Ego Centric

Welcome to Sharper Sword, the publication ministry of Lighthouse Baptist Church in Lemon Grove, California.

Lighthouse believes that individuals can reach their potential for the Lord as they grow in Christ.

We want to hear our Lord say, Well done, the good and faithful servant.

Let's join Pastor Doug Fisher as he preaches another important biblical message from the Word of God.

Esther, the book of Esther in your Old Testament, please.

Esther chapter number three.

Esther, chapter number three.

And then if you uh would also pick up 1 Samuel chapter 18.

1 Samuel 18 · chapter mention

So Esther, chapter number 3, please.

And 1 Samuel chapter 18.

1 Samuel 18 · chapter mention

Again.

Again, great to have you here.

Look at Esther chapter 3 this morning.

Esther 3 · chapter mention

I guess a little bit unusual for a morning message, but very strongly feel this would look what the Lord would have us to study.

Esther chapter 3.

Esther 3 · chapter mention

If you are familiar with the book of Esther or not, there's a queen that is named Esther.

She has not exposed her nationality.

She's a queen, but she's not told anybody that she's from Jewish descent.

She's an orphaned girl, and she's raised by a man named Mordecai.

There's another man involved in this story in a great way, and his name is Haman.

Now, when I say he's involved in a great way, he's a key figure in this story, but not in a positive way.

Now I want you to see that verse number two, it says that all the king's servants that were in the king's gate bowed and reverenced Haman.

Why?

Because in verse number one, the king promoted Haman, and he set Haman above all the princes, all the leading government officials, and Haman was set over them, if you would.

And because of that, everybody bowed down, if you would, to reverence Haman, to reverence his position.

Why?

For the king had so commanded concerning him.

But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reference.

Now may I say to you that without going into the whole story, God shows us that Mordecai is right.

But I want you to see that Haman was so obsessed that this one Jewish man would not bow down to him in reverence.

That look at verse number five.

And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath.

Wrath like anger, like everybody else is bowing down, but when he comes by Mordecai, Mordecai just stands there.

And boy, that just enrages Haman.

Why?

Because Haman is ecocentric.

Haman is full of Haman.

Haman is thinking about Haman and who he thinks he is.

The position has gone to his head.

He no longer just has the position, but the position has him.

And so when he sees that that's not taking place, you say, is it wrath and a rage?

Look at verse 6.

And he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone.

Scorn means extreme disdain or contempt.

So not only was he had in great contempt and hated, if you would, Mordecai, but that wasn't enough.

He disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone, but he decided that he had showed him the people of Mordecai, wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews.

Now, may I remind you that the Jews were God's chosen people.

Now there's been many sought to destroy the Jews.

And Mordecai, if you would, was a Jew.

And so when Haman saw him not bowed down, Haman said, Not only am I going to destroy him, but I'm going to destroy all that are like him.

Now, may I say to you, that's narcissism.

That's egocentric, full of oneself, magnifying oneself in one's mind, narcissistic, and narcissism usually has, if you would, malice involved.

Where they're willing to destroy something else, someone else, an organization, for the sake of who they are.

What do you mean?

Someone that gets so full of themselves that they don't, they they're not concerned how it affects the extended family.

Someone that is so narcissistic, egocentric that they they literally ruin a good business atmosphere in a company.

In the military, it's very, very uh uh uh dangerous because a narcissistic leader can lead men and women to death for their own glory.

In the days when I was in, uh they had a way of sometimes taking care of that without judicial punishment.

Don't take this wrong, it was called fragging.

You say, what's fragging?

You can't trace a hang grenade.

What do you mean?

You'd be surprised how many narcissistic leaders did not make it back because they endangered the lives of men and women because of their own glory.

They wanted their own medals, they wanted their own recognition.

Are you still listening to me?

You say, did that go on in the military?

It could go on in church.

What do you mean?

There can be egocentric people in church that can grieve the Spirit of God.

Narcissism, when someone's so full of themselves that they put themselves above the organization.

The organization that God has established.

And they don't care what they do as long as they're looked upon in a certain way.

