Intro; I am starting a series on the "Seven Deadly Sins."
Today’s message is the first one entitled the
"The Pride Ride Part 1."
Pride is defined as “An inordinate amount of self-esteem.”
The synonyms for the word PRIDE are not pretty; they are conceit, arrogance, and boastfulness.
Pride is puffed up, stiff-necked and stuck-up.
When we think of pride we think of people that are loud-mouthed, obnoxious, and outlandish person.
In reality most are very meek, mild, calm, cool, and very calculated.
Pride blinds itself to its own presence.
Pride tells us that we have done all that we could, even though our walk doesn’t show it.
Pride is the forerunner of all sins.
Pride puts the “ME’FIRST” theory into play, whether it’s first in church, family, of even your job.
Pride whispers to the over-spender “You deserve it”, even though you’re maxed out on your credit cards, but “you deserve it.”
Pride whispers to the Alcoholic “go ahead you can stop anytime you want.” Do a little bit more Cocaine, you can stop anytime you want.
Pride whispers to the Control Freak “If you don’t orchestrate their life who will.”
Pride whispers to the Blamer “It’s the Pastor’s fault”, it’s the Deacons fault for why you act like you do. It’s your parents fault, It’s your ex-wife, or your ex-husbands fault.
Pride says “it’s not me, but “it’s them.”
Pride whispers to self you can do anything, no one can live with out me.
Me,Me,Me,Me,Me,Me!!!!!!!!!!!
There are those who teach self esteem and say “you need to do whatever it takes to make you feel good about yourself."
Well, just feeling good about yourself can included a multitude of sins.
A person can feel good about himself in a state of intoxication, self indulgence or rebellion.
Passengers on the Pride Ride feel pretty good about themselves.
Listen, Pride started a long time ago.
I. Satan started the pride ride
Isaiah 14:13-14 says
For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 1
I will… I will…, I will… Five times this me-istic being named himself above God.
He was the first, first class passenger on the Pride Ride, an ego trip. And GOD cast him out of his presence. As God will do to all of those on the Pride Ride.
Lucifer convinced Adam and Eve to take the Pride Ride. His foremost temptation to them was this; “you will not surely die! For God knows that in the day you eat of its fruit your eyes will be open, and you will be like GOD.”
Note the parallel. Satan said, “I will be like the most high. He told Adam and Eve, “you will be like GOD,” his words are the very essence of pride. “I can be like GOD. I can make my own decisions, my own judgments, my own laws and rules.
When Adam and Eve took the Pride Ride they took us along with them. And we had been struggling with pride ever sense.
II. The First class passengers on the Pride Ride.
Let me tell you about a few of these First class passengers on the Pride Ride.
There is-
1. Velma Vanity,
She’s extremely concerned about her appearance.
Everything must be just right about her for her to feel good about herself.
She tends to look down on others that are not like her.
Psalm 10:3 says, for the wicked boast of his heart’s desire, and bless the covetous, which the LORD abhors.
Ecclesiastes 1:2
Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
Her justification, of course, is that she just wants to look nice.
It’s entirely acceptable to want to look nice or to look your best, but pride requires a person to be perfect, the best, the most beautiful or handsome person in the room.
Velma vanity requires the same out of family, so no one makes her look bad.
She comes to church all prim and proper; she won’t do anything that would make her look bad among her friends.
Listen, if we cannot worship God in church because of who we are out there (in the world) then we need to change who we are out there so you can worship God in church.
Now Velma Vanity is more worried about what people think about her than God.
Because of this status she is a first class passenger on The Pride Ride.
The second first class passenger on the Pride Ride is
2. Amy Accomplishment.
She has awards, titles, an honors pinned all over her.
The commendations, awards, accomplishments, give her identity, without them she feels as if she is nothing.
So are the people who don’t have what she has, if they don’t have awards, commendations, and honors than they are not as good as she is.
Although there is nothing wrong with achievement, we are to do our best, and try our hardest, but don’t let our talents, abilities and our awards exert power or control over others.
Pride is present when we look to our achievements as a justification for ourselves as more important, or of greater value than the others around us.
Romans 12:3
For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
The next first class passenger on the Pride Ride is
3. Edward the Educated.
He walks only with the educated class of people.
2 Timothy 3:7
Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
He is the type of a man that lets people know the B.A.’s and M.A. degrees that he has earned, and the doctor’s and master’s, of who associates with.
He will be the one to say, “Oh, you didn’t know that hey,hey hey, I thought that was common knowledge.”
There is nothing wrong with getting a good education, but pride takes over when a person uses that education to exalt himself above others or to uses it to manipulate others to his point of view.
The fourth First Class passenger is
4. Melvin the Middle Class.
At first you may think that this guy belongs in Coach on the Pride Ride, but just wait a minute.
He knows that Velma, Amy and Edward think more highly of themselves than they ought to.
But, Melvin takes a different approach to the first class passenger list, He puts down that upper class group of folks. He lets everybody know what type of person’s that they are.
He has not won awards or received any degrees, but he doesn’t need them to be on the First Class list for the Pride Ride.
No, this middle class man is “real” he is down to earth, he thinks of himself as more compassionate, more caring, more in touch with what is important.
The problem is in the word “more” that is where the Pride is.
He sees himself as better than the others that he puts down.
He thinks of upper class as lower class and middle class as upper class. He is middle class and proud of it!
1 Timothy 5:13
And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.
The Fifth First class passenger is
5. Ned the Name Dropper.
He is quick to mention the names of those that he knows or thinks that he knows.
He wants all of those around him to think that He associates only with successful and important people, "you know, the upper crust."
Proverbs 8:13
The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
He is always ready to name his rich and famous friends.
He is not in the limelight, but would love for you to think that he is.
Then there is your sixth First Class passengers
6. Mike and Molly Materialistic.
They dream of wearing nothing but only the finest in designer labels.
Nothing touches their skin but pure silk.
Their home is filled only with the finest of furniture, jewels and luxuries.
They can only talk of the current fad or styles.
They are likely to ask you. “Have you driven the new Porsche, or did you get that a Versace’s or Neiman’s.”
Mike, he only talks about his corner office on the top floor or about his investments in the stock market. He routinely speaks with 6 or 7 figure terminology.
They say you need to be like me, if you don’t take it then someone else will.
Materialism desires to have, if you don’t have it then you need to get it.
But, all of these passengers are like the seventh pasenger
7. Bertha Better than You.
She is better than thema all.
But, all of them have one thing in common, they are in wanting.
Ecclesiastes 1:15
That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.
They are never full, they will consume until there is nothing left.
Church may be apart of their life, but it does not consume their life.
It is great what Jesus did for them but there is too much in life to do to be caught up in the church and all of its rules and commandments.
The Bible teaches us to love, and I tell you now if these people don’t change their ways they will in no wise enter into heaven.
The Word tells us to love one another, to help one another, to give one to another.
These first class passengers on the Pride Ride are more concerned about their self image, or the daily stock market news or the latest fads than to be worried about their sins.
Pride does some horrible things to the hearts of men and women.
Just like Satan I will, I will, I will.
The only I will God wants to hear is I will let Jesus change me from on the inside, in my heart.
Lord, I can do nothing without you.
