Sermon Central
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Puffy Heads Go Poof!
Contributed by Michael Mccartney on Jan 16, 2002 (message contributor)
Summary: When pride takes over in a persons head their head puffs up and eventually their head goes poof!
Puffy heads go poof!
Thesis: When pride takes over in a persons head their head puffs up and eventually their head goes poof!
Texts:
Proverbs 8:13 "To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech."
Proverbs 16:18 "Pride goes before destruction a haughty spirit before a fall."
Isaiah 2:11,12 "The eyes of the arrogant man will be brought low; the Lord alone
will be exalted in that day. The Lord almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted (and they will be humbled).
Daniel 4:37 "Now I Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble."
Introduction:
Our 4 introductory verses speak about a sin called PRIDE. Pride is a major sin it tops the list of the seven deadly sins spoken of in Proverbs 6:16-19:
There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.
Illustration: Pumping up balloon - watch what happens when pride is In control of ones life
Kapteyn helps us see what happens with pride along with some of my observations:
Pride is what hurts us in our relationships - in church, in families, (at work, at school), with friends. Pride makes us stubborn - I’m right, she’s wrong - (I know all more about this than they do-they need to listen to me!). Pride stops us from forgiving "I was right she needs to apologize to me not visa versa! Pride makes us put up false fronts "I’m not letting anyone else know my sins and weaknesses" ("I don’t have any problems only those kind of people do! My life is perfect! I don’t make mistakes! ) It creates walls of pretension. Pride makes us think we are better or know more than the other. We become proud of what we do, read (or achieve).
I am so smart! Nobody could do my job! Look at their picture and mine -no comparison!
I have education therefore, I am smarter than you! You cannot speak into my life you don’t have a
BS degree. I have more money than most others! I can preach better than he can! I can teach better than he can! I do not need leadership classes "I’m a self made leader!" Look at my success!
It makes me work for salvation rather than to receive it freely. It removes grace from God from us, as far as we see it, (We earned our salvation - just look at my works!), and makes us less gracious toward others. We become more judgmental. Pride makes us put others down. We look
down on another because he is black or oriental. (Educated or not educated, wealthy or not wealthy, dresses in a suit or not a suit, of a certain denomination or not part of a denomination).
Pride- how is it affecting you? Are you afraid to serve because you may fail? Afraid to share your faith because of what others will think? Afraid to pray out loud because of how you might sound? (Afraid to step out in your spiritual gift because of what others may think?) Afraid to reach out to someone because they might reject you? Afraid to be vulnerable because you might get hurt? Afraid to sing because you might make a mistake? Afraid to?????
If you answered yes to any one of these then you have a problem with pride --- Pride is the sin of placing more importance on self than you do on God or others!!
T.S.- Pride as you have seen is at the root of a lot of sins. Lets discover a scenario where pride affected others.
I. Pride was there at the root when Satan was cast from Heaven.
1. King of Tyre is represents Lucifer’s fall from heaven and what led to him being cast out of heaven.
a. He had been a model of perfection -created by God
. b. He had full wisdom in God.
c. He had perfect beauty in the presence of God.
d. He was anointed and ordained of God.
e. He was blameless until wickedness set in (Pride!)
See Isaiah for the description of his wickedness
How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High." But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit.
