About This Project

Tonight we discuss selfies, sharks, and a difficult topic, the topic of self-worship and how destructive it can be. 

Key Verse: 2 Timothy 3:1-5

“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.”

Theme:  The More We Love Ourselves The Weaker Ourselves Become

Scriptures Studied: 1 Samuel 31 ; Matthew 6:33 ; Matthew 5:6 ; Romans 3:21-26 ; Jeremiah 17:19 ; Ecclesiastes 9:3 (NLT);  1 Samuel 28:7-25 ;  2 Timothy 3:1-5 ; Genesis 1:26-28 ; Romans 5:12 ; Romans 5:6-8 ; 1 Samuel 13:11-12 ; 1 Samuel 15:19-21 ; 2 Samuel 1 ;  Matthew 16:24-26 ; Galatians 2:20; John 11:33 ; Luke 19:41

Strong’s Concordance:

• “difficulty” = chalepos(Gr.)
• “assembly” = ekklésia (Gr.) 

Further Study:

• The story of Cain and Abel
• The account of Sampson’s death is found in Judges 13-16
• Saul Saves Jabesh Gilead in 1 Samuel 11
• Saul fails to obey God’s command to kill the Amalekites

Points to Note:

Reminder, the story of Saul & David is Our Story:

• Saul: [Kingdoms of this world] Self-Centered, Demanding, Disobedient to God, Seeks His Own Glory
• David: [Kingdom of God]  Other-Centered, Giving/Self-Sacrificing, Obedient to God, Seeks the Glory of God

Kingdom of Saul | Self-Absorbed and Insecure | Passing Away

• Every moment is about himself
• Everyone is suspect
• Everyone is a threat
• Willing to kill for his kingdom
• Estranged from everyone he loved
• On the road to self-destruction

Kingdom of David | Self-Less & Dependent on God | Arriving

• Wounded by the Lord
• Made useful to those wounded in the world
• Contrite, Compassionate, and Hungry for God
• Made ready to serve others

Symbolism in These Passages:

• The picture of Saul begging the Amalekite to kill him in 2 Samuel 1:8-10 is a picture of what sin will do to us if we do not root it out. If you don’t kill sin, it will kill you.

Episode Points:

1. A BIBLICAL VIEW OF “SELF”

• You are made in God’s Image – Genesis 1:26-28
• You are born of Adam – Romans 5:12
• Jesus came to redeem and rescue you to bring you back to God.

2. WHAT CAUSED THE DOWNFALL OF KING SAUL?

• He let opinions rule his life. 
• He could not take a rebuke.
• He let his emotions run wild.
• He saw others as a threat.

3. HOW NOT TO SELF DESTRUCT

• We have an enemy within.
• We need a victory from outside of us.
• We have a Savior who came to die for us so that sin might not live in us.
• We have His POWER available to us to save us and strengthen us. 

Recognize the Following:

1. We want our religion to be self-serving and to actualize our self-imaginations.
2. We have to be intentional about the theme of our lives or our lives will decide for themselves.
3. Being saved doesn’t make me a good person, it makes me a redeemed person who is being transformed into the image of Christ.
4. The dominant theme of King Saul’s life is SELF.
5. Notice that the first item on the list in 2 Timothy 3, is “love of self”–this will make the last days difficult.
6. You can’t be strong when you self-isolate.
7. Christ Jesus is our true David who kills what has the capacity to kill you.

Questions to Consider:

1. What is the dominant theme of your life?
2. What do you want people to remember about you in one word when you are dead and gone?
3. Have you prayed for the release of temptation when you are tempted to sin and believe it will be done?
4. Are you guarding yourself against the things that caused the downfall of Saul? (see list above)
5. Do you have a group of “one-anothers” around you?

Further Consideration:

• Read more about the Puritan theologian John Owen and  “The Mortification of Sin in Believers”
• You can’t do Christianity if you don’t have “one-anothers”.  That is precisely why we have small groups! Find your fit either in-person, online, or in acts of service at https://waterschurch.org/life-groups/.
• List of Bible verses cautioning to NOT self-isolate:  Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; Mark 9:50; John 13:14, 13:34, Romans 14:13, 16:16; 1 Corinthians 12:25; Galatians 5:13, 6:2; Ephesians 4:2, 5:19, 5:21; Colossians 3:9, 3:13, 3:16; 1 Thessalonians 3:12; James 4:11, 5:9, 5:16; 1 Peter 3:8, 4:8-10, 5:5; 1 John 3:11, 3:32, 4:7, 4:11-12; and 2 John verse 5.
• Pastor Tim had the pleasure of being a guest on The Road Show recently regarding, Move!, which will be available on March 1st.  You can check out the Interview on their page.   To get more information or order a copy of Move!, please visit the TimHatchLive book page.

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