If it's lying, if it's backbiting, if it's envious, if it's false rumors, as long as they're made to look good, they don't care how it affects everybody else.

That's who Haman was.

Haman got to the place where, because that one Jewish man didn't bow down to him, he said, I'm going to destroy tens of thousands of people.

And he went to the king and had a letter proclaiming that, and they set a date for that to happen.

May I say to you that he sought to destroy all the Jews.

In fact, look at chapter 5.

Stay with me, you're doing well.

You're holding your place in 1 Samuel 18.

In chapter 5, there's another characteristic of this egocentric, if you would, this uh self-exaltation.

And notice what he says in chapter 5.

Uh, look at verse number 10.

He, Haman, the egocentrist, he calls his friends and his wife together.

And verse 11, Haman began to tell them of all the glory of his riches.

Now, one of the things an egocentric person does, he brags or she brags a lot.

The Bible, the word is vaunt.

They vaunt themselves, they brag about who they are.

In fact, they exaggerate in bragging who they are.

They fixtitiously believe there's someone they're not.

And they tell other people who they really are not in order to have them have a good impression about them, but it's vaunting, it's braggadocious, it's egocentric.

So, so if you would, he told him all of his riches and the multitude of his children, and all the things wherein the king hath promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the princes and the servants of the kings.

All that's true, but I want to say to you, humility doesn't brag about it.

But he vaunted himself, he was bragging about it.

And notice verse 13, and this is really important.

Yet all this, all the fact that I'm promoted, that I'm above all the princes, that I'm second, if you would, so well, in uh in influence to the king, yet all this availeth me nothing.

So long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate.

He was obsessed with that one Jewish man that wouldn't submit to his office, his promotion.

He couldn't just walk by him.

Mordecai got into Haman's brain.

I.

I is uh interesting statement because when you look up at narcissism or egocentrism, it says the magnifying of oneself.

The practice of using I too frequently.

When we're narcissistic or egotistical, we uh we get to the place where, and by the way, usually when we say e echo ego, we think man, we think male.

Come on, ladies.

That's right.

That's when you elbow the guy, you know, your husband.

Like that's right, that's that's your ego.

In the Bible, there are some ladies that had egos also.

Jezebel, Athaliah, I could name more.

Just wanted you to feel apart.

But this use of the word I is prevalent when someone becomes full of themselves.

And by the way, uh, let's uh let's reflect back that Satan started out that way.

And if you know the Bible, he said, uh, I will exalt my throne above the stars, the angels of God.

I will be this, I will be this, I will sit, I will be like the Most High.

I.

Now, there's a good statement here, too.

Satan is the father of all lies.

So the first lie Satan told was to himself.

He said, I will be this.

And egocentrical people lie to themselves about who they really are.

But they convince themselves that they are that.

Come on, are you still with me or not?

So Satan convinced himself, and then he was able to convince a third of the angels.

My point being, uh, usually an egocentric people is very manipulative.

And that word I, now, it's this is not a play on words, please, but he says, and I.

I just, I can't enjoy my position as long as Mordecai the Jew is there.

And he just, you know, it's almost like he said to his wife, and he just won't bow down to me.

And she said, Well, here's what you do: build gallows, build, build a hanging place so high that everybody sees it.

Make it very high, make it exceptionally high, and then we'll go in and you tell the king, we've got to hang Mordecai.

Now, if you know the story, they build the gallows, he builds the gallows.

But Mordecai does not get hung on those gallows.

Haman builds his own hanging mechanism.

Come on, is that right?

Why?

Because the Bible says the stone that's rolled will roll back.

The pit that's dug will, the one digging the pit will fall in.

The one that builds the gallows high, sooner or later, if they're not careful, it'll turn on them.

That's why we have to be careful about any type of egocentrism for ourselves.

Now I want to tell you something.

I'm not talking about low esteem.

I'm not talking about a lack of confidence.

I'm talking about that we're not the center of everybody's life and that everybody has to bow down in reverence to us.

You can be important, but not be full of it.

You can have you can have influence, but but not be to the place where it's going to destroy you.

