The content argues that modern culture promotes excessive self-love and self-interest, which is contrary to Christian teachings that emphasize self-denial, humility, and prioritizing the needs of others.
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I walked into a grocery store and I was
on an assignment from
Amy my assignment was simple get a
milk but as you know in today's culture
that's not as easy as it
sounds because way back in the olden
days when I was a kid milk was mostly
milk anybody remember your options whole
milk SK milk 1%
2% I always wondered about 1% and 2%
milk I always wondered what's the other 98
98
99% who knows but today is so much more
confusing then there was no such thing
as plant-based lactose-free vegan non-
GMO milk today not only do you have
cow's milk which you got goat milk and
oat milk and rice milk and soy milk and
coconut milk and almond milk and I'm
wondering like how do you milk an almond a
a
coconut I can see that an almond how do
you do that and so I walked into the
grocery score I'm scanning the aisles
from a distance looking for the exact
type that my bride desires and I saw one
and when I say one I mean only one
there's only one gallon left of the
exact right kind and as I took a step
forward I looked over to my side and I
saw another
gentleman very likely on an assignment
from his wife eyeing my very same gallon
that Amy wanted so what do you think I
did as a man of God as a as a Christian
as a pastor I said sir you take this
last gallon of milk for your wife so she
can be proud of you and my wife can be
disappointed in
me of course not what do you think I did
I pushed a 5-year-old out of the way I
fast walk down put my shoulder down into
him nudged him in the name of the father
Son and the Holy SP out of the way
grabbed the milk and walked away
Victorious you say are you exaggerating
at all Craig just a little bit I didn't
push the 5-year-old but all the rest is actually
actually
true why did I do
that why do we do things like that the
answer is because putting ourselves
first is one of the most natural things
that we do raise your hand if you agree
raise your hand online type in I agree
type it in right now I agree if you
don't agree I can prove it to you
because anytime there is a group photo
with you in
it and five other people who do you look
at first you look at yourself don't you
and how do you determine if it's a good
photo or not if you got one old boy like
blinking and another girl has hair in
her face and some guy staring off in the
distance but it's a good photo of you is
it good or bad it's a good photo
because putting yourself first is the
most natural thing that we do and I
can't speak for you but the world
encourages my
self-obsession over and over again
culture tells me do what's best for me I
deserve my me time my needs come first
therefore I'm going to focus on myself
right now yet God's word tells us in
Philippians chapter 2 that we are to do nothing
nothing
out of selfish
ambition pause on that for a moment no
Behavior no action should ever be done
from selfish motives or vain conceit but
rather in
humility we value others we consider
others better than ourselves we value
others above yourselves scripture says
not looking to your own interests but
each of you to the interests of others
think about that for just a moment
God's word tells us do nothing out of
selfish ambition and culture preaches
the exact
opposite putting myself first it it
sounds good it feels true but it's not
good it's not true it's almost true and
what's interesting is there's kind of a
very common and almost popular teaching
today that people will tell you well you
can't truly love
others until you love yourself so you
have to put yourself first treat
yourself you deserve it self-care is not
selfish because you can't pour from an
empty cup so what should you do you
should live for yourself you don't need
to justify your actions to anyone and
cut anyone out of your life that doesn't
add value to your life CU you don't owe
anyone anything and don't feel guilty
why because you come
first and this is a heartbreaking and
very popular and pervasive message from culture
culture
today we have become for the most part a
ourselves and what does God say about
that 2 Timothy chap
2:3 but Mark this scripture says
there will be terrible times in the last
days are we living in the last days I
don't know scripture says this people
selfies doesn't say that exactly but I
think in the Greek it might say selfies
people will be lovers of themselves do
you see that raise your hand if you see
it type in the comment section I see it
they will be lovers of money do you see it
it
they will be boastful do you see it
they'll be proud watch this they will be
lovers of
pleasure rather than lovers of God
having a form of godliness but denying its
