The Spirit Of Pride

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