Pastor Wayne Cordeiro
May 17, 2020 - W2020

“Overcoming the Giant of Selfishness”

Killing Giants God’s Way

Pastor Wayne Cordeiro”

May 16 & 17, 2020

Welcome, New Hope! We are continuing our series Killing Giants God’s Way; and, today’s message is “Overcoming the Giant of Selfishness.” When we become Christians, each of us comes with a "me” mentality, prompted by The Giant of Selfishness. We could even bring this Giant into our relationship with God when we say, "Lord, bless me." "Lord, promote me."  "Love, give me," and God becomes sort of a means to an end. 

Definition of Selfishness/Self?Centeredness:  Self?absorption, egotism, or self?promotion. Selfishness deceives you into thinking that you must have more—and when you get more, you can't let it go because you want it so badly—and it has you!

I used to workout at Gold's Gym and pump weights once in a while; but most people can't tell that by looking at me—but I did.  I don't think people really went there to work out! I know, it's a crazy conspiracy theory, but hear me out.  The gym walls were lined with mirrors. Some of those lifting weights would pump some iron then get up, walk by the mirrors, and watch themselves as they pose, flex, and pose—they go back to pump it up some more, then walk by the mirrors to pose and flex again, over and over, until they start to resemble gorillas. They go home, come back the next day, and do it all over again!  I figured that a gym could get more memberships just by installing another full-length mirror and members will arrive in droves!  The gyms know that we are obsessed with ourselves; and if we're honest, we’ll admit that we’re a little like that. 

More will never satisfy us, but it could kill us! The way Amazon hunters catch monkeys holds an interesting lesson:  First, they cut a small hole about the size of a quarter in the top of a coconut (just big enough for a monkey to get his hand through) and they hollow out the coconut and add a handful of sweet-smelling rice inside. When the trick coconut is ready, it’s tied to the base of a tree with about 5 or 6 feet of rope. The hunter will set up three or four of these traps and wait. At night the monkeys come down the trees looking for food and find the coconuts with the sweet-smelling rice and they immediately stick their hand through the small hole and grab a fistful of rice—but the clenched fist is larger than a relaxed hand and the monkey’s fist is stuck inside the coconut!  

The trapped monkey will try to escape by running up the tree; but the coconut is tethered to the base of the tree, so in a little while, they slingshot back down! The monkeys keep running up, and sling down, again and again, all night like yo-yos until they're exhausted—all because they won't let go of that rice! In the morning, the hunters come out with clubs, knock them out, and that evening they have monkey stew and rice for dinner! I know it sounds silly, but it's true.

The Giant of Selfishness lurks within each of us! We grab hold of something that we want badly, and we just won't let go of it no matter how bad it gets—we’ve got to have it, even if it kills us!  That's where we find David in 2 Samuel 11:2-4 NIV: “² One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful,³ and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” ⁴ Then David sent messengers to get her…” 

Bathsheba winds up pregnant, and to make matters worse, David tries to cover it up by having her husband Uriah killed!  Uriah was more than just a soldier; he was one of David’s legendary 30 mightiest men—one of the most faithful and capable warriors in his troop! David then marries his widow Bathsheba so no one will suspect his subterfuge—his sin! You see, that's what selfishness does—it deceives and tells us that we should be able to do what we want without any consequences, that we are entitled to it! We want God's best, but we also want what we want!  

When you think about it, David had everything that he ever wanted; he didn’t need this affair—he had a kingdom, a super model wife Abigail, success, victories, money, but he wanted more!  A lot will be made available to us by the enemy (the hunter) of our souls—but its crosshairs are aimed at our hearts! So, make sure that whatever is made available to you that it comes from the hand of God with His blessings! 

The Bible says it so well in John 3:27 NASB: “John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.” In other words, if it doesn't come from the hand of God, or if we must compromise to get it—it's a coconut rice trap! 

James 3:14-17 NKJV says concisely: “¹⁴ But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.  ¹⁵ This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. ¹⁶ For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. ¹⁷ But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.” 

Jealousy and selfishness are not God's kind of wisdom—such things are earthly, unspiritual, and inspired by the devil. There's that giant again and it needs to be exposed because it hides and is difficult to see—The Giant of Selfishness!  

David needs help killing this giant because the most difficult battles to win are the ones we have inside of us, masquerading as acceptable, "It's my rights," "It's my opinion," "My passion," and my…you fill in the blank.  There's an old saying, "The eye cannot see the eye." In other words, if something is wrong with your eye, you won't be able to see as it will distort everything you're looking at—you’ll need someone from the outside to help you get focused.  

We all have the prerogative to choose our own actions; but we don't have the privilege of choosing the consequences of those actions.  The consequences come attached to the actions that have been assigned by God from the very beginning—and cannot be changed!  

