Latest / Cumberland Trace Church of Christ (Formerly Lehman Ave Church of Christ) / "Common Sins and Struggles" by Joey Morgan - Part 11
Transcript
- 0:00Well, good morning, everyone.
- 0:07So we're going to continue in our common sins and struggles class in this quarter.
- 0:11We've got a couple weeks left, and this, what we're going to study, might go into next week.
- 0:17It might be all that we end up finishing.
- 0:19We'll have to see how it goes.
- 0:21So maybe I haven't got you yet with whatever your most common sin or struggle is, but I
- 0:29might get you today.
- 0:33Maybe I've got something that you've all struggled with even this last week, and it's not trying
- 0:39to get your grass cut, because that's what I've been struggling with, is trying to get
- 0:43my grass cut.
- 0:44Well, the last couple of weeks, we've looked at the common struggle of the love of money
- 0:50and how the Bible tells us that it's the root of all sorts of evil, and I feel like today
- 0:55we're going to look at what is the root, if not all, or at least most of all, sins
- 1:04and struggles, and that's selfishness.
- 1:07Because in this study so far, we've looked at laziness.
- 1:12What's that?
- 1:13It's someone choosing to do only what I want to do and only when I want to do it.
- 1:21Notice the words in that.
- 1:23When I want to do it and only what I want to do.
- 1:27Well, we've looked at anger.
- 1:32Someone doesn't do something that I want them to do, it makes me angry.
- 1:37Something is done not the way that I like it, it makes me angry.
- 1:43It's just something that comes from me because I don't like the way something is.
- 1:49Well, we've looked at pride.
- 1:52My way is the best way.
- 1:56My way is the right way.
- 1:59You're going to see my and I in everything that we've covered so far.
- 2:02We looked at swearing and gossip.
- 2:04It's about sharing information that I know, whether it hurts somebody or not, I don't
- 2:08care because I know it and I want to share it and I want what I know to be out there.
- 2:14Being overly critical, you know, my opinions are what's best.
- 2:19I know what's right.
- 2:22The love of money.
- 2:23I want it to take care of my needs.
- 2:25I want it to take care and be my security.
- 2:29So lots of I and my and all those.
- 2:32But those are just the ones that we've talked about even within this study, kind of the
- 2:36common things.
- 2:37But we could mention, you know, murder.
- 2:39We didn't cover murder.
- 2:42But what is murder?
- 2:45It's the killing of someone, but why does somebody do it?
- 2:49Well, I don't want this person to be in this world anymore because it affected me in whatever
- 2:55way.
- 2:56I mean, somebody does that because it's what they want to do.
- 2:59Adultery.
- 3:01I want either somebody else's spouse or it doesn't matter to me how much I hurt my spouse
- 3:08because I want what I want when I want it, whatever it is.
- 3:14Stealing.
- 3:15I want something and don't care if it costs someone else something.
- 3:19Most sins and struggles that we deal with, if not all of them, are going to come back
- 3:24to selfishness.
- 3:27It's I want what I want and it doesn't matter to me how it affects someone else.
- 3:32It doesn't matter what it costs someone else.
- 3:35I want what I want.
- 3:37So selfishness is the root of nearly everything that is a sin and it's hard for me to think
- 3:42of something in all honesty.
- 3:43I don't know if anyone can think of something where it's really not.
- 3:47Selfishness is also one of those things that can hide in plain sight like others that we've
- 3:51talked about.
- 3:52Most of us aren't going to go around and just say, you know what, I'm selfish.
- 3:56That's just how I am.
- 3:58Now some people I have actually heard them say that, they do know that about themselves,
- 4:02but most of us aren't going to go around and say I'm lazy.
- 4:05Most of us aren't going to walk around and say I'm prideful.
- 4:07Most of us also aren't going to walk around and say I'm selfish because we've got a view
- 4:12of what laziness is, we've got a view of what prideful is, we've got a view of what
- 4:16selfishness is and we'll make it fit what we're, that's not us.
- 4:22But selfishness often disguises itself as we've talked about in others as different
- 4:27things.
