There is an old saying: ‘Second place is okay if you don’t mind being first in a long line of losers.’ Nobody wants to be in 2nd place, do they? We all want to be in first place. We all want to be the winner, no matter what it is we have won at.
In June 1974, Richard Nixon’s administration was crumbling due to the Watergate scandal. To divert everyone’s attention from that, he planned a trip to Russia and Italy.
His two top aides, Alexander Haig and Ron Ziegler were vying for the top slot in the administration. Both wanted that position more than anything else. It didn’t matter to them that they would be involved in the collapse of the administration, because all they were focused on was winning the top position.
The rivalry for that position got so intense that each of them had a team that actually measured, down to the inch, how far their beds were from President Nixon’s bed! All because of their desire to be #1.
Each sport has their form of playoffs to find the #1 team. Have you ever noticed that whenever the playoffs are finished, the winner walks off the field loudly proclaiming they are #1, but the losing team never brags about their being #2? They might be the second best team in the whole world, but they will never be satisfied to be anything but #1.
Having pride and a lust for power. It isn’t just a political thing; it isn’t even an athletic thing; it’s an ‘everybody’ thing. We all have it, even Christians. The deadly disease of ‘Who’s On First’ infects churches, too. What makes it even more appalling is that the head of the church, Jesus Christ, never showed this self-seeking arrogance.
He had no throne or crown and no band of servants and armed guards. He arrived in a borrowed manger and left in a borrowed tomb. He did not live His life trying to outdo others. He simply came to love and serve, not to compete. He was willing to let His Father be #1.
So, what is wrong with everyone today; that we have this craving to be #1? Are we so starved to be noticed, that we are obsessed with ‘who’s on first?’
Look at the difference between cats and dogs. The master reaches down to pet the dog and the dog things the master is a god. The master reaches down to pet the cat and the cat things it is a god. Even though Jesus Christ, in His glory and grace reached down to touch us, we have this need to think like the cat, don’t we? We always think everything is about us, when in reality; everything is really only about the Lord.
I want you to understand something very important. As Christians, we begin as humble and needy sinners, who have received the grace and mercy of God. Like the dog, our Master is everything to us and we are excited to worship Him.
But as time goes by, the world has an influence on us, and we soon begin to think like the cat. We start to see changes in ourselves and we are proud of those changes. We then begin thinking that we are special, and what follows is the pathetic viewpoint that we must be gods. We must understand that it isn’t about us – but about Jesus Christ. We aren’t gods. We are weak sinners who must rely on God.
This condition is common to all of us, and it has a telltale aroma; much like dirty socks. Other people, especially those outside the church, can readily smell it and see something is very wrong. They may not understand what is going on, but many will see that as a reason to turn their backs on God and the church. And we are seeing this in more and more churches all the time.
And it all stems from wanting to be #1. This stems from Satan telling the lie to Eve that they could be like God if they would but eat of the tree. Who wants to be #2, anyway? The disciples even struggled with this problem of pride and ambition.
MATTHEW 18:1 says,
‘At that time, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven?”
Since we all want to be the greatest, I thought we would take some time today to talk about what it really means to be great.
1. IT’S GREAT TO BE GREAT!
When we fall into the trap of having to compete to be #1, where will it stop? I am reminded of a story about a Rabbi and a minister talking one day, and the minister proudly declared that one of his ancestors signed the Declaration of Independence. Not to be outdone, the Rabbi shot back with, “Well, one of my ancestors signed the Ten Commandments.”
In LUKE 9:46, it reads,
‘An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest.’
We all want to be the greatest, don’t we? We all want to be in the ‘Look At Me’ hall of fame. If there were any group of people who should have been free from pride, wouldn’t it have been the twelve who followed Jesus? They walked as personal trainees of Christ; so they must have been very humbled, right?
They had seen Jesus transfigured; they saw Peter catch a fish with the coin in its mouth; and there is no record of just how many healings they had seen. But the fact that they were following God’s own Son went to their heads and they begin to think they were kind of special.
So they argued about where they stood in the pecking order of things. This showed a selfish arrogance and spiritual ignorance. It was like Mr. Haig and Mr. Ziegler measuring the distance from their beds to the President’s bed to make sure they were the closest to the president. The desired to become the best; the winner; #1. They wanted to that position so badly they didn’t even realize the end of the administration was in sight.
Jesus just got finished telling them of the horrible death He was about to suffer, and all these guys could focus on was how important they were to the kingdom. They wanted to be #1 so badly they didn’t even realize the end of their walk with Jesus was in sight.
It should frighten us to realize a dozen men could be in the company of Jesus day after day, listen to His teaching, watch His ways – and still not get it! They were living in the flesh, even though they walked in the very presence of the Son of God. Pride, not love, filled their hearts. Pride is natural, pride is human … pride is Satanic. We must be aware and be afraid.
We must continually ask ourselves if we are living like a natural man or as a supernatural man. How can you tell which one you are living in? As yourself these questions.
· Do I continually think about myself?
· Do I continually talk about myself?
· Do I use the pronoun “I’ more than “YOU” or “WE”
· Do I remember every service I may have rendered?