David's selfish motives deceived him, and he thought he was smarter than the consequences now that Bathsheba's husband was out of the way! But enter Nathan the prophet, who exposes everything! Nathan meets with David and tells him what's happening in town: “David, listen, there's a rich man who has everything he ever needs, a big house, tons of sheep, tons of cows, and there's this very poor man who has a teeny, little house and only one ewe lamb that he raises like his own daughter! This lamb eats at his table and sleeps on his lap. Well, the rich man has a guest visiting, and instead of taking one of his many sheep, he grabs the only lamb of this poor man, slaughters it, and those guys eat it!” 

David is aghast—horrified!  The Bible records in 2 Samuel 12:5 NKJV: “So David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this shall surely die!” Verses 7-9: “⁷ Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. ⁸ I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more! ⁹ Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight?” 

NATHAN GIVES US WEAPONS TO DEFEAT THE GIANT OF SELFISHNESS: 

1. First Weapon:  Expose It, Uncover it 

Once selfishness is exposed, it shrivels up and loses its strength.  Nathan did that and helped David bring what was done in darkness into the light!  It's not sin that destroys God's people—it's unresolved sin!  Don't just study the Bible; let the Bible study you! Hebrews 4:13 NIV says: “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

In other words, if we will approach God’s word with honesty, His word will expose what's not right. God created us to not do well with unresolved sin on the inside—it will destroy us. We can't circumvent the consequence of sin except by His forgiveness. We can't do it with our mind, science, or medicine—the only way to receive forgiveness is through Jesus Christ and the blood that He shed on the cross.

David is probably thinking about this whole ordeal when he writes Psalm 32:3-5 NASB: “³ When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away Through my groaning all day long. ⁴ For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer.  ⁵ I acknowledged my sin to you, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”; And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.”

These verses give us hope.  May I encourage you to get the book Divine Mentor and join me for devotions. I'm posting my devotions five days a week to encourage you to journal with me. Hit the Subscribe button on your screen, and it will be sent you to. I'll let you know what the day's reading is; post my S.O.A.P. journal entry along with a P.S. (Personally Speaking) some random thoughts that come into my mind about the church and the world in which we live.

2.  Second Weapon: Focus On What You Have, Not On What You Don't Have 

David lost sight of all that God had given him, and he wanted more. God would have even given him more if he had asked.  Rehearse and remind yourself what God has already given you. God is more concerned that we are grateful—if we lose the heart of gratefulness, we will give in to selfishness and its two sidekicks: greed and jealousy! There's always something for which to be thankful.  I mean, every time you look in the mirror, thank Him for your muscles; if you don't have any, thank him that you don't have to go to the gym today!  When you comb your hair, you can thank Him that you got hair; and if you don't have any hair, thank Him that you don't have to spend money on a salon or barber shop!  When you brush your teeth, thank God that you have teeth; and if you don't have any, you can thank Him that you don't have cavities! 

To get people to start on an adventure of gratefulness, I ask them, “What would it be like if all you had left today was what you thanked God for yesterday? What would you do?” Be sure to start by thanking him for specific people (family, friends) and surroundings.

The good news of the episode with David and Bathsheba is that David was not resentful of Nathan. He was actually thankful and grateful for the freedom from the giant lurking in darkness. See, that's what forgiveness does—it frees you!  David realized his error and repented; and even though he and Bathsheba must accept the consequence of the baby who dies—here's the cool good news—God replaces that baby with another child, who will one day rule Israel—Bathsheba's second son, Solomon! God is so, so good.  

It doesn't matter who you are or what you've done. If you will allow God's grace or even His reprimand to draw you back to Him, it's worth it! Jesus has provided everything you will need to come to Him.  Romans 12:3b NASB says: “…not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.”  That’s sufficient faith to believe God for everything you need!

An old hymn written by Annie Flint in the 1900s, that I love so much, goes like this: 

"He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater, He sendeth more strength when the labors increase; to added afflictions He addeth His mercy, to multiplied trials, His multiplied peace. His love has no limits, His grace has no measure, His power no boundary known unto men; for out of His infinite riches in Jesus He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again." 

Rehearse all that God has given you and begin to Kill the Giant of Selfishness!

By the way, think about it. Jesus has paid for your lunch and mine not once, not twice, but thousands of times, and His desire is that we no longer have to be slaves to the fear of not having enough because He giveth and He giveth and He giveth again. Look to Him. He is our provider, and He'll give and give as long as it takes to free us from The Giant of Selfishness! 

STUDY QUESTIONS: 

1.      How will you kill The Giant of Selfishness in your life?
2.      How are you utilizing the word of God to become less selfish?
3.      What have you learned from the story of David; how will you apply it to your life?
4.      How are you being less selfish during these trying times of the pandemic?
5.      How will you use devotions to change yourself and others?