- 4:28What are some ways that selfishness might appear or that the world might say this is
- 4:34okay and it's not being selfish, but what are some ways that that might happen?
- 4:40Somebody might say that person's not selfish, they've just got a lot of ambition.
- 4:46Is it wrong to have ambition?
- 4:49No.
- 4:51But sometimes whenever we have goals that we want to meet in life and we decide I'm
- 4:56going to do whatever it takes, that sounds good.
- 4:59And to a degree that's okay, it depends on what your end goal is and what your purpose
- 5:04is with that.
- 5:06But if you're like I've got goals, nobody's going to stand in my way, it doesn't matter
- 5:10what it costs someone else, I'm getting to my goal.
- 5:14Well the world might say that's ambition, but sometimes that ambition, if you're honest
- 5:19with yourself, might have a little bit of selfishness tied into it.
- 5:22Self-protection, it's about my well-being even at the cost of someone else, it might
- 5:27show up as convenience, it's about my comfort and ease, doesn't matter what kind of burden
- 5:33it might place on somebody else, as long as I'm comfortable, as long as it's easy for
- 5:37me, it doesn't matter to me what happens to someone else, and again it can even show
- 5:41itself in pride.
- 5:43Here's the main phrase, I'm just doing what makes me happy.
- 5:48You've probably heard that over and over, it's a big saying that goes on in the world
- 5:53today is you should be happy and you should do what makes you happy, and you can go up
- 5:58to some of those things that we've talked about in the struggles and sins, there's that
- 6:04word me again.
- 6:06I'm going to do what makes me happy.
- 6:09So the Bible's very clear that selfishness is a danger because of that fact.
- 6:15You know, selfishness and the mindset that you are the very center of the universe puts
- 6:21somebody in a position where you're not, because none of us are the center of the universe.
- 6:27You know, it's not about us.
- 6:31At the center of selfishness is the mindset, what do I want, what benefits me, how does
- 6:37this affect my comfort, how does this affect my happiness, how does this affect my life,
- 6:43and again, over and over, my and I.
- 6:45And when selfishness controls us, it's going to damage the things around us.
- 6:49So if somebody is a selfish person or if we have selfishness within our lives and maybe
- 6:54you've noticed it in your life, and maybe you were selfish at a time more so than what
- 6:59you are now, or maybe you're right in the thick of it right now, what are some things
- 7:04around us that can be affected by our selfishness relationships?
- 7:10That was my number one on the list.
- 7:14You know, not a lot of people like to be in a relationship with a selfish person when
- 7:20it's all about them.
- 7:22That's not really a relationship.
- 7:23That's a one sided thing.
- 7:25What else?
- 7:28Influence is affected.
- 7:31What else we have?
- 7:35Children end up being affected by it.
- 7:38Marriages will weaken if it's a selfish marriage.
- 7:42Friendships are going to break.
- 7:45We're sitting here in church this morning with the church.
- 7:50You think churches have ever divided over selfishness?
- 7:54You think there's ever been issues because of selfishness?
- 8:00But it doesn't just affect those around us.
- 8:04Us being selfish isn't just bad for the person who has to deal with us as the selfish person
- 8:10and always have to be giving and giving because we're selfish.
- 8:13It also affects us.
- 8:15It becomes a problem for us as well.
- 8:19One of the biggest problems that's going to happen if we are a selfish person is that
- 8:26our spiritual growth is going to stop.
- 8:30You're no longer looking to become more like what God wants you to be.
- 8:35Why is that if you're a selfish person?
- 8:42That's who he wants us to be more like, right?
- 8:48Yeah.
- 8:49Yeah.
- 8:50Well, if I'm someone who feels like I'm the center of the universe, what does that mean
- 8:58I really feel about myself?
- 9:00I mean, who is the center of the universe?
- 9:04Yeah.
- 9:05Christ.
- 9:06God.
- 9:07So, that means I'm really putting myself in the position of I think everything's here
- 9:12for me.
- 9:13Well, then I'm not going to grow very much in my spiritual walk if I'm not going to listen
- 9:20to anybody else, which would also include who is at the center of the universe.
- 9:26That's God.
