SelfLove

1
Self-Love

• 2 Timothy 31-5

2
Culture of Self-love

• Told that people lack self-esteem
• Song by Whitney Houston
  The greatest love of all
  Is easy to achieve
  Learning to love yourself
  It is the greatest love
  of all
• Is this the problem?

3
Study Results

• "There are many potential benefits of
  self-esteem, but we wanted to see, among other
  things, whether those benefits are clear when
  viewed across time," said Dr. W. Keith Campbell,
  an assistant professor of psychology at UGA. "Has
  this increase among college students resulted in
  societal boons? Unfortunately, during that time,
  few positive changes have occurred in children's
  and young adults' behavior. Indeed, most of the
  relevant behavioral indicators have worsened."

4
Study Results

• "College students' self-esteem has increased
  substantially, but this happened at the same time
  that SAT scores declined and anxiety increased,"
  said Twenge. "Thus college students' high
  self-esteem seems to be built on a foundation of
  sand."
• (Dr. Jean Twenge, Department of Psychology, San
  Diego State University)

5
Study Results

• "In short, although self-esteem is on the rise,
  it is difficult to find many clear, positive
  benefits of this increase when viewing broader
  cultural-level changes. We as individuals may
  think more highly of ourselves, but we as a
  society apparently have little to show for it.
  
• (Quotes from a study published in Personality
  and Social Psychology Review, October 2001)

6
Introduction

• Nothing could be further from the truth
• Focusing on self brings heartache
• God intended for us to focus on Him

7
A Problem . . .Not A Need

• Top of the list
• Not something good (2 Timothy 35)
• Not the greatest love
• Loving God and neighbor is the greatest love
  (Matthew 2234-40)

8
A Problem . . .Not A Need

• A problem from childhood
• Begin life as self-centered individuals
• Do not know right from wrong (Isaiah
  716 Romans 79)
• Are to outgrow it (1 Corinthians 1311)
• Some like Absalom never do
  (2 Samuel 1425, 26 29-31 151-6)

9
Brings Misery Upon All

• Nobody brings misery on like oneself
• Those in love with self are miserable
• Hamans enormous power wasnt enough
• Mordecai wouldnt bow down
  (Esther 31-6)

10
Brings Misery Upon All

• Ended up destroying him
• Never could be happy as long as Mordecai was at
  the gate (Esther 59-13)
• His love of self made him miserable

11
Makes One Lonely

• Usually a lonely person
• I never found anyone to fulfill my needsA
  lonely place to beSo I learned to depend on me
  (Song)
• Someone once said, You cannot be your brothers
  keeper if you are caged by selfishness

12
Makes One Lonely

• Providing things for self not the way
• Never has been so (Ecclesiastes 210, 11)
• Ann Landers At age 20, we worry what others
  think of us, at 40, we dont care what they think
  of us, and at 60, we discover they havent been
  thinking of us at all. (Signs of The Times,
  March 1993)
• Thinking of themselves, not us

13
Is Sinful

• Not just a matter of selfishness
• Self-seeking (Romans 28 James 314)
• A desire to put oneself forward, a factious
  partisan spirit. This word is found before NT
  times only in Aristotle where it denotes a
  self-seeking pursuit of political office by
  unfair means. (Arndt Gingrich)
• Are to deny ourselves (Luke 923)
• Not slaves to the flesh (Philippians 319)

14
Is Sinful

• Brings destruction
• Self
• Others
• Condemned before God (Romans 28-10)

15
Conclusion

• Beware of danger of self-love
• God first
• Others second
• Self last