Getting Over Yourself Series

Getting Over Yourself

One day Jesus left the crowds to pray alone.

AND BTW MGCC - that is a really good thing to do at times.

To leave the noise and the crowd (yeah, they’ll be fine without you) and to get alone with God.

IN FACT – for some in this room that is exactly what you need to do this week… today. Get away from all the noise of life and spend some alone time with your Heavenly Father.

Only his disciples were with him, and he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other ancient prophets risen from the dead.”

Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.” Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone.

And he said, “ The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.

What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? – Luke 9:18-25

QUESTION – do you hear what Jesus is saying?

THAT IF - you make your life all about you,

THEN it can never be all about Him (Jesus)... and you will THEREFORE miss out on becoming the you God intended you to be

IN OTHER WORDS – you will forfeit your very self.

HOWEVER – on the other hand…

IF YOU – deny yourself (for HIS sake), you will actually find your very self.

Prayer

THIS MORNING – we conclude our series OVERCOME by talking about what I think is perhaps the greatest challenge that most of us in this room will ever face…

IN FACT – it’s one we must be prepared to fight every single day of our lives… The challenge to get over ourselves.

LISTEN… Here’s the deal – you are the biggest obstacle to your own happiness, contentment, joy and to becoming who God wants you to become…

AND MGCC – my goal this morning is very simple, for everyone in this room… to walk out those doors not only (embracing, adopting and accepting)…

BUT – striving with a dogged unrelenting determination to live out the mantra…

“It’s not about Me”

LISTEN

It’s not… life’s not about you.

About your wants, desires, opinions… etc

NOW THERE ARE – 3 points in our notes this morning.

AND – they all start with the letter ‘R’ - I don’t why, I didn’t plan it – It just worked out this way.

• The Reality

• The Reasons

• The Remedy

I. The Reality…

Max Lucado writes;

There is a sickness that makes the black plague appear as mild as the common cold. Tally the death tolls of all infections, fevers, and epidemics since the beginning of time, and you’ll still fall short of the number claimed by this single infirmity.

And forgive me for being the one to tell you, but you are infected. You suffer from it. You are a victim – a diseased carrier. You have shown the symptoms and manifested the signs.

You have a case of – brace yourself – selfishness.

You don’t believe me?

Suppose you are in a group photo. The first time you see the picture, where do you look? And if you look good do you like the picture?

IF – you are the only one who looks good do you still like the picture?

IF – some are cross-eyed and others have spinach in their teeth, do you still like the picture?

IF THAT - makes you like it even more, you’ve got a bad case. What about physical manifestations?

CLUTCHING HANDS – do your fingers ever wrap and close around possessions?

PROTRUDING TEETH – do fangs ever flare when you are interrupted or irritated?

HEAVY FEET – when a neighboring car wants to cut in front of you, do you sense a sudden heaviness of foot on the accelerator.

EXTENDED SHOULDER – any inflammation from patting yourself on the back?

AND YOUR NECK – is it sore from keeping your nose in the air?

BUT – most of all look into your eyes.

LOOK – long into your pupils.

DO YOU – see a tiny figure?

AN - image of a person?

AN – image of you?

The self-centered see everything through self. Their motto?