Vain Glory
Notes
Transcript
Losing the battle but winning the war!
Losing the battle but winning the war!
John Henry
American Folktale - John Henry
John was known to be the best and most efficient railroad worker, who couldn’t believe a machine could do better
In a competition to prove his superior digging ability v. the machine drill, John Henry came out on top by a full meter after the machine broke.
Upon victory, he came out and collapsed dying on the spot
Battle of Bunker Hill - American Revolutionary War
June 17th 1775 British troops prepared for battle to gain control of Bunker Hill in Massachusetts, giving them advantageous control over the harbors.
Out numbering the colonial army 2:1 they engaged in battle with 3 waves of advances.
From behind barricades, colonial soldiers took out nearly half the British soldiers and had they not run out of ammo they would have kept going, but the retreated.
The victory for the British was essentially pointless as they sustained sever losses without the ability to replenish and therefore they couldn’t take control of the next critical vantage point of Dorchester Heights.
The inexperienced and untrained Colonial troops, though defeated, realized that they can fight and were encouraged to keep going eventually winning the war and gaining independence from Great Britain.
Loosing the battle in order to win the war is not only one of the greatest war strategies but it is also a critical spiritual lesson as well.
Vainglory
Vainglory
Setting the Stage - battle
Jesus had already been baptized by John and began His ministry and was gaining followers and came around the same area as John
John was still baptizing and calling people to repentance
A Jew who possibly was baptized by Jesus disciples, debated with John’s disciple
26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him.”
What is the battle for the disciples of John
Battle of popularity / following
Battle of self-value
Battle of pride
“whom you have testified”…they are trying to make Jesus as just another disciple…Had they said whom you baptized, they would have to address the voice from heaven.
Battle for Glory
Who baptism was better was at the heart of this
John the teacher
Saw the passion of his disciples for glory
John knew if they would continue this path it would end poorly for them, Why?
27 John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven. 28 “You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’
John was telling his disciples, in a nice way, that if you pursue this battle for your own glory you will loose the war because you are battling against God himself...
John’s call to be the forerunner, his disciples, baptism of repentance all came from God
To think or act that you/we are entitled to stay at the top or in recognition for our work is ludicrous and dangerous
John also reminded them that, he knew this was coming and that he warned his disciples this was coming…John was never meant to be a focal point in the ministry…everything John did was to point to Christ and that mean making sure his disciples would transition over.
Vain Glory
“a burning thirst for secular glory” ~ John Cassian
“Vainglory involves fantasizing about social encounters,... desire for privilege, the ultimate title, slavery to praises” ~ Evagrius of Ponticus
“Vainglory is associated with the pleasure of thinking about being honored by others” ~Evagrius of Ponticus
Examples of Vain Glory in everyday lives
Seek out recognition at work through dishonest means
A spouse can aim to appear to be the ‘nice parent’ or ‘better half’ in order to win favor with kids or publically at the expense of doing what is right
We take up certain behaviors in order to find acceptance among friends/colleagues
Servants can make compromising decisions in order to win favor with youth
We serve in a way that attracts attention to us rather than Christ
in each of these scenarios, the individual wins the battle but you know they will absolutely loose the war
Our search for vain glory has pervaded nearly every part of our psyche and has informed our actions whether we realize it or not
The Glory to come!
The Glory to come!
Addressing Vain Glory
Acknowledge how big this battle
by not fighting this battle of vain glory, we will forfeit the ultimate Glory in the age to come.
true self-knowledge which brings about humility
30 “He must increase, but I must decrease.
Seeing my life for what it really is.
14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.
I think that the death of John was allowed, and that it happened very quickly, in order that the whole attention1 of the multitude might be shifted to Christ, and that they might no longer be divided in their opinions concerning the two.