Cow Tipping - Self Series

Cow Tipping: Self

Thesis: Cow tipping has to do with tipping over and destroying idols in our life that usurp God. They come in many forms and shapes.

Introduction:

They myth of cow tipping: Wiki notes: Cow tipping is the purported activity of sneaking up on any unsuspecting or sleeping upright cow and pushing it over for entertainment. The practice of cow tipping is generally considered an urban legend, and stories of such feats viewed as tall tales.

Illustration: My own cow tipping experience at the Converse farm.

But as we talk about Cow Tipping over the next month the point is to identify any idols we may have created in our life that are hindering our relationship with the Lord and that need to be tipped over and destroyed.

Prayer: I pray God would show you what is hindering your relationship with Him – prayer!

Scripture Text: Title: The Holy Bible, New International Version - Exodus 32

Exodus 32:1-4:

When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.” Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” So, all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”

Matthew 10:37-39: 37“Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Luke 9:23-26: 23Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. 25What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? 26If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

It becomes clear from Scripture that SELF has to go from the heart of a servant of Jesus – It has to be crucified –nailed to the cross or we will never be able to serve the Kingdom of God as God intends. Self will always prevent even hinder you from serving the Lord if you allow it to control your life. Self has been described as the I me mine unholy trinity that leads us into sin and bondage.

Self - I have an acrostic which I came up this week for SELF:

S = Serving

E = Ego

L = Living

F = Foolishly

EGO is:

E = Edging

G = God

O = Out

This is what self always does - it pushes God out of focus and places self as “uno” number one to be served and to be appeased. Servant leaders are those who have chosen to lose to God – to lose to self – to lose to pride – to lose materialism and have chosen the path of the servant-hood! The reality check is when we center on Jesus Christ our focus shifts from self.

We as Jesus’ servants commit to denying to SELF because we know that this is the most sensible way to live a fulfilled and purposeful life.

We have refined our selfish antics to be more masked and adult like – but it is still selfishness!

Quote: “Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live.” Oscar Wilde

Irish dramatist, novelist, & poet (1854 - 1900)

Scripture has a lot to say about this earthly, worldly, fleshly mindset and it is never seen as a divine virtue but as a sinful mindset.

Opening video Illustration: It’s all about me!

Start singing - How Great I am!

O Lord my self, when I in awesome wonder,

Consider all the words my hands have made;

I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder.

My power throughout the universe displayed!

Then sings my soul, my Savior self, to me