Removing the god “Self” from the Throne

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Removing the god “Self” from the Throne; bible study
Topic Started: Jul 27 2007, 12:22 PM (9 Views)
oceanweed	Jul 27 2007, 12:22 PM Post #1
Advanced Member Posts: 52 Group: Members Member #85 Joined: February 10, 2007	Bible study by ERJ publishing Family groups july 2007 LESSON #206 Removing the god “Self” from the Throne BIBLE TEXT “20Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” Revelation 3.20 OBJECTIVES • To identify who seats on the throne of our lives: “God” or “god self”. • To remove god “self” and give God His rightful place in our hearts. INTRODUCTION As we study God’s Word, we should analyze it and examine our lives to see if we are living according to the Word. “5Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: “Consider your ways!” Haggai 1.5 We need to take a close look at our lives and ask ourselves: “How am I living: my way or God’s way?” If we are honest with ourselves, the answer will be that most of what we do is accomplished independently from God. We change jobs when we want to; we move to a different house because we feel like it; we travel to another country or state because we want to; we choose our own spouse and marry them because we want to; we buy the house, car, or anything else because we want to. In short, as far as we are capable of doing it, we live according to our personal ideals and govern ourselves. When we received Christ, He becomes our Lord and Savior, but we continue to live in charge of our lives, as we used to before Christ. Our lack of change demonstrates who is really seating on the throne of our hearts—not Jesus but a false god called “self”. The one that governs our lives is the one we obey. The First Commandment “6I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 7You shall have no other gods before Me.” Deuteronomy 5.6, 7 The Bible teaches we should have no false gods in our lives except the One true God. Today, we will look at two personalities who will demonstrate the reality of what has just been said: Jesus and Satan. Jesus “5Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” Philippians 2.5-8 What example did Jesus leave for us? When He made the decision to obey the Father, leave His place of royalty, and come to save us, He had to humble himself and remove His royal and glorious wardrobe before putting on a corruptible new outfit which is called a human body. Not only did He humble himself by becoming a man, but He also became a servant. Jesus came to serve mankind by saving, healing, delivering, teaching, and giving Himself to the cross. More than a servant, He came to die the cruelest of deaths: the death at the cross. When Jesus prayed in the garden, He asked the Father if it were possible for Him not to become sin and die for us: “42…again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” Matthew 26.42 Even in the worse moment of His life, Jesus always chose to do the will of the Father. Everything He did and spoke was done to please the Father: “29And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.” John 8.29 Jesus even said He did not speak of His own accord but only that which He heard the Father speak. “24He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.” John 14.24 Satan Contrary to Jesus who always did the will of the Father and never acted of His own free will, Satan wanted to take over God’s place. “13For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; 14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’” Isaiah 14.13, 14 Satan was a cherubim of great beauty who led the worship for God, but one day, he wanted that worship for himself and his heart became corrupted. We see that sin grew in his heart where he said he would raise his throne. Satan wanted to compete with God and follow his own will in direct rebellion towards God. Satan removed God from the throne in your heart and replaced it with “self”. How are we living our lives? As we see the example set by Jesus and Satan, we should ask ourselves: “How are we living our lives?” “Are we seeking to do God’s will or are we following our personal desires and will?” Let us test ourselves: Have you publicly confessed Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life? Have you been baptized? Are you part of a discipleship? Do you seek God at all times or only when you have problems? Do you serve God always or only when it is convenient to serve Him? Do you serve God regardless of the cost or only when it is personally beneficial to you? Jesus came to die for us. If we have not welcomed him as Lord and Savior then “self” is sitting on the throne of our hearts, and we are following Satan’s example. Tonight, we must invite Jesus to become Lord of our lives and dethrone “self” from our hearts. Jesus said we should be baptized after receiving him; it would be a public testimony of our new birth. If you have Jesus in your heart but are not baptized, go to church during any of the services and get baptized. Jesus said we should be disciples, not just another person in a multitude or plain believers. If we want to obey Him, we must become part of a discipleship. Jesus said that unless we are willing to leave it all behind for Him, we were not worthy of Him. Therefore, if we are not willing to sacrifice our time, effort, wealth, and comfort to follow Jesus, then the god ‘self’ is sitting on the throne of our hearts—only God should sit on that throne. Today is your opportunity to make your decision and remove ‘self’ from the throne and place Jesus back where He belongs! “20Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” Revelation 3.20 “10… I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10.10 FINAL QUESTIONS 􀂙 Who is the god ‘self’? 􀂙 What example did Jesus set before us? 􀂙 What example did Satan set before us? 􀂙 Which of the two do you follow?



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