#3 (The “Forgetting”
Series)
“FORGET SELF!”
Text: Heb.
13:9-16 Rom. 12:1-2
INTRO: We live at
a time when SELF has become the modern god! Never before have we had such an era of
so much self-indulgence. “Self-help” books are big sellers, often
on the top 10 best seller’s list. All kinds of exercise programs and gyms
have sprung up for those who want to rebuild their bodies. The great load of counseling today
demonstrates also the great movement toward understanding “self.” The lack of concern for one another in
our society shows how much we have turned inward toward self. The fanaticism about self shows up in our
broken marriage statistics, the demands in this country by various groups to
have equal rights no matter their lifestyle, the pampering of culture toward
making individual experience the ultimate experience. We are living in the age when “everyone does
that which is right in their own eyes!” This has happened before in the history
of the world! It shows in the way
people avoid commitments so they can be “free.”
It is ironic that in a world obsessed
with “self-fulfillment” people are so empty! True self-fulfillment comes when we
FORGET SELF, not when we indulge self!
PROP.
SENT: It is the nature of all life forms
to put self first, but the Bible teaches us that when we receive our new nature
in Christ we are to put self last! We are called to forget self ... in order
to truly find it!
I. THE SACRIFICE Heb.
13:9-14
A. Rituals
13:9-12
1. The Pharisees and others took great
pains to follow rituals to create the sensation of salvation although their
personal lives were filled with selfish indulgences!
a. While these Pharisees wore special
robes underneath those robes were the same wicked sinners they condemned in
their many speeches!
b. They wore phylacteries (boxes with Scripture verses folded inside
them) on their foreheads and arms, yet they didn’t practice those verses in
their private lives!
c. They were so careful to wash their
hands according to the Law of Moses yet their hearts and minds were
dirty!
d. They were strict about worshipping
on the Sabbath but they got angry with Jesus when He healed the sick on the
Sabbath, they thought no one should do work on the Lord’s day, even good works
like healing people!
e. They were so careful about
presenting sacrifices in the prescribed way but they would not sacrifice
themselves for others!
2. All the rituals in the world
will not make you spiritual no matter what kind of denominational structure
they are found in!
a. You can go through the motions of
anyone’s rituals and still not experience real
spirituality!
b. Those that depended on rituals
missed the fruit of real sacrifice.
ILLUS: THE
PHARISEES HAD TAKEN THE 10 COMMANDMENTS AND HAD BROKEN DOWN GOD’S LAWS TO 613
COMMANDS TO BE FOLLOWED; GREAT EFFORTS WERE TAKEN TO EMBRACE THESE 613 LAWS.
THE PROBLEM WAS THAT JUST FOLLOWING
RITUALISTICALLY THESE LAWS DIDN’T BRING PEACE WITH GOD FOR IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO
KEEP THEM ALL. JESUS HAD SAID THAT
ANYONE GUILTY OF BREAKING ONE LAW HAD BROKEN THE WHOLE LAW. IT IS LIKE THESE 613 LAWS WERE CHAIN
LINKS, AND YOU ARE HOLDING ON TO THIS CHAIN OVER THE PIT OF HELL – WHAT WOULD
HAPPEN IF JUST ONE LINK BROKE OUT OF THE 613? YOU WOULD FALL OF COURSE IN THEIR
MINDS. – SOURCE UNKNOWN
3. Jesus made a better way for us than
just rituals, He sacrificed Himself for us and thus gave us real RIGHTEOUSNESS
and not just RITUALS!
a. He demonstrated the way to
fulfillment of self, the sacrifice of self – total!
b. Jesus died to self long before
dying on the cross, He showed us the way of real joy and real
peace!
B. Real! 13:13-14
1. The hardest thing to do is to give
up self, it goes against the strongest drive of our being –
self-preservation!
2. Jesus did away with the rituals of
sacrifice and showed a better way, the giving of self as the
sacrifice!
a. Killing animals didn’t cost man
much, but it cost the animals everything!
b. When Christ gave Himself it cost
everything, He gave himself for us!
3. Jesus was real, the animals were
only rituals!
a. As Christians we are called to be
real sacrifices for His kingdom.
b. Not just
tokenism!
ILLUS: IN THE
MOVIE “SHIOKARI PASS” A YOUNG MAN BECAME A HERO. HE HAD WORKED HARD EVERY DAY FOR THE TIME
WHEN HE AND HIS FIANCÉE COULD MARRY.
