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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Saturday, 2 March 2024:
Luke 9:1, 2 – And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.
Luke begins with a pre-cursor to the Great Commission. Jesus, under His authority, tells His Apostles to go and do what He had modelled for them, with the power of the Spirit. Jesus gave them both power and authority to do two things together – proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal, not to do just one of those things. Some Christians focus on one or the other. Evangelism should involve ministry, and ministry should involve evangelism. Ministry and evangelism should go hand in hand.
Luke 9:3-6 – And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.
Jesus began His ministry by proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:2) In other words, change the way you are thinking about everything because the kingdom of heaven is here now, and the doors are open for anyone who desires to enter into it. The kingdom of heaven is where God is revered as King and where God’s will is done. God invites anyone who wants to give up their broken kingdoms for His kingdom paradise to join Him and abide in there (live there). His goal is not just to get people into heaven but to get heaven into people. However, as a gracious King, God doesn’t force people into His kingdom – he is not an invading tyrant.
Jesus sent His disciples out to preach the gospel, or good news, of the kingdom which is available to everyone here and now to anyone who wanted to be a part of it. So, the disciples offered the Gospel to those who were willing to receive them and did not waste valuable time, energy, and effort with those who simply were not interested. Those who were not willing to receive the disciples freely were not blessed by them and did not receive the truth from them. Jesus did not expect the disciples to convince the unreceptive but rather to move on. There were plenty of other people ready to be healed and to receive God’s word.
As a way of understanding this approach, imagine you were a gifted and well-known calculus instructor. Those who were interested in learning calculus would seek you out and would be eager to learn from you, but if you walked the streets trying to convince people to take calculus classes, you would be wasting your time with crowds of uninterested people, rather than teaching those who really wanted to learn. Learning calculus takes real commitment which only comes from real desire. To “make disciples… teaching them to observe all [Jesus] commanded,” you have to work with those who truly want to be disciples. Jesus instructed His disciples to proclaim the availability of the kingdom to all and work with those who were truly interested.
Luke 9:10-17 – But he said to them, “You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.” For there were about five thousand men….
When we commit our lives to God’s service, He will place us in situations that are impossible for us to handle with our human abilities. He will force us to rely on miracles so that He can reveal Himself. If we only do what we know we can do, we don’t require faith, aren’t walking in faith, miss out on what God would have shown us, and only show others what we can do rather than the power of God.
Luke 9:18 – Who do the crowds say that I am?
Faith defies public opinion.
Luke 9:23-25, 62 – If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?” … Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.
Jesus defines the path of discipleship which cannot be followed without the power of the Holy Spirit. It starts with denying self, putting to death selfishness. That alone is worth meditating on all day today and with great self-examination. Denying self is not the same as self-denial.
Self-denial is essentially abstinence, restraining oneself from having or doing something which is wanted or enjoyable in order to achieve some sort of goal. Self-denial is often practiced for both practical reasons and for spiritual reasons. Take fasting for example: Fasting is a spiritual discipline taught in the Bible, but it is also a very popular dieting method. Fasting as a spiritual discipline involves refraining from food and drink in order to focus on God, His grace, His sufficiency, and our communion with Him in prayer. However, the dieter refrains from food merely to lose weight, either for health reasons for aesthetic reasons.
Self-denial can be healthy or unhealthy, helpful or hurtful, both in its practical forms and it spiritual forms. Self-denial can be an act of sinful, destructive self-centeredness, whether it be manifested in forms of self-loathing or self-righteousness and self-sufficiency. The Bible warns against self-denial in quest of sanctifying merit, self-centered suffering in order to achieve rather than receive righteousness. In any case, self-denial involves a struggle with self which ultimately cannot be won through our own might; it is a battle against the flesh which cannot be won in the flesh, only in the Spirit – “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate…. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.” (Romans 7:15, 18) Self-control is not the fruit of will power but rather the fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:23)
– Colossians 2:23 — These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.
Denying self is dying of self, putting to death self-centeredness, selfishness, self-reliance, self-ambition, self-motivation, self-righteousness, etc. Denying self is making Christ the focus rather than ourselves, glorifying Him rather than ourselves, seeking to know Him rather than to discover ourselves, finding true fulfillment in Him rather than seeking self-fulfillment. It is identifying ourselves as His rather than attempting to choose our own identity. Denying self is surrendering our will, our goals, and our objectives to His will and purposes and placing no hope or trust in our own abilities apart from Him. While self-denial might be an attempt to change behaviors in order to change the heart, denying self involves a change of heart which subsequently changes behaviors – “It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” (Matthew 15:11) “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34)
Of course, though our heart determines our actions, our actions also change our heart; so, the Bible does call us to behavior modification in order to protect and cultivate our hearts towards Christlikeness. However, behavior modification without the heart’s ultimate desire for Christlikeness merely cleans the outside of the cup and puts whitewash on a tomb full of dead bones. The motive for loving behavior must be love itself, love which can only be instilled in us by God who is Love and the source of all love. We must abide in His love to be able to love others and for His love to be perfected in us over time.
Many pursue acts of self-denial in an attempt to strengthen their will power, their self-control. However, the Bible makes it clear that self-control is a fruit of the spirit, not the flesh – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5:22-24) Examining these verses, you will see that the ‘bookends’ of the fruit of the spirit (the first and last attributes) are “love” and “self-control.” Why? Because what you really love is what will ultimately control you or determine your actions. As much as you might try to resist yourself, in the end, you will surrender to what you care about most. The secret to living a godly life is to truly desire God’s will above your own selfish, self-centered desires. When you want what God wants, doing it is no longer difficult – “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.” (1 John 5:3)
– Luke 9:25 — For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?
