Dying to Self - John MacArthur

Humility is a demonstration of a person's spiritual maturity because when you come in on those terms, you grow down from there. You thought you were humbled at the time of your conversion, if you've walked with the Lord for very long, you should be lower than you were then. Now you understand how profound sin is because even after being a Christian you've understood that it's a part of the fabric of who you are. And wonder of wonders, the Lord has chosen to do things through you. Self-denial becomes a life pattern.

Now what does it mean as a Christian? Here are some practical things.

When you're not forgiven or neglected or purposely set aside and you sting and hurt with the insult or oversight, but your heart is happy and you're content to be counted worthy to suffer for Christ, that's dying to self.

When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice is disregarded, your opinions are ridiculed, and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart or even defend yourself, but take it all in patient, loyal silence, that is dying to self.

When you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, any annoyance, when you can stand face-to-face with foolishness, extravagance, spiritual insensitivity and endure it as Jesus endured it, that is dying to self.

When you're content with any food, any offering, any clothes, any climate, any society, any solitude, any interruption by the will of God, that is dying to self.

When you never care to refer to yourself or to record your own good works, or seek commendation, when you can truly love to be unknown, that is dying to self.

When you see another brother prosper and have his needs met and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy, nor even question God while your own needs are far greater and in desperate circumstances, that is dying to self.

When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself and can humbly submit inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart, that is dying to self.

So, you come to Christ with an attitude of self-denial and you grow down from there. Our self-denial isn't perfect, our self-suicide isn't perfect, we resurrect our egos and our own wills and thrust them out and intrude into the will of God and we have to seek His grace and forgiveness when we do that, but that is the deepest and purest and truest desire and longing and aspiration of our redeemed heart, even though it's far short of what we would want it to be.

Excerpted from The Necessary Components of Saving Faith
Listen or read all 5 messages from the series "Hard To Believe".