Prayer Meeting 20/8/2024

A Call To Self-Denial - Part 4

(Thomas Manton)

Watch the full Sermon HERE.

Well tonight we enter in to part 4 of Manton’s treatise on self-denial, 100-plus page tour de force, where Manton draws from:

Matthew 16:24 (ESV)

Then Jesus told his disciples, “if anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.”

The parallels to what Manton writes, and that of what we could draw from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians on love are astounding. Hence why tonight this becomes the longest puritan teaching series we have had in our prayer meetings.

I just feel that one: we are truly, I believe, learning from these teachings in a deep way that will shape our whole walk, and secondly: there is still much to draw from Manton’s work.

Let’s start with our puritan prayer. It’s the same one we have been using, which is from ‘The Valley Of Vison’, page 132 in the leatherbound version and page 74 of the paperback, and is entitled ‘Self-Deprecation’.

O LORD, My every sense, member, faculty, affection is a snare to me, I can scarce open my eyes but I envy those above me, or despise those below. I covet honour and riches of the mighty, and am proud and unmerciful to the rags of others; If I behold beauty it is a bait to lust, or see deformity, it stirs up loathing and disdain; How soon do slanders, vain jests, and wanton speeches creep into my heart! Am I comely? what fuel for pride! Am I deformed? what an occasion for repining! Am I gifted? I lust after applause! Am I unlearned? how I despise what I have not! Am I in authority? how prone to abuse my trust make will my law, exclude others' enjoyments serve my own interests and policy! Am I inferior? how much I grudge others pre-eminence! Am I rich? how exalted I become! Thou knowest that all these are snares by my corruptions and that my greatest snare is myself. I bewail that my apprehensions are dull, my thoughts mean, my affections stupid, my expressions low, my life unbeseeming; Yet what canst thou expect of dust but levity, of corruption but defilement? Keep me ever mindful of my natural state, but let me not forget my heavenly title, or the grace that can deal with every sin.

Okay, tonight I want to share, as I have done, on two other things Manton writes on. Manton writes a large section on denying our own will.

However, I want to drill into a part of it, a section of it where Manton writes on ‘Submission To God’s Providence’. To not trust in the providence of God is to not deny self.

What is providence? Well simply: God is supreme, He is sovereign, He is in all and over all. He is the Author and Finisher of our faith. He is in all things.

Scripture is full of verses about God’s providence. We should be way, way more secure than we are. What makes us not secure, not satisfied, not peaceful and joyous?

One thing really for a believer and indeed non-believer, is that we don’t trust in a God who is in charge of all things. And all those things are working for good in His time and according to His purpose - Not our wants, but His purpose, that we don’t always know.

Yet we wrestle, we tussle, we complain, we force the issues we have. We lose hope, we lose sight. We take matters into our own hands and use our own self will to fix things, and gain things, and change things.

Manton writes:

In renouncing the dominion of the will, it is not enough to do what God commandeth, but to suffer what He inflicteth.

Manton goes on and lists, and gives 7 wonderful points on how to submit to God’s providence.

I will break them down to four, as they all lead from one to another. Not that all seven don’t merit being shared, or read but just to condense them somewhat.

Firstly point 1 on how to submit to Gods providence. Of course in this will be much on what it does not look like, as much as what it does.

Point 1:

We must be quiet and silent.

Oh how rich is that statement, when we consider it.

Isn’t it the case that much of our talk is our will talking, and in truth our ways and desires talking?

Manton writes:

There is a quick intercourse between the tongue and the heart.

He then adds this:

When the heart is burdened and over charged it seeks ease and vents by the tongue.

Oh how true? We vent with the tongue when we struggle to accept what is happening. We aim by our own will to fix it and get back that which we think we have lost, or are losing.

No accepting, no patience, no trust, of God’s providence; just taking matters into our own hands by spouting from our lips.

Manton writes:

Silence calms the affections.

And by affections he means obsessions and things that we desire to gain by our own actions.

Manton, in this first point, does not just mention the tongue but also what he calls a ‘stormy mind.’ Isn’t a stormy mind, a wrestling, racing, over-active min, not a clear sign of a lack of trust?

Some people may not speak it out, but the mind is like waves continually crashing against the rocks, due to that mind running its own show with no faith, with no trust, with no confidence in the Lord.

Manton writes:

You must be content in your own soul, you should not dare to quarrel with God.

Have you considered that before brothers and sisters, that to have a racing mind, to be at war in your head, to use your tongue to force your wants, is not to quarrel with man but with God Himself?

Okay, point 2 on how to submit to Gods providence.

Point 2:

We must not just quietly submit but willingly.

Often I see people quietly submitting, but deep down their heart is not near as willing. There is a real lack of blessing that comes with ‘forced patience’. In it Manton says: ‘God is not glorified’. Manton also calls it ‘setting up an anti-providence’.

