Do Christian Hedonists Deny Self-Denial?

Audio Transcript

We talked about Christian Hedonism final week. And we’re again to it in the present day. We’re pleasure-seekers. We’re in pursuit of our personal highest happiness. Or as you mentioned it final time, Pastor John, “We zealously search to maximise, in each method we are able to, our pleasure in God now and eternally.” And such a zealous dedication to our personal pleasure raises an objection for many individuals. Does that imply Christian Hedonists deny self-denial? In an e-mail from Erin, a younger girl who listens to the podcast, comes this query: “Hey, Pastor John! How does self-denial match with Christian Hedonism, the infinite pursuit of our best happiness?”

Properly, my thoughts simply explodes with issues to say. However earlier than I say half a dozen loopy great issues concerning the everlasting advantages of self-denial, I’ve to nail down one thing with absolute readability. If we don’t get this, every little thing I say about self-denial is not going to be biblical. After I communicate of the pursuit of our best and longest happiness, I’m talking of God himself being that happiness, not primarily his items. His items are great, however they’re not main. Psalm 16:11 is crucial right here: “In your presence there may be fullness of pleasure; at your proper hand are pleasures forevermore.”

God’s Items Lead Us to God

The distinction between Christian Hedonism and the prosperity gospel is that the prosperity gospel downplays struggling and foregrounds materials blessing. Christian Hedonism says, “God makes no guarantees of earthly materials prosperity to his kids.” None. Quite the opposite, he guarantees them time and again that the trail that results in heaven is the trail of sacrifice and infrequently struggling. The aim of Christian Hedonism is to realize ultimate, full, everlasting happiness in God, not prosperity on earth.

As great as his items are — and they’re infinitely great — they’re all designed to take away obstacles or construct bridges to God himself as our supreme enjoyment. First Peter 3:18 says, “Christ . . . suffered as soon as for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he may convey us to God” — and he doesn’t count on us to be disenchanted after we get there.

• Propitiation removes the wrath of God in order that we are able to get pleasure from him as our pal.
• Regeneration takes away the deadness of our hearts in order that we will be alive to please in God.
• God’s effectual calling is a calling into the fellowship and the delights of his beloved Son.
• Justification places us in the fitting standing with God in order that we don’t need to be afraid anymore of condemnation within the presence of our all-satisfying Choose.
• Forgiveness of sins removes the barrier of guilt between us and our enjoyment of the infinitely holy Maker.
• Everlasting life is outlined as realizing God and his Son in essentially the most intimate fellowship (John 17:3).

All of the items of God are designed to allow us to get pleasure from God. That’s the intention of creation; that’s the intention of redemption: the magnifying of the value and wonder and greatness of God by way of the satisfying of the human soul with the friendship and the glory of God. So, that’s basic. That’s the start of any discuss self-denial.

Why We Deny Ourselves

What then is biblical self-denial and its biblical function within the Christian life? Biblical self-denial is the sacrifice of any earthly pleasures for the sake of gaining larger pleasure in God, each on this life and particularly within the subsequent.

1. For instance, Philippians 3:8: “I depend every little thing as loss due to the surpassing price of realizing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I’ve suffered the lack of all issues and depend them as garbage, so that I could acquire Christ.” So, the intention of loss, the intention of self-denial is acquire, acquire, acquire — and never the acquire of worldly pleasures, however the acquire of extra Christ, extra of Christ.

2. Matthew 13:44: “The dominion of heaven is like treasure hidden in a subject, which a person discovered and lined up. Then in his pleasure he goes and sells all that he has and buys that subject.” So, promoting, dropping, forfeiting, denying all that now we have is for the aim of gaining the best treasure within the universe: King Jesus. So, “Promote your possessions, and provides to the needy.” Why? “Present yourselves with . . . treasure within the heavens” — particularly, the enjoyments of Christ (Luke 12:33).

3. Mark 8:34–35: “If anybody would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and comply with me. For” — right here’s the explanation it’s best to — “whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will put it aside.” Reserve it — that’s your aim. Reserve it. Reserve it for what? For Christ, for the enjoyments of Christ.

4. Right here’s the way in which Jesus clarifies that saying in John 12:25: “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life on this world will preserve it for everlasting life.” You hate your life on this world and also you acquire it eternally. And what’s that everlasting life that you simply acquire by dropping your life? John 17:3 says, “That is everlasting life, that they know you, the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom you may have despatched.” We lose our lives to realize our lives — particularly, realizing God eternally.

5. Hebrews 12:2: “[Look] to Jesus . . . who for the enjoyment that was set earlier than him endured the cross.” The best act of self-denial that has ever been carried out within the historical past of the world was carried out and sustained by pleasure — “for the enjoyment that was set earlier than him [he] endured the cross.” He gave himself to the worst struggling to realize for himself the worship of hundreds of thousands.

“Biblical self-denial is the sacrifice of any earthly pleasures for the sake of gaining larger pleasure in God.”

6. Luke 6:35 — and this textual content combines the stunning no reward, full reward: “Love your enemies, and do good, and lend, anticipating nothing in return, and your reward will likely be nice.” I like the way in which Jesus shocks us time and again with the way in which he places phrases collectively. So, let the satisfaction of your reward from God in heaven be so deep that you simply don’t want any rewards right here. Oh, what a countercultural, counterintuitive life that will be, proper? We don’t want any rewards right here. We will deny ourselves no matter love requires that we deny as a result of he has promised us such a reward. That’s precisely the way in which Jesus argues in Luke 6:35.

7. Luke 14:13–14: “While you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you may be blessed, as a result of they can not repay you.” There it’s once more. “For” — right here’s the explanation — “you may be repaid on the resurrection of the simply.” In different phrases, be so assured and so glad with the enjoyment of what’s coming to you on the resurrection in your fellowship with Jesus eternally you can make sacrifices. You can also make no matter self-denial funds or sacrifices are wanted to serve the poor and invite folks over who can not pay you again.

The Blasphemy of Final Self-Denial

Now, these are seven passages, and I believe I may add a dozen extra to these texts. If somebody ought to say to me, “Now, Piper, you don’t actually consider in self-denial. You don’t, as a result of all your illustrations of self-denial are actually aimed toward satisfying the self,” my response could be, “Oh, I consider in biblical self-denial. I consider in self-denial on earth. I consider in martyrdom. I consider in sacrifice. I consider in love. However I don’t consider in final self-denial, as a result of final self-denial is blasphemy.”

Let me illustrate. Suppose I stand on the pearly gates and God holds out his palms to me and says, “Right here I’m, John — your lifelong need, your nice reward. I’m your God, and in my presence is fullness of pleasure, and there are pleasures at my proper hand. Enter, John, my son. Enter into the enjoyment of your grasp.” If my response to that welcome could be, “Thanks anyway. I didn’t come right here for delights. I didn’t come right here for satisfaction. I didn’t come right here for the rewards of your presence and your magnificence and your price and your greatness. I intend to disclaim myself all these pleasures eternally.” That, Tony — that, listeners — is blasphemy. The one method to glorify God at that second is to say, “Sure, Lord. That is what I’ve longed for all my life” — after which enter.