Get Over Yourself 2 Tim 3:1-5 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
In these perilous times, we find a root to most of the problems facing us today… “men shall be lovers of their own selves.”
You see this root is why men are covetous; they want more for themselves. Our men and women in congress can’t decide on budget cuts because they are covetous and they are covetous because they love themselves more than they love God or you [the people they are supposed to represent] or our country. If they truly loved this country they wouldn’t destroy it with debt, immorality and socialism.
Families are crippled with debt and bulging possessions because they are covetous. The Lord said that we should be content with food and raiment. If that’s the case, then the bed, table, stool, and candlestick that Elisha had in Shunem were luxuries.
Look down the list in verses 2-5 and you see that men are boasters because they love themselves; they are proud because they love themselves, they are blasphemers because they love themselves, and so forth.
So, what’s the cure for all of these sins of the perilous times? It’s simple to discuss but hard to practice. You have to get over yourself. You have to get over:
Your Desires – in relationships if you are only concerned about having your desires met, the relationship is a failure – this is the classic problem of lusts versus love – you need to get into a relationship not for what you can get out of it but for what you can contribute to it – that’s what the Lord did for us – and in your relationship with the Lord your desires should be toward what you have to offer him – delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart [Ps 37:4] begins with you delighting yourself IN THE LORD.
Your Expectations – Amnon’s expectations when he was lusting after Tamar were completely shattered after he forced her – his subsequent hatred for her was greater than the love he had imagined before – put your expectations and desires aside and you will learn to love – Paul said to the Corinthians, “the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved,” [2 Cor 12:15] – true joy derives from keeping people in their proper order – J.O.Y. Jesus first, others second, you last!!
Your Will – look at the difference between Lucifer and Jesus – Lucifer, in Is 14:12-14, said, “I will” and that’s going to destroy him forever [Is 14:15] – Jesus said, “not what I will, but what thou wilt,” [Mk 14:36] and that has been the cause of continual joy in heaven for 2,000 years [Lk 15:7] – keep forcing your will and watch as the sins of these perilous times blossom in your life.
Your Righteousness – compare the Pharisees with Paul, the apostle – the Pharisees were the most righteous people when Jesus was here – and yet they could not get over their own righteousness and so killed the Lord Jesus and thereby destroyed themselves [Matt 23:33] – Paul, a Pharisee and Hebrew of the Hebrews, forsook his own righteousness that he might have “the righteousness which is of God by faith,” [Phil 3:5-10] – listen, if you always have to be right, then you are going to sin the sins of these perilous times! If you are ever going to get saved, you have to repent of your righteousness and receive the righteousness of Jesus Christ by faith his sinless life and finished work on Calvary.
Your God – men that love themselves create their own gods – ones that satisfy their personal desires in a god – but remember the showdown at Carmel between the Lord God and Baal – Israel had gone after Baal while Elijah and about 7,000 other men stayed with the Lord – the Lord won that battle of the gods and Israel repented for a while – but they went back to their old god in time – is you are ever going to get forgiven for the sins of these perilous times, you are going to have to get rid of your religious god and trust the true God Jesus Christ.