The Discipline Of Deprivation
By Woodrow Kroll
Luke 4
Today we look at "The Disciplines of Life," tackling a subject that could make us a bit uncomfortable. We're going to consider deprivation--doing without, giving up, or sacrificing what we think we're entitled to. That sounds more like a hardship than a blessing, but it can lead to blessing when we live according to God's Word. How do we do that? Well, that's what we'll see in our study from Luke.
I've rarely heard anyone speak on the subject of deprivation. What led us to choose this topic as one of the disciplines of life? Well, I actually didn't choose it. We're using the Gospel of Luke as the basis for our series this week, and it was just there--in Luke, chapter 9. See, my job is to teach the Word as I find it, and the discipline of deprivation is something the Savior taught us about. So, today, friends, I want you to focus with me on the discipline of deprivation.
Most of us don't know anything at all about deprivation, isn't that true? I mean, either we have everything we think we need, or we have what we need and only crave what we want, which is probably something we don't need anyway! Oh, sure, there are always those things we feel that we're being deprived of. But I think if we were honest, most of us would have to say that while we have not a lot, we have enough to get by. We really aren't deprived. We may not have as much as others have, but we don't have as little as some others as well.
Did you hear about the Hollywood school, an exclusive school, where the children who attended this school were all the children of movie stars and producers and directors--just the jet set of Hollywood? Well, the kids in the school were asked to write a composition on the subject of poverty. And one little girl started her literary piece like this, she said, "Once there was a poor little girl. Her father was poor. Her mother was poor. Her governess was poor. Her chauffeur was poor. Her butler was poor. In fact, everybody in her house was very, very poor." You see, the discipline of deprivation is something this little girl never knew anything about!
Now, in the spiritual realm, folks. We may not even know what deprivation is, as well. I mean, after all, we have a Bible--at least one. Many of us have more than one. George Barna says that the average American owns three different versions of the Bible. We have some Christian books to read and some tapes and videos to watch and listen to. We have churches to attend. We have some Christian friends. We shouldn't feel deprived, because we aren't really deprived, are we?
But, is that good for us? Is it good that we don't have to do without? I mean, is it good that we appear to have everything we want, or at least everything we need?
I heard a psychologist on a talk program one day saying that people benefit from deprivation, that we ought to give up something now and then just for the discipline of having to do without it. Now usually that means we give up something for a day or two, but this psychologist had in mind giving up the use of a car, say for a week. Or, maybe walking everywhere we had to go, just to appreciate our automobile. Maybe giving up a meal each day, not to diet, but just to be able to identify with those who go to bed each night hungry. Deprivation. It's a real discipline. And it's one that's taught in the Bible.
Now, today on Back to the Bible, we want to continue this series of messages on the discipline of our lives and we take aim today at the discipline of deprivation. I want to direct your attention to Luke, chapter 4. As is usually the case, our Lord Jesus provides the perfect example for us. But we want to see His example in light of what He's taught His disciples, and ultimately what He wants to teach us today. And, just as we did yesterday, we're going to discipline ourselves by limiting our investigation to the Gospel of Luke.
Luke chapter 4, it's a story of Jesus' temptation. Now, notice the deprivation that Jesus first underwent through this difficult period of His life. Luke 4:1, "Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. And the devil said to Him, 'If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.' But Jesus answered him, saying, 'It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God."'"
Now, I want to stop there because the first four verses of Luke chapter 4 teach us about the deprivation of provision. This is talking about our physical needs. Jesus was out in the wilderness for forty days and He had absolutely nothing to drink--the deprivation of provision.
Now, look at verse 5, "Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, 'All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.' And Jesus answered and said to him, 'Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, "You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve."'"
Now, we stop again, because verses 5 through 8 talk about the deprivation of power, the deprivation of authority. It's as if the authority of Jesus was taken away from Him and given to the devil. Now, that didn't actually happen. But it talks about social needs. The first four verses are the deprivation of provision, physical needs. The next three are the deprivation of power, social needs.