· Do I feel rejected if someone doesn’t know how much I do?
If you answer any of these questions with a “YES”, you are living as a natural man, in the world, not in the kingdom of God.
2. WHAT ARE EXAMPLES OF PRIDE?
There is one thing that all of us must remember. It is vital to our salvation. Please hear me when I tell you this. There will be no proud people in Heaven. If you do not humble your heart towards Jesus, you will never see the inside of Heaven.
MATTHEW 18:2-4 reads.
‘He called a child, whom he put among them and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven.’
That makes humility a condition of salvation. Are you humble of heart?
The disciples were showing the same signs many of us show today. We say the right words; we go through the right motions; but we are filled with a heart that only thinks of ourselves. Jesus tells them that unless they change to become like that child, they might not even see the inside of Heaven.
And I am telling you tonight that unless we change to become like small children; unless we replace pride with humility, we might not see the inside of Heaven, either. We are full of pride. We want things our way and we are going to have them our way, come hell or high water. The trouble with that philosophy is that it really does lead to hell, doesn’t it?
G. Gordon Liddy, a Watergate conspirator, shortly after his release from prison said, “I have found within myself all I need and all I shall ever need. I am a man of great faith, but my faith is in George Gordon Liddy. I have never failed me.”
Most people, particularly in the church, are not quite so brazen. But though we may not say it, we tend to feel the same way. If we are unwilling to humble ourselves, unwilling to admit our total inability to save ourselves, if we’re not willing to become as a child, then we will never be heaven’s citizens!
What do small children usually do when they meet an adult. They cling to their parent don’t they? They are very open about needing security. They may even hide behind their legs so they can hide and be safe. A child is a perfect picture of a humbled heart.
Please hear this: Pride is a very serious sin. Pride probably sends more people to hell than any other sin. In PROVERBS 16:5, it tells us,
"Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; though they join forces, none will go unpunished."
I think we can all probably remember when the space shuttle Challenger lifted off with the teacher Christi McAuliffe aboard, can’t we? It blew up 73 second after lift-off. It blew up right above us. We could see it, and very few of us will ever forget that horrible day when we saw a whole crew die before our eyes.
What was the ultimate cause of that tragedy? Many will tell you it was a faulty O-ring. That was not the ultimate cause of that crash. That may have been the final blow, but the ultimate cause was pride; sinful human pride.
What was found in the investigation? The New York Times put it very bluntly. They said a group of top managers failed to listen to the warnings of those who were actually working on the project that something was wrong. The people in charge were confident that they knew best and this arrogance caused them to ignore the warnings of danger. They were wrong! They were filled with their own pride!
Pride always ends in disaster! There was a pond out on a farm one time that was occupied by two ducks and a frog. They were the best of friends. But there came a drought one summer and the pond started drying up. Pretty soon, there was very little water left in it, and so the three friends knew it was time to move on. The two ducks could fly to another pond, but that would leave the frog to die at this pond, so the frog suggested the two ducks fly with the end of a stick in each of their mouths. The frog would bite down on the middle of the stick and the ducks could then fly him to another pond.
While they were flying, a farmer looked up and said, “What an ingenious idea! I wonder who the bright fellow was that though that up!” And the frog opened his mouth and said, “It was me!”
Pride always ends in disaster! Had the frog been more interested in getting to another pond instead of getting admiration for what he did, he would have still been alive.
Mr. Ted Turner was once a student preparing for the ministry. His sister died and he immediately turned away from God. He is credited with making the statement that Christianity is for weak people. Mr. Turner is a very intelligent man; Mr. Turner has done many great and wonderful things; but Mr. Turner is not "great". Mr. Turner has a very serious problem with pride. Mr. Turner’s heart is in the same condition that Mr. Liddy’s heart is; self-centered and hardened. And the hardness and coldness of their hearts have made them useless to God.
Why does God hate pride so much? I think it is because it keeps people away from God. That is why God hates pride.
Will the Victory Singers please come forward?
3. HOW DO YOU OVERCOME PRIDE?
God witnessed Jesus leaving Heaven for earth. He saw Jesus stooping to wash the feet of His disciples, even when He had all the power of the universe at His disposal. God saw His Son being cleansed by baptism when He had no sin. He saw His Son being pierced and beaten and hung on a cross, all the while asking forgiveness for those who were hurting and killing Him.
Yes, God saw all that, and God’s reply is recorded in MATTHEW 3:17. God simply said,
‘This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.’
How do you overcome pride? By seeing yourself as nothing but the sinful creature that you are.
You overcome pride by loving God enough to see yourself in a perpetual position of bowing down low before Him and having a heart that weeps and cries out for Jesus.
When you can do that, you will have finally overcome your pride. I call upon each one of you to follow my lead for just one week. Put everybody else who comes before you first - - even above yourself. Don’t think about how they may have made you angry. Think about how you can overcome that anger with love.
When you put yourself last, you will find two things: You will find yourself becoming first in the kingdom of God, and you will find how sweet it is to finally hear the whisper of God telling you how pleased He is with you.
INVITATION
