23. THE BOOK OF GALATIANS – CHAPTER 6:3 - Message 23 – ARE YOU A BIG SHOT? HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? YOU ARE NOT DECEIVED ARE YOU?
[1]. INTRODUCTION
In the last message we considered a most important practical side of our Christianity and that was bearing the burdens, loads, problems of others. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted and caring but be willing eagerly, to take up the load another brother or sister may be struggling with. Not only is it the right thing to do but it is imperative because it is a command, and we are to emulate our Lord Jesus Christ who said of Himself, {{Matthew 11:28-29 “Come to Me all who are weary and HEAVY-LADEN and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me FOR I AM GENTLE AND HUMBLE IN HEART and you shall find rest for your souls.”}}
One of the conditions of this is to have a mind that is connected with, and led by God. If you are too high and mighty to come down from your horse and help an elderly man fallen in the mud by the side of the lane, then what mind do you have? The message today begins with the state of mind and the spiritual condition of a man or woman.
[2]. WHERE ARE YOU ON THE THINK SCALE?
{{Galatians 6:3 “If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.”}}
Self-Deception. There is vanity in self-deception. There was an Oscar Wilde play written called “The importance of Being Ernest”, but some people work according to the play, “The Importance of Being Me”. At the heart of self-deception is pride. Pride has no place in the life of any Christian. Nebuchadnezzar surveyed all his work and was puffed up in pride but God deflated him to grovel with the beasts in the dewy grass.
There was a man called Nabal and King David sent him a request – {{1 Samuel 25:6-8 “and thus you shall say, ‘Have a long life, peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have. Now I have heard that you have shearers. Now your shepherds have been with us and we have not insulted them, nor have they missed anything all the days they were in Carmel. Ask your young men and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favour in your eyes, for we have come on a festive day. Please give whatever you find at hand to your servants and to your son David.’”}} Nabal was very rich and he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats.
Nabal was surly, harsh and evil in his doings, and a worthless man and folly, but his wife was wonderful. The whole of this story is found in the whole chapter 25. Nabal refused David’s request because he was too high and mighty, a man of great stupidity. He thought he was somebody of great importance, but he was a fool.
We see these people everywhere. They are in politics, in Government positions, in courtrooms, in the classroom – frankly, just everywhere. Humility and sobriety are lacking. The pride of life rules their lives. That position of a man’s mind to be like that has its origins in humanism because humanism will never submit to God in any sort of humility. Humanism is the product of evolution because in evolution, man is at the top of the pyramid where self-importance is king.
Thinking you know it all, is deception. Thinking you are important, is a delusion. Here are some lines from a poem of mine :-
When you think you know it all:
Then you don't.
When you think you’ll do it all;
Then you won’t.
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When you think you are the best,
Then it is, you’ll fail the test.
Self-dependence is a lie
From which all help rushes by.
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Self-deceit with slyness lives;
Nothing good it ever gives.
Selfishness – the meanest root,
Always evil is the fruit.
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You remember the perfection of man, the best man who ever lived – well here is the story – {{Luke 18:10-12 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, and the other a tax-gatherer. The Pharisee stood and was praying thus to himself, ‘God, I THANK YOU THAT I AM NOT LIKE OTHER PEOPLE: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax-gatherer. I fast twice a week. I pay tithes of all that I get.’}}. Yes, sir, you get 100% for your attitude. It is 100% arrogant fool. Of course the man was unjustified before God, but the tax-gatherer was.
God will never tolerate the deception of the human mind that thinks it is most important, even more important than the notion of a god. That person is rejected for mostly he never sees his dire need. He can not see even one blot in himself.
I know I have already given a part of one of my poems, but here is one on this subject. Think into it carefully and see that attitude not of God -
ARROGANCE WITHOUT TRUTH
“Don’t tell me what to do,” she barked at him.
“I will do what I want and what’s best for me.”
This arrogant attitude, “sink or swim,”
Is the prevailing attitude that we see.
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“I am my king of my castle and yours as well.
I do what I want; care not about you.”
I know best! Understand that. Clear as a bell?
Shut your mouth; pack up and keep moving through.”
