by Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
I. Let me tell you about a man I know<\/p>\n A. He tells me that while he is not incapable, he is the most insignificant person in the\ngroup he associates with. Sometimes, he is ashamed to be connected with his\nfriends because of the awful things that he has done in his youth (I Cor. 15:9)\n B. His work is very difficult. The people are so annoying at times that he has been\nmade to look like a fool because of them. You can tell the stress is getting to him;\nhe has been calling himself a nobody recently. (II Cor. 12:11)\n C. Not too long ago, he got into an argument with one of his co-workers when his\nco-worker made a mistake. It was one of those “in your face” kind of disputes. \n(Gal. 2:11)\n D. Earlier he had another argument with a friend because a nephew of his ran out on\nhim during a critical business deal. It got so bad, they broke up and went their\nseparate ways. (Acts 15:39)\n E. Overall, he doesn’t think much of himself. In fact, he is totally dependent on\nsomeone else to be effective (at least in his own mind) in his job. He defines\nhimself by this other person (II Cor. 3:5)\n F. Do you think this man has some problems with his self-esteem? What would you\nsuggest that he do to improve himself? \n G. What if I told you this man was the apostle Paul? Each statement I made was\nbased on Paul’s own statements about himself.\nII. Many times we are taught things in this world that sounds reasonable. Often times we\naccept the principles without comparing them to the Scriptures\n
A. The idea of self-esteem arose with the women’s movement.<\/p>\n 1. The idea is that women have not advance themselves in the workplace as\nquickly as they could because of a poor self-image\n 2. They don’t expect as much from themselves, so they don’t achieve as\nmuch.\n
B. What do you think self-esteem means?<\/p>\n 1. Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary : “1) A confidence and satisfaction in\noneself : self-respect 2) Self-conceit”\n
2. American Heritage Dictionary : “Pride in oneself; self-respect”<\/p>\n
3. Roget’s Thesaurus <\/p>\n a. “A sense of one’s own dignity or worth; pride, honor, ego,\nassertiveness, self-confidence, dignity, self-respect”\n b. “An excessively high opinion of oneself; conceit, bigheadedness,\negotism, superiority, self-admiration, self-adulation, self-love, self-regard, self-worship, vanity, self-importance”\n
c. It is the opposite of humility or modesty<\/p>\n C. Many facets of these definitions do not match the characteristics a Christian is\nstriving for.\n
III. Christians must cultivate a special view of themselves<\/p>\n
A. We are weak<\/p>\n 1. If we look at what God wants us to do, it is easy to see that none of us are\nequal to the task – II Cor. 2:16\n
2. We are not sufficient by ourselves – II Cor. 3:5<\/p>\n
3. We have no confidence in mankind – Phil. 3:3<\/p>\n
4. Without Jesus as our anchor, our stem, we can do nothing – John 15:5<\/p>\n
5. God admires the poor and contrite spirit – Isa. 66:2<\/p>\n
B. Compared to others, we are unimportant<\/p>\n
1. Phil. 2:3 – Each is to esteem others as better than yourselves.<\/p>\n 2. I Thess 5:12-13 – Esteem elders and others who labor for God for their\nwork’s sake.\n 3. Count your bosses as worthy of honor, to make a good reflection on the\nword of God – I Tim. 6:1\n
C. The focus is on God and not ourselves – II Cor. 4:7<\/p>\n
IV. But this doesn’t mean Christians lack confidence<\/p>\n
A. Our confidence does not come from our own abilities, but in the abilities of God.<\/p>\n
1. God is our confidence – Job 4:6<\/p>\n
2. God will keep us from stumbling – Prov. 3:26<\/p>\n
3. Eph. 3:12 – Through our faith, we have boldness and confidence in Him.<\/p>\n
4. Heb. 13:6 – We can say, with courage, the Lord is my helper.<\/p>\n
B. The King of Assyria could not understand Hezekiah’s confidence – Isa. 36:4<\/p>\n
1. Hezekiah’s forces were hopelessly outnumbered<\/p>\n
2. Yet Hezekiah boldly defies this superior force.<\/p>\n 3. Hezekiah did not trust in himself. He did not trust in his men. He trusted\nin God\n
C. II Cor. 3:4 – The confidence that we have is through Christ to God.<\/p>\n
1. I John 3:21 – If we are faithful, we can have boldness toward God<\/p>\nV. Where does your confidence lay? In your own abilities? Or in the might and power of\nyour God?\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. Let me tell you about a man I know A. He tells me that while he is not incapable, he is the most insignificant person in the group he associates with. Sometimes, he is ashamed to be connected with his friends because of the awful things that he has done in his…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[32],"tags":[126,724],"class_list":["post-13940","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermon","tag-pride","tag-self-esteem"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13951,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/those-with-positive-self-esteem\/","url_meta":{"origin":13940,"position":0},"title":"Those with Positive Self-Esteem","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 24, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Text: Romans 12:1-5 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The concern for a person\u2019s self-esteem continues to permeate the thoughts of our society. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It is not unusual for a concept to be argued for or against based on its supposed impact on a person\u2019s self-esteem. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Spanking, giving grades, or even keeping score during a game\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sermon"","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":61029,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/who-has-low-self-esteem\/","url_meta":{"origin":13940,"position":1},"title":"Who Has Low Self-Esteem?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 29, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"From\u00a0Meditate on These Things, November 2009: Particularly enjoyed the article\u00a0self-esteem, as blaming \"low self-esteem\" for all of the behavioral problems of children seems to have been a special problem for many in my profession, but especially therapists who come out of the very liberal schools of \"social work.\" I had\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":19916,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/self-esteem-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":13940,"position":2},"title":"Self-Esteem (Sharp)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 13, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"by Keith Sharp via\u00a0Tri-County Church of Christ. Perhaps the one goal American parents and educators agree on for children more than any other is \"high self-esteem.\" John Rosemond, a professional family psychologist who writes a nationally syndicated column that appears in the Watertown Times, wrote an article entitled \"Self-Esteem Isn't\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/self-esteem.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":11868,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-is-pride\/","url_meta":{"origin":13940,"position":3},"title":"What is pride?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 30, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I was just wondering what pride really means. Checking the dictionary gave me too many definitions. I was wondering why it would be a sin. I mean, of course, you should love God with all your heart, but can't you also have some self-esteem or self-confidence? Answer: Pride is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":65992,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/act-as-though-youre-deaf\/","url_meta":{"origin":13940,"position":4},"title":"Act as Though You’re Deaf","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 17, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Leon Mauldin The Old Hickory Bulletin, 5 November 2023 We trust that our readers are familiar with Israel's request to Samuel that he make them a king, so \"that we also may be like all the nations\" (I Samuel 8:20). Having prayed to God, and having warned the people\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":37745,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-can-i-help-my-boyfriend-who-has-tourettes-and-add\/","url_meta":{"origin":13940,"position":5},"title":"How can I help my boyfriend who has Tourette’s and ADD?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 11, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I'm 19 years old and my boyfriend is 20. Our situation is really complicated, so I'm going to tell you about our past. Most of our relationship was before I gave my life to Christ. Let me start by saying he has Tourettes and ADD. When I first met\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13940","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13940"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13940\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13940"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13940"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13940"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}