Luke 9:23- And He said to them all, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
Denial of self is humbling yourself while presenting your body as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). It is recognizing my moral and spiritual poverty, that there is no good and hope in me and that I am unable to serve God in my own strength and power. We see this in the first three Beatitudes (Matthew 5).
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Take up your cross is seen in Matthew 5:6
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6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
I am filled by God's provisions found in Christ by placing my Faith exclusively in Christ and Him Crucified (Believing who Jesus is, and what Jesus has done), and I receive all the benefits of this Resurrection Life by understanding that we have been planted together (Christ and ourselves) in the likeness of His Death (Romans 6:3-5).
The Believer who believes that God is in total control of their life is yoked with Jesus (resting). Matthew 11:29-30
All that I have stated is not a work of labor but an act of Faith by believing only.
Faith without works is dead, i.e., Faith without believing only is dead.
Denial of self is humbling yourself while presenting your body as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). It is recognizing my moral and spiritual poverty, that there is no good and hope in me and that I am unable to serve God in my own strength and power. We see this in the first three Beatitudes (Matthew 5).
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Take up your cross is seen in Matthew 5:6
.
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
I am filled by God's provisions found in Christ by placing my Faith exclusively in Christ and Him Crucified (Believing who Jesus is, and what Jesus has done), and I receive all the benefits of this Resurrection Life by understanding that we have been planted together (Christ and ourselves) in the likeness of His Death (Romans 6:3-5).
The Believer who believes that God is in total control of their life is yoked with Jesus (resting). Matthew 11:29-30
All that I have stated is not a work of labor but an act of Faith by believing only.
Faith without works is dead, i.e., Faith without believing only is dead.
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
3 Blessed (happy) are the poor in spirit (conscious of moral poverty): for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven
(the moral characteristics of the citizens of the Kingdom of the heavens; and so it is apparent that the New Birth is an absolute necessity for entrance into that Kingdom [John 3:3]; this Kingdom is now present spiritually, but not yet physically)4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
3 Blessed (happy) are the poor in spirit (conscious of moral poverty): for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven
.
4 Blessed are they that mourn (grieved because of personal sinfulness): for they shall be comforted (what the Holy Spirit will do for those who properly evaluate their spiritual poverty)
4 Blessed are they that mourn (grieved because of personal sinfulness): for they shall be comforted (what the Holy Spirit will do for those who properly evaluate their spiritual poverty)
.
5 Blessed are the meek (the opposite of the self-righteous; the first two Beatitudes guarantee the "meekness"): for they shall inherit the earth (speaks of the coming Kingdom Age, when the "Kingdom of Heaven" will be brought down to Earth, when the Saints will rule with Christ as its Supreme Lord)
5 Blessed are the meek (the opposite of the self-righteous; the first two Beatitudes guarantee the "meekness"): for they shall inherit the earth (speaks of the coming Kingdom Age, when the "Kingdom of Heaven" will be brought down to Earth, when the Saints will rule with Christ as its Supreme Lord)
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