Now look at verse 9. "Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, 'If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. For it is written: "He shall give His angels charge over You, to keep You," and, "In their hands they shall bear You up, lest you dash Your foot against a stone."' And Jesus answered and said to him, 'It has been said, "You shall not tempt the LORD your God."' Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time."
Now, if the first four verses talk about the deprivation of provision, our physical needs; and then the next three talk about deprivation of power, authority, our social needs; these verses talk about the deprivation of protection, our emotional needs.
Now, I want us to look today at these three individual disciplines of deprivation, the three things that Jesus was deprived of while He was being tempted. And I want to look at them in light of a chapter just a couple of pages forward in your Bible, Luke chapter 6. See, there's a passage in Luke chapter 6, which seems to showcase these three particular deprivations--physical, social, and emotional--the deprivation of provision, the deprivation of power, and the deprivation of protection.
Now, look with me as I read Luke 6:20 and following, "Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: 'Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.'"
Now I want you to notice something in these verses. Notice beginning in verse 20, provision. He said, "Blessed are you poor." And in verse 21, "Blessed are you who hunger now." See, that's physical needs. Jesus had something to teach us about the blessing of being deprived of our physical needs.
Now He knew what He was talking about. He'd just gone through that deprivation, didn't He, chapter 4. And now He's teaching us The Beatitudes, the blessings of God on those who are deprived of their physical needs.
Now, some of you listening to Back to the Bible today live in countries where you have to be considered poor by any of the world's standards. I live in the United States. The United States is a very rich country. The U.S. and Canada and Great Britain and Australia and Western Europe--these are very, very wealthy countries. But this broadcast is heard all over the world.
And I know that there are people listening to me today outside of the U.S., that despite technical advances, you're living in abject poverty today. You know, there are more than a billion people who live in poverty. That's an increase of 300,000,000 in just the last decade alone. If you're listening to this broadcast today and you have very little of physical provision, I want you to know Jesus has something to say to you.
And some of you living in the Western World also fall below the poverty level, don't you? Don't feel this is a curse. View this as a discipline--view it as a discipline that ultimately produces abundance. Jesus says, "for yours is the kingdom of God." Jesus says, "for you shall be filled." See, the promise of God is that the discipline of deprivation in physical needs won't last forever.
Now let me take you back to Luke 6, verse 22. Let's look at the deprivation of power. In verse 22 he says, "Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake." See, blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you. Those are talking about social needs.
Now, some of you don't live in abject poverty, but socially you do. Some of you live in families in which you're the only one who has trusted Christ in your family; you are the only one who believes in the Savior. And you may be listening to this broadcast today, and you're saying, "You know what? You really know where I live, don't you? Because I'm being ridiculed by my family, I'm being made fun of almost every day." Some of you are the only believer in your office, or on the job. And every time you bow your head to thank the Lord for your lunch, you can hear those sarcastic whispers.
But, hey, listen! Don't look at this as persecution, look at it as discipline. This is the discipline of deprivation, the same kind of deprivation that Jesus went through, unable to exercise His power when He was being tempted by the devil. That same kind of deprivation you and I have to go through all the time. But Jesus' response to all of us who exercise this discipline is this, "Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward in heaven is great, for in like manner their fathers did to the prophets."
See, just because we're being deprived of things today doesn't mean we're going to be deprived forever. Socially you may be the outcast in your family. You may be the one on the job that everybody makes fun of because of your faith in Christ. But I want you to know that Jesus gives a promise to those who are blessed with the discipline of deprivation. If you've been deprived of power today, remember Jesus' promise, "Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil for the Son of Man's sake." That's when you're blessed!
Now, we've seen two areas in which Jesus was tempted, two areas in which He was deprived. The first, of course, was the deprivation of provision. He was deprived of physical food. And yet He says, "Blessed are those who are deprived of physical things." And then we saw Him deprived of His authority, deprived of power. And He said, "Blessed are those of you who are deprived in social areas of life." See, Jesus saw this as a discipline. He saw it as something that makes us better--not bitter.