We were created to live for Him and to glorify Him, and Jesus warns that if we don’t deny self we will “forfeit” ourselves – hard words to accept. We see throughout Luke 9 how the disciples stumble over “self,” fighting over which of them would be the greatest (9:46), getting jealous of other preachers (9:49), and letting anger disorient them (9:54). For their self-centeredness, Jesus rebuked the disciples and reminded them, “For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.” (9:55, 48) How many of us are working diligently to become the least for His glory?
– Luke 9:23 — And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
– Galatians 2:20 — I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
– Galatians 5:24 — And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Taking up the cross is a daily process that is not just about suffering (everyone suffers) – it is about claiming our identity in Christ, living for Christ alone, and willingly suffering maltreatment in our relationships with others for His glory and to proclaim the Gospel in our ministry of reconciliation. Taking up the cross daily involves proclaiming the grace of God by forgiving unconditionally, giving abundantly, loving your enemies, and proclaiming Jesus, regardless the personal cost, so others might come to know Him as their Lord and Savior. Giving, forgiving, witnessing, and suffering for sake of the Gospel require faith – “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) Every day, God will give you the opportunity to do all these things; will you be faithful in faith?
– John 8:12 — Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
– John 10:27 — My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
– John 12:26 — If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
Following Jesus – this is where the rubber meets the road. Jesus first commanded the disciples, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19) The Bibles says they “rose and followed him.” (Matthew 9:9) Those who recognize who Christ really is, who truly appreciate grace and the gift of eternal life, who are truly amazed by the immeasurable riches they have received in Him, and who understand their total dependence on Him (like the vine is dependent on the branch – John 15) follow Him. Those who don’t rest solely on His grace and walk in the Spirit cannot follow Him (see Matthew 9:27 and Matthew 19:21). You can’t live your life and follow Jesus at the same time; it is an all-or-nothing proposition. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, the Life, and the Light. When we are not following Jesus, but rather going our own way, we are walking in darkness. (John 8:12) We must follow without any hesitation, wholeheartedly (Luke 9:59), no looking back. Those who do follow Jesus will reign with him in the Kingdom. (Matthew 19:28)
Luke 9:40 – I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.
In Luke 9:1, Jesus gave his disciples the power to cast out demons, but by Luke 9:40, they are found to be unable to do what Jesus empowered them to do. Why? Jesus explained that what rendered His people powerless and ineffective was not a lack of potential empowerment by the Holy Spirit or a lack of authority from God, but simply a lack of faith. Jesus says that they lacked the faith to do what God had already enabled them to do. How about you? Are you trusting God to live powerfully?
Luke 9:46-50 – An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest.
Jealousy is unfitting of a Christian. If you have truly denied self, there will be no jealousy. Jealousy caused divisions among God’s people and detracts from ministry and evangelism. Jealousy and envy are what inspired the religious leaders to seek the death of the Savior – that’s how serious jealousy is.
Notice this argument is recorded right after the story if the disciples’ failure to cast out a demon. The disciples were out of step with the Spirit and therefore demonstrated neither the fruit of the Spirit nor the gifts of the Spirit to the level God intended for them, thereby, failing to glorify God as intended. You will either live for self or for Spirit, moment by moment, decision by decision. There is no real power in self-centered living. (See John 15)
– Acts 7:51 – [Resisting the Spirit] — You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit.
– 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 – [Quenching the Spirit] Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.
– Ephesians 4:30-32 – [Grieving the Spirit] And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
– Galatians 5:25, 26 — [Getting out of step with the Spirit] If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
– Hebrews 3:7-14 – [Provoking the Spirit] — Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years. Therefore, I was provoked with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways.’ As I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter my rest.’” Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.
– Hebrews 10:26-29 – [Outraging the Spirit] For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?
Luke 9:57-62 – And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
Jesus modeled “deny self” for all to see, again, leaving no doubt that He meant His words to be taken literally rather than figuratively or metaphorically. Jesus wasn’t complaining about His conditions nor pridefully bragging about His sacrifices in order to validate Himself or gain respect from others as so many do. Nor was He extoling poverty as the mark of holiness. Rather, He was demonstrating and communicating life in the kingdom where love, joy, and peace don’t depend on external conditions but rather on living in the constant and perfect presence and providence of God, abiding in Him, trusting Him, and receiving all of life as a gift from the Father who lovingly ordains everything for a perfect good which surpasses human understanding and perspective. Jesus could have easily found a comfortable place to lay His head, but that wasn’t really that important to Him – it just didn’t matter. He was driven, joyfully and enthusiastically, to do what He needed to do to fulfill His God-given purpose. He wasn’t worried about all that other stuff which everyone else was so worried about. What motivates you, and what matters to you? What do you need to feel love, joy, and peace? Do the things you are pursuing give you unshakable love, joy, and peace?
Luke 9:62 — No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.
You are either going to follow Jesus or not. You cannot half follow Him. Also, it doesn’t do you any good to look backwards while you are trying to walk straight into the future. The past is over. The future is beyond your control. What God calls you to do is glorify Him in the moment, making the most of every opportunity by doing His will with His heart while trusting in His power and providence, regardless the apparent outcome. Denying self obeys God at all costs, not only willingly but joyfully.
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 2 March 2024: Deny self, take up your cross, and follow Jesus today.
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 