Self-Centered or Christ-Centered
Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 41 viewsNotes
Transcript
Self-Centered or Christ-Centered
Self-Centered or Christ-Centered
Good morning children of the One True God! I do not know about you, but it is only by His mercy and Grace that I am here today! Thank you LORD for the blood of the perfect Lamb, Jesus Christ. I do not know about you, but I have been pleading the blood of Jesus over my family, myself, you, your families, and others like never before. There is a seismic shift occuring, and God’s people are being called upon. Prepare yourselves and allow the Spirit to lead you.
Most of you know that I am here almost every Wednesday night. I really enjoy Pastor Paul’s teachings, and the teaching always seem to speak to my heart and my walk. So, last Wednesday, we were learning about praying for ourselves and others. Is it self-centered to pray for ourselves? Holy Spirit pricked my heart during the teaching. A question kept coming into my mind: “Are you self-centered, Bob?”
Now my brain is going a million miles an hour. I am like “Oh my God!” Literally, my God! I am thinking about the past week, each day, examining my deeds, my words, and my works. Yes, my works. Most people do not want to hear this, but our works, or service to others, are the post salvation portion of our walk with Christ. Anyway, as I am shaking my head up and down, I get this text from Carolyn, who was sitting next to me at the service.
Now, getting a text like this from your spouse may surprise you. For some of us, it may not surprise us. Please do not pay attention to the part I edited, so that I would like good. The truth is, I asked Carolyn to text this to me to remind me that I am self-centered at times. We are all self-centered at times.
There are times when scripture actually calls us to be what some might refer to as self-centered. Look what the Apostle Paul says here:
2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
It is very difficult to help another person when our focus is always turned inward. When we are only concerned about “self.” Many people will quote this verse as the reason we are to drop everything and help them, which is selfish within itself. We are to help when possible, but within reason. Let me remind you this morning: you are not the sacrificial lamb. There was only one perfect sacrificial Lamb. It is not you and it is not me. This is simply not what the Apostle Paul was saying.
First, let’s define what Paul is talking about when he says “burdens.” Paul is talking about when another believer succumbs to temptation or falls into sin. We are not to become legalistic like the Pharisees, instead we are to help restore them, not condemn them. The law of Christ means that the person is to know we love them and that we want to help them overcome their weakness and grow spiritually. That is the law of Christ, which is the principle of love.
It is important to see this in context. Let’s look at the verse just before this one. For some reason, a lot of folks will leave this verse out.
1 Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.
When one of our own stumble, backslide, fall, whatever the word is you want to use, WE MUST APPROACH THAT PERSON WITH A SPIRIT OF GENTLENESS!
What Not to Do:
Show Contempt for the Person
Criticize the Person
Disrespect the Person
Have a holier-than-though attitude
Reject the Person
When we do those things, it is the epitome of self-centeredness. We try to make ourselves look or feel better by further crushing or destroying another believer who is already in a bad place. Can I just tell you that Jesus does not look well on believers behaving that way. The person helping to restore a brother or sister should understand weakness, because they are weak as well. We are all weak at times.
I really want to look at the last sentence the Apostle Paul says there.
Galatians 6:1 (NIV)
1 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.
This is where another believer may conclude that you are being self-centered, anti-social, or overly sensitive. It is okay to walk away from a situation or to avoid certain situations. I will give you two personal examples. I will always be transparent with you because God already knows what I am struggling with, and I want you to know so you know that you are not alone in your struggles.
I can not stand when people talk about others behind their back. I almost become enraged. I will do my best to check my temper, but I will dismiss myself from the conversation and the gathering. I do that to keep myself from sinning. It is too easy to fall into that fire.
But the biggest reason I remove myself is to keep from blasting or saying something terrible to the people talking behind the other persons back. Not because I am self-centered, anti-social, or sensitive. I want to keep from sinning. I am trying to keep from going Old Testament on someone.
Here is another one. Traffic. Although I have gotten a lot better, Traffic. Last weekend, I had the opportunity to take Carolyn to see the Gaither’s Family Fest in Gatlinburg. We thought it would be fun to bring Sharon as well, she had never seen the Gaither’s live. I was pretty excited! I forgot something. IT WAS MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND! The MOST traveled weekend of the year!
There were a few times that Sharon got to hear me say some things she has never heard me say! Carolyn knew me before I was saved, so I did not say anything she has not heard me say. She will tell you I have gotten a lot better though. Do you know what Carolyn and Sharon did not do? They did not beat me up, condemn me, or make me feel worse than I already felt.