- 9:27My spiritual growth is going to stop because I don't see any need to because everything's
- 9:32really here for me anyways.
- 9:35Your way is already best.
- 9:37Your ideas are all that matters.
- 9:40You aren't looking to God for what's actually best for you.
- 9:44And that's a very dangerous mindset to have.
- 9:46Again, selfishness doesn't disaffect those around you in a bad way because you're selfish.
- 9:53It's not good for you either.
- 9:54So we're going to look at within this study, what is selfishness?
- 9:58Why is it dangerous?
- 10:00Examples of selfishness in scripture, how selfishness destroys relationships.
- 10:05And then also if this is a struggle that we're dealing with, how is it that we're going to
- 10:09overcome this?
- 10:11So let's go ahead and turn to Philippians chapter two and define biblically what is
- 10:17selfishness.
- 10:21Because again, if we had to throw a dictionary one on it, we're probably just going to say
- 10:23someone who is all about themselves, someone who chooses what's in their best interest,
- 10:29all those kinds of things that go along with that.
- 10:31But over in Philippians chapter two, we're going to read verses one through four where
- 10:37Paul says,
- 10:38Therefore, if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship
- 10:42of the spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like minded, having
- 10:49the same love being of one accord of one mind.
- 10:53Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind, let
- 10:58each esteem others better than himself.
- 11:01Let each of you look not only for his own interest, but also for the interest of others.
- 11:09So four verses, what all does Paul say in these verses concerning selfishness?
- 11:17What all are in just these four verses that Paul says concerning selfishness?
- 11:24He says don't have, what's it say?
- 11:30Selfish ambition.
- 11:32In verse three, let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit.
- 11:40So he says, don't have anything to do with that.
- 11:44Anything you do, don't let it be done with selfish ambition.
- 11:48There's that word ambition that I mentioned at the beginning.
- 11:52He says instead of that, or what's that also mean?
- 11:58The opposite of that, so don't let anything be done in selfish ambition, instead, what's
- 12:05the reverse of that?
- 12:06What's the opposite of that, what's he say?
- 12:10Esteem others better than themselves or yourselves, which means that's the definition of selfish
- 12:18ambition or selfishness is esteeming others or esteeming yourself better than others,
- 12:28if it's the opposite.
- 12:29Don't let anything be done in selfish ambition, instead, esteem others better than yourself.
- 12:34That means that selfish ambition is esteeming yourself better than others.
- 12:42Now did Paul say, don't think about your needs at all, that we're supposed to just go through
- 12:48life and 100% never even think about ourselves?
- 12:52No, notice that Paul does not say it is wrong to care about your needs, look what he said
- 12:58in verse 4.
- 12:59He says, let each of you look out not only for your own interest, I mean we have to look
- 13:05out for our own interest, we can't just walk around not thinking about things, but he says
- 13:10don't only think about your own interest.
- 13:15And I think that's where that might hit all of us.
- 13:20We often think about others maybe at times, but we also maybe spend a little bit more
- 13:26time thinking about ourselves and our own interest, and the problem is when self becomes
- 13:31the absolute priority over everyone else, that's the problem, that's selfishness.
- 13:41Selfishness says my way matters most.
- 13:46Selfishness says my feelings matter most.
- 13:50Selfishness says my preferences are what matter most.
- 13:55You can also have this mindset inwardly and outwardly.
- 13:59We can be selfish.
- 14:01There are people you know or you maybe will admit to this about yourself that your actions
- 14:06show this kind of mindset.
- 14:08You may come to find out you're selfish because someone may even tell you in that instance
- 14:13because they see it.
- 14:14You're always going about making sure you're first and they see you doing the things outwardly
- 14:19that just doesn't seem like you might care about other people, it's all about you, you,
- 14:24you.
- 14:25But you can also just be a person who thinks this way, makes your decisions this way, still
- 14:31even appear kind to others, maybe outwardly you may seem like that you're not a selfish
- 14:38person but if inside in your thoughts you're always still thinking my way is best, my way
- 14:45is the only one that matters, my feelings are the ones that matter the most, my preferences
- 14:50matter the most, that's hard for us to recognize it because no one's ever going to tell us
- 14:55that because it's an inward struggle that we might be having.
