Matthew 16:24 Then said Jesus to his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. I. IN THE WAY OF SELF-INDULGENCE. This appears when in the promotion of God's work we choose to do what is easy and pleasant and leave others to do what is not in accordance with our tastes or which requires sacrifice of any kind. 1. The moral unseemliness of it must strike us at once; when we refuse self-indulgence in ordinary pursuits. 2. This self-indulgence shows that we lack a genuine interest in God and in His work. 3. It hinders our own progress and success in the Christian service. II. SELF-DEPENDENCE IS ANOTHER FORM OF THE EVIL. In the former case too little was made of human agency; in this, too much. We do God's work without His help. 1. The aggravated ungodliness which this self-dependence involves. In worldly affairs our agency is little compared with God's agency. 2. It hinders the action within us of the Holy Spirit. III. SELF-SEEKING IS ANOTHER FORM OF THE EVIL. 1. Look at the shocking incongruity which self-seeking in connection with God's work involves. Never more out of place than in working for God's glory. 2. Look at what the self-seeking man suffers who indulges it. The pain of envy as he looks at those working on a higher plane; failure. 3. How much the cause of Christ suffers for his self-seeking; because of it he cannot see what is right and best for the cause. 4. Then the loss which the self-seeker sustains should be considered. He loses influence, honour, praise. It is when we seek the things of others that we find our own. On these grounds self-abnegation should be exercised in God's work. (David Thomas, B. A.) Parallel Verses KJV: Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. |
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