1 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:06,480 Hello, everyone. Again, it's good to be here with 2 00:00:06,480 --> 00:00:10,120 you guys. I'm really excited to be here 3 00:00:10,120 --> 00:00:12,480 worshiping with you, but I'm actually really excited. 4 00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:14,240 Pastor Tim's actually going to my church. 5 00:00:15,840 --> 00:00:20,400 Pastor Tim's such a good, faithful, godly, solid man that 6 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:24,960 China and I, we look up to. I know China left. 7 00:00:25,080 --> 00:00:28,640 It's been almost 10 months, I think, but still to this day, I 8 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:31,280 think about him sometimes in ministry settings. 9 00:00:31,280 --> 00:00:34,000 I think about what would Pastor Tim, what would Pastor Tim do? 10 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:37,680 What would Pastor Tim say? You know, not to the degree of 11 00:00:37,680 --> 00:00:43,000 like, what would Jesus do, but like we I think about it and 12 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:48,080 because of SPMCI can say with confidence that I think come to 13 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:52,920 believe community really is what God meant for our well-being of 14 00:00:52,920 --> 00:00:58,040 our soul for a Christian life. So I want to thank you before we 15 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:01,200 turn to God's Word day, I just want to share the heart behind 16 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:04,920 this message For those of you guys, check the passage on 17 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:08,120 Instagram Story yesterday or the announcement yesterday. 18 00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:11,640 I brought another passage. Actually, I apologize for that. 19 00:01:12,560 --> 00:01:16,560 One of the reasons is because this is the latest sermon I 20 00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:19,040 gave. But another reason I would say 21 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:22,600 more important reason is because as I was preparing and praying 22 00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:25,720 for our time together, but I just felt like the Lord was 23 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:29,520 landing something on my heart that we all struggle together, 24 00:01:29,520 --> 00:01:35,840 which is the root of the things that make us sin or sometimes 25 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:39,160 drift away from God's love or receiving his love. 26 00:01:40,320 --> 00:01:44,600 So in my church, I started a new series, what's called signature 27 00:01:44,600 --> 00:01:46,920 sins. What churches commonly or 28 00:01:46,920 --> 00:01:50,320 historically called the seven deadly sins or these seven sins 29 00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:53,680 are not the worst since that is not that's not why because 30 00:01:54,200 --> 00:01:57,080 churches call it deadly, but it's deadly because it's the 31 00:01:57,080 --> 00:02:02,080 root sins from which a lot of others sins spring up and branch 32 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:05,240 out. And I one of the sins I brought, 33 00:02:05,480 --> 00:02:09,800 one of the sins I brought is pride. 34 00:02:10,199 --> 00:02:14,080 We're going to talk about pride today and the reason for it 35 00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:16,720 because I already shared this with you, but in ministry 36 00:02:16,720 --> 00:02:21,200 setting, something I realized, and not just as I minister to 37 00:02:21,200 --> 00:02:24,360 other people, but as I see something going on in my heart 38 00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:29,160 in my Christian walk is that I noticed Sunday worship or even 39 00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:32,640 Christian life sometimes could feel like just managing sins, as 40 00:02:32,640 --> 00:02:36,080 Dallas Willard once put it, that we're just whenever we hear the 41 00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:38,040 gospel, we feel like, oh, there's a remedy. 42 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:41,040 Good. And then we go back to the old 43 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:46,840 same patterns that make us sin or make us commit to do things 44 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:48,720 that we don't necessarily want to do. 45 00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:51,920 And a question in my heart and question that I want to share 46 00:02:51,920 --> 00:02:54,720 was why is it? What causes it? 47 00:02:54,720 --> 00:02:58,080 Why do we still go for it? And that's the heart behind it. 48 00:02:59,840 --> 00:03:02,680 The title is Pride is sin beneath all sins. 49 00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:07,520 So with that, let me read you 2 passages first and we'll pray 50 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:09,200 together and then we'll go right in. 51 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:13,440 So one passage from Genesis 3, one through 7, and the other 52 00:03:13,440 --> 00:03:16,840 will be from James 46. I'm reading from ESP. 53 00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:22,280 So here's the word of the Lord Genesis 3. 54 00:03:22,280 --> 00:03:26,160 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the 55 00:03:26,160 --> 00:03:28,920 field that the Lord God had made. 56 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:33,000 He said to the woman, Did God actually say you shall not eat 57 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:35,920 of any tree in the garden? And the woman said to the 58 00:03:35,920 --> 00:03:39,680 serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden. 59 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:42,600 But God said, You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that's 60 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:45,640 in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest 61 00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:48,000 you die. But the serpent said to the 62 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:51,760 woman, You will not surely die, for God knows that when you eat 63 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:54,800 of it, your eyes will be open, and you'll be like God, knowing 64 00:03:54,800 --> 00:03:57,880 good and evil. So when the woman saw the tree 65 00:03:57,880 --> 00:04:02,320 was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and 66 00:04:02,320 --> 00:04:06,760 that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of 67 00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:09,840 its fruit and ate. And she also gave some to her 68 00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:11,920 husband who was with her, and he ate. 69 00:04:12,560 --> 00:04:15,520 And the eyes of both were open, and they knew that they were 70 00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:19,360 naked, and they saw fig leaves together, and make themselves 71 00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:21,959 low in clothes. And moving on. 72 00:04:21,959 --> 00:04:25,760 James 46. Therefore it says God opposes 73 00:04:25,760 --> 00:04:28,840 the proud, but gives grace to the humble. 