its
power having the illusion of being
Christians but not walking in the
spirit there is a phrase and I'm being a
little bit sarcastic but part of the
reason is because it's it's so pervasive
there's a phrase that just haunts me
it's unsettling to me uh they will be
lovers of themselves the reason I that's
hard for me to read is because like I am
a lover of myself I can be very obsessed
with myself like what's in it for me
what do I have to do what am I going to
get out of this what are they going to
think of me and if we're not careful and
I just want to say this this selflove
can creep into the culture of our
churches and before long we can start
serving what I would call a self centered
centered
Christianity where we may know in our
heads that we're called to love God and
serve God and lay down our lives to love
him and to love others but we live as if
us and we may believe in God but it's
often this self centered
belief where we claim to love him but in
reality we really love
ourselves if God doesn't doesn't do what
we think he should do then God I'm not
going to have anything to do with you it
becomes a self centered version of
Christianity and what's interesting is
it's really mind-blowing when you think
about it I mean think about this we are
we are a generation we are a culture
obsessed with self-care we're going to
prioritize ourselves and we're going to
guard my me time and we're going to
protect our mental health and we're
going to do what's best for us and we do
yet we're more anxious
we're more stressed and we're more depressed
why
maybe our problem isn't that we don't
love ourselves
enough maybe our problem is that we love
much and you can gently
clap amen because you're not sure if you
want to stick with me on this one or not
not cuz if I haven't stepped on your
toes hard yet I'm about to jump in your lap
lap
okay I'm stepping on my own toes uh what
what do we do when we find ourselves
completely opposite of what Jesus says
we we look to the words of Jesus when
someone asks Jesus hey what's the
greatest command of all this is what
Jesus said at Mark 12 Jesus said there's
two things how many are there there's
two things online how many are there
there's two things type I want you to
make sure you know how many are there
there's two things the first one is what
what is number one love the Lord your
God that's number one with a part of your
your
heart with whenever it's
convenient whenever the football game's
not on or the Olympics not no no no no
no okay love your with all your heart
and soul and mind and Sh that's number
one the second is what love your
neighbor there's two things two commands
love Lord your God and love your
neighbor how do you love your neighbor
you love your neighbor as yourself there
is no command greater than these the
first one is what the first one is love
God the second one is love your neighbor
how do you love your neighbor as
yourself here's where it gets weird some
people conclude that Jesus is commanding
you to love
yourself and the self-centered version
of Christianity will preach a false
gospel that goes like this you can't
really love others until you love
yourself so if you can't love others
until you love yourself you have to put
yourself first you have to focus on
yourself and I want to remind you Jesus
didn't tell you to love
yourself why because loving yourself is
not a command it's an
assumption Jesus said love your neighbor
as yourself because he assumed you
already do love
yourselves you guys are
quiet we love ourselves a
lot okay I I love myself Jes Jesus
didn't have to tell me to love myself I
already do it's crazy my my buddy John
one time we were out looking to buy a
rent house together and we were looking
at this house we were in the backyard
kind of looking at the house from the
outside and this dog most ferocious
looking man and dog came charging
us what I would like to tell you that I
did was said John I love you I honor you
you've been a good friend to me you step
out of the way I'll Stand between you
and the dog and I will give my life
because greater love hath no man then he
gets eaten by a dog for his
friends what do you think I did he have
man for
himself I took John John was here the
dog was coming at us I pushed off him
pushed him toward his
death and ran the other
way thankfully I didn't know at the time
the dog was on a chain and the dog
didn't have far to go but I pushed my
friend toward his certain
demise if you're wondering we did not
buy that house together on that
day when when Jesus says love your
neighbor as yourself he's not saying
love yourself prioritize yourself
because he's assuming that you already
do now some of you may say okay I'm kind
of with you a little bit but there are
things I don't like about myself how
many you would agree there are things