THAT TIME HAD FINALLY COME. HE WAS TRAVELING BY TRAIN TO GET TO HIS
FIANCÉE AND MARRY HER WHEN THERE WAS A SUDDEN SHUTTER NEAR THE PEAK OF A STEEP
HILL. AS HE GOT UP TO SEE WHAT HAD
HAPPENED HE NOTICED THE TRAIN CAR HE WAS RIDING ON HAD SOMEHOW BECOME
DISCONNECTED FROM THE REST OF THE TRAIN, UNFORTUNATELY IT WAS ON THE UPSIDE OF
THE STEEP MOUNTAIN AND NOW THE CAR WAS BEGINNING TO REVERSE AND GO BACK DOWN THE
MOUNTAIN ALONE. THERE WERE MANY
OTHERS ON THIS TRAIN CAR WITH HIM. HAVING WORKED FOR THIS RAILROAD, HE KNEW
THAT AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS MOUNTAIN THERE WAS A SHARP CURVE AND BY THE TIME THEY
WOULD GET THERE THEY WOULD BE GOING TOO FAST TO STAY ON THE TRACK. HE CLIMBED TO THE TOP OF THE CAR TRYING
TO CALM THE PASSENGERS INSIDE TO PULL THE HANDBRAKE. EVEN WITH THE HANDBRAKE ON FULLY THE CAR
WAS STILL MOVING TOO FAST AND NOT SLOWING DOWN. JUST THEN HE REMEMBERED HIS FAVORITE
VERSE OF SCRIPTURE, “GREATER LOVE HAS
NO ONE THAN THIS, THAT ONE LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS.” ALTHOUGH HE HAD
EVERYTHING TO LIVE FOR, HE JUMPED ON THE TRACKS AND USED HIS OWN BODY TO CREATE
THE EXTRA DRAG NEEDED TO SLOW THE CAR DOWN. IT WORKED! EVERYONE LIVED, EXCEPT HIM! HE HAD SACRIFICED HIMSELF FOR EVERYONE
ELSE! – SOURCE UNKNOWN
4. Jesus didn’t come to just teach us
the right way but to show us the right way!
a. He is the example for us to
follow, this means sacrificing self!
b. Jesus’ sacrifice was real and not
just a token! He forgot self so He
could save us!
ILLUS: LIKE
CHARLES DICKEN’S NOVEL “A TALE OF TWO CITIES,” A YOUNG FRENCH ARISTOCRAT WAS
CONDEMNED TO DIE BY THE GUILLOTINE DURING THE BLOODY FRENCH REVOLUTION, HIS
PUNISHMENT DETERMINED SOLELY ON HIS FOREFATHER’S CRIMES AGAINST THE PEASANTRY.
THE HOUR BEFORE HIS EXECUTION HE
WAS VISITED BY A YOUNG ENGLISH FRIEND WHO COULD HAVE PASSED FOR HIS TWIN. AFTER THE GUARD LEFT, THE FRIEND
OVERPOWERED THE DOOMED MAN WITH AN ANESTHETIC AND EXCHANGED CLOTHES WITH
HIM. THEN, PRETENDING TO BE THE ONE
CONDEMNED TO DIE, HE CALLED THE JAILOR AND ASKED THAT HIS UNCONSCIOUS “VISITOR”
WHOM HE TOLD THE GUARD HAD BEEN OVERCOME WITH GRIEF, BE REMOVED AND RETURNED TO
HIS HOME. THE NOBLEMAN WAS THUS
SAVED FROM DEATH BY THIS SACRIFICE. ON THE WAY TO THE GUILLOTINE THE YOUNG
ENGLISHMAN SPOKE THESE FINAL WORDS: “IT IS
A FAR FAR BETTER THING THAT I DO, THAN I HAVE EVER DONE
BEFORE...” THEN HE
COMFORTED HIMSELF WITH THESE WORDS: “I AM THE
RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE” SAITH THE LORD: “HE THAT BELIEVETH IN ME,
THOUGH HE WERE DEAD, YET SHALL HE LIVE.” JOHN 11:25 – SOURCE
UNKNOWN
5. Jesus didn’t just preach
self-sacrifice, He demonstrated it, and we are called to be like our
master!
6. Christianity won’t be any different
from most of this world’s religions if we don’t practice real
sacrifice!
a. The world is good at
rituals.
b. The Christian must be good at real
sacrifice!
II. A SACRIFICE Heb. 13:15-16
A. Redemptive Heb. 13:15-16 Rom. 12:1-2
1. Since Jesus showed the way by being
THE sacrifice, we should become A sacrifice!
2. Jesus’ sacrifice was redemptive, it
was for others that He died to self; we are called to be a redemptive people and
thus to sacrifice self for others as well.
3. To forget self is not an easy task,
it requires humility, to become a servant, to serve!
ILLUS: A STUDENT
AT A BIBLE COLLEGE IN THE PHILIPPINES BECAME DISTURBED OVER THE CONDITION OF THE
MEN’S REST ROOMS, SINCE THEY ALWAYS SEEMED TO BE NEGLECTED IN THE CLEANING
ROUTINE. WHEN NOTHING WAS DONE TO
SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF THE FILTH HE WENT TO THE PRINCIPLE OF THE SCHOOL AND
COMPLAINED. A LITTLE WHILE LATER HE
NOTICED THINGS HAD CHANGED FOR THE BETTER AND THEN ONE DAY HE FOUND OUT WHY, HE
NOTICED THAT THE MAN WITH THE MOP AND PAIL EACH DAY WAS THE PRINCIPLE HIMSELF!