Because Haman was willing to destroy Mordecai and all those Jewish people, and what God's showing us is he wants to do that, but God would not let that happen.

And through a series of miracles, it all turns around.

Brethren, Satan has no way that he can destroy us if God intervenes.

Come on, is that right?

The point of it being is I.

Now I want to see, I want you to see this.

Please look at 1 Samuel 18.

You're doing well today.

1 Samuel 18.

And I know you're saying, I just don't see how this applies to me.

Uh, do you go to work and is that person there?

You say, what person?

That egotistical lying, manipulative, false accusation, vaunting oneself a person.

Do you go to the military and you can't change your unit, and there they are.

Do you not look forward to Thanksgiving?

Because they're coming.

And it's all about them.

Do you face that in church?

It's good to be quiet.

That's not a good time to say, yeah, it's that guy right down there.

Look at 1 Samuel 18.

Now remember the word I and associate it with this.

And I know this is a little play on word, but look at verse 9.

Saul eyed David from that day and forward.

Now I know the word I is a letter, one letter, but now we're talking about eyeing.

And here's what eyeing means uh to fix the mind on somebody narrowly, in a narrow fashion, in a focused fashion.

And when you fix yourself on that person, uh there's suspicion about that person.

There's a threatening, a feeling of being threatened by that person.

Uh, there's a feeling of doubt.

There's a there's a feeling of jealousy.

So please listen.

If I am the center and I, it's all about me, there's a good possibility I'm gonna eye someone.

I'm gonna be threatened by someone.

I'm gonna be insecure.

I'm gonna be suspicious.

I'm gonna be jealous.

If you know the old the New Testament, the Pharisees eyed Jesus.

They were jealous of him, they were envious of him.

It was because of envy they they manipulated to him to go to the cross, but may I say he went to the cross freely.

But from a human standpoint, they were after him because the Pharisees were all egocentral and had this uh superiority complex.

It was a part of who they were.

Everybody's still all right with that?

What I'm saying is uh one of the enemies to church is someone vaunting themselves trying to be what they're not.

We all want to be what God wants us to be.

But but nobody has to be lifting themselves up to the destruction of someone else, to the hindrance of someone else, to the stumbling block of someone else.

Those that are visiting here today from other churches, you already have a picture of a person in your mind.

Don't tell me you don't.

You say, I don't just have one picture.

I got I got a collage in mind.

I have a whole scrapbook.

When he eyed David, notice verse 29, stay with me.

And Saul was yet the more afraid of David, and notice it said, Saul became David's enemy continually.

David did not make Saul his enemy, Saul made himself David's enemy, and what we have to realize is someone could become an enemy even when we don't want them to be.

Even that when we're not trying to push them to be an enemy, someone can become our enemy because they're full of themselves.

Come on, is that right?

I'm talking about uh there might be someone in your extended family that doesn't like you for whatever reason, because they're insecure around you for some reason, and you try to do the best you can to be kind to them, but they still have it in their minds, and even if you try to explain, they won't listen.

It can happen in business, it can happen in the military, it can happen at church.

And the Bible says, and Saul eyed David from that day forward, but please watch, look if you would at chapter 20.

You're doing great, chapter number 20.

I'm watching your time, chapter number 20.

In chapter number 20, um, Saul says this to his son Jonathan.

Look at verse 31.

Verse number 31, you're doing great.

For as long, Jonathan, for as long as the son of Jesse, that's David, that's the one being eyed.

For as long as the son of Jesse, David, liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom.

A narcissistic, egotistical person like Saul at this time, he didn't start out that way, but he became that.

Saul was saying, Jonathan, you're not going to be able to become king as long as David is alive.

Please listen.

Jonathan did not want to be king.

David had already been anointed.

God had already chosen David, and Saul actually knew it.

But Saul, in his egocentric, narcissistic attitude, was not willing to submit to God's choice.

And so he was trying to manipulate, saying, We need to take care and kill David, so Jonathan, you can become king.

And may I say to you, it wasn't about Jonathan becoming king, it was about Saul looking good.

