The Paradox of ‘self’
(Luke 9:25)
“For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?”
Introduction:
In 2 timothy chapter 3, Apostle Paul warns us of the terrible times that will be in the last days. The idea is not something new but He just builds on what Christ had heralded already in the Mount of Olives. When “the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matt. 24:3 KJV) Christ started off His prophesy with a word of caution “Take Heed”.Look out. Do not be ignorant of the signs of the times. “For in the last days perilious times shall come” (2 Timothy 3:1 KJV). Well Paul was a great scholar and a teacher who doesn’t stop there with vague terminologies. He goes further on and elaborates saying “People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power” (2 Timothy 3:2-4 NIV) So in order to comprehend what Paul is trying to teach us about our ‘self’ let us break it down into sections and carefully and scrutinize its parts.
1. Lovers of self Vs Givers if self.
Paul begins his catalogue with a strange yet a certain description of the people in the end times. They will be ‘lovers of self’. They will be ‘lovers of money’ to meet the demands of the self. But we all know that these are not wrong in themselves. For Christ said “Love your neighbour as yourself” (Matt. 19:19 NIV) so loving one’s self is never a mistake. The Wisest man who ever lived calls money a ‘shelter’ (Eccl.7:12 NIV) and we all know that money is basic in meeting our daily needs. But it is when they become in excess that they become as poisons. When love for self becomes prime the love for God and the love for man are nullified..
Lovers of self
1. Gehazi (2 Kings 5:23) for the worth of two talents of silver and two sets of clothing lost his own soul.
2. Judas (Matt 26:15) was counted out for thirty pieces of silver only to hang as a banquet of flesh for the fowls of the air.
3. The Self absorbed couple, Ananias and Saphira (Acts 5) fell dead at the feet of Peter for the want of self. Instant death yet eternal.
Afterall the fundemental problem wayback in the courts of heaven was lucifer’s love for self. He loved himself more than he loved God. (Isaiah 14)
Givers of self
1. Zacchaeus (Luke 19:8) gave half of his possesions to the poor and laid up his treasures in heaven. Wise! Isn’t he? And Christ said ‘Salvation has come to this home today”. Giving is a sign of redemption.
2. Stephen (Acts 7) gave his own life for the sake of the Gospel. As they stoned, “Stephen full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” If you read through carefully, in most places we read Christ sitting at the right hand of God but when we give ourselves for the sake of Christ, He is not sitting relaxed by the throne of His Father. But He stands. He stands with His arms wide open to receive us.
3. Peter, James, John, Thomas, Paul, and all of the disciples, Martin Luther, John Huss, and all of the mortiers for Christ whom you can think about, they all gave up their own self for the sake of God. Lo He assures (Matt 16:25 NIV) “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.”
God loves you and me more than Himself that He gave His only begotten Son (John 3:16) to die like an ox or a lamb in the cross of calvary. Christ gave up His Own self to redeem mankind and put and end to the ceaseless intoxication of sin and death.
2. Seek self Vs Meek self
Paul continues his lengthy list, with men being “boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, and slanderous”. Man seeks his own glory, blows his own horn and sings his own praises. Man has become pompous, high mined, swollen with pride and conceit, looking down his nose at other people. Abusing and insulting innocent folk, old people and even parents. Men no longer seem to know the concepts of gratitude, forgiveness and love. No wonder Christ said “the love of many shall wax cold” (Matt 24:12 KJV) Men are absorbed in their own selves. If you need some illustrations turn on your news channel or glance through your daily newspaper. The other day a man was trying to convince me to join his bussiness. All that I have to do is to endorse some products and I would get 20% commission. When I said I need to go through the product details, if they are good, if they are worth buying, etc the man interrupted saying, “Why are you bothered so much about others? All you ve got to do is to make them use our product and you get 20%” We are getting more and more self centred everyday and the problem is that we are accustomed to it. “Theories of the Survival of the fittest even promote seeking of the self.” But beloved meekness is not weakness. The theory of survival that God edifies is that (Matt. 5:5) “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth” not only for now but forever.
Seek self
1. Saul(1 Samuel 15) bragged himself to be the annointed of the Lord and made some decisions that weren’t in accordance with the word of God. God had asked him to destroy every moving creature upon the land when he won the battle against the Amalekites. But the unthankful, disobedient Saul brings the finest of cattle and sheep, men, women and even the king alive. There be a thousand ways that may seem right unto man but then you know the ends thereof. He never returned home, reconciled with the Lord.
2. Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king’ (1 Kings 1:5) and fell a prey to the sword.
3. Titanic ‘The unsinkable’ blew off its horn only to be burried in the depths of the ocean and to be the subject of study for the archeologists.
Wayback in heaven Lucifer, son of the morning! Said in his heart, “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. But the Lord declares “Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.” (Isaiah 14:13-15) Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee. (Verse 11)
Meek self
1. Hezekiah ( 2 chronicles 32:26) humbled himself and prevented the wrath of God consuming him and his nation.
2. David (psalms 35:13) was a man after God’s own heart,who always humbled his own self and acknowledged his sins and weaknesses (Psalms 51)
3. The publican (Luke 18:3) who humbled himself, smote his breast and said Lord be merciful unto me a sinner went reconciled with the Lord and not the Self righteous pharisee who exalted his own self.