- 14:58We have to realize that ourselves.
- 14:59So we might be so selfish that outwardly it appears to people and we might actually get
- 15:04called out on it but it's also an inward struggle that we have to be honest with ourselves
- 15:10and just say do I always think about myself all the time or do I even spend any amount
- 15:16of time thinking about other people.
- 15:30It's that outward look at others and you having that mindset that's going to gear you away
- 15:35from selfishness because the more you are outwardly looking and thinking about other
- 15:38people and all those things, that's the opposite of it and that's what's going to gear you
- 15:41away from it.
- 15:42So maybe again you're not sure if that's you, maybe you're not sure if this is a struggle
- 15:47that you're dealing with, what are some of the warning signs that you can look for or
- 15:52what are some ways that selfishness might show up in a person that maybe somebody might
- 15:59not immediately recognize?
- 16:02What are some ways that you would say if a person's doing this, they might have a little
- 16:09bit of a selfishness problem?
- 16:12Because again you might not think you have a selfishness problem but then you might do
- 16:16some of these things and then it's a switch that goes off and you say maybe I do need
- 16:23to think about what I'm thinking about.
- 16:26Maybe I do need to take a little bit deeper look into myself because that's what you have
- 16:31to do with all these things that we've talked about.
- 16:33Most of these aren't an easy thing for us to see in ourselves.
- 16:37It's very easy to see in other people often times but not in ourselves.
- 16:42What about someone who has to always, these are the kind of things I'm looking for, so
- 16:45if you have some, what if you always have to win arguments?
- 16:52What's that say?
- 16:53I'm always right, right?
- 16:56Everybody else is wrong, my way is best.
- 16:58So if you're a person who you just always got to win the argument, that's you saying
- 17:04that my way and what I think about this is the right way and you need to listen to that.
- 17:14What about someone who refuses to apologize?
- 17:19That means they think they've done nothing wrong because again it's my way and how I
- 17:24did that is the way that it was supposed to be done.
- 17:28Demands attention, being unwilling to serve, being a servant, it's pretty hard for a selfish
- 17:37person to be a servant because a selfish person expects to be served and not to serve.
- 17:45Always talking about ourselves, that's the opposite of kind of humility what Chuck just
- 17:49mentioned.
- 17:50Selfishness, controlling behavior, unwillingness to compromise, all sorts of things that we
- 17:55should look for in ourselves and say where's this coming from?
- 18:01Why am I this way?
- 18:03Those are some maybe outside things or physical things or worldly things that you might see
- 18:09in a person and the way that they deal in their relationships but it can also affect
- 18:14spiritual things.
- 18:15What are some things that would happen in our spiritual walk that will, selfishness
- 18:19will keep us from doing?
- 18:21Anybody have any thoughts on that?
- 18:24Yeah.
- 18:25And become more of a servant and to do the things that God would want us to do but then
- 18:39there's also the motivation side of being a servant.
- 18:41A selfish person could still maybe do some serving within our group and again make them
- 18:49maybe feel like I'm, maybe I'm not as, I can't be selfish because look at all the things
- 18:54that I'm doing but what's the motivation behind why they're doing the things they're doing
- 18:58because you can have selfish motivations for the reasons why for you to continue to do
- 19:03things in a way that maybe benefits you in some form or fashion and we're going to talk
- 19:07about some of those examples but maybe someone wants attention for their good works and want
- 19:13praise for their serving, gets angry when they're not recognized for those things, becomes
- 19:18upset, maybe when things aren't done in the way that they wish that they were done within
- 19:23the congregation, those things can affect us or selfishness can affect us in that way
- 19:28as well so it's dangerous because it can even affect us and keep us from doing good work
- 19:35so selfishness again is just always putting self obviously above anything else and how
- 19:41it can show up in our lives but where does it come from?
- 19:46Where does selfishness come from?
- 19:47Go over to James chapter 3, we're going to look at verses 13 through 18 and see what's
- 19:54the root of selfishness, where does it come from?