you don't like about yourself so you
maybe I don't love myself I don't like
certain things like you may say I don't
like my wrinkles or I don't like my
Pooch or I don't like my thicker legs or
my thinning hair whatever it is we all
have those things I'm not a massive fan
of my nose and my
toes thankfully Amy does like my nose
but no one including probably
God they're like I have a size 12T truth
of the matter is I'm about a size 5 foot
and then the rest is toes and it's just
like I can type books with them I can
throw baseballs with them and is I don't
like them um whenever I'm at my house it
look say let's say I'm just sitting
around on my shorts I'm a regular guy
when I'm not being a preacher reg
someone knocks on the front door Amy
never says quick put on your shirt she
never says that she says put on your
socks quick now do it
okay I don't like those things so does
that mean that I don't love myself think
about it uh what we don't like about
ourselves usually isn't due to a lack of
self-love it's usually a result of
self-obsession I'm obsessed with myself
therefore I don't like this about myself
so let's just talk straight if you want
to be a disciple of Jesus he doesn't say
whoever wants to be my disciple must pamper
pamper
himself culture says that Jesus doesn't
whoever wants to be my disciple must
live for himself whoever wants to be my
disciple must put himself first now I'll
show you what Jesus says and let me give
you the context he explains that he's
going to go to Jerusalem and he's going
to suffer horribly and he's going to die
on a cross and three days later God's
going to raise him the from the dead and
Peter says no that's not going to happen
we love you too much that's not going to
happen and Jesus says Get Behind Me
Satan he calls Peter Satan on a side
note whole different sermon but one of
your goals is not for Jesus to call you Satan
Satan
okay this is another thing and so Jesus
responds in Matthew 16 and he says this
to his disciples Jesus says to his
disciples whoever wants to be my
disciple must do what say it aloud he
must deny themselves and take up their
cross and follow me if you want to me be
my disciple you deny yourself take up
your cross and follow me now when we
read that in our culture today we just
kind of blow by I I do like deny
yourself take up your cross kind of like
try to be nice go to church if you can
and watch your favorite YouTube preacher
whenever you're on the treadmill the gem
deny yourself pick up your we just read
it like
that whenever Jesus said deny yourself
and take up your cross let me tell you
right now the disciples probably
gasped they're probably like no he did
not just say that like is he serious
and I'll tell you why if you understand
the context they would have been they
would they would have been besides thems
and the reason that it would have been
shocking is because they were hyper
aware of the most bloody Uprising in
Jewish history is actually mentioned in
Acts 5:37 but for context um less than
30 years before the Jews revolted
against the Roman government like their
taxes are too high so this guy named
Judas not the Judas to betray Jesus
another Judah said hey let's go in
charge a Roman government and we're
going to take them over big big big
mistake sadly hundreds of Jews were
slaughtered and the remaining people
were captured and the Roman soldiers
said to them and this is where the
phrase became FR famous take up your
cross and these Jewish people had to
take up their cross drag it across the
city street in front of other Jewish
people and then the Roman soldiers would
say lay it down wherever they'd lay it
down they would crucify
publicly hanging naked before the other
Jews their fellow Jews to say if you
ever come against Rome again this is
what's going to happen to you then it
got crazier the Roman government
prohibited forbid the soldiers from
taking the dead bodies down and so the
Jews saw their relatives hanging on the
cross as their bodies were rotting
historians other historians tell us they
left them there for years some Scholars
say it's very very possible that when
Jesus said these words you must deny
yourself and take up your cross it's
very very possible that he said those
exact words near the exact spot where
some of the disciples relatives were
very likely crucified on a cross and it
all started with the words take up your
cross and so Jesus said Hey listen to
disciple you deny yourselves you don't
pamper yourselves you don't put yourself
first you you you you don't say you I'm
treating my you deny yourself you take
up your cross and then you follow Jesus
when you come to Jesus you don't
celebrate look how amazing I am you
don't celebrate yourself you don't
promote yourself you don't indulge
yourself you actually die to
yourself and Paul said it this way the