He that exalteth his gate seeketh destruction. (Pro. 17:19) says the wisest King. “For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted”. (Luke 14:11) Says the Almighty King Who is wiser than the Wisest.
3. Self Indulgence Vs self control.
Men will be ‘incontinent’ which means that they can not control themselves.Once when man said ‘I ll blow off your head’ he was just kidding but today he means it. The other day, a man noosed his wife to the ceiling fan in his own house, for want of money and the poor lady was brought to the emergency room gasping for breath by her relatives. Man can no more control his appetite. The innumerable restuarants and the variety of dishes are rocketting higher and higher everyday. Man hasn’t kept any moving creature down here or up above from his choicest dishes. With the pandemic of pornography and sensual television shows, the minds of men are corrupt. They could hardly control their sexual drives. A 7 year young girl was raped by a 30 yeart old man. At first coundn’t quite comprehend it. The crime rates, the divorce rates, theft, robbery, rape, incest, suicides, homicides, adultry, fornication and all of that filth which one can think about is on the escalation all arround the world. It will be as in the days of Noah where every imagination was evil continually.But Christians ‘take heed’. Proverbs warns against giving in to gluttony. One should always practice temperance and self-control, especially when given opportunities to indulge.
Self Indulgence
1. The human race fell as a prey to the deciet of the devil because of intemperance. Eve could n’t keep herself from that which was ‘pleasant to the eyes’. (Gen.3:6) Sin is always pleasing to the eyes, enjoyable to the tongue, agreeable to the ears, pleasurable to the flesh, satisfying the psyche and amusing the mind but fatal and incurable to the soul.
2. Samson’s (Judges 16:21) eyes were plucked when he followed the vista of his vision and forgot his mission. Or Christ admonishes (Matt. 5:29) “And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell” A man may forfeit both his eyes yet remain filthy in his mind. But what Christ was trying to explain is ‘to keep off scenes which fascinate your eyes, Drinks and dishes that allure your taste buds,Rock and rolls that engross your ears and stuffs that indulge and delights your flesh ’ If the television with its debasing cabarets and sensual exibits is the cause of your temptation,throw it out. It is better to be deprived of the good things that the television brings in than to be drawn to the hell bound by the cords of its muck.
3. The Antideluvians that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away.(Matt.24:38,39)
Self Control
1. Joseph the classic example of temperance and self control. A boy of such integrity, who chose to be in jail rather than to make love to a beautiful woman, was exalted above the Egyptians in their own land. And is going to be exalted once again when the Lord God of hosts comes the second time.
2. Daniel, who ‘resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine’ (Daniel 1:8) was the spokesman for God. The strength of his mind and will didn’t keep him from the lion’s den. But as he was able to discipline himself, God helped him to tame the ravenous lions in the den. A man who made history and foretold future.
3. Jesus was no exemption from the tempter’s targets. In fact Christ was number one in the list of his big ten.For if he could make Christ fall in sin then the whole plan of redemption would go in vain.But praise God for He who contols the ragging floods and the fiery storm, the course of earth in a destined norm, He who controls the wind, the sea and the very foundations of hills was able to bring His Self under the subjection of His will.
Beloved, the more you get closer to God the more you become a threat to the tempter.The devil wearried the saviour with temptations when He was filled with the Spirit. The Spirit of the Lord does not exempt you from the snares of the tempter. It is when you draw more closely to the Eternal that you move higher in the tempter’s top ten. But remember folk, “Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city.”
Conclusion
Now, having heard so much about the self, reconsider the title of our message for a while. “The paradox of self”. I hope that the Spirit of the Lord has made clear to you the contradiction and the controversy that self has got with itself. The self is like a see-saw. You can either humble your self or exalt your self. Manage your self or indulge your self. Contol your self or condemn your self. Discipline your self or destroy your self. Deny your self or demand your self. Love your self or give your self. Save your self or lose your self.What are you going to do with your self.
Martin H Fischer says “Your soul is all that you posses. Take it in hand and make something out of it.”Or Christ puts it this way “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? (Luke 9:25). That house you live in is not your own. That car you drive is not your own. That Job you do and the position you hold, that book you learn and the money you earn, nothing is your own.What if you claim all these temporary things and lose your own self for eternal? The only thing that belongs to you in this world is your ‘self’ and self alone. What are you going to do with it?
There was a man by the river of Jordon, in the backwoods of Judea. The shade of the trees was his wilderness home. Locust and honey were his meals wholesome. His clothing was nothing more than the camel’s hair, the cry of his soul echoed in the air. John the baptist by nature had the faults and weaknesses common to mankind, but the touch of divine love had transformed his self. A man can receive nothing except it be given him from heaven. Those who are true to their calling as messengers for God will not seek honor for themselves. Love for self will be consumed up in the love for Christ. John said this is my Joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase but I must decrease. Looking in faith to the saviour John had risen to the height of self abnegation.He sought not to attract men to himself but was always striving to lift their thoughts higher and higheruntil they should rest upon the lamb of God. We can not discern the character of God and accept christ by faith unless we consent to the bringing into captivity of every thought to the obedience of christ. To all who do this, to all who try to make the best out of their self, Holy Spirit is given without measure.
What do you do with your self today?
God Bless.
Amen.