So my son becomes king.

That makes me look good.

That's using people, that's going against the will of God.

And egocentrism doesn't really submit to the will of God.

They sometimes submit to voices in their head.

Come on, that's true.

Now let me say this before we go on.

We all have a few voices once in a while.

But we should be able to discern the attitude of the voice.

There are many voices in the world and none of them without signification.

If you say, I don't have any voices, come on, you do.

Once in a while you get a little voice up there.

And what we do is we try to discern the attitude of the voice.

Is it proud?

Is it arrogant?

Is it wanting to cause division unnecessarily?

Is it accusing and accusing and accusing?

Please listen.

Is it bombastic?

Does it keep pounding?

Is it not gentle?

If it's not gentle, then we start to categorize it of maybe not of God.

Because God is gentle, long-suffering, peaceable, firm, but often not in destruction mode.

And may I say to you that Saul was out to kill David because the next thing he says is, go and let's fetch him and let's kill him.

But I want you to see one more characteristic, please, before we leave.

Look at 1 Samuel 22.

1 Samuel 22.

You're doing great this morning, and thank you for staying right with the scriptures.

1 Samuel 22, and look at verse number 7, please.

Verse number 7.

And watch the characteristics of egocentrism.

Then Saul said unto his servants that.

Stood about him.

Hear now, ye Benjamites.

For those who may be a little new to the scriptures, Saul is a Benjamite.

He's from the tribe of Benjamin.

Kish, his father, is a Benjamite.

So he says to his tribe, listen to me, uh, brothers.

Will the son of Jesse, will David, give every one of you fields and vineyards and make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds?

The first thing he says is, Benjamites, my brothers of my tribe, look what I've done for you.

Almost like, please listen, you owe me.

Now, he did not do that.

God had done that.

God had given the Benjamites, if you would, what they what they were able to enjoy.

But Saul put upon himself, and the manipulation is look what I've done for you, you owe me.

A narcissistic, egocentric person does that.

They do things and do things and do things and do things, and then they say, Now you owe me.

Where the Christian says, I'm doing things, I'm doing things, I'm doing things, and you owe me no recompense.

In fact, I don't want anything from it.

I'd rather receive God's blessings.

Thank you.

A Christian does it expecting nothing in return.

Now, there's nothing wrong with, hey, uh, we're going out to dinner and we'll buy this time.

How about if we get together, you buy not next time?

I don't see anything wrong with that.

Especially if I took you out and bought the first time, amen.

I'm just kidding, just kidding.

Just kidding.

But we ought to do things with expecting nothing.

It's a privilege, it's an opportunity to encourage.

Uh Saul said, first of all, look what I've done for you.

Secondly, stay with me.

He says this, verse number uh eight, that all of you have conspired against me.

Now, let me tell you what that is.

Egocentrist put tries to put guilt trips on people.

That all of you have conspired against me.

They hadn't conspired, but he was trying to manipulate with guilt.

Because those that are full of themselves try to use guilt as a manipulation, that all of you have conspired, and there's none of none that show me that my son, Jonathan, hath made an agreement, a league with the son of Jesse, David.

And there is none of you that is sorry for me.

I'm just letting that sink in.

That's manipulation.

Why aren't you sorry for me?

Don't you know that David has made an agree with my son?

By the way, they hadn't.

The only made the agreement they made was to protect each other, not to go against Saul.

This, hey, may I say uh egocentrism can make someone a fictitious victim.

I'll say it again.

When we're full of ourselves, we can get to the place where we are a fictitious victim.

Which means we're not really a victim at all, but we want to tell everybody we are.

So they feel sorry for us.

Now, I'm not saying we shouldn't feel sorry for someone and mourn with them when they're mourning.

I'm not saying that.

I'm saying to make something up that's not even true.

To try to manipulate emotions is not right.

There's none of you sorry for me, or showeth me that my son, Jonathan, has stirred up my servant, David, against me to lie in wait as this day.

I'll make this last statement about kind of figuring out who's who.

It's very often the ego-centric person will accuse somebody else of doing something that they're actually doing.