Apostle Paul the guy that at one time
was like persecuting Christians but was
changed by Jesus he said this he said
I've been crucified with Christ in other
words the old me died he said I've been
crucified with Christ and I no longer
live now he said Christ lives in me and
I live by faith in the Son of God who
loved me and gave himself for me he said
I no longer live my old life died he's
dead he's gone now Christ lives through
me in other words life isn't about me
it's not about my wants and my desires
and my hopes and my dreams and my wishes
I'm dead to that sinful selfish nature I
die to myself now Christ lives in me in
fact my pastor Pastor Nick who's an
amazing preacher he used to do this
illustration I can't do it the way he
did but he would say whenever selfish Rises
Rises
up I look at Nick and say Nick you
died you're dead you're a dead man I
don't listen to dead men self you're
dead I don't listen to dead men and then
you say Christ lives in me I the way he
said it you remember it was so amazing
he did it was amazing so I wrote a
sermon based on that it was based on
Romans chapter 6 why am I telling you
this because I just remember Romans 6
says uh shall we go on sinning that
Grace may increase by no me we died to
sin I called the sermon are you dead
yet I preached it at my church and it
was good then I got invited to my first
Revival I was in cemeter I was in
seminary and I got invited to do a
Revival in Pond Creek Oklahoma
population 893 at First Christian Church
in Pont Creek Oklahoma I drove over
there to do the Revival I looked at the
crowd there were probably 20 people
average age
80 and I announced the title of my
yet and I've never been back to pawn
Creek in my
life shall we go on
sinning and living for ourselves that
Grace may increase Paul said by no means
we died to ourselves I am crucified with
Christ nevertheless I live but it's not
my life my desires is Christ Living in me
what's really cool is that you're
clapping for this because most of us
aren't living
it when I say most of us I'm including
most of us like most of
us because I protect my time like nobody's
nobody's
business and so what I want to do is I
want to give you a moment for the Holy
Spirit to work in you and I'm going to
ask you a question and I want you to I
want you to let this question kind of
settle in your soul and I want you to
talk about it in your life groups and if
you're not in a life group I want you to
get in a live group and talk about it in
your life group and I want you to talk
about it with family or with friends
over lunch or dinner whatever it is for
you and I I want you to let God do a
work in this the question I want you to
answer is this in what area of your life
are you loving yourself more than loving
God and loving
others I want you you to ask yourself
that question and just be really really
honest and see what God shows you in
what area of your life are you loving
yourself more than loving God and loving
others and then ask yourself what is God
calling you to do about it in what area
of your life are you loving yourself
more than you're loving God and others
and what is God calling you to do about
it it's never a real good message unless
I'm honest about how God is working on
me and Amy can tell you this is true my
uh Office Team they'll tell you this is
true I am one of the most selfish people
ever with my time like you my schedule
is stupid intense and so nothing gets on
my calendar unless I want it on there
and I walk fast I don't I don't
understand people that walk slow like
when you walk slow I'm like going don't
you have anything going God bless you so
slow I'm I walk fast everything is
urgent there's I'm always under pressure
and so whenever someone says hey Craig
can I whatever I go oh I wasn't planning on
on
this and then I studi Jesus and when I
look at the life of Jesus I actually
noticed that he did take care of himself
like I want you to hear this like he did
disconnect from the crowds and he did go
and spend time with the father he did
that he disconnected himself and went
away to spend time with the father but
when he did that it wasn't for selfish
reasons he went away to fill up so he
could give
out and then as I watched Jesus it's
like every time something special
happened like he'd pray for somebody or
he'd heal a woman or he would or he
would let little kids come up and hop in
his lap you know or he would cast down a
demon or he'd pray for some dad's son or
he had raised a dead person it was never
planned it was like never on the
schedule it was always when he was going
somewhere else almost every single time
and then I realized that some of the
most special
moments with God and with God's people
love the Lord your God with all your
heart mind and soul and strength and
love your neighbor as you love
