EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR
10/22/2026 9:37 PM
My
Worship Time Focus:
PT-3
“Self-Denial”
Bible
Reading & Meditation Reference: Luke 9:23a
Message of the verse: “he must deny himself”
I wish to pick up from where I left
off this morning in quoting from John MacArthur’s commentary on this short
verse.
“The New Testament uses three Greek
words to describe repentance. Metanoeo
(Matt. 3:2; Matt. 4:17; Luke 10:13; 15:7, 10) expresses the mental aspect of
repentance.”
(Matt. 3:2; Matt. 4:17; Luke 10:13;
15:7, 10)
“2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at
hand.”
“17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying,
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
13 "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you,
Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon,
they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.”
“7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in
heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who
need no repentance.”
“10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels
of God over one sinner who repents."
“It
involves a reversal of one’ thinking; a change of mind by which sinners see
themselves as God sees them—fallen, depraved, and helpless to save
themselves. Metamelomia (Matt.
21:29, 32) describes the emotional aspect of repentance, the regret and sorrow
that a person’s change of mind about themselves produces.”
(Matt. 21:29, 32)
“29 And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward
he changed his mind and went.”
“32 For John came to you in the way of
righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the
prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward
change your minds and believe him.”
“Finally, epistrepho
(Luke 17:4; 22:32; Acts 3:19; 9:35; 11:21; 2 Cor. 3:16) refers to the act
of the will in changing one’s direction in life; turning from sin to God (1
Thess. 1:9).”
(Luke 17:4; 22:32; Acts 3:19; 9:35;
11:21; 2 Cor. 3:16)
“4 and if he sins against you seven times in the
day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive
him."
“32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may
not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers."
“19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your
sins may be blotted out,”
“35 And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw
him, and they turned to the Lord.”
“21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a
great number who believed turned to the Lord.”
“16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is
removed.”
(1 Thess. 1:9)
“9 For they themselves report concerning us the
kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to
serve the and living and true God,”
“Intellectually,
repentance entails a recognition of sin’s vileness. Emotionally, it produces an overwhelming
sense of sorrow, remorse, and brokenness.
Volitionally, the result is a change of direction in life away from sin
to Christ.
“It must be noted that repentance is
not a meritorious human work. Sinners
who are dead in their sins (Eph. 2:1), spiritually blind (Luke 4:18; cf. 2 Cor.
4:4) and trapped in Satan’s domain of darkness (Col. 1:13) cannot repent of
their own accord.”
(Eph. 2:1)
“1 ¶ And you were dead in the trespasses and sins”
(Luke 4:18; cf. 2 Cor. 4:4)
“18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to
proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set
at liberty those who are oppressed,”
“4 In their case the god of this world has
blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the
gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
(Col. 1:13)
“13 He has delivered us from the domain of
darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,”
“Repentance
comes when the Spirit of God uses the word of God to awaken sinners to their
lost condition by convicting them of their sin (John 16:8-11).”
(John 16:8-11)
“8 And when he comes, he will convict the world
concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe
in me; 10 concerning righteousness,
because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of
this world is judged.”
“Acts
11:18 states that ‘God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that
leads to life.’ Paul affirmed the divine choice to give such repentance when he
instructed Timothy to ‘with gentleness [correct] those who are in opposition,
if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth,
and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil,
having been held captive by him to do his will (2 Tim. 2:25-26).
“Sinners, then, are in no position
to set the conditions by which they will come to Christ; they take Him on His
terms, not theirs. The notable
seventeenth-century English Puritan Thomas Watson described what it means to
exhibit the self-denial that characterizes the poor in spirit:
The poor in
spirit is content to take Christ upon his own terms. The proud sinner will article and indent with
Christ. He will have Christ and his
pleasure, Christ and his covetousness.
But he that is poor in spirit sees himself lost without Christ, and he
is willing to have him upon his own terms, a Prince as well as a Saviour: ‘Jesus
my Lord’ (Philippians 3:8). A castle
that has long been besieged and is ready to be taken will deliver up on any
terms to save their lives. He whose
heart has been a garrison for the devil, and has held out long in opposition
against Christ, when once God has brought him to poverty of spirit, and he sees
himself damned without Christ, let God propound what articles he will, he will
readily subscribe to them. ‘Lord, what
wilt thou have me to do’ (Acts 9:6). He
that is poor in spirit will do anything that he may have Christ. He will behead his beloved sin. He will, with Peter, cast himself upon the
water to come to Christ. (The Beatitudes [Reprint; Edinburgh: Banner of
Truth, 1980], 47-48)
Looks like one more SD will be
needed to finish this rather long introduction, and Lord willing I will do that
in the morning.
10/22/2026
10:35 PM
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