Sermons on Selfishness
Brennan Manning pointed out, “One of the most shocking contradictions in the American church is the intense dislike many disciples of Jesus have for themselves. They are more displeased with their own shortcomings than they would ever dream of being with someone else’s. They are sick of their own mediocrity and disgusted by their inconsistency.”…
In this passage, Paul is still addressing the issue of false teachers in the church at Ephesus. These false teachers had “the appearance of godliness”—meaning that they knew how to walk and talk like Christians, but their hearts were far from God. While this text is specifically referring to the false teachers in the church at Ephesus, we are able to take this list of scathing characteristics and examine ourselves in order to reveal the condition of our hearts as well.