Scotland’s Youth
Conference
FREE FROM SELF
GLORIFICATION
His Own Freedom!
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On the mountain when tempted.
Under threat from Pilate and others.
When betrayed by his disciple.
When left alone by his disciples.
Suffering pain and shame on the cross.
When tempted to quit by Peter.
When compared with John the Baptist.
Winning people’s praise and admiration.
St Macarius
• By being born of God from
above, and being privileged to
be children of God in truth and
efficacy, and by having arrived,
through many conflicts and
labours spread over a long
time, at a fixed and settled
condition (state) of freedom
from
disturbance
and
(condition) of rest, no longer
sifted and wave-tossed by
unquiet and vain thoughts.
St Evagrius Classification
• The core of all of them : self love
• Major three: Gluttony, greed and vainglory
( the Lord’s Temptation)
• Lust, love of money, sorrow, anger, and Pride
The Image
The Ego-adoration
• Ego becomes a real enemy as it competes with
Christ Himself and steals what’s His!
• Because the carnal mind is enmity against God;
for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed
can be. Rom 8:7
• New man: “It’s all about Jesus”
• Old man: “It’s all about me”
• Any signs/indicators to tell me where I am on the
path of freedom from my ego adoration??
Indicators of Self-glorification
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Do you seek praise and approval?
How do you take praise?
How do you take losses/threats to lose?
How do you take insults, hurts and disrespect?
What is the source of your happiness and
sadness?
Indicators of Self-glorification
• How much does it bother you if you are
ignored?
• How do you value your opinion and deeds?
• How do you take others’ shortcomings?
• How do you take your own mistakes and
shortcomings?
Indicators of Self-glorification
• What motivates you and kindles your
enthusiasm (in spirituality)?
• What makes you very angry?
• What terrifies you and what gives you peace
and sense of security?
• What’s the process of your decision making?
Process of Growth
• “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of
wheat falls into the ground and dies, it
remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much
grain”. John 12:24
• “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though
our outward man is perishing, yet the
inward man is being renewed day by day”. 2Cr
4:16
Process of Growth
• “that you put off, concerning your former
conduct, the old man which grows corrupt
according to the deceitful lusts, and be
renewed in the spirit of your mind,
• and that you put on the new man which was
created according to God, in true
righteousness and holiness”. Eph 4:23
Solution?
• “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me”.
Mar 8:34
• The Spirit The Helper:
– Feed your new man.
– Confront you gradually with the ugly reality of the old
man.
– Convict you, where you either Accept or Defend.
• “For if we would judge ourselves, we would not
be judged”. 1Cr 11:31
How do we Defend ourselves?
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Projection: It’s not me!
Past
Parents/upbringing
My wife/husband
Environment/circumstances
Satan
How do we Defend ourselves?
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Excuses: I had a reason/rational to disobey!
Lack of resources/time/support
Lack of knowledge
Difficulty of the situation
Self pity! No one understands what I was
going through.
• I had no option at the time.
How do we Defend ourselves?
• Undoing:
• Symbolically amending or negating previously
unacceptable thoughts, feelings, or actions.
• Chocolate bar to undo (in your own mind)
massive hurt caused to your wife.
• So long as I pay tithes I'm alright, that undoes
the disobedience and lust.
• Israel’s offerings would undo idol worship.
How do we Defend ourselves?
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Denial: I don’t have this!
Minimising sins and laziness.
Not seeing own spiritual level.
Living in fantasy (past or future).
Focusing on certain verses ignoring others or
context.
• Not seeing real size of challenges.
There is a Secret/Mystery!
• Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we
shall also live with Him. Rom 6:8
• For though He was crucified in weakness, yet
He lives by the power of God. For we also are
weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the
power of God toward you. 2Cr 13:4
• This is a faithful saying: For if we
died with Him, We shall also live with Him 2Ti
2:11
Finally
• The Lord can deal with the worst possible
reality you might have.
• He is able to change death into everlasting life.
• The moments of sadness of accepting the
reality are much better than the tension and
delusion of denying it.
• You can never please both Ego and God.
• The power and freedom of resurrection is
incomprehensible and gives life to many.