Pride & Destruction
This is the first sermon on Pride & Destruction.
A sin existed before the “In the beginning” of Gen. 1:1 – before Adam and Eve – and it’s still here today. It’s so common that it’s perceived as good on one hand and bad on the other. When this sin is seen in the things you do, it’s good. When you see yourself as being better than others, this sin is bad. How can something that’s good also harm you if used or exhibited the wrong way? What sin existed before the “beginning”? Pride.
God made the world. He called it good. We make a stature and call it a masterpiece. God made man. He called it good. We bake a cake and we call it wonderful. See the difference? God call things He created out of nothing “good”. We make things out of something God has provided and receive praise beyond praise. It’s hard not to have pride when people exalt you. However, pride can be good if used properly.
Pride is “an unduly high opinion of oneself; arrogance, haughtiness.” It’s also “dignity and self respect; satisfaction in something done.” These definitions seem to contradict each other; actually they’re the extremes of one another. Having satisfaction in something you accomplish is good, but when you believe “only you” can do that same thing right, what was good takes on an air of arrogance. Pride can be good or bad depending on the way it’s expressed.
Three personal lessons about pride
Lesson 1: I cheated on a math test in the third grade. They were on record albums. The reader called off the problem and we had a few seconds to write down our answers. The answers were written on the album cover and I copied them and placed the paper under my sheet. Man, I thought I was good – until the teacher walked around the room and caught me. What hurt most was her look of disappointment. That day I decided never to cheat in math again and it became my best subject. What changed me? Mrs. Porter instilled in me a sense of pride in what I did. This happened in 1969. When I preached my first sermon in 1981 Mrs. Porter was there. She said I was one of her sons and she was very proud of me. The circle was complete.
Lesson 2: In graduate school, I wrote a paper on military leadership style using my mentor, Walter McKinney, as an example. The professor was extremely easy since we were all military people. I wrote the paper and got an “A”. When I showed it to my mentor, he was very disappointed; he knew it didn’t reflect my best work. It was not about the “A”, but the fact I had chosen not to give my best because I knew I didn’t have too. That was 15 years ago. I thought about this incident when I preached his funeral.
If pride is used correctly, it pushes us to higher levels of achievement. But what about the other type of pride? Pride, in the negative sense, has so much influence on us that the Bible warns us to be careful in handling it.
• Proverbs 16:18: Prides goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling.
• Proverbs 29:23: A man’s pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor.
In both verses, it’s clear that pride can lead us to destruction. Why is that? Because it’s not about our wisdom, power or abilities; it’s about God working in and through us. Paul says in Romans 15:18, “I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me….”
“Arrogance” is also associated with pride. When you’re doing the work of the Lord, you want to know you’re doing well and that people are being blessed. However, when that becomes your motivation, you’ve crossed the line. We deal with pride in different ways. Some of us may not have as much of a problem with it than others, but for some it’s like a badge of identification. “I can do because I am gifted….”
We often quote Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Do you really believe this? If we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, then how is it we’re so quick to take full credit?
How did we get to this point? Where did it start? It started before Adam and Eve were placed in the garden. Isaiah 14: 13-15 compares the fall of the king of Babylon to what happened to Satan. Why was Satan kicked out of heaven? Look at Ezekiel 28:12-19. These verses talk about the King of Tyre, a form of the antichrist. The description of his fall is told by referring to the fall of Satan and explains why Satan rebelled against God.
Ezekiel 28 also describes Satan as perfect, full of wisdom and beauty. He was the anointed cherub (protected the throne of God). He was on the holy mountain and walked in the midst of the stones of fire. Notice verses 15 & 17: “You were blameless in your ways, from the day you were created, until unrighteousness was found in you….Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground.” Satan was created perfect and had full access to God, until iniquity (pride) was found in him.
Now look back at Isaiah 14. After pride had set in, Satan decides to take over heaven. Leading up to the rebellion, he says “I will” five times in his heart:
• I will ascend into heaven,
• I will raise my throne above the stars of God,
• I will sit on the mount of assembly,
• I will ascend above the height of the clouds,
• I will make himself like the Most High.
Pride started in heaven with Satan. He exhibited pride when he took notice of himself. He exhibited pride when he praised himself and decided to take over heaven. He exhibited pride when he actually engaged in battle and was ultimately kicked out of heaven.
When God creates man, Satan was “Johnny on the Spot” with a temptation. How did he convince Eve to turn her back on God and eat of the tree? Pride. “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Gen. 3:5) If someone told you that if you ate this fruit you would have knowledge like God, could you turn it down? The same thing that caused Satan to fall was used to cause man’s fall. Remember when he tempted Jesus in Matthew 4? Jesus had fasted 40 days and when Satan thought he was too weak to resist him, he made his visit. Satan visits us when he believes we’re too weak to withstand him. His demons can’t cause just anyone to fall – they seek out targets. 1 Peter 5:8 says Satan wanders around likes a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.
Satan attempted to use pride with Jesus. First he appealed to Jesus’ flesh. That didn’t work. Next he appealed to Jesus being the Son of God – his knowledge of himself – and that didn’t work. Finally, he appealed to Jesus’ sense of pride – he offered him kingdoms.
He uses the same attacks and methods on us. Pride brought him down. Satan’s most subtle attack are those that appeal to our sense of being – our identification, how we see ourselves.
Look at 1 Kings 12:12. Rehoboam was King Solomon’s son. When he became king, the people asked him to lighten their load (taxes). He told them he wanted to speak with his advisors first – older men who served his father and some of his friends, men his age. The older men gave him good advicein verse 7: “….if you will be a servant to the people today and will serve them and grant them their petition and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.” His father’s wise men tried to show him how best to ensure that he always had the support of the people. He had to humble himself initially.
Now look at the advice his friends gave him in verses 10 & 11: “….my little finger is thicker than my father’s loins. Whereas my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.” This was not the way to win over crowd.
The wise men asked for humbleness, the young men appealed to his ego – that he should be greater and more feared than his father. The wise men understood that true leadership begins with being a servant; the young men believed the people would respond best to fear. Rehoboam accepted the counsel that appealed to his pride, his sense of self. This decision led to a separation of the people from the house of David.
Proverbs says that pride goes before a fall. You may have interactions with someone on your job, your spouse or your kids. Whatever it may be, be sensitive to where pride is evident in your life, both the good and bad.