They showed me grace. They recognize and know that NOBODY is immune to falling into sin, including themselves. The solution for me is to stay home the next Memorial day weekend and away from anyplace that will be congested. Others may be able to do it, others may enjoy it, but to keep myself from falling into that sin again, I will avoid it.
It simply means I do not want to be in a position that I will struggle with not sinning. God did not put me in that position to “test” me. My lack of intelligence and fore-thought put me there. James, the brother of Jesus, actually speaks on this in
13 When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;
Can I just…I get so tired of hearing “God is testing me” when we are tempted or fall short. God is not grading you! Hear me out. Christ died for the sin of the world to bring us into a relationship with the Father. In doing that, He gave you and me the indwelling of Holy Spirit! Holy Spirit keeps us from sinning by guiding us through or around those temptations and sins, WHEN WE LISTEN! God already sees you through the blood of Christ! God is not looking for a fight. He has given us what we need to win the fight!
When we dig into James 1:14, you realize that there are two sources of temptation, and the negative results fall squarely on our shoulders.
14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.
First, there is the internal source of self-centeredness. The Hebrew word for “evil” that James would have used here is yetzer. Yetzer means “a self-centered impulsive reaction.” James uses the same word, yetzer, when discussing the moral filth and evil in our lives, the apathy we have, and the evil of our tongues.
Second, there is the tempter. The devil, the external source. The devil brings jealousy and desires that capitalize on our self-centered thoughts. What better way to divide the family of God than to encourage them to put self above all? When it is all about self, it’s not about anybody else or anything else, including God.
I was led to add this while putting this sermon together. If you think that you have inherited punishment for spiritual sin or you know someone who believes they have, the Prophet Ezekiel addressed this back around 600 BC. I challenge you to read and reread Ezekiel 18. Here is just one verse.
4 For everyone belongs to me, the parent as well as the child—both alike belong to me. The one who sins is the one who will die.
Quite simply, As an adult who knows God, I do not get to blame mom and dad, grandma and grandpa, or God for my immoral or self-centered choices. We are left with no excuses for self-centered, “yetzer” living.
We are to protect ourselves and protect our relationship with the Father. We are also commanded to help one another through temptations and failures. That is living Jesus-Centered.
When we live Jesus-centered, everything flows from God. What did Jesus teach us? He always pointed to the Father. Jesus always pointed to Kingdom living, now! In Luke 17, something strange takes place. Jesus is standing in the middle of some Pharisees, his disciples are right over there, and the Pharisees pose a question to Jesus. I am posing this same question to each and every one of us this morning.
20 Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed,
They are asking the very same thing so many of us ask today! If you did not know, we have been in the end times since Jesus’ seventh and final utterance from the cross when he said “Tetalestai,” “It is finished.” With that knowledge, you must take to heart, write it in your mind, and understand the weight of what Jesus says next.
21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
I need every person to listen, and hear me clearly. With what we see going on in our world, our country, our cities, and in our neighborhoods: The evil, the corruption, the moral filth, the self-centeredness, and the hatred. You are commanded to be the kingdom of God in the midst of this world.
Jesus, having the indwelling of Holy Spirit was the Kingdom of God within their midst. You, having the indwelling of Holy Spirit means that you are the next part of the coming of the kingdom of God. He is alive in you that others may be made alive in Him.
Do not take it lightly. You represent the kingdom of God. The only way to properly represent the kingdom of God is to get self out of the way, and put Jesus in the way. Remember, He is the way, the truth, and the life.
Start Music
I want us, as a church to take the next few minutes to really welcome Holy Spirit into our midst and to connect further as a family in Christ.
You may feel drawn to come to the alter this morning. He knows that you, His child, are struggling to come up and pour your heart out to him. Do not let anything come between you and the Father.
He knows that you, His child, may be experiencing the prompting of the Spirit to pray over someone this morning. There is a reason he is asking YOU to pray over the person. Do not ignore His call. Ask them if you can pray for them.
Maybe you are one of His children seeking prayer this morning, and do not know how. You can come up and ask for prayer or you can ask someone near you to pray for you.
Brothers and sisters, this is how we get self out of the way and set Christ as the Way.
Communion
If you do not know Jesus as your Lord and savior, do not let another day pass. See Pastor Dakota, Pastor Paul, or myself. As we take communion, ask yourself: “What do I need to do to live a more Christ-centered life?” He told us, “Do this in remembrance of me.” Will you come this morning?