Let me say that again.

You say, you know, you sound like a psychologist.

We're just we're just studying the book.

And God wants us to understand who we are and who other people around us.

So it's very common for the for the egocentric person to say, so-and-so is doing that to me when it's actually them doing that to the person.

It's very common.

Like, like somebody at work lies about you and says, they're doing that to me, and you're thinking, I'm not.

You're doing that to me.

The exact thing you said to some manager that I'm doing to you, that's what you're doing to me.

I mean, how how can you be so um warped?

Misguided, enraged.

Well, maybe you're not bowing down properly.

Come on, are you listening?

Maybe you've tried to do all you can, but there for some reason you just threaten them.

And it doesn't matter what you do.

Give gifts to pacify the anger, do nice things for them.

It just stirs it up even more.

Now, what does the Bible say?

You know what?

I gotta tell you, it's a little tough.

It says to pray for them that despitefully use you.

So, so I gotta be honest with you.

Uh, you know, in many years of pastoring here, you understand that once in a while this this comes up.

And uh, you know, being in the office of pastor, once in a while this happens and and uh to me, and and I'm not saying that like, you know, but but here's the way I pray.

First day, Lord, please bless them.

And you know I really don't mean that.

But I'm trying.

Second day, Lord, please bless them.

I I know you can see I really don't mean that.

You say, why are you even doing it?

Because you gotta start somewhere.

Lord, oh, three or four weeks later, Lord, please give them a good half of a day.

You say, that's terrible.

Why not be honest?

He knows our thoughts, anyways.

But sooner or later you get to the place where you can say, Lord, I I really do pray you give them a good day today.

And I mean that.

And that's when you've overcome their ego.

By God's grace, that's when charity prevails.

That's when they no longer have us.

Come on.

What do you mean they don't have me?

Uh my problem is not that they're hanging on to me, not that they're restraining me, not that they're chaining me, but at night I chew on them.

What do you mean you chew on them?

You know what I mean.

And I don't want to.

But I review and analyze sometimes too much.

You know, Pastor, I don't think this message is for us, it's really for you.

And by the way, I can accept that.

I really can.

But it does say to pray for them, and then for us, for us, so we guard.

Look at Galatians 2, and we'll finish today.

Galatians 2.

I don't want anybody mad at me.

Not at the start of a conference.

Galatians 2, thank you.

Galatians chapter 2.

Galatians 2 · chapter mention

And this is this is something that we pray about.

Watching your time, Galatians 2.

So watch, and you know this, some of you know the song that's associated with this scripture, Galatians 2.

Here's the key for a Christian, I believe.

Uh there's many keys, but here's one scripture, verse 20.

I am crucified with Christ.

So here's what that means.

When we get saved, the old me needs to die.

The old me, when we get saved, needs to be crucified.

I am crucified with Christ.

Nevertheless, I live.

I'm still alive.

Yet not I.

I gotta tell you something.

Um, those who are saved can go, okay, so what you're saying, what the scripture is saying is, okay, if you're saved, you can get this.

I am crucified with Christ, what I used to be.

Nevertheless, I live.

I'm still alive.

Yet, not I.

It's now Christ that liveth in me.

Which means that Christians acknowledge there's an old me and a new me.

There's two of me's.

To someone not yet saved, they only see one of me.

They only see one of themselves.

Once they get saved, then they have something to compare it to.

And they can see the old and the new because the Holy Spirit illuminates that.

The Holy Spirit brings that to light.

Would you agree with that?

Look, I was I was not saved until I was uh 21, 22.

I didn't know there was the potential to have two of me's.

I didn't know there was an old me and a new me because there wasn't at that time.

Once I received Christ as Savior, then there became evident there's an old me and a new me.

Because now Christ was taking over and making the new me so much better than the old me.

Come on, we still good?

And I had to die.

But I couldn't kill myself.

Christ mortifies the old me.

I want to tell you, somebody says, well, if that's the case, I don't want to get saved.

Oh, you really do.

You really do want to get saved.

You don't want to miss getting to know the new you.

