you'll see that the Son of Man, which is Jesus' favorite title for himself, you'll see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming with clouds of heaven.
00:20:51
Speaker
There's no mistaking what Jesus is saying here. And he knows there's no going back. There's no, I'm planting my flag of allegiance for Christ, for God, and then somehow going, I'm going to get out of this okay.
00:21:06
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I might get a little beat up. No. Jesus knew exactly what he was doing here and how he responded. Faithful to the very end. He knew that by this simple response it would lead to the cross.
00:21:19
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That his fate was sealed by his own truthful admission. There's no faltering, there's no hesitation, there's no holding back, there's no thinking, am I going to offend anybody with the way I respond?
00:21:34
Speaker
He doesn't even argue with these false witnesses. He gives them the silent treatment, but when it comes to the question of identification, friends, he simply says, and he models for us how we are to respond.
00:21:49
Speaker
He wasn't looking for a way out. That's what I put this week as I reread this, and I thought about it as a movie. I thought, can you imagine a dramatic buildup this of the sounds and the and the crowd angrily, crucify him, crucify him.
00:22:07
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Are you the Messiah? You bet I am. And it's straight to the cross from this point forward.
00:22:15
Speaker
He's not looking for a way out. He's not looking for a way to save his own skin. He could have easily stayed silent when he was asked this question, but instead he knew what it was and what it involved to remain faithful to the very end.
Self-Denial in Discipleship
00:22:27
Speaker
And it's it's about self-denial and not self-preservation. He is indeed the positive model for us here this morning. So I asked myself this week, what does that mean for you and I today in the congregation here at First Baptist Church?
00:22:41
Speaker
What is our takeaway this morning from this passage? If we are to remain faithful disciples of Jesus, if we are to follow with him, not at a safe distance away from him, how do we follow him in such a way that we'll pass the spiritual stress test?
00:22:56
Speaker
Because, friends, that test is coming for you and I. That's where we're going to end today. Three three ways, quickly. what does it mean to deny ourselves? I asked my loving wife that this week as we had dinner together.
00:23:12
Speaker
said, let me ask you a question. And she goes, uh-oh. You never do this before a sermon. Why are you asking me a question? I said, because I really want to know what you think this term means, self-denial. What does it mean to deny oneself?
00:23:27
Speaker
The Dictionary Bible Themes defines it this way. It says, the willingness to deny oneself possessions or status in order to grow in holiness and commitment to God.
Practicing Self-Denial
00:23:42
Speaker
The deny yourself language that Jesus uses as is really strong terms in the original language. It's it's something similar to what Paul says in in Philippians 3. He says, But whatever gain I had, I count as a loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
00:24:02
Speaker
For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and counted them as trash or rubbish. in order that I may gain Christ. but The purpose of self-denial, counting as a loss all earthly gains, is to be more like Jesus.
00:24:20
Speaker
It's a practice that you and I need to take, just like an athlete takes, to practice before the race. See, athletes don't just go to the race, they practice, they train.
00:24:31
Speaker
And friends, this this self-denial is your training, it's my training so that when the spiritual stress test comes, we can pass with flying colors. So how do we do that? How do you and I do that? Three just quick ways, fasting.
00:24:44
Speaker
And let me just tell you, biblically speaking, church speaking, this is probably one of the most misunderstood things ever, fasting.
00:24:57
Speaker
We live in a world where you simply turn the TV on and it's telling you constant consumption of food is good. Matter of fact, there's a and ah an entire channel, nothing but food.
00:25:09
Speaker
And they're smart, they call it the food channel.
00:25:15
Speaker
There's books on eating. There's women's conferences on what to eat and how to eat it.
00:25:24
Speaker
Fasting has the appeal of a load of bricks. if you think about it.
00:25:30
Speaker
But regular fasting provides a rhythm of denying ourselves and helps us prepare for when others deny us as well. Fasting helps us entering the suffering of others like our brothers and sisters who are really facing persecution outside of the United States.
00:25:49
Speaker
And it teaches us ironically that we we can do with less. I know it's not a popular topic in the United States here in the West to deal with less, to have less.
00:26:05
Speaker
Start slow with the right motivation when it comes to fasting. Start slow, meaning maybe it's a meal a day. Maybe it's I'm going to do without breakfast. And it's with the right motivation. It's not so I can make a check mark and go, yep, didn't eat breakfast today. Boy, I feel holier.
00:26:21
Speaker
Right? Because I know I'm the only one that does that.
00:26:27
Speaker
Start right, start small, but with the right motivation. Hey, i'm I'm actively choosing to practice self-denial by not eating a meal or two, knowing that this is in preparation, that I'm doing this so that when the spiritual stress test comes, I can pass.
00:26:46
Speaker
Fasting, that's the first way. Second, give to the poor and to the needy. This is a form of self-denial that Jesus himself encouraged and practiced.
00:26:57
Speaker
Thomas Daly, who's a preacher and theologian, he says, constant, inconsistent, self-denying benevolence, which is giving to the poor, is God's remedy for your selfishness and covetous. Don't you love that?
00:27:12
Speaker
how do i build How do I build a defense about being selfish and covetous? Well, guess what? Go give to the poor. You'll be surprised at how you can go through your closet and find that extra stuff that's laying around.
00:27:32
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Some of it with the price tag still on it.
00:27:37
Speaker
Maybe you go to your shoe closet. I lost all the ladies right there, I'm sorry. I'm just joking. I'd rather give up a meal than give up a pair of stilettos. Is that what the women are saying right now?
00:27:49
Speaker
Imagine if you went through your closet and you gave away some new shoes.
00:27:55
Speaker
giving to the poor, giving to the needy, doing less, self-denial. about living modestly, very closely tied to the second one? Living modestly rather than indulging in excess.
00:28:12
Speaker
This is a problematic area for us in the West. We love excess. but We love luxury. It's tough to deny ourselves in this area, but but Jesus does so.
00:28:25
Speaker
mark Matthew 8, 20 tells us as well. we We have a the benefit of living a blessed life here in the U.S., don't we?
00:28:36
Speaker
The opulence. you know my My oldest sister and her husband, they were in Bolivia for many years as missionaries, and they said the first thing when they came back to the United States, when they went they had they had adopted some kids there, and when they got to El Paso, they said,
00:28:49
Speaker
ah we We went to a grocery store and she said the kids the kids that were native Bolivians, they said their mouth was just hanging open. And they were like, you have rows upon rows of cereal. That was their first thing.
00:29:02
Speaker
You live in a land of much, of many, of luxury. And we all have all this stuff that we can potentially do without cereal. How does that look practically to you and I this week? Maybe that means ah not going out and doing that big new purchase that you had planned.
00:29:22
Speaker
Maybe it's thinking to yourself, you know what, I can do with what I have. You know what, maybe less is more. Maybe I can be content with what God has already blessed me with. Living modestly rather than indulging in excess is a great practice in self-denial.
00:29:40
Speaker
Friends, denying yourself means seeking the good of others before looking out for yourself.
00:29:50
Speaker
Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. May we be a people who practice self-denial for the cause of Christ and all God's people said.