Embracing Hope Through Self-Denial and Restoration

jesus offers a life under the easy oak with a rested soul, but it is also a life of great strenuous effort agonizo we get the word agony is one of the words paul uses to describe himself and if you don't think that that all goes together then there's more to learn. [00:01:21]

one of the amazing things about the human being is that it is capable of restoration and indeed of a restoration that makes it somehow more magnificent because it has been ruined. this is a hopeful but strange thought does doesn't explain why he thinks that a restored human being can be even more magnificent after the ruin. [00:02:00]

there does seem to be something about the agony, the beauty of the cross at the center of human history a god who's willing to suffer, that has echoed in all of our lives that there is something glorious about restoration at any rate that's the path that we're on. [00:02:42]

john calvin remarked, for as the surest source of destruction to men human beings is to obey themselves now this would be a critical thought that we'll come back to to obey yourself means doing what you feel like doing, satisfying your desires or your will, that's the surest source of destruction. [00:03:36]

so the only haven of safety is to have no other will no other wisdom than to follow the lord wherever he leads. let this then be the first step to abandon ourselves and devote the whole energy of our minds to the service of god. [00:04:07]

this transformation which paul calls the renewing of the mind romans 12 2, though it is the first entrance of life was unknown to all the philosophers he's thinking of the greeks the stoics they gave the primary place to reason alone, but christian philosophy bids her give place and yield complete submission to the holy spirit. [00:04:57]

self-denial must never be confused with self-rejection, nor is it to be thought of as a painful and strenuous act perhaps repeated from time to time against great internal resistance. it is rather an overall settled condition of life in the kingdom of god better described as death to self. [00:05:46]

self-denial actually calls for deep self-acceptance my body my personality my experience god will only bless you as you are who you are where you are, and then self-denial is not an occasional act that we do through gritted teeth and great internal resistance it is he says an overall settled condition of life in the kingdom. [00:07:41]

the ruined life is not to be enhanced but replaced, so the alcoholic who says you mean i've never have another drink that's the only thing that makes my life worth living yes that's what it means, the anxious person means you mean i'll actually have to face my fear and walk towards them yes that's what it means. [00:09:36]

jesus makes these amazing statements those who find their life shall lose it whoever aims to save their life or lose it whoever loses their life for my sake will save it what would you trade your very soulful and and then dallas says this we must always remember in hearing these words of jesus about the worth of the soul. [00:10:05]

it is because of the great worth of the soul that the self is to be denied, so take away today do something that you do not want to do skip that glass of wine or that dessert just one thing don't have to be religious go to bed on time answer all your emails and text as soon as they come in. [00:11:18]

self-denial is not just doing what i don't want to do and not doing what i do want to do you can do those two things and go down terrible roads, so what exactly is self-denial well why don't you keep working on that what do you think see what you can discover we'll take it up next time. [00:12:08]