Submitting to God’s providence is not something we should do whilst not wanting to, it’s something we should deeply consent to.

Manton writes:

Not as a thing forced, but that our sanctified judgement consents to.

We should want to; not have to.

Manton asks a question. I will paraphrase it: ‘What’s better? That God should stoop to your will, or you should bow to His?’

Okay point 3 - I’ve joined Manton’s point three and four together, as they cross over so much.

Point 3:

We are not only to submit to God, but to love Him, even when He seems to deal most hardly with us.

I think a test, a great test, even of our willingness to trust God and love Him, and surrender to Him, is in how much do we truly love Him when things are not going well?

It’s in those times we are most inclined to take matters into our own hands instead of trusting Him.

Like Christ in the garden: ‘if it possible, not Mine, but Thy will be done.’

There are few greater testimonies than that, no matter the circumstances, all see us trusting God and bringing Him praise in the midst of trials and struggles.

Turn with me to:

Acts 16:23-30

And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “do yourself no harm, for we are all here.” Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them out and said, “sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

They so trusted God, they so loved God, that circumstances didn’t dictate their worship. Does it yours? If so, then self-will is running the show, and not trusting His will and ways.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

That’s the will of God for you: that in everything - give thanks.

Okay finally point 4 in how to submit to God’s providence.

Point 4:

There must be not reservation in obedience.

Again similar but Manton adds some great wisdom to this point. Manton writes:

We must hand God a blank paper and let Him write as He wills.

Oh how much do we so need to know how insecure are we, how untrusting are we that we so need to know?

Those that run on self will just struggle so much with unknowing. They have to know because they want to be in control. The pain of the affliction they feel is just too great for them to not attempt to heal it themselves.

Manton quotes Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:10 when he writes:

Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

It’s a bit like I was saying on Sunday night, it’s in that affliction where we trust nothing but Christ that we find ourselves at our most strong. Hence why Paul says ‘he takes pleasure.’

He is not saying he welcomes it, in some sadistic way. But that even in the worst of situations he has found Christ is even more wonderfully present. And he finds it’s in those times only His will is being done.

Okay the second section is on Self-seeking. Again, this is one of Manton’s main branches of dealing with self-denial.

Manton, in this section, writes of: what it is, how it shows itself. How to handle it. How hard it is to deny it. And lastly the remedies against the sin of self-seeking.

I am, as we wrap up, going to share 4 points from various sections on self-seeking, or as Manton writes: ‘the sin of self-seeking’.

Okay, 4 points on dealing with the sin of self-seeking. Interesting; what does love not do? – ‘seek its own’ (self-seek).

Point 1:

Self is a base and unworthy mark to be aimed it.

Meaning: to seek self is really a low level of what we ought to seek. There are few things less valuable than seeking self.

Manton writes:

How low spirited are those that seek themselves.

Can I say this at this point: often it’s such a turn off when we hear those who are so into themselves, yet do we ever have compassion on them as truly low spirited?

Where everything they do is about their own gain, and their own wants and desires. That level of self is truly a low spirited human.

Point 2:

We will discover and recognise a self-seeker, or that we are self-seeking when, and Manton writes:

When we envy others who are of the same profession.

Don’t let profession highjack you. But also those that have similar lives to you.

Manton writes:

It is not grace they look after, but carnal advantages.

In other words, they can’t celebrate what God is doing in others, without it affecting their own selfish obsession.

Instead of truly championing others whom are saved by grace, they can only measure things to their own carnal wants and losses.

Point 3:

Nothing alienates a man more from God than self-seeking.

The greatest self-seeking is usually carried on under the colour of self-denial. This is why Manton says that self-seeking is the most heinous of sins.

Manton writes:

They do so to endear themselves to others that they may gain worldly profits and advantages.

Oh my how true is that? That self-seeking in its deviousness can pretend to be submissive, humble, compliant and even holy in order to find an in, and be able to attain a selfish gain, without any submission, or true desire to deny self.

Manton writes:

Carnal ends are often shrouded under religious pretence.

Many a man and women has portrayed themselves as Christ followers to others, only to satisfy the carnal desires and lusts driving them.

Okay last point…

Point 4:

Consider the dishonour to Christ by self-seeking.

Manton adds:

There is no greater enemy to the gospel than a self-seeking Christian.

Oh how true? How many opportunities were lost, how many times have we been so caught up in our own wants and troubles, and selfish plight, that we haven’t noticed those around us, or neglected them, or been pre-consumed with our own self-seeking, that the gospel is far from our minds, as is serving and investing in anyone.

Manton writes:

Their whole life is a contradiction to the gospel.

I will close with how Manton closes his point:

It’s a mighty prejudice to religion, and a dishonour to God, when men shroud themselves under the name of Christian, and secretly aim at their private commodity and profit.

Our life should be lived for the profit of Christ, and for the sake of others knowing Him. Not consumed with selfish gain.

Amen.