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Arrogance goes hand in hand with selfishness.
It dismisses people and claims its own.
Its attitude to others is venomous,
As it dictates decrees from its own throne.
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The place of arrogance is clearly defined –
The public service, the rich, politics;
Often to those to whom power is assigned;
Godless people, subversive lunatics.
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When truth is denied and the false is embraced,
All decency is trashed; violence matures,
Consideration in all forms, is debased.
Evil, more than goodness and right, endures.
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Arrogance without truth is of the devil.
It bullies, dictates, demands and defames.
It will denounce those not on its own level,
And in the hounding of truth, it constrains.
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In the last days we’re told men are arrogant,
Along with ruthless, high-minded and proud.
Their pursuit of godlessness – extravagant,
But in their minds, self-importance is allowed.
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They love feelings of superiority.
Their own claims of pretention are baseless.
Their over-bearance is their priority;
Lording it over others is boundless.
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God has established truth as fundamental,
Because it is the quality of God.
About truth, one can’t be temperamental
As these men are, who over God, have trod.
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The Christian must always seek humility;
The fruit of the Spirit in gentleness,
Serving others with godly ability,
And upholding the truth in gracefulness.
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Arrogance without truth, reject it wholly.
It opposes all our Christian graces.
Deviate not, but follow the Lord solely,
Accepting before you, what He places.
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22 August 2021 R E Ferguson 11-10-11-10 ABAB
It is very common for a man to look upon himself as wiser and better than other men, and therefore fit to dictate to them. Such a one deceives himself. He has deluded himself. By pretending to be what he is not, he cheats himself, and sooner or later will find the sad effects. This will never gain esteem, either with God or men.
That attitude is far more common than what we reason, and a brutal self-examination I think would show that to be a factor of all of us to some degree. That is why it is so insidious and needs to be rooted out. We don’t want to be thought of as the fool in the basket of better people, so we elevate ourselves often to feel acceptable and secure and better thought of. However it is false and not the proper truth.
It is correct to think of yourself in the correct manner. If you are proven to be probably at the top of your field in vascular surgery, a mentor to others, then it is right to recognise that of yourself but you don’t flaunt it; don’t boast it, or make yourself even more important that you would be; and certainly don’t put down others of lesser achievement. Humility must control your whole attitude, and only in Christ can that be properly done. It is critical that humility be shown genuinely in churches for any who have a special gift. Look out lest you be tempted into pride.
I enjoyed some thoughts from “Enduring Word” and wish to share them here:
[[As much as anything, pride is SELF-FOCUS. Pride doesn’t necessarily say, “I’m BETTER than you are.” Pride simply says, “I’m MORE IMPORTANT than you are, so I deserve more of my own attention and love than you do.” Instead, Biblical humility tells us, “I am no more important than you are. Let me care about your burdens and needs.” When anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, it also stifles ministry in another way. Out of pride, people will refuse to receive help when someone else reaches out to help bear their burden.”]]
Every one is advised to prove his own work as Paul tells the saints in the next verse which we will do in the next message – {{Galatians 6:4 “but LET EACH ONE EXAMINE HIS OWN WORK, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another”}}. The better we know our own hearts and ways, the less shall we despise others, and be more disposed to help them in their infirmities and afflictions. Assist and not despise; go to their aid and not reject; lift them up, not push them down.
Beware the fish syndrome – being a big fish in a little pond, looking around and thinking you are more blessed, more gifted, more important than all the believers around you. We are all but tiny fish fry in the large pond of God’s redeemed saints. Get that into your mind and soul!
Any ability you have has been given to you. Any skill you use to serve the Lord has been given to you. Don’t think how good you are because you can do things, or have a better education or a better experience; that you can do certain things better than other people, such as preaching and speaking, for example.
Those in the Lord’s service are subject to attack and temptation that says, “Aren’t you (me) good for doing this. The Lord will reward me for this effort.” Be humble with what you do for the Lord. You must realise the Lord gives the gift and the Lord gives the opportunity. The Lord ALSO requires accountability for the gift/s He has given you. You may be more honourable as a cleaner among the Lord’s people, than an inflated preacher who has a high opinion of himself.