What do you mean?

Uh, there's no new me.

When you get saved, God makes a new creature.

And the new me, you will really like that new me better than the old you.

Look, I'm not gonna say you're gonna stand in the mirror and say, I just love my new me.

But what you're gonna do is you're gonna say, I really love the Lord, who made a new me.

And I'm so glad to get rid of some of the old me.

With all its habits and thoughts, and and you say, But I'm a pretty good person.

I gotta tell you, when you get saved, you don't know how bad the good person really is.

Because now Christ comes in you, and now you're born again through the Spirit of God, and and and not only do you get your name written down in heaven, never to be erased, in the Lamb's book of life, but you become a new creature down here.

That's why I am crucified with Christ.

Nevertheless, I live, yet not I.

Well, what does it say then?

Well, then it says this: stay with me, you're doing great.

It says, uh, but Christ liveth in me.

And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.

And then he says this, I do not frustrate the grace of God.

You say, what's he talking about, the grace of God?

Oh, about three verses before, up in verse 15 16, that we're not saved by our own works.

We're not not saved by our own righteousness, we're only saved by God's grace.

And so what he's saying is, I do not frustrate the grace of God.

I don't frustrate what God has placed inside of me.

He says, I do not frustrate the grace of God.

Uh, for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

What he's saying is, we didn't get saved by our own righteousness, we got saved by the righteousness of Christ.

And by his death, his burial, and resurrection, believing in that, that's why God gets glorified every time a person gets saved, and then you become a new you.

But it's better than the old you.

And honestly, it'll make your marriage better.

Two old you's a husband and a wife that are in their old you's don't get along real well.

But in their new natures, they love each other.

They can't wait to be around each other.

But the old natures clash.

The new natures don't.

The new natures complement each other.

Come on, is that right?

We started by talking about ego-centric, self-centered I people who I E-E, other people.

My old nature has a tendency to I.

What do you mean which I?

Both.

My old nature is about I and Iing.

And may I say, I'm not trying to judge you, but so is yours.

Because it was not born again.

It was created in carnality.

You say, wait a minute, no, no, it wasn't.

Yeah, yeah.

We were born in sin.

Come on.

That's the first thing we have to acknowledge.

Now I want to say this the old nature, if you're not saved yet, will say, that guy's lying.

That's a terrible preacher.

He doesn't know what he's talking about, he's so full of himself.

That's the old you.

When you get saved, the new you will say, Wow, wow, man, can I see the other side now?

Now I know what they were amening.

Now I know what they were so excited about.

Now I have a new nature that can worship God.

Now I have a new nature that wants to sing to God.

Now I have a new nature that's not full of me.

Now I have a new nature that's not eyeing everybody.

Now I have a new nature that can say, Lord, would you really bless that person today?

I really, I really ask you to bless that person.

They're a good person.

Please bless them.

And I really mean it.

Give them something special today from you, Lord.

Help them today.

And you really mean it.

Because Jesus said, Father, forgive them.

They know not what they do.

And that way we don't carry grudges and have bitterness.

We're not being controlled by I.

Today, I pray that the go the Lord would use scriptures in some way, shape, or form for what you're currently involved with, either with someone else or with yourself, that God would help.

And if you're a Christian, we need to not frustrate the grace of God.

I am crucified with Christ.

Nevertheless, I live, yet not I.

It's now Christ that liveth in me.

And if we have someone that's Haman towards us with malice, with disdain, with scorn.

You say, how does that work?

Haman went after Mordecai and all the Jews.

It's like someone going after you and your family.

Now you're getting in too close.

We need God's grace to not let that rule us and control us, even how unfair it might be.

But Christ liveth in me.

And the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved him and gave himself for me.

You know that?

You say, I know it.

I knew it before you sang it.

Don't I mean?

That's the best I got.

Did you notice I'm not singing in the choir?

Look at your scriptures one more time.

I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Who loved me, who loved me, who loved me and gave himself for me.

I am crucified with Christ.

Nevertheless, I live.

Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.

I pray you can sing that sincerely.com or call 619 461 5561.