The Amorites - The Spirit of Pride
Joshua 3:10
Amorite - Heb. -“Proud, Boastful, Bitter rebels, Mountaineers. They lived in
the thin air of the mountains; lived in lofty places.
I Peter 5:5-6
Intro: If you ever doubt that the spirit of pride and self-exaltation is
dangerous, remember it was pride that got Lucifer kicked out of heaven and
man kicked out of the Garden of Eden.
Illustration: A young woman went to her pastor and said, "Pastor, I have a besetting sin, and I
want your help. I come to church on Sunday and can’’t help thinking I’’m the prettiest girl in the
congregation. I know I ought not think that, but I can’’t help it. I want you to help me with it."
The pastor replied, "Mary, don’’t worry about it. In your case it’’s not a sin. It’’s just a horrible
mistake."
Pride is dangerously deceptive. A while back I had been doing some work
on the computer when it crashed and I lost all my work. I came upstairs and
Vanessa was amazed at how good my attitude was. She said, “Are you
okay after losing your work?” I said, “Well, the computer certainly saves me
a lot of time, but I can’t complain if it takes some back now and then. It’ll be
okay.” She said, “It’s amazing how calm you are and how happy you seem
even though you’ve lost a lot of work. You really have a great attitude.”
She left the room and I thought, “She’s right. I really do have a good
attitude. Instead of ranting and raving, I just accept it and move on. That’s
good. That’s mature. In fact, that’s how Jesus would respond.”
Later on the kids did something they shouldn’t have and my wife got a little
upset. A little later I forgot to do something and she became upset again. I
thought, “I have this great attitude, but hers is awful. Why can’t she just roll
with the punches like I do?”
Being the one with the more mature attitude I felt it was my duty to lecture
her on how rotten hers had become.
Do you see how pride is conceived. That morning I might have been
Christ-like, but by evening I had become a Pharisee. Pride is just that
potent, that abusive, that offensive, that destructive. Relationally there are
few things more obnoxious than self righteousness. Spiritually there are few
things more lethal than pride.
Peter Kreeft: Saints agree that they are sinners; only sinners think they are
saints.
The irony is, the more we experience and express the character of Christ,
the more natural reason and temptation we’ll have to become prideful.
John Climacus: Rebuff the vanity which follows obedience.
No wonder the Apostle Paul said, “Let this mind be in you which was
also in Christ Jesus...who made himself of no reputation...he humbled
himself and became obedient even to the point of death.”
I Peter 5:5 - “Resists” - Military term meaning God resists by armed conflict.
Pride causes me to array myself against God.
Luke 18:9 (“Certain men who trusted in themselves that they were righteous
and despised others.”)
The hardest people to reach (not adulterers, or fornicators, or drug abusers,
etc.) are people who are filled with spiritual pride. God likes to deal with
people who can be shaped and molded. He violently resists those who resist
him and his ways.
If there is constant combat in my life then it may be a sign of pride in
operation. James says,“Submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from
you.” What areas of your life are un-submitted?
I Peter 5:6 - “humble yourself” - passive, lit. “let yourself BE humbled.”
Then God will exalt you in his timing. Many say, “I can’t wait. I’ve got to
minister. I’ve got to go.” Humble yourself in order to get grace for ministry.
Humility submits to his timing, not our own. What if he wants you to be a
door keeper in the house of God?
The inner disciplines of the Christian life are difficult to teach and model. I
can check off a completed Bible study, record my minutes in prayer, or write
down the names of those with whom I share my faith. But how do I check
off the attainment of humility? If I told you I was humble, it would, in
essence, be a confession of pride.
Here’s the key: We don’t become humble as much as we learn to
practice humility (If we can grasp this we will be a great church, and have
great families, and success!). One of the major problems in the church is
that we have focused on outer disciplines to the neglect of the inner. So we
have gifted, but empty and proud Christians. (Promoted gifts, neglected
humility, promoted worship, neglected faith; promoted church growth,
neglected love; etc.)
V. 5 - “Gives grace to the humble” - Humility is the disposition that makes us
available to be blessed by God.
“This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and
trembles at my word” (Is. 66:2).
Andrew Murray: The truth is this - pride must die in you or nothing of
heaven can live in you.
“For you will save the humble people, But you will bring down haughty looks”
(Ps. 18:27).
“The humble he guides in justice, and the humble he teaches His way”
(25:9).
“The Lord lifts the humble; He casts the wicked down to the ground” (147:6).
“For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with
salvation” (149:4).
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Blessings always flow from God to the humble. God is eager to reach out to
the humble. The humble will continually receive from God. Why?
Jesus said, ‘Give and it shall be given unto you.” Giving myself for others is
an act of humility. This humble giving always results in blessed receiving.
Titus 3:2 - “Show true humility toward all men.”
v. 5 - “clothe yourself in humility” - this is what Jesus did in the incarnation
and in foot washing with the towel.
Jesus: Love one another even as I have loved you....foot washing. We
cannot do this until we learn how to forget ourselves. The world doesn’t
revolve around us. There’s no good time for a family crisis or a flat tire. But
humility acts as a filter from the grossly unrealistic expectations that
everything and everyone should bend our way.
Self-forgetfulness frees us to serve others rather than trying to impress
them.
***On his last night on earth Jesus could have taken the disciples out to find
some cripples to heal in order to perform impressive ministry, instead he
thought it necessary to teach them the value of the inner virtue of humility.
Washing their feet took nothing away from him. Many times we think that to
be humble is to think ill of ourselves and to continually count ourselves less
than worthy. But humility is thinking less about yourself, not thinking less of
yourself. Being humble doesn’t mean pretending that we have no giftings
and talents (if someone is complaining about themselves just agree with
them); Jesus never pretended that he wasn’t the Son of God.
So, how do I recognize pride in me? Here are some indications pride is
creeping up in your life:
· Spotty prayer life--suggests I am not actively relying on God, nor aware of
my need for Him.
· Weariness-- is often the result of trying to do more than God intends,
which means I am not letting Him order my day.
· Anger--can mean I am not trusting God’’s sovereign plan and timing, and
am trying to take control from Him.
· A critical spirit-- the sorry act of bringing others down in order to lift up
myself, often points to an inflated sense of self.
· A defensive reaction to criticism, despondency after failure, and the
inability to laugh at my mistakes all suggest that I am taking myself too
seriously and thinking of myself too highly.
· Taking responsibility for success, accomplishment, or financial prosperity
may mean I have lost sight of God’’s gracious and undeserved provision.
•• Impatience about having to listen, wait, serve, be anonymous, or be led by
someone else all hint at an overdeveloped sense of importance. (Copied
from Discipleship Journal. Copyright 2000 by Navigators, UBP Navpress. All
rights reserved.)
· Unwillingness to associate or get to know a certain person or people who
do not live up to your standards. Romans 12:16 says, ““Don’’t be proud, but
be willing to associate with people of low position.””
Live in the presence of God
If you live in the presence of someone greater than you, you don’t have to try
to be humble. “Esteem others better than yourself.”
Proverbs 16:18 says, ““Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit
before a fall.”” I like what the Message Translation of this verse says: ““First
pride——then the crash——the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.””
Just remember when you get the urge to feel proud that one day you will die,
and they’ll bury you. And just a short while after your funeral all your friends
will gather in a fellowship hall somewhere eating potato salad and telling
jokes - and you’ll be history.