yourself most of the special times are actually
actually
interruptions so so Amy will tell you my
team will tell you I'm working really
really hard to slow down be in the
moment someone stops and I'm I'm going
to give you my full best I'm going to be
present I'm going to find joy in it pray
with you listen to you maybe even walk
slow with you for a minute or
two because honestly the most important
thing I do isn't what I
accomplish but how I
love let me say it again some of you
need to hear this type a
mom busy student the most important
thing we do is not what we accomplish
but how we love I don't want people to
go around say yeah Craig he accomplished
and produced a lot what I want them to
say is he loved sincerely he loved
deeply he loved
well think about what Jesus called us to
do and think about what Jesus did not
call us to do let it sink in let it sink
in because culture says treat yourself
put yourself first it's all about you
don't let them get in the way of your
schedule cut them out if they don't add
value to your life this culture said
over and over and over and over and over
again and this is not the gospel what
did Jesus call us to do a not let me put
it all up here so you can see it Jesus
did not call us to promote ourselves
but to Humble
ourselves he didn't call us to pamper
ourselves but to deny
ourselves Jesus didn't call us to serve
ourselves he called us to serve others
the greatest are those who serve Jesus
never told us to put ourselves
first but to put ourselves last and
Jesus didn't tell us to seek our
pleasure he told us to pursue God's
purpose church we I mean we got to take
the words of Jesus seriously if if we're
not fighting against the The Lure of
culture we'll be serving the devil in
the name of
Jesus we'll be we'll be doing what what
our enemy wants and still pretending
like we're fine because we go to church
every now and then our calling the
calling of those who follow Jesus it is not
not
self-love it is not
self-affirmation it's not
self-justification it's
self-denial this doesn't mean and please
hear me doesn't mean we don't take a day
off doesn't mean we don't take care of
ourselves Jesus was not teaching that
you shouldn't take a nap or play a video
game or go get you a sweet
treat if I do good I will eat for four
M&M's not five but four okay but here's
the deal if if the motive of
self-care is only yourself you are being [Music]
[Music]
selfish listen to listen to the Holy
Spirit not me let him say it to you
better than I can if the motive is only
for you it's selfish but if the if the
motive of self-care is to be mentally
healthy and emotionally strong and phys
physically honoring to God and
spiritually healthy so that you can love
the Lord your God with all your heart
mind soul and strength and so that you
can love others then self-care isn't
selfish here's what's crazy let's just
call it what it is everybody I know in
culture is prioritizing self my time me
time don't get in my way you're not
adding value to my life and and
everybody's more
miserable and more depressed and more
anxious because our problem isn't that
we don't love ourselves enough I would
submit to you our problem is that we
love ourselves too much and what I hope
you'll realize is you can't love
yourself into happiness and you can't
self-care your way into meaningful
relationships and daily purpose in inner
peace because
selflove is all always about
self and Jesus told us to deny
ourselves self-love will never ever fill
us like God's love
so in view of God's
mercy I offer my body as a Living
Sacrifice I die to myself to love the
Lord my God with all my heart mind soul
and strength and love my neighbor as
myself what is love love is patient and
love is kind and it doesn't envy and it
doesn't boast and it's not proud and and
it's not rude and it's not
self-seeking it's not easily angered and
doesn't Delight in evil but it always
rejoices in the truth and love always
hopes and always trust and always
protects and love never fails so
therefore not going to love myself I'm
going to deny myself I'm going to be a Living
Living
Sacrifice I'm going to love God with
everything in me and love my
neighbor as myself
because I already do love
me so question for reflection and let
the Holy Spirit work in what area of
your life are you loving yourself more
than loving God and loving others and
it father speak to
us we thank you for your loving
correction God I know there's no way I
can I can overcome the force of of
culture in the lives of the enemy but
you can your word can so do it God do it
do it do it in us God do it in your
Christianity God in view of your mercy
may we be living sacrifices holy and
acceptable to you as the perfect act of
worship all I'm going to ask super
simple is um will you
sincerely just pray that prayer and see
