"Our Greatest Enemy, Our Greatest Friend
Pride vs. Humility – Part 1"
July 3, 2011
Ron Young
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Date: July 3, 2011 - WEFC
Sermon Title: "Our Greatest Enemy, Our Greatest Friend Pride vs. Humility – Part 1"
Text: 1 Peter 5 : 5 - 7
Sermon Notes for
"Our Greatest Enemy, Our Greatest Friend
Pride vs. Humility – Part 1"
( Click here to download or open the Word
document file for these notes. )
Our Greatest Enemy
Our Greatest Enemy, Our Greatest Friend
Pride vs. Humility – Part 1
1 Peter 5:5-7
July 3, 2011 – Ron Young - WEFC
1 Peter 5:5-7 [5] Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the
elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for
“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” [6] Humble
yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time
he may exalt you, [7] casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares
for you.
1. What is the main point
of this passage?
Believers should be humble.
Peter states this in 3 different ways:
·
Younger men be subject to or submissive to (be
humble toward) their elders.
·
All of you clothe yourselves with humility toward
one another.
·
Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God.
Peter gives four incentives to be humble:
1) God is opposed to the
proud. He stands directly squared off against the proud, resists
them and sends judgment.
2) God gives grace to
the humble. He leans or inclines toward them, freely extending Himself and His
favor to bless and be near them.
3) God will exalt the
humble. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God that at
the proper time he may exalt you.” The proper time may be now, some time in
this life or not until the life to come.
4) He will care for
the humble. “Casting all your anxieties on Him, because he cares for you.”
Casting is to literally throw our anxieties on God like casting something on a
donkey, horse or mule so that they can carry it for us so that we don’t have to
bear the burden ourselves. It is the same term that was used when the people
cast the blankets on the donkey that Christ rode into Jerusalem in Luke 19:35: “And
they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus
on it.”
2.
What is pride?
Greek: Hyperephanos – from hyper: over, and phaino: to shine,
show. Showing oneself above others, arrogant,
proud, often associated with rejecting God, even in their innermost thoughts.
Webster’s defines Pride as:
Inordinate
self-esteem : conceit
: proud or disdainful behavior or treatment : disdain
“Pride looks down on others. Pride does
not listen well. It is Stubborn. Pride is not
eager to learn because it is confident in what it already knows. Pride
is not quick to admit wrong because it fears it may
look bad or lose its position. Pride is competitive and is
easily threatened. Pride is insecure. Pride is not grateful.
Pride finds it hard to rejoice in the success of others.” From “The Prideful
Soul’s Guide to Humility” by Thomas Jones and Michael Fontenot.
Pride is deadly because it
keeps us from seeing our tremendous need for God.
Psalm 10:4a In the pride of his face the
wicked does not seek Him.
3. How do pride, humility
and anxiety relate to each other?
- We are to humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand.
- We are to cast our anxieties on Him, knowing
that he cares for us.
- Anxiety is a form of pride.
- Pride is the opposite of Humility.
Jerry Bridges in “Trusting God”:
“On the one hand we are to humble ourselves under God’s
mighty hand—an expression equivalent to submitting with a spirit of humility to
God’s sovereign dealings with you. And on the other hand, we are to cast our
anxieties on Him knowing that He cares for us. The anxieties, of course, arise
out of the adversities that God’s mighty hand brings into our lives. We are to
accept the adversities but not the anxieties.
Our tendency is just the opposite. We seek to escape from
or resist the adversities, but all the while cling to the anxieties that they
produce.”
4. How do we cast our
anxiety on God?
Jerry Bridges: “The way to cast our anxieties on the Lord
is through humbling ourselves under his sovereignty and then
trusting Him in His wisdom and love.”
What are the attributes of Pride?
·
Self-satisfaction, Self-centeredness, Self-focus, Selfishness
·
Contempt, Condescension
·
Self-sufficiency
·
Above instruction, not teachable
·
Un-submissive
·
Disobedient
·
Takes credit for what God alone does (Nebuchadnezzar)
·
Delights in and seeks Attention, and praise of others over God’s
approval
·
Tries to take the place of God
·
Opposes God
·
Refuses to trust God
·
Is anxious about the future
Nine Examples of Pride: Not a complete list….
1. Lying
2. Resentment/bitterness
3. Disobedience
4. Ignoring the needs of others
5. Ingratitude
6. Discord/disunity
7. Sexual immorality/ Lust
8.
Self Righteousness
9.
Won’t admit doing wrong.
Pride is the sin to which we are the most blind.
1 John 1: 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Pride can be blatant but it is often subtle, hiding in
our hearts and minds, coming out in our look, our tone, our subtle innuendos,
even our humor.
Luke 6:45 The good person out of the good treasure of
his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces
evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Use the sponge
and ink illustration.
Conclusion: God hates
pride.
Isaiah 48:11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it,
for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.
Proverbs 8:13 The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil.
Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.
Proverbs 16:5 Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an
abomination to the LORD; be assured, he will not go unpunished.
See also: Proverbs 29:23, Mark 7:20-23.
In a demonic Catch-22, Pride keeps us from
seeing our own Pride
Application: How can we identify and diminish Pride?
Four suggestions:
1.
Meditate on and focus on Christ and
the cross and what it truly means for you.
2.
Study what God has to say about sin.
Be very honest with yourself (myself) about your sins. It is so easy to see
the pride and sin in others while clothed in our own self-righteous pride and
at the same time not recognize or minimize our own sin and pride.
3.
Actively seek to obey God. Learn
what he commands and why. And figure out what obedience really should look like
in our day to day life.
4.
Look for where we’re out of obedience
or in disobedience to what God has commanded.
5.
Ask people you trust where they see pride in
you. If you won’t do this, ask yourself why you won’t do it.