- 19:58And selfishness says I deserve, I should come first, I should get my way and James
- 20:07over in chapter 3 beginning at verse 13 says, who is wise and understanding among you?
- 20:14Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom but if
- 20:19you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.
- 20:26This wisdom does not descend from above but is earthly, sensual and demonic.
- 20:31For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there but the wisdom
- 20:37that is from above is first pure and then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full
- 20:43of mercy and good fruits without partiality and without hypocrisy.
- 20:48Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
- 20:53So verse 14 tells us that envy and self-seeking, thinking everything is about us, it's not
- 21:02how we're supposed to be.
- 21:05It's not how God created us to live and he says that way of thinking is from what?
- 21:14From a worldly or fleshly view of things.
- 21:18And then in verse 16 he tells us when those things are present, confusion and every evil
- 21:25thing is there.
- 21:28And then verse 17 and 18 he tells us how God created us to be.
- 21:33When we apply the wisdom that's from where?
- 21:36From above, from God, look at the list and tell me if these aren't the opposite of selfishness.
- 21:46He says peaceable, how's peaceable the opposite of selfishness?
- 21:52Takes two people to make peace, doesn't it?
- 21:55Takes two people to have peace with one another, that means there's not one person that's just
- 21:59like, my way, doesn't matter to me what you think, doesn't matter to me what your thoughts
- 22:05are on this, you need to agree with what I say, that's what selfishness does, a peaceable
- 22:10person is those who make peace and it takes two people to make peace with one another.
- 22:17Willing to yield, you think a selfish person is going to yield?
- 22:23Not likely, probably not.
- 22:29Full of mercy, what's mercy?
- 22:35It's showing forgiveness or compassion to those who maybe have affected you.
- 22:42That's not typical of a selfish person.
- 22:46And then also be without partiality.
- 22:49That means not showing partiality between you and someone else.
- 22:54Does a selfish person do that?
- 22:56Not typically because again it's, I'm better than you, my way is better, everything's about
- 23:02me.
- 23:04That means you're showing partiality to who?
- 23:07Yourself.
- 23:08I'm partial to myself.
- 23:10So you can't be without partiality and be selfish because you're always partial to yourself.
- 23:16Selfishness does not come from the desires that God has given us, is what James is saying,
- 23:22but it comes from when we give in to the desire of the world and the things that are in it.
- 23:28James then continues in chapter four about what envy and self-seeking causes in verses
- 23:32one and two.
- 23:33He says, where do the wars and fights come from among you?
- 23:37Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that warn your members?
- 23:43You lust and you do not have, you murder and covet and cannot obtain.
- 23:48You fight and you war.
- 23:53Where does James say conflict comes from?
- 23:57Right there in the middle of verse one.
- 24:00He says, where does the fights and the wars come from among you?
- 24:03Where do these conflicts come from?
- 24:05Do they not come from, what's he say?
- 24:11Your desires.
- 24:13Your desires for pleasure that warn your members.
- 24:19What's that?
- 24:20What's your desires?
- 24:21It's what you want, right?
- 24:25So you could read that, where do wars and fights come from among you?
- 24:28Do they not come from when you want what you want for your pleasures, for your desires,
- 24:35the things that warn your members?
- 24:37Again, does it not come from selfishness is essentially what he's saying.
- 24:43Do you have something, brother?
- 24:50Yeah.
- 24:51Yeah.
- 24:52Yeah.
- 24:54Yeah.
- 24:55Yeah.
- 24:56Yeah.
- 24:57Without it being pure in the sense of even our motives and all the things that go around
- 25:02and the actual purity of the action and all the things that go along with that, the rest
- 25:07of it kind of goes off to the side.
- 25:14But conflict comes from selfishness.
- 25:17Why do you think selfishness causes so many conflicts?
- 25:20So think about the times in which maybe you've had a conflict with people or maybe you've
- 25:26known of groups of people who've had conflicts with one another.
- 25:31Why is selfishness at the kind of root of most conflicts?
- 25:38Why do you think that is?
- 25:41Or what are some things that causes conflict between people that you would say selfishness
- 25:48is usually in that?
- 25:52Clashing of desires.