LATER THIS STUDENT COMMENTED, “I
THOUGHT HE WOULD CALL A JANITOR, BUT HE CLEANED THE BATHROOMS HIMSELF, IT WAS A
MAJOR LESSON TO ME ON BEING A SERVANT AND OF COURSE IT RAISED THE QUESTION IN MY
OWN MIND AS TO WHY I HADN’T TAKEN CARE OF THE PROBLEM!” – SOURCE UNKNOWN
4. It is not an easy task to forget
self, but it is the redemptive role we are called to!
5. Our simply following rituals
doesn’t do anything for God, only those things we do that involve real
sacrifices make a difference!
6. The kinds of sacrifices Jesus is
pleased with have nothing to do with sacrificing animals, it has to do with
giving up self!
7. God
isn’t interested in dead sacrifices, He wants living ones! Rom.
12:1
a. A sacrifice is something you give
up!
b. We are called upon as Christians to
forget self, to offer up “self” as a real sacrifice!
c. This is pleasing to God and is our
reasonable service to God; Paul says we are to do
this!
d. The only problem with a “living
sacrifice” however is that they have a tendency to crawl off the altar all the
time when the heat is applied!
ILLUS: WHEN DAVID
LIVINGSTONE HAD PENETRATED THE HEART OF AFRICA WITH THE GOSPEL HE HAD A MISSION
SOCIETY WRITE HIM A LETTER WITH THE FOLLOWING REQUEST: “HAVE YOU FOUND A GOOD
ROAD TO WHERE YOU ARE? IF SO, WE
WANT TO SEND YOU MEN TO JOIN YOU IN MINISTRY.” LIVINGSTONE REPLIED BACK: “IF YOU HAVE
MEN WHO WILL COME ONLY IF THEY KNOW THERE IS A GOOD ROAD I DON’T WANT THEM. I WANT MEN WHO WILL COME IF THERE IS NO
ROAD AT ALL!” THIS IS THE SACRIFICE OF SELF! – SOURCE UNKNOWN
B. Renewal Rom.
12:2
1. It won’t be an easy task to forget
“self,” the mentality of the world is contrary to doing so; the pattern of this
world is to think of “self” first!
a. So how do we hope to accomplish the
task of forgetting self?
b. It is going to take a transforming
process of our thoughts!
2. Jesus’ example and the Word of God
are the vehicles for transforming our thinking; the Holy Spirit is the power
behind the process!
a. Until we start thinking differently
from this world our behavior won’t be any different!
b. Getting saved is a good start, but
studying God’s Word is necessary to transforming our
behavior!
c. Salvation is not an automatic cure
for all our behavior issues; these become a part of the process of God’s Spirit
renewing our minds and thus us over time!
3. Transformation is only possible
where renewal of our minds takes place! 12:2
4. Once we think like Kingdom citizens
we will act like them!
a. This validates the importance of
training our children in God’s Word from the time they are young, they learn to
think “kingdom” early!
b. Jesus said it this way, “as a man thinks
in his heart so is he!”
5. It can be quite powerful when we
think like Jesus; it makes it easier to forget self when we think like
Christ!
ILLUS: A LITTLE
GIRL’S FIRST GRADE CLASS HELD ITS “TRACK AND FIELD” DAY. SHE WON QUITE A FEW RIBBONS, AMONG THEM A
BLUE RIBBON FOR FIRST PLACE. LATER
THAT DAY WHEN SHE GOT HOME THE BLUE RIBBON WAS MISSING, AND SO HER MOTHER ASKED
HER, “WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR BLUE RIBBON FOR FIRST PLACE?” THE LITTLE GIRL TOLD HOW A BOY NAMED
BRUCE WAS CRYING BECAUSE HE DIDN’T WIN THE FIRST PLACE BLUE RIBBON, SO SHE GAVE
IT TO HIM. HER MOTHER HUGGED HER
AND TOLD HER HOW SHE THOUGHT IT WAS VERY GENEROUS OF HER LITTLE GIRL TO DO
THIS. HER DAUGHTER THEN SAID, “WHY
NOT, AFTER ALL, I KNOW THAT I WON IT ANYWAYS!” HE HAD THE RIBBON, BUT SHE HAD THE
VICTORY! – SOURCE UNKNOWN
6. According to this passage of Paul’s
(Rom. 12:2) you will prove God’s will in your
life if you learn to forget self!
a. You will accomplish God’s “perfect
will” 12:2b
b. Notice that we “prove HIS
will” ... not OUR WILL!
c. The only way to do HIS will is not
to do OUR will! To do this requires
us to forget our self!
7. The great irony of all this is that
the more we forget our self the more fulfilled we find our self! When it is empty God can fill it with
HIMSELF!
CONCLUSION: Eve’s temptation was to do
something for her “self” – to forget God! At the basis of all sin we find “self.”
Jesus on the other hand “emptied”
or forgot “self” and by doing so won our salvation. The life of faith is a call to forget
“self” and serve God and others. Ironically, those who forget self are the
most self-fulfilled!