DYING TO SELF

Sunday Morning:  July 18, 2004

Text: John 12:24-27  "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. 25. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. 26. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour. 27. Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour."

ABIDETH ALONE

John 12:24  "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit."

WITHOUT HIM WE ARE ALONE

John 15:4-5  "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself (alone), except it abide in the vine (Jesus); no more can ye, except ye abide [present active] in me. 5. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth [present active] in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me (ALONE) ye can do nothing."

GLORIFYING THE FATHER

John 15:8  "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples."

FRUIT OF THE VINE

Judges 9:13  "And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?"

HATING YOUR LIFE NOW

John 12:25  "He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal."

 

IS TO DENY YOURSELF NOW

Matthew 16:24-27  "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross (daily, Luke 9:23), and follow me. 25. For whosoever will save his life shall lose [perish] it: and whosoever will lose [perish] his life for my sake shall find it.

NOT DENYING SELF

26. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

SELF DENIAL IS REWARDED

27. For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works."

THOSE WHO DIE TO SELF

Matthew 6:25  Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

NO THOUGHT FOR TOMORROW

Matthew 6:34  Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

CAREFUL FOR NOTHING

Philippians 4:6  Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

IT TAKES KNOWING HIM

Philippians 3:10  "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death (Abba, Father, not my will be done but yours);"

 

TO KNOW THE POWER

Ephesians 1:19-20  "And (know) what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe [present active], according to the working of his mighty power, 20. Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places:"

TO DIE IS TO FOLLOW

John 12:26  "If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour."

TO FOLLOW IS TO LISTEN

John 10:27  "My sheep hear [present active] my voice, and I know [present active] them, and they follow [present active] me:"

TO FOLLOW IS TO FISH

Matthew 4:19  "And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of (live, saved) men."

JESUS DENIED HIMSELF

John 12:27  "Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour."

ABBA, FATHER

Mark 14:34-36  "And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful (troubled) unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. 35. And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt (for this cause I came)."

THE UNFRUITFUL

Matthew 13:20-23  "But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; 21. Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

OFFENCES WILL COME

Matthew 18:7  " . . for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!"

LOVE THE WORD

Psalms 119:165  "Great peace have they which love thy law (precepts): and nothing shall offend them."

MANY THINGS

22. He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

LUST FOR THINGS

Mark 4:19  ". . . the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful."

PLEASURES OF LIFE

Luke 8:14  ". . . and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection."

FRUITFUL

23. But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."

THE HIDDEN LIFE

Colossians 3:1-4  "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek [present active] those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2. Set your affection [present active] on things above, not on things on the earth.

YE HAVE DIED

3. For [because] ye are dead, and your life is hid [(concealed by covering), kept secret] with Christ in God.

 

THE JUST

Galatians 2:19-20  "For I through (the knowledge of) the law am dead to (the penalty of) the law (if I obey it), that I might live (justly) unto God.

LIVE BY FAITH

20. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

WILL REIGN WITH HIM

4. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory."

DIE TO THE PAST

Philippians 3:13-14  "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting (dead, not influenced) those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high [above] calling of God in Christ Jesus."

SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM

Matthew 6:33  "But seek [present active] ye first the kingdom of God (the above calling), and his righteousness; and all these things (our needs) shall be added unto you."