- 25:55People oftentimes want control, don't they?
- 25:59Selfishness is a lot of times in that.
- 26:02Pride gets involved between two people and then it's, well, I have my pride and I want
- 26:10to have it go my way.
- 26:14People stop listening to one another.
- 26:16People demand their own way.
- 26:18People become easily offended.
- 26:20If you think about nearly every conflict, whether it's marriages, whether it's friendships,
- 26:26whether it's problems within churches, whether it's work disputes at your own work or conflicts
- 26:33on the world stage, I mean, just wars in general, just the wars that go on between countries,
- 26:38wars that go on between people within countries, usually at the root, both sides are heavily
- 26:47focused on themselves.
- 26:49They've got their side of the story, someone else has theirs, and it causes whatever that
- 26:53conflict is.
- 26:56It's unwillingness to look inwardly at your own self and figure out maybe that you have
- 27:06some issues and that you have to do something wrong because a selfish person is never going
- 27:11to probably look at themselves in that way because, again, you just feel like everyone's
- 27:16here for you.
- 27:20Imagine in a real world example, there's two people in a marriage and the husband says,
- 27:26she doesn't appreciate me enough.
- 27:29Maybe the husband feels his wife does not appreciate him enough.
- 27:34And then the wife says, well, he doesn't pay enough attention to me.
- 27:40Now appreciation and attention matter.
- 27:43They do.
- 27:44But if both spouses become consumed with what they are not getting and they only think about
- 27:51what they are not getting and how they are affected in their relationship and they don't
- 27:56think about anything else, only how they are being affected, only how they are being neglected,
- 28:03the marriage becomes a competition between the two of who's going to win this war.
- 28:09Who's the one who is most at fault?
- 28:13And if selfishness is ever involved in that, you're never going to, they're never going
- 28:17to be peaceable, unwilling to yield, all the things that we just covered that James said
- 28:22up above that.
- 28:24Because a partnership with two people who are peaceable, willing to yield, full of mercy,
- 28:30without partiality and without hypocrisy are going to have more success if both people
- 28:38in that relationship are having those two problems than two people who are selfish.
- 28:44It's just never going to probably work out.
- 28:47And you can change the example of those two married people to two coworkers.
- 28:52You can change that example to two brethren.
- 28:55You can change it to two leaders on the world stage.
- 28:57And it's going to be exactly the same.
- 29:00If selfishness gets involved, that's where James says, that's where the wars and the
- 29:04conflicts come from among you.
- 29:08It's because you're only thinking about your desires and yourself and all those things.
- 29:19Or they, to a degree, yes, and then they also think we should compromise sometimes on some
- 29:24of our things, but they don't think they should ever compromise on their things as well.
- 29:30But selfishness is going to keep score, is essentially what I'm saying, and there has
- 29:35to be a winner.
- 29:37And if you're a selfish person, guess who you feel like has to always be the winner?
- 29:43It's going to be you.
- 29:46Selfishness is going to lead you to conflict, is what James is telling us.
- 29:50He said when you put your desires only first above anything else, he said that's where
- 29:56the wars and fights are going to come from among you.
- 30:00You lust and you don't have, you murder and you covet, and you can't obtain.
- 30:04You want what you want, you want who you want, you can't have it, you're not obtaining it,
- 30:12it's going to cause you to fight more if all you care about is your desires and that's it.
- 30:22So now let's talk about some biblical examples of selfishness.
- 30:27It comes in many examples, really, any place you see people choosing what they want over
- 30:33God or others, we could go through numerous accounts in the Bible and talk about selfishness
- 30:40and how it's in this story or this event and all these, because like I said, it's at the
- 30:45root, in my opinion, of nearly everything that we deal with in our lives.
- 30:54One example, the first one we've already looked at, if you want to turn to Genesis
- 30:584, I'm going to give you the Clifton notes version, but we've already looked at when
- 31:01we spoke about anger, we talked about Cain.
- 31:05If you remember in Genesis 4, Cain became angry because Abel's sacrifice was accepted
- 31:12and his was not.
