Pride & Truth Series

“Why do you call me good?...only God is good.”

(1) Not even the Pharisees were called good. It was actually considered a strange title because it meant there was great reverence and respect was being given.

(2) Titles are given to us by God, not man.

(3) Jesus asks a question and provides a premise:

a. If only God is good – then you’re saying I am God.

b. If you are saying I am good and I am not good – then you’re calling God a liar by giving me a title that doesn’t belong to me.

“You know the commandments…All these I have kept.”

(1) Jesus focus’ is on how he treated others.

(2) The ruler believed he followed all of those.

“One thing you lack…”

(1) Pride: are you willing to surrender everything and follow Jesus?

Genesis 3:1-13

(1) Who did Adam blame for his sin? (God directly, Women indirectly)

(2) Who did the woman blame? (God directly, Serpent indirectly).

(3) Who was responsible? “She took of its fruit and ate…her husband…he ate. Personal responsibility!

(4) God gave Adam and Eve freedom to live and move at their own pleasure and will and he gave them authority to rule over the world. (Yet it wasn’t enough). They wanted more and felt like they deserved more.

(5) Aren’t we like that? We receive but are never satisfied. What we do have is not enough or what we have becomes old, used, outdated or useless to us.

(6) The Question of Pride: What does God know?

(7) The Statement of Pride: I know better than God. (God tells us to forgive but we hold grudges; God tells us to be generous, but we hoard).

(8) Four Outcomes of Pride

a. Vulnerability (they knew they were naked).

b. Concealment (they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths).

c. Fear (The man and wife hid themselves).

d. Blame (The women whom you gave me…)

[Where Pride is Born]

Latin Term: Lex orandi, lex credenda, lex vivendi = The rule of worship is the rule of belief is the rule of life. Our deepest affections shapes the way we believe and in turn, the way we live our life.

(1) Misplaced Reality (Life)

Adam and Eve did not immediately die after they ate the fruit.

We get away things that are not good for us. So if sin doesn’t always lead to immediate physical death, we often think we can do what we want.

(2) Misplaced Priorities (Worship)

We often ask God for help us when our priorities are messed up. Truth be told, we allow God to be part of our lives but we don’t often submit to him.

(3) Misplaced Faith (Beliefs)

We give precedence to things, over and above Jesus and we allow our worship to be directed towards someone / something other than Christ.

[The Dead-End Life]

Romans 8:13

(1) When we give into sin, something dies – either inside of us or through us.

(2) If we continue to sin by giving into the flesh, we lose relationships, jobs, good judgement, health, etc.

a. If we give into self-centeredness, our generosity dies.

b. If we give into impulse spending, financial stability dies.

(3) The question is this: Who are we going to give control to? The Spirit of God or the flesh?

[The Birth of New Life]

Intro:

(1) Weight-Lifting / Wrist issue (Pain lets us know something is wrong).

(2) I can never go back to weight-lifting the way I once did. That is the old-me and he is gone.

Steps towards New Life:

(1) Humility:

a. God favors those who are willing to admit they don’t have everything together and acknowledge Him!

(2) Honesty:

a. Be honest with yourself, be honest about your faith, your relationships, your finances.

b. What does your integrity look like?

(3) Hard Work:

a. We all have work ethics and honesty plays a huge role in this area.

b. What are you willing to do and not do?

c. How much effort are you willing to put forth into your work?

d. Are you willing to work your way up from the bottom?

e. What do I do well? What do I need to improve on?

2 Corinthians 5:17 (The Return)

So, what is gone?

(1) Separation from God (Hebrews 2:11)

(2) Hopelessness (Ephesians 2:12)

(3) The Penalty of sin. (Rom. 6:23)

(4) The Bondage to sin. (Rom. 6:6)

(5) Eternal Death (Rom. 6:5)