No Christian has a thing to boast in, except in the Lord. It is the world’s way to promote yourself and count you above others; putting others down so you can climb over them. The Christian way is to consider yourself lower than your fellow Christians and thereby serve them. It is service, not getting. It relates to washing the feet, and not to having your feet washed. Some give to the church in the hope God notices and gives them things back. Cargo cult.
On one occasion while preaching and teaching in England, the arrangements were made for me to take a bible study in one of the churches one night. That meant that I was taking a study that the regular man in that church took. I actually did a study on The Pearl of Greatest Price. The normal one who ran that night bible study was very incensed and lodged a false claim about me that obviously was dismissed. Who would think that such a thing was possible that this one considered himself “king pin”. That is not what belongs to the Body of Christ.
[3]. A WARNING TO ALL WHO ARE IN THE CHURCH
I want to speak with Christians here about an important matter. So far in this message we have looked at arrogance and self-inflation in the world with some references to Christians, but we want to move the spotlight to Christians.
There is a huge danger in any Christian’s life and in their fellowships/churches, of self-inflated egos and deceived opinions about oneself. I have seen it. It hurts others and most certainly hurts the person having that attitude. People grab positions and hold on to them.
Some think they have the right to dictate terms; others think they have the right to positions; pastors/ministers think they own the pulpit as THE knowledgeable one in the church and will not share it in the training of younger men in the ministry for them to gain experience; some church positions come with pride expressed, sadly in positions like Secretary and elder and deacon, like a power thing as if this is what you were born to.
The moment you think you own the position, you have failed Galatians 6:3. The moment thoughts of self-importance begin to surface through the old fallen nature, you fall in regard to Galatians 6:3.
Quite often in this Galatians series I have mentioned the strong parallel between Romans and Galatians, for I think they were written almost at the same time. Many parallel issues are covered in both letters. This true for the current matter in Galatians 6:3.
{{Romans 12:3 “Through the grace given to me I say to every man among you NOT TO THINK MORE HIGHLY OF HIMSELF THAN HE OUGHT TO THINK but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith”}}
The reason why Paul would stress this point of correct thinking is because he knew how insidious the problem could be. Bishop Ellicott makes an interesting comment in his Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers:- [[“He deceives himself” - A peculiar word, perhaps coined by St. Paul, where he puts himself under an hallucination; persuades himself of the existence of that which has no reality.”]]
Matthew Henry comments – [[“It is very common for a man to look upon himself as wiser and better than other men, and as fit to dictate to them. Such a one deceives himself; by pretending to what he has not, he puts a cheat upon himself, and sooner or later will find the sad effects. This will never gain esteem, either with God or men. Every one is advised to prove his own work. The better we know our own hearts and ways, the less shall we despise others, and the more be disposed to help them under infirmities and afflictions.”]]
This same “think not that I am important” attitude was also presented to the Corinthians where all manner of fleshly errors were present including those who deemed themselves as important. Paul wrote -
{{1 Corinthians 8:2-3 “If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know, BUT if anyone loves God, he is known by Him.”}} This is just another verse indicating we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:1-2). The “but” in that verse tells us that the pivot is loving God and it is the means of preventing what that verse speaks of – the know-alls who think they know it all.
F.B. Meyer has said - [[“For if any one thinks himself to be something; imagines himself possessed of peculiar moral worth, so that he conceives himself exalted above such a mutual bearing of burdens, while he is nothing, although he is in reality of no moral importance, he is, so far from fulfilling the law of Christ, involved in self-deception.”]]
Of course Jesus Christ is always an example for us, who walked in humility and service for others – {{Philippians 2:5-8 “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking THE FORM OF A BOND-SERVANT, and being made in the likeness of men, and being found in appearance as a man, HE HUMBLED HIMSELF by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”}}
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges addresses those of inflated opinion – [[“He ‘humbled Himself’ for us. You will not stoop to comfort and help your brethren. This must arise from pride - from a fancy that you are something exceptionally exalted, whereas such notions arise from self-deception - a phantom which represents nothingness.”]]
