The Blessing of Self-Denial

Self-denial is often seen as the effort it takes to give up certain earthly pleasures. But when Jesus teaches us to deny ourselves, it is more than that. For Jesus, it is not so much we what give up, but what we take up: faith in his cross. In this faith, we deny ourselves and our ability to save ourselves, while also trusting that Jesus, as the Christ of God, bore our sins on the cross, in our place, to save us from them. In this, we come to know the greatest joy there is, Jesus’ love for us. In this, earthly pleasures, and their so-called rewards, are revealed to be what they are: only earthly pleasures, with no eternal reward attached to them at all. Come and hear this sermon based on Luke 9:18-25, “The Blessing of Self Denial.”