When Pride gets in the Way
Am October 25th 2009
Daniel 4:28-33
Introduction
Story has been told of a lion who was very proud and decided to take a walk one day to demonstrate his mastery over all the other creatures.
He strutted his way through the forest until he came across a bear, ‘WHO IS THE KING OF THE JUNGLE BEAR? ‘Why of course you are mighty lion’.
He went on until he found the tiger, ‘WHO IS THE KING OF THE JUNGLE TIGER?’ ‘Why you are great lion’.
Next the lion found the elephant, ‘WHO IS THE KING OF THE JUNGLE FAT ELEPHANT?’
The elephant immediately grabbed the lion with his trunk and spun him around a few times and slammed him to the ground.
He then stepped on him a few times and picked him up and dunked him in the water and then threw him up against a tree.
The lion staggered to his feet and said, ‘LOOK, JUST BECAUSE YOU DON’T KNOW THE ANSWER IS NO REASON TO GET SO UPSET!’
Some people are so full of pride they don’t even realize it. However, the true message of Nebuchadnezzar’s pride from the story is found in the difference between dogs and cats.
The master pets a dog, and the dog wags its tail and thinks, “He must be a god.” But the master pets his cat, and the cat purrs, shuts its eyes and thinks to itself, “I must be a god.”
Though Jesus in grace reached down to us, there is still a perverse human tendency to think like the cat!
Today from this passage, I want us to see what pride is, because so often our faith is under fire due to our own stubborn pride.
Nebuchadnezzar is dreaming again, this time in his dream he sees a tree being cut down, and it is stripped of its leaves, but the stump is left, and he sees himself homeless, living with the wild animals and eating grass and plants, he will be given the mind of an animal for seven years.
Daniel again comes and interprets the dream for him, and Daniel warns him, if you repent and give the Glory to God, none of this will happen and your prosperity will continue. Well as we pick up the story Nebuchadnezzar’s pride got in the way and he didn’t repent and God is a God of His word, so from this passage I want us to learn from Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon what pride is all about?
Read Scriptures: Daniel 4:28-33
I. Pride is seeing us as more important because of either our accomplishments or our gifts.
Vs. 30 “he said, "Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?”
He was certainly very full of himself and had a very high opinion of himself. It’s possible that the statue he set up in chapter 3 was in fact a statue of himself, although we don’t know for certain.
It seems that Nebuchadnezzar gets the wrong point from the vision God sends him chapter 2. The message that God allows or causes nations to rise but ultimately they will all have to submit to him is completely lost and all Nebuchadnezzar seems to remember is that he was the head of gold, the king over many kings. His response seems to be have been more cat-like than dog-like.
We might not be the King or Queen of a vast empire but we can guilty of pride, just as Nebuchadnezzar was. We can be proud of our accomplishments, our gifts, our position, our authority.
A Texas rancher met up with a Wisconsin dairy farmer. The two men began talking about their land and the milkman told the cattleman that he operated his business on 125 acres. The Texan scoffed at such a small parcel of land. He said, "Yankee, that ain’t nothin’. On my ranch I can get in my truck at sunrise and I won’t reach the fence line of my property until sunset." The dairy farmer snorted, "Yeah, I used to have a truck like that."
Pride, I’m better than you. Comparison is at the heart of a prideful heart.
II. Pride is being more interested in doing better than others than in simply doing.
Vs. 30 “he said, "Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?”
In a certain pond, there were two ducks and a frog who were neighbors and the best of friends. They played together all day long during the summer time. But as the cold drew near and the water dried up, the ducks realized they would have to move. This would be easy for them, but what about their friend the frog? Finally it was decided that they would put a stick in the bill of each duck, and then the frog would hang onto the stick with his mouth and they would fly him to another pond. And so they did. Just then, a farmer looked up and said to his wife, "What a great idea! I wonder who thought of that?" Proudly, the frog said, "I did!" Then he fell from the ducks stick to the ground.
Pride is being more interested in doing better than others, than is simply just doing.
Nebuchadnezzar was so proud the Babylon was the greatest nation in the world
III. The ultimate expression of pride is to think we can do without God.
Vs. 30 “he said, "Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?”
Pride says, “I don’t need you God”. Pride says, I am good enough just like I am, I don’t need Jesus to get me to heaven.
The ultimate expression of pride is to think we can do without God.
The Bible says “the fool says in his heart there is no God.”
Nebuchadnezzar set it in his mind that he was the one who built the great Babylon, by his own strength, and power.
So many are just like that, they work hard for there own money, they are the ones who have worked to get all they have, they say things like, “I didn’t see God out there working in the hot sun to make the money to by this.”
The bible says, “God hates a proud look”. You can’t do anything without God enabling you to work or make money to buy.
The ultimate expression of pride is to think that we can do without God.
IV. Either we humble ourselves or God will be forced to do it.
Vs. 31-32 “The words were still on his lips when a voice came from heaven, "This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes.”
So this last point goes out both as a warning and as an encouragement. A warning because if we go act with too much pride then we will be brought down and sometimes our errors are right out there for all to see.
But an encouragement because God does not leave us in our sins, but does all he can to help us recognize them and to conquer them. We might not like the process that involves, but like any good parent God understands that sometimes children have to be taught lessons through means that the children don’t want to.
Perhaps it can be best summed up, is that we will be humbled but we can chose to humble ourselves or to be humbled. From personal experience let me assure you that it is far less painful to humble ourselves, than to force God to do it.
Conclusion
Is pride an issue for you, is hard for you to admit when you are wrong, do look at others and think, well I’m better off than they are, are living you life making sure that you are better than someone else, in heart and mind are you convinced that you can live this life without Jesus, remember we either humble ourselves before God, or God will humble us, I would rather humble myself, before God has to humble me.