- 31:13And in verse 4 and 5 of Genesis 4, we were told that the Lord respected Abel and his
- 31:18offering but he did not respect Cain and his offering and Cain was very angry and his
- 31:24countenance fell.
- 31:27And then God told Cain, I'm not sure why you're angry.
- 31:31It's on you.
- 31:34In verse 7, he said, if you do well, you'll be accepted like your brother.
- 31:37He's like, you're the one, I don't know who you're angry at and what you're angry about
- 31:44except for maybe you should be a little angry at yourself, is essentially what he says.
- 31:49That's kind of the opportunity for correction that God gave Cain there.
- 31:53He's like, you have the opportunity, you had the same opportunity as your brother and you
- 31:57still have the opportunity.
- 31:58If you do well, you're going to be accepted.
- 32:01But he just didn't accept his original sacrifice.
- 32:06So he gave him an opportunity for him to do the right thing, do what God asked.
- 32:12And when we talked about that, we talked about Cain concerning anger.
- 32:17We talked about jealousy.
- 32:19Some of you mentioned that he was probably jealous of Abel.
- 32:23And then we talked about murder.
- 32:25So some other things that we've talked about throughout this course of this study.
- 32:32But what else was involved prior to the murder?
- 32:37What else happened?
- 32:40You know, Cain had to make a decision to offer what was right or what he wanted to offer.
- 32:49And God told him in verse 7, if you do well, you'll be accepted.
- 32:54You've got the choice.
- 32:56You can offer what you were supposed to.
- 32:58You can offer what is right.
- 33:02Cain could have accepted that correction by God and decided to offer what was right at
- 33:07that time.
- 33:08He said, you know what, I need to offer what I'm supposed to.
- 33:11I need to offer my best.
- 33:12I need to offer whatever it is.
- 33:14He could have accepted the correction by God.
- 33:18Cain could have humbled himself.
- 33:19That's what it's going to take to do that, like what Chuck mentioned a minute ago.
- 33:25Cain could have improved his sacrifice and been accepted.
- 33:31But did he do any of that?
- 33:34Why did he not do any of that?
- 33:42I don't know why exactly, but I'd agree with you.
- 33:44I mean, it doesn't tell us exactly why he didn't do what he did, but apparently he didn't
- 33:49want to correct himself.
- 33:51He had the opportunity to.
- 33:53He had the opportunity to do what was right, and then he would be accepted.
- 33:57But he didn't do that.
- 34:00Remember I said at the beginning, a selfish mindset is dangerous because you will not
- 34:04listen to anyone else, and that includes God.
- 34:09You will not accept correction because what you want is what you want.
- 34:15It doesn't matter if someone corrects you on it.
- 34:18Cain refused correction, and selfishness often refuses correction because self-centered people
- 34:26hate to admit their fault, like what you mentioned.
- 34:31So that's one example.
- 34:33Turn over to Luke chapter 15, we'll probably finish with this one today and we'll pick
- 34:37up on a couple more examples and then continue on next Sunday, but I think we'll probably
- 34:41finish up with this one.
- 34:44Luke chapter 15, of course, the story of the prodigal son you're all familiar with.
- 34:50It's in Luke 15, 11 through 32.
- 34:53Not going to read the entire story.
- 34:57But over in Luke 15, beginning of verse 11, it says, then he said, a certain man had two
- 35:01sons.
- 35:02He said, and the younger of them said to his father, father, give me the portion of goods
- 35:07that falls to me.
- 35:09So he divided to them his livelihood, and not many days after, the younger son gathered
- 35:15all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal
- 35:21living.
- 35:22And again, you know the rest of the story, and if you don't, make sure you read it.
- 35:28And how would we relate this story to selfishness?
- 35:34What would you see as selfish within this story, just in the first few verses that we've
- 35:40read?
- 35:41How does this kind of seem selfish, or what do you see?
- 35:46Yeah, couldn't wait for his father's death, he wanted what he wanted and he wanted it
- 35:52now.
- 35:53That's the J.D. Wentworth statement.
- 35:56I want my money and I want it now.
- 35:58I think that was that guy's name, I don't know, I remember a commercial whenever I was
- 36:01a kid.