And then, thirdly, notice in verse 21 our emotional needs. He says, "Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh." Now, that's emotional needs. That's the deprivation of protection.
Do you feel abandoned today? Do you feel deprived of the love of your father or your mother? Do you feel like nobody understands you? Having had a wonderful marriage for years, are you now alone? Are you left alone by death of your husband or your wife? Do you feel that your emotional protection has just been stripped away from you? If you do, my friend, don't look upon this as just distress. Look upon it as God's discipline of deprivation. Remember Jesus' promise to all who weep now, He says, "For you shall laugh."
See, the discipline of deprivation is like any other discipline, it's designed to bring ultimate good to us. It helps us be free to act in a responsible way when suddenly we have nothing. Developing such a discipline in the Christian life enables you and me to exercise the freedom of living in Christ, and it enables us to be obedient and fulfilled when all is taken away from us--everything, that is, except Christ.
Now, let me ask you a question. Are you disciplined enough in your spiritual growth to believe that discipline is helpful to you? That's a tough question, isn't it! I appreciate the fact that it's hard sometimes to see discipline as helpful. Can the discipline of deprivation actually benefit you? Oh, it sure can. Let me suggest some ways.
First of all, deprivation teaches us dependence. We learn that God will provide all that we need. We can depend on Him when we have no one else or nothing else to depend on. Deprivation is good for us because it teaches us dependence.
Secondly, deprivation enhances our appreciation. You know, sometimes we do not fully appreciate what we have until it's gone. Being deprived of something, even for a short time, enhances our understanding of that person, or that thing. We gain a much greater appreciation for them. This is true when you're away from church for awhile, isn't it, when you want the fellowship of other believers. Suddenly the flaws of your home church don't look so bad. Deprivation enhances appreciation.
But, thirdly, deprivation also engenders thanksgiving. You know, the more we have to do without, we naturally become more thankful for what we have. And even if the greatest thing in the world is taken from us, we have a greater thanksgiving to God for what we have left. How often this is the case when the Lord takes our husband or our wife from us. Suddenly deprived of the dearest person on earth to us, we become more thankful for our children, more thankful for our grandchildren, more thankful for our neighbors, our friends, our church family. See, deprivation engenders thanksgiving.
We're talking today about the discipline of deprivation. Sometimes God allows us to be without things for our good. And it's real discipline to understand that that is for our good. Deprivation teaches us dependence, it enhances our appreciation, it engenders our thanksgiving.
But number four, deprivation proves sufficiency. See, sometimes we're deprived of something, such as a car, or a house, or maybe a large bank account, a microwave, sometimes we're without something to prove to us that we really didn't need that in the first place. We can get along without them quite well, thank you. If you don't believe me, try it. If you have a television, prove to yourself you can live a perfectly normal life without it. Just voluntarily deprive yourself of it for a week or so. And at the end of that week when you discover that you have lived, you may have just discovered a greater sufficiency in God and less in TV.
And finally, number five, deprivation unveils something better. You know, occasionally when we're deprived of something, God replaces it with something better. While you were depriving yourself of television, maybe you turned on the radio and discovered a Bible-teaching program like this one. You found something that's of eternal value to you. Frequently this happens when a young Christian girl or a guy deprive themselves of dates and parties and all these things with non-Christian kids, God keeps back for them a choice person, someone to reward them for the discipline of deprivation.
The discipline of being deprived. It's not a discipline you and I are very used to, and yet to deprive ourselves of something voluntarily to serve Christ is a great blessing. And to be deprived of someone or something very dear to us for the sake of giving greater witness to the grace of Christ, that's a real privilege.
Well, friend, it takes discipline. The discipline of deprivation. But it's that discipline that gives us the freedom to serve God anywhere, anyway, anytime. So, join me, won't you? Join me in saying "Thank You, Lord, for the discipline of deprivation."
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