THE SNEAKINESS OF PRIDE
INTRODUCTION:
• Welcome back to the House of God and welcome to those of who you are tuning in online.
• Today we’re in the third part of the series I called it SOP.
• I talked about the Source of Perseverance three weeks ago.
• And last week, I talked about the Sacrifice of Praise and I hope today we all came to offer our sacrifice of praise.
• Before I go on, let’s uphold this time to the Lord,
• pray for that the Spirit of God will grant us understanding and Grace to live for His Glory.
• And today, we are going to look at one of the serious sins and most of us are struggling.
• This is what keeps you from apologizing, sharing your weakness, admitting you’re wrong, losing your argument.
• It causes you to compare with your friends, compete with your colleague, and have conflict with your spouse.
• This is the sin that made the devil, devil.
• This is what the Lord hates.
• Anyone of you can guess it? It’s Pride.
Proverbs 16:18 (TPT)
Your boast becomes a prophecy of a future failure.
The higher you lift up yourself in pride, the harder you’ll fall in disgrace.
• I entitled my sermon “the Sneakiness of Pride”
• This pride basically makes us think we are better than everybody else,
• and sometimes can be expressed by boasting.
• Being rich is not the problem, pretty is not the problem, successful is not the problem, clever is not the problem.
• But pride might sneak into our heart when we add the “ER” behind the word.
• When we know we are richer, prettier, cleverer, better, successful-er? I came out with this word.
• When we use our appearance, authority, intellect, or skill to degrade, humiliate, dominate, or to demean others.
• Especially even to the extend of exalting ourselves and take all the credit/glory in our achievement.
• Basically just thinking yourself more
• The boxer Mohammed Ali who used to say: “I am the greatest.”
• There’s a story reported about a conversation that took place between a flight attendant and Mohammed Ali, then at the start of his career.
• Ali was on a plane, and as he didn’t have his seat belt fastened, the stewardess came up to him and told him to buckle up.
• “Superman don’t need no seat belt,” he told her.
• She replied, “Superman don’t need no plane.”
Pride can be boastful.
• But at the same time, pride can be subtle and sneaky.
• It can creep into our hearts to cause us to say certain things or act a certain way.
• You don’t need to be an outspoken person in order to have pride.
• You can be introverted and inferior yet having a pride issue.
• Pride can express in various way but it starts inside of us.
Taekwondo – plumb, friends laugh, don’t wanna lose face, want to impress, kick as high as I can, kicked my coach’s arm.
Swimming?
• What is so wrong about pride?
• Not only God hates it, as I mentioned earlier, that’s what makes the devil, the devil.
The Pride of Lucifer
Isaiah 14:13-14
You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”
The Fall of Man
Genesis 3:5-6 (NIV)
5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
The Temptations of Jesus.
Matthew 4:8-9 (NKJV)
8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me."
So today I want to tell you a story and may we learn from the Life of King Uzziah.
I going to share about the FAME, the FAULT, and the FALL.
1. THE FAME (2 Chro 26:1-15)
• The basic facts about Uzziah’s background are given first (vv.1-5).
• Although he was only 16 years old, Uzziah was crowned king by the people
• Because his father, the previous king was assassinated. King Amaziah.
• Uzziah reign as king and ruling for 52 years (v.3).
• Keep in mind that many of these years, from about 792 to 767, were spent in a co-regency with his father.
• Uzziah’s mother’s name was Jecoliah.
• Uzziah had a strong spiritual life, living righteously and pleasing the Lord (v.4).
• In the early days of his life, he was placed under the care of a man named Zechariah who instructed him in the visions or fear of God (v.5).
• Most likely, this means that he was instructed in the Word of God, taught the commandments of God as well as the duties of the king.
• As long as Uzziah sought the Lord, he was successful and prosperous.
What were the achievements?
He was a great conqueror
• Uzziah achieved success in war and in extending Judah’s territory (vv.6-8).
• To secure peace in the west, he subdued the Philistines by conquering three of their major cities.
• These cities included Gath, Jabneh, and Ashdod.
• Uzziah was also able to subject the Ammonites under his rule, for they paid an annual tribute or tax to the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
He was a great builder
• Uzziah constructed not only the wall of Jerusalem
• but also built the towers on top of the wall and then fortified them all.
• he also built forts in the desert of southern Judah and many cisterns to catch rainwater for the great herds of livestock throughout the desert regions of the nation.
He was a great planter
• Uzziah achieved success in ranching and in agriculture, for he was a man who loved the soil (v.10).
• Without question he was unusually blessed by God.
• He owned large herds of livestock and a great number of farms.
He was a great leader
• Uzziah also achieved success in building a strong, well-trained military
2 Chronicles 26:11-13 (NLT)
11 Uzziah had an army of well-trained warriors, ready to march into battle, unit by unit. This great army of fighting men had been mustered and organized by Jeiel, the secretary of the army, and his assistant, Maaseiah. They were under the direction of Hananiah, one of the king's officials.
