Self Pleasing vs. Love of God With All Our Heart
Self-pleasing leads to pride, making it impossible to love God with all our heart, but knowing Jesus' inner life and being detached from the world can prepare us for a deeper revival.
Andrew Murray emphasizes the conflict between self-pleasing and the love of God, explaining that self-centeredness, whether overt or subtle, fosters pride and obstructs our ability to love God fully. He points out that true discipleship requires an understanding of our separation from the world, as exemplified by Jesus, who was not of the world and sought to instill this truth in His followers. Murray asserts that without this awareness, believers cannot experience the fullness of life intended for them, especially in preparation for spiritual revival.
Text
Self-pleasing, whether in its more obvious or more refined forms, whether in its more obvious or more refined forms, whether in those who are wholly given to it or only give it a partial submission, leads inevitably to that, often unconscious, pride of life, which makes the love of God with all the heart impracticable. 'If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him.'
Our Lord Jesus was not of the world. He knew it and acted under the consciousness of it. He spoke about it to the disciples and the Jews; if they were to know him aright they must know this as one of the secrets of his inner life. He said to the disciples that they were as little of the world as he was. He wanted them to know it: without this knowledge their life could not possibly what he meant it to be. Without their readiness they could not be prepared for the great revival that came with Pentecost.
(Excerpted from The Coming Revival, by Andrew Murray , pg. 30).
Sermon Outline
- The Dangers of Self-Pleasing
- The Example of Jesus
- The Necessity of Being of the World
- The disciples' need to know Jesus' secret
- The preparation for the great revival
Key Quotes
“If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him.” — Andrew Murray
“Our Lord Jesus was not of the world.” — Andrew Murray
Application Points
- We must be willing to detach from the world and cultivate a love for God that is not self-centered.
- Knowing Jesus' inner life is essential for a deeper revival in our lives.
- Being prepared for a revival requires us to be ready to let go of our self-pleasing tendencies.