Self-Centeredness – When Self Is at the Center
Categories: Sermon Outlines, Topical Sermon OutlinesINTRODUCTION:
A. Philippians 2:3-4
B. Self-centeredness is a very, very old problem
1. The first sin in the world was committed when Satan talked Eve into thinking that her own will was self-sufficient
2. Genesis 3:1-6
C. Yet, self-centeredness is a peculiarly modern way of thinking, too.
1. Humanism, the prevailing philosophy of the modern era, unabashedly elevates the human being to the pedestal once occupied by God and teaches the preeminence and autonomy of the human “self.”
2. The 1980’s were called the “Me Decade” – when not a few of the idealistic hippies of the 60’s and 70’s turned into materialistic yuppies.
3. In the late 70’s, Robert J. Ringer’s book, Looking Out for Number One, was the best-selling book in America for 46 weeks.
4. Few words in our vocabulary are used any more than self and its combinations, like self-fulfillment, self-expression, etc. Cf. Peggy Rosenthal, Words and Values, pp. 3-5.
5. We now have a (women’s) magazine called Self.
D. We have truly created an withdrawn, self-absorbed society: a culture in which the individual is preoccupied with the “self” that he is.
E. When a person is preoccupied with himself that can show up in various ways:
1. Self-absorption (narcissism)
2. Self-glorification (vanity, arrogance, boastfulness)
3. Self-service (selfishness, greed)
4. Self-will (stubbornness)
5. Self-obedience (lawlessness)
F. All of these things are deplorable to the person who takes the Scriptures seriously – they are things that are very destructive.
G. To see just how destructive self-centeredness is, let’s look at what happens: to our relationship to God, to others, and to ourselves.
DISCUSSION:
A. WHEN WE ARE SELF-CENTERED OUR RELIGION TOWARD GOD TURNS INTO IDOLATRY
1. Idolatry consists of anything that “dethrones” God and puts someone/something else in His place
a. Colossians 3:5
b. How critical is this? _ Ephesians 5:3-5
2. The substitution of self-will for God’s will is the very essence of sin
a. Romans 1:18-25 gives a vivid picture of what happens when men begin to worship the “creature” rather than the “Creator.”
b. The worship of self is the ultimate idolatry — and it is the direction that all other idolatries are headed.
3. “Humanism” is a very frightening form of self-worship- but there are many other forms equally idolatrous and equally destructive, that “religious” people had better watch out for.
B. WHEN WE ARE SELF-CENTERED OUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER HUMAN BEINGS DEGENERATE
1. When we come to the point of caring for nothing but ourselves, others inevitably suffer.
a. This is so because the world is “put together” in such a way that society and personal relationships “work” only when human beings act like human beings – outward-oriented personal beings who serve the needs of others
1) Genesis 1:27
2) 1 John 4:7-11
3) Acts 20:35
b. When human beings deny their basic nature, turn inward, and act with primary regard to the fulfillment of their own desires, the fabric of society begins to tear apart.
2. What is happening to the marriage relationship is but one evidence of the destruction in human relationships that results from the Me-First philosophy.
3. In contrast to all of this, the NT teaches that personal relationships thrive only when we “submit” ourselves to the needs of others
a. Ephesians 5:21
b. Philippians 2:3-4
C. WHEN WE ARE SELF-CENTERED WE DETEST THE VERY SELF WE HAVE COME TO WORSHIP
1. Self-respect comes from one thing and one thing only: DOING OUR DUTY.
a. Doing our duty involves serving the needs of others- selflessly.
b. When we become preoccupied with ourselves, we quit serving the needs of others and begin to diminish the foundation on which our self-respect is built.
2. Ironically, the person who is obsessed with “finding himself” and “liking himself” is the very person who is going to do fewest of the things that would truly make it possible for him to like himself.
3. It is not at all surprising that the Me-First generation is awash in self-loathing and fixation
4. And modern psychiatry/psychotherapy is doing precisely the thing that will make the problem worse: encouraging us to think and talk more about ourselves.
5. “How can a man come to know himself? Never by thinking, but by doing. Try to do your duty, and you will know at once what you are worth” (Goethe).
6. This is merely the truth embodied in Jesus’ words
a. Matthew 20:25-28
b. The wholesome self-concept comes not from the Be Somebody philosophy but the Serve Somebody philosophy.
CONCLUSION:
A. Paul predicted a time when “men will be lovers of themselves” (2 Tim. 3:2).
B. Could there be a more apt description of our own age?
C. Elders, who are to serve as an example for all of us, are not to be self-willed (Tit. 1:7).
D. Jesus’ example is that of selflessness
1. John 13:14-15
2. Philippians 2:5-9
E. When self is at the center:
1. Our religion toward God turns to idolatry
2. Our relationship with human beings begin to degenerate
3. We detest the very self we have come to worship