- 36:02It was the Cash something or other, I don't know.
- 36:04But the younger son demanded his inheritance early, which is essentially saying, I want
- 36:10what's currently yours, and even though it would be his later, I want what is yours and
- 36:17I want it on my timeline.
- 36:19Again, it's I and my, you're going to see I and my all the time if you're thinking about
- 36:24selfishness.
- 36:25I want from your livelihood, how many of you, if you just had to give over a good percentage
- 36:36of whatever it is that you have right now to someone else, is that going to place a
- 36:40burden on you at this moment while you're still living?
- 36:45Probably so.
- 36:46Most people can't just give away a lot of their stuff and just be like, oh, now I don't
- 36:50have any of that even though I'm still living.
- 36:53The stuff that I was using to live on, I don't have it anymore because I gave it.
- 36:57I mean, that's going to place a burden, you would think.
- 37:01But he wanted from his father's livelihood, maybe even if it burdened him a little bit,
- 37:06he didn't think about that because a selfish person is not going to think that way.
- 37:12He wanted his freedom without responsibility of living under his father.
- 37:18Good inheritance comes from the fruits of labor, from the blessings, from being a part
- 37:24of the efforts within that family and however it is that God blessed them.
- 37:29I would also assume that the younger brother leaving put an extra load on the father and
- 37:34of the older brother.
- 37:37Obviously the older brother felt that way.
- 37:40He didn't give anything, any kind of thought to that, didn't think about that one bit.
- 37:47He says, I want the blessings without the obedience.
- 37:51I want the payout without the work.
- 37:54I deserve it.
- 37:56I deserve it.
- 37:59Where does selfishness eventually lead him?
- 38:03Well, broken, alone, empty.
- 38:09The younger son's circumstances eventually brings him pretty low.
- 38:16It says, make me like one of your hired servants there in verse 19.
- 38:20Once he hits the low point and he decides, oh, I had it pretty good at my father's, I
- 38:24want to go back and he says, just make me like one of your hired servants.
- 38:31The younger son's circumstances changed his mindset from being, I deserve it, to humble
- 38:38himself like what Chuck mentioned and realize that he had sinned and made a mistake.
- 38:47He was in the wrong.
- 38:49And again, selfishness, what he mentioned a minute ago, it's not going to cause you
- 38:54to do that.
- 38:56He releases entitlement and said, I'm not entitled to anything, just make me a servant.
- 39:02So he went from being selfish to humble and not selfish anymore.
- 39:10Essentially his attitude was completely different when he returned than what it was when he
- 39:14left and our attitude can often be an indicator if we struggle with selfishness.
- 39:19Again, what kind of attitude do you see in the younger son that you may see in other
- 39:23selfish people?
- 39:25I have entitlement.
- 39:27I have, he felt, deserving materialism.
- 39:31He wasted his possessions on himself only, it didn't say that he took his inheritance
- 39:36and just went and did a lot of good things and was very giving to other people or anything
- 39:39like that.
- 39:40No, it says he wasted it all on himself.
- 39:43Laziness, he didn't want to play a role in his inheritance, he just wanted it now.
- 39:50Pleasure seeking, wasted his possessions on his own pleasures.
- 39:54And then again, at the beginning of it, there's a lack of gratitude.
- 40:00He comes to finally have that, but he didn't have it at the beginning.
- 40:04When he had the mindset and the attitude of selfishness, he lacked all those things.
- 40:10He ended up turning around, his mindset changed once he was brought a little lower, once he
- 40:15humbled himself, but we see those things in him that can also be seen in us.
- 40:29And how it affected him, yeah, for sure, yeah, his mindset was how everything affected
- 40:36him a little bit, was a little bit selfish in that as well.
- 40:40But we'll pick up with two more examples next week and then again talk about how do we fix
- 40:45this problem if this is something seen in us, what is it that we can do about it?
- 40:51And then also the better example of what's the opposite of selfishness of that of Jesus
- 40:56who we're supposed to be conforming ourself or transforming ourself to be more like him.
- 41:03So we'll talk about that.
- 41:04Appreciate your comments.