Sermons From The New Testament - The "Me First" Mentality

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                       "THE 'ME FIRST' MENTALITY"

                              Luke 9:57-62

INTRODUCTION

1. As Jesus went about His earthly ministry, people either wanted to
   follow Him, or were invited by Him; yet some desired to do so on
   their own terms - Lk 9:57-62
   a. "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."
   b. "Lord, I will follow you, but let me first go and bid them
      farewell who are at my house."

2. This "me first" mentality was fundamentally opposed to Jesus' concept
   of following Him...
   a. He demanded that one "deny himself" to follow Him - Lk 9:23
   b. He required that one "hate...his own life also" - Lk 14:26

[Living in a culture that praises putting self first and then "Looking
Out For #1", it easy for Christians to adopt this "me first" mentality.
Consider some ways we can be guilty of...]

I. THE "ME FIRST" MENTALITY

   A. IN OUR ATTENDANCE...
      1. The Scriptures reveal the example and value of assembling
         together with other Christians - Ac 2:42; 20:7; He 10:25
      2. Yet many will often put personal interests before opportunities
         to attend services:
         a. Recreational outings
         b. Family gatherings
         c. Elective work or school related activities
         d. Staying home to read or watch TV
      -- Haphazard attendance is a sign of the "me first" mentality

   B. IN OUR CONTRIBUTION...
      1. Christians are instructed to give of their prosperity to meet
         certain needs - 1Co 16:1-2; 2Co 9:7-9
      2. Yet many will give sparingly because:
         a. They want to spend as much as possible on things for
            themselves
         b. They have failed to properly budget their contribution to
            the Lord
         c. They are burdened with bills for things that are not
            necessities, but actually luxuries
      -- Negligent giving of our prosperity is a sign of the "me first"
         mentality

   C. IN OUR SERVICE TO ONE ANOTHER...
      1. God has blessed each of us with gifts to serve one another - Ro
         12:3-8; 1Pe 4:10-11
      2. Yet many make little effort to do their part in the work of the
         local congregation:
         a. They do not learn the names of the other members
         b. They do not seek to find their "gift" or ability God has
            given them
         c. Men do not attend the business meetings; women do not teach
            classes
         d. They may attend church, but only to receive, not to give of
            themselves
      -- Lack of involvement in the local church is a sign of the "me
         first" mentality

   D. IN OUR FAMILIAL RELATIONSHIPS...
      1. Christians have duties to members of their physical families
         - Col 3:18-21; Ep 5:22,25,33
      2. Many families suffer when people seek their own interests above
         another
         a. When husbands and wives are selfish in their dealings with
            each other
         b. When parents divorce without regard to the impact on their
            children
         c. When children fail to honor and obey their parents
      -- Dysfunctional families abound where the "me first" mentality
         exists

[Our service to the Lord, His church and our families is greatly
hindered by the "me first" mentality, and is detrimental to our souls
those around us.  How much better, for us to learn and practice...]

II. THE "OTHERS FIRST" PRINCIPLE

   A. AS EXEMPLIFIED BY CHRIST...
      1. He came to this earth because He put others first - 2Co 8:9;
         Mt 20:28
      2. We are called upon to adorn the same mind or attitude - Php 2:
         3-8
         a. To do nothing through selfish ambition or conceit
         b. To esteem others better than ourselves
         c. To look out for the interests of others
      -- Jesus exemplified the principle of "others first" that He
         desires in us as well

   B. AS EXEMPLIFIED BY THE MACEDONIANS...
      1. Note their great liberality despite their own poverty - 2Co 8:
         1-4
      2. Note why they were able to be so gracious in thinking of others
         first - 2Co 8:5
         a. They first gave of themselves to the Lord, then to others!
         b. The mentality of "Lord first" instead of "me first" enabled
            them to put "others first"
      3. Their liberality continued in supporting Paul to preach the
         gospel - cf. Php 4:10-18
      4. Putting God and others first ensured that their needs would be
         met - Php 4:19
      -- The Macedonians exemplified the true value of putting "others
         first"

CONCLUSION

1. Do we have the "me first" mentality...?
   a. If we do, we cannot be Jesus' disciples
   b. If we do, the church and our own spiritual lives will suffer

2. Do we want to be rid of the "me first" mentality...?
   a. The "me first" mentality will be destroyed when we adopt the
      "others first" principle
   b. The "others first" principle will be developed as we make "the
      kingdom of God first" - Mt 6:33

When we truly put the kingdom of God and others before ourselves, then
the Lord will see to it that we have the things that we need...! - cf.
Mt 6:30-33; Php 4:19

Note:  The main idea and several related points for this outline were
taken from an article entitled "The Me First Syndrome" by Wayne Jackson.
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