12 Twenty-six hundred clan leaders commanded these regiments of seasoned warriors.
13 The army consisted of 307,500 men, all elite troops. They were prepared to assist the king against any enemy.
He was a great inventor
• Interestingly, Uzziah developed a special machine that was placed on the corners of the wall of Jerusalem, a machine that shot arrows and hurled stones like a catapult (v.15).
• Uzziah achieved great fame, a fame that spread far and wide (v.15).
• But we need to know that his fame and power were due to the help of God.
Even though he started young, he witnessed destruction, he experienced sorrow, he lacked of knowledge BUT:
2 Chronicles 26:5b (NIV)
As long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success.
Matthew 6:33 (NKJV)
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
2. THE FAULT (2 Chro 26:16a)
• Now we look at the fault, which is the turning point of his great life journey to his downfall.
• Where pride sneaked into his heart when he was at his mighty time.
• You know pride is more than just being arrogant or proud.
• The best definition for the word pride in our Christian perspective is “Self-will over God’s will.”
• King Uzziah was so successful that he was trying to wear a shoe that is not meant for him to wear.
2 Chronicles 26:16a (NIV)
16 But after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall.
He was unfaithful to the LORD his God,
• That’s why in Proverbs says:
Proverbs 16:18 (NKJV)
18 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.
• Once we allow pride to sneak in, it comes with a package – destruction too.
Timothy Keller: “Pride is like the carbon-monoxide of sin, It silently and slowly kill you without you even knowing it.”
3. THE FALL (2 Chro 26:16b-23)
Pride made him:
? Imperious
• It means arrogant/domineering.
• Uzziah became puffed up with pride and a sense of self-importance.
• The Bible says: it was when he had achieved so much when he became so powerful, successful, prosperous, and famous— he began to feel prideful.
2 Chronicles 26:16 (NLT)
16 But when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall. He sinned against the LORD his God by entering the sanctuary of the LORD's Temple and personally burning incense on the altar.
• And his pride led him to his downfall.
• Exalting himself as a God-appointed priest
• he entered the temple and burned incense before the Lord
• That was something to performed only by the priest, God’s appointed intercessor.
• Obviously, in his own eyes he had achieved great things for the Lord and was important to the Lord
• He felt he could personally approach God without the help of the priest.
• The governance in Israel is different from other nation.
• King handle the political side, High priest handle the spiritual side and both under the Most High.
• But now you see King Uzziah tried to do both. You know what?
• No one is worthy to do both except the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
• He is the King of Kings and the High Priest.
• So when King Uzziah entered the temple
• the High Priest Azariah, and eighty other brave priests confronted the king to rebuke and stop him from committing this terrible violation.
2 Chronicles 26:17-18 (NLT)
17 Azariah the high priest went in after him with eighty other priests of the LORD, all brave men. 18 They confronted King Uzziah and said, "It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD. That is the work of the priests alone, the sons of Aaron who are set apart for this work. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have sinned. The LORD God will not honor you for this!"
Pride made him:
? Ignorant
2 Chronicles 26:19a (NLT)
19 Uzziah was furious and refused to set down the incense burner he was holding.
• When they asked him to leave the temple, instead of taking heed of the correction.
• He reacted in anger and furious against the priests.
• He became defensive and refused to take correction.
How many of us are willing to take correction?
Or before we even trying to understand, we respond in pride and anger?
Every conflict has to due with pride. My way or no way.
“As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down you cannot see something that is above you.”
? C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
He could have admitted, apologize, repent.
But pride took hold of his heart.
Pride led him into:
? Isolation
2 Chronicles 26:21 (NLT)
21 So King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died. He lived in isolation, excluded from the Temple of the LORD. His son Jotham was put in charge of the royal palace, and he governed the people of the land.
• Leprosy symbolizes the defilement of sin
• which results in exclusion from the Temple and the community.
• And do you know that pride has the ability to isolate ourselves from God and people?
Because proud people are full of themselves.
Psalms 10:4 (NIV)
4 In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.
Pride can push away the people around you.
May God grant us grace to overcome this area of our lives.
Quote from Warren Wiersbe:
Because of pride,
Moses lost his temper and was kept from the promised land (Num. 20:1-13).
Pride kept Joshua from seeking God’s will at Ai, and he lost the battle (Josh. 7).
King Nebuchadnezzar’s pride turned him into an animal (Dan. 4), and
Peter’s pride led to his denial of Christ (Lk. 22-31-34)
“God is against the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.”
??James? ?4:6? ?NCV??????
2 Chronicles 27.
Even in our relationship with one another.
Pride can cause disunity, competition, comparison.
Let’s learn to keep unity with the humility modeled by Jesus.
Philippians? ?2:1-9? ?NIV??????
“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,”
??????
Saint Augustine said pride makes the angel became the devil and humility makes men become like an angel.