Study questions:
1.
It’s easy to recognize pride when
it parades as arrogance and boasting. However, pride is anything that relies
on self rather than on God. What are some ways in which self-sufficiency
disguises itself?
2.
We generally cling to sin because
we get something out of it. What are the immediate benefits of
self-sufficiency? What step could you take this week to replace a
self-sufficient behavior or attitude with humility?
3.
Do you really think that every sin
has its root in pride? Why? Or why not?
( Click here to download or open the Word
document file for these notes. )
Our Greatest Enemy, Our Greatest Friend
Pride vs. Humility – Part 1
1 Peter 5:5-7
July 3, 2011 – Ron Young - WEFC
1 Peter 5:5-7 [5] Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” [6] Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, [7] casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
1. What is the main point of this passage?
Believers should be humble.
Peter states this in 3 different ways:
· Younger men be subject to or submissive to (be humble toward) their elders.
· All of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another.
· Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God.
Peter gives four incentives to be humble:
1) God is opposed to the proud. He stands directly squared off against the proud, resists them and sends judgment.
2) God gives grace to the humble. He leans or inclines toward them, freely extending Himself and His favor to bless and be near them.
3) God will exalt the humble. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God that at the proper time he may exalt you.” The proper time may be now, some time in this life or not until the life to come.
4) He will care for the humble. “Casting all your anxieties on Him, because he cares for you.” Casting is to literally throw our anxieties on God like casting something on a donkey, horse or mule so that they can carry it for us so that we don’t have to bear the burden ourselves. It is the same term that was used when the people cast the blankets on the donkey that Christ rode into Jerusalem in Luke 19:35: “And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it.”
2. What is pride?
Greek: Hyperephanos – from hyper: over, and phaino: to shine, show. Showing oneself above others, arrogant, proud, often associated with rejecting God, even in their innermost thoughts.
Webster’s defines Pride as:
Inordinate self-esteem : conceit : proud or disdainful behavior or treatment : disdain
“Pride looks down on others. Pride does not listen well. It is Stubborn. Pride is not eager to learn because it is confident in what it already knows. Pride is not quick to admit wrong because it fears it may look bad or lose its position. Pride is competitive and is easily threatened. Pride is insecure. Pride is not grateful. Pride finds it hard to rejoice in the success of others.” From “The Prideful Soul’s Guide to Humility” by Thomas Jones and Michael Fontenot.
Pride is deadly because it keeps us from seeing our tremendous need for God.
Psalm 10:4a In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek Him.
3. How do pride, humility
and anxiety relate to each other?
- We are to humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand.
- We are to cast our anxieties on Him, knowing that he cares for us.
- Anxiety is a form of pride.
- Pride is the opposite of Humility.
Jerry Bridges in “Trusting God”:
“On the one hand we are to humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand—an expression equivalent to submitting with a spirit of humility to God’s sovereign dealings with you. And on the other hand, we are to cast our anxieties on Him knowing that He cares for us. The anxieties, of course, arise out of the adversities that God’s mighty hand brings into our lives. We are to accept the adversities but not the anxieties.
Our tendency is just the opposite. We seek to escape from or resist the adversities, but all the while cling to the anxieties that they produce.”
4. How do we cast our anxiety on God?
Jerry Bridges: “The way to cast our anxieties on the Lord is through humbling ourselves under his sovereignty and then trusting Him in His wisdom and love.”
What are the attributes of Pride?
· Self-satisfaction, Self-centeredness, Self-focus, Selfishness
· Contempt, Condescension
· Self-sufficiency
· Above instruction, not teachable
· Un-submissive
· Disobedient
· Takes credit for what God alone does (Nebuchadnezzar)
· Delights in and seeks Attention, and praise of others over God’s approval
· Tries to take the place of God
· Opposes God
· Refuses to trust God
· Is anxious about the future
Nine Examples of Pride: Not a complete list….
1. Lying
2. Resentment/bitterness
3. Disobedience
4. Ignoring the needs of others
5. Ingratitude
6. Discord/disunity
7. Sexual immorality/ Lust
8. Self Righteousness
9. Won’t admit doing wrong.
Pride is the sin to which we are the most blind.
1 John 1: 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Pride can be blatant but it is often subtle, hiding in our hearts and minds, coming out in our look, our tone, our subtle innuendos, even our humor.
Luke 6:45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Use the sponge and ink illustration.
Conclusion: God hates pride.
Isaiah 48:11 For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another.
Proverbs 8:13 The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.
Proverbs 16:5 Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the LORD; be assured, he will not go unpunished.
See also: Proverbs 29:23, Mark 7:20-23.
In a demonic Catch-22, Pride keeps us from seeing our own Pride
Application: How can we identify and diminish Pride?
Four suggestions:
1. Meditate on and focus on Christ and the cross and what it truly means for you.
2. Study what God has to say about sin. Be very honest with yourself (myself) about your sins. It is so easy to see the pride and sin in others while clothed in our own self-righteous pride and at the same time not recognize or minimize our own sin and pride.
3. Actively seek to obey God. Learn what he commands and why. And figure out what obedience really should look like in our day to day life.
4. Look for where we’re out of obedience or in disobedience to what God has commanded.
5. Ask people you trust where they see pride in you. If you won’t do this, ask yourself why you won’t do it.
Study questions:
1.
It’s easy to recognize pride when
it parades as arrogance and boasting. However, pride is anything that relies
on self rather than on God. What are some ways in which self-sufficiency
disguises itself?
2.
We generally cling to sin because
we get something out of it. What are the immediate benefits of
self-sufficiency? What step could you take this week to replace a
self-sufficient behavior or attitude with humility?
3. Do you really think that every sin has its root in pride? Why? Or why not?
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