It is the devil’s master-piece to make us think well of ourselves. (Thomas Adam, Private Thoughts on Religion)
“The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).
Imagine professing churches having its preaching focused on ways to get people to feel good about themselves. It can also be a way for form of preaching that makes the preacher feel good about himself. A man can feel good about himself if he preaches a sermon full of orthodox doctrine. A man can feel good about himself if he preaches in an expository method and goes through a book of the Bible stressing orthodox doctrine and conservative morality. Either way, whether the preaching is intended to make the minister or the people feel good about themselves (or both), it is not aimed at the glory of God.
After all, this is the way to gain a hearing and a way to get people to do what we want. Getting people to do things makes ministers think that they are good leaders, though indeed they are leading people astray. Getting people to do things does get things done and it makes people think that they are advancing the kingdom. But if the root of it is (as it appears to be much of the time) getting people to think well of themselves (as workers, as spiritual, as righteous), then the root of it is not love for God but for self. Then the ministers praise people and give awards for this! Oh how hearts are being deceived within the churches by the devil and those who do his bidding.
The Scriptures speak of this problem (sin) in different places. We see it in the Old Testament and in the New.
Jeremiah 5:31 “The prophets prophesy falsely, And the priests rule on their own authority; And My people love it so! But what will you do at the end of it?”
II Tim 4:3 “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths”
The people love to hear it when the prophets don’t tell the truth and their leaders rule on their own authority. Why is that? Because people hate God and they don’t want to hear the truth about Him and they don’t want to hear of those who are under His authority. The Scriptures can only be proclaimed when they are set out as God-centered with a love for God as the center. The Scripture can only be proclaimed when God and His grace are the focus and the strength to do good works and those for His glory.
People do not want to endure sound doctrine because they want to have their ears tickles, which is to say that they want to hear things that please them and make them feel good about themselves. They would rather hear good things about themselves and of things that make them feel good about themselves rather than the truth of who they really are and of who God really is. The teaching of self-esteem and self-love has simply permeated the church and has worked terrible things in all facets. It is the devil’s master-piece to bring the things he wants into the church and he is able to do so because his children are like him in wanting the honor and glory for themselves. It is a terrible thing when minsters preach to gain honor and glory and the people want to hear nothing but what makes them feel good about themselves. That is a demonstration that those who are like the devil are rampant in the churches. The devil wants himself to be the focus and to get the honor and his children are like him in that regard.
God Loves... Himself 
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