what God shows you if you'll do that
today um all of our churches would you
just if you're going to do it and listen
don't don't give me the whole like
half-hearted yeah yeah yeah if you will
do it and you really listen to what God
has to say would you lift up your hands
right now our churches lift them leave
them up if you will online type that in
the comment section I will pray that
prayer just just I will pray that prayer
why don't you leave your hands up just
make it an act of worship to God right
now God show us speak to us God show us
show me just tell say God show me just
say that show me show me any area I'm
putting myself before you and before
others now show me pray that show me
what you want me to do about
it father help us to hear you and to do
what you show us to do you can put your
hands down now just wait for God to
speak to you as you keep praying and
nobody looking around let me just talk
directly to you for a moment uh I am
I've been a pastor for um
three three decades and I am um I am
concerned honestly there's a lot of
people that watch Christian message and
go to church and have a selfish view of
Christianity like God's here for us we
need to we need to we need to adjust
that we're here for him we're here to
glorify him to be a disciple of Jesus
doesn't mean we add Jesus and don't subtract
subtract
sin when we surrender to him we
surrender everything we step step away
from our sinful nature we die to
ourselves Jesus said it very simply you
want to be my disciple what do you do it
starts with you deny
yourself when he says take up your cross
what he's saying is like you're
literally dying to yourself then you
follow me in other words from now on
it's it's not about us we're going to
glorify him in All We Do does that mean
we're saved by being good and by not
being bad no no no really really clear
we're not saved by any Works we're Saved
By The Grace of Jesus his work on the
cross was perfect Jesus went to the
Cross they told him hey take up your
cross he did he gave his life on the
cross his death paid the penalty for our
sins God raised him from the dead so
that anyone who calls on his name would
be saved and that's why Romans 12 says
in view of God's mercy in view of what
he did in view of who Jesus is what do
you do you offer your bodies as a Living
Sacrifice you're still alive but you
sacrifice you're dying to yourself daily
it's no longer about me I want to follow
Jes there's some of you you're you're
hearing the gospel for the first time in
a way you've never heard it before it's
not about you we turn from our sins we
repent we call on Jesus when we do he
forgives our sins then guess what then
he starts like the big word is
sanctifying he's changing us he's making
us more like
Jesus we're denying ourselves we're
going to follow him today at all of our
churches some of you going to recognize
you you you got a self-c centered
version it's not the real thing and
today it's going to be the real thing
the real thing I'm denying myself I'm
turning for my sins I'm calling on Jesus
when you do that good news Heaven goes
crazy God forgives your sins you're born
a new you're no longer the same because
of the perfect work of Jesus on the
cross today all of our churches those
who say I need that I'm not playing to
sit and pretend this is in churchianity
this is all in full on I want to know
Jesus I want to follow him I'm denying
myself I'm dying to myself I want to
know Jesus I give my life to him that's
your prayer lift your hands high right
now all over the place and say yes
that's my prayer right back over there
God bless you guys others today saying
right back up here praise God for you
others Jesus I want to know you I want
to start you lift your hands and say I
surrender my life to follow Jesus right
back over here thank God for his work
and you online just type in the comment
section I'm denying myself and following
Jesus I'm denying myself and following
Jesus church would you pray aloud nobody
prays alone pray heavenly father father
I deny
myself it's not about me not I turn from
my sins and I turn toward you and I ask for
for
forgiveness I receive your forgiveness I
don't deserve it but I receive it thank
you for your grace thank you for your
love thank you for salvation in view of
your mercy I offer my
life as a Living
Sacrifice I give it all to
you because you gave it all for me
take my life fill me with your spirit I
choose to follow you in Jesus name I
pray and the saints went wild and the
people praised God and the church
shouted thank God we praise God come on
Church wasn't that an amazing message
you know this Our Lives can feel so
rushed that it seems like we're just
going through the motions and running on
empty but Jesus calls us to live
differently tap here to keep the
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