74 00:04:29,560 --> 00:04:31,000 This is God's word. Would you join me? 75 00:04:31,880 --> 00:04:35,240 Bring our hearts to God and ask the Lord to speak to us. 76 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:52,560 Father, we ask that now, may we worship You through this time. 77 00:04:52,560 --> 00:04:56,360 Help us not to be spectators, help us not to just passively 78 00:04:56,360 --> 00:05:01,000 sit and logically understand what this Word or what this 79 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:04,960 topic is about, or help us to rely on Your Holy Spirit who 80 00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:10,000 speaks to us through Your Word. You may the words in my mouth 81 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:13,680 and meditation of our hearts be pleasing and honorable in Your 82 00:05:13,680 --> 00:05:16,880 sight. Allure a rock and a Redeemer. 83 00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:20,080 We pray this in Jesus name, Amen. 84 00:05:21,040 --> 00:05:24,480 Not too long ago there was a national survey done for young 85 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:27,160 people from the age of 13 through 17. 86 00:05:28,040 --> 00:05:30,680 And the question was what do you want to be when you grow up? 87 00:05:31,240 --> 00:05:34,240 And I don't know about you, but to my surprise the most common 88 00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:38,160 answer was not that I want to be a teacher or a doctor. 89 00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:40,760 The most common answer was I want to be famous. 90 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:43,760 And now if you think about it now there are different ways we 91 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:46,920 can analyze to say what's wrong with the new generation or 92 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:49,800 whatnot. But as I sit and think about it, 93 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:53,240 I thought what to begin with, it makes sense why? 94 00:05:53,240 --> 00:05:59,000 Because we all as a human beings have a desire to be seen, don't 95 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:01,320 we? We want to be seen, we want to 96 00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:05,120 be valued, we want to be heard and we want all of that. 97 00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:09,000 We want to matter to someone. We want our lives to matter to 98 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:12,040 people. So we have that desire in a 99 00:06:12,040 --> 00:06:13,480 sense. I don't think it's a bad thing. 100 00:06:13,480 --> 00:06:17,640 If anything, I think it's a good thing because God made us for 101 00:06:17,640 --> 00:06:20,880 that. He designed us for relationship 102 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:24,560 with others and with him, not for self-sufficiency. 103 00:06:24,560 --> 00:06:28,160 So when we desire to be connected and to be seen, to be 104 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:33,280 noticed, it's a it's a, it's an innate desire that we have from 105 00:06:33,280 --> 00:06:36,240 God. But The thing is, even any even 106 00:06:36,240 --> 00:06:41,040 good things can easily turn into something bad, right? 107 00:06:41,720 --> 00:06:45,080 And as we think about it, what we see is that the good desire 108 00:06:45,080 --> 00:06:49,480 to be seen and valued can just turn it into a desire to be 109 00:06:49,480 --> 00:06:53,840 admired for attention, for recognition. 110 00:06:54,200 --> 00:06:57,760 It will start chasing attention. Like just as long as people pay 111 00:06:57,760 --> 00:07:00,480 attention to me and look at me and recognize me, everything 112 00:07:00,480 --> 00:07:02,320 will be OK. It will just fill my empty 113 00:07:02,320 --> 00:07:04,560 heart. It will feel the ache that I 114 00:07:04,560 --> 00:07:08,000 have in my heart. But the truth is that longing to 115 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:10,880 think about it isn't just a modern thing. 116 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:12,760 It's not just 21st century issue. 117 00:07:12,760 --> 00:07:15,200 It's actually started in the beginning of all things. 118 00:07:15,200 --> 00:07:19,080 In Genesis 3, we saw that in the garden. 119 00:07:19,080 --> 00:07:20,920 The serpent whispered to Adam and Eve. 120 00:07:21,240 --> 00:07:24,400 He said God knows when you eat of it, your eyes will be open 121 00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:29,040 and you will be like God. And that was a temptation to 122 00:07:29,040 --> 00:07:32,040 begin with. You will be like God. 123 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:34,400 It wasn't about eating the forbidden fruit. 124 00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:37,720 It was about being centered. It was about it was about being 125 00:07:37,720 --> 00:07:43,320 seen and being in control. And I believe the same voice or 126 00:07:43,320 --> 00:07:46,760 the same heart that whispers still echoes in every human 127 00:07:46,760 --> 00:07:48,880 heart today. But think about some of the 128 00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:52,320 examples I can give you is when we say you can define good and 129 00:07:52,320 --> 00:07:54,920 evil for yourself now in a setting like this. 130 00:07:54,920 --> 00:07:57,320 We're at a church. Many of you guys are already 131 00:07:57,320 --> 00:08:00,920 believers, committed believers, and we, we don't verbalize it. 132 00:08:00,920 --> 00:08:03,520 We don't say, oh, I can define, I don't, we don't say it. 133 00:08:03,840 --> 00:08:06,640 But if you look at our lives practically, that's what we do. 134 00:08:08,080 --> 00:08:10,280 Sometimes we do. You don't need God's help. 135 00:08:10,280 --> 00:08:13,080 You've got this. Again, we don't say it out loud, 136 00:08:13,480 --> 00:08:16,400 but if you look at our lives, when was the last time prayer 137 00:08:16,400 --> 00:08:19,840 really felt like something you have to do and you want to do, 138 00:08:20,560 --> 00:08:23,880 even though we know it's the right thing to do, it felt like 139 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:26,080 I know what to do. I know how to fix this. 140 00:08:26,120 --> 00:08:28,760 Why would I pray about it? I'll just go to go fix it. 141 00:08:29,400 --> 00:08:32,559 It's more easy for us. Another thing might be if you 142 00:08:32,559 --> 00:08:36,480 deserve more than you have. It's the mentality that we often 143 00:08:36,480 --> 00:08:39,840 have. Maybe we don't verbalize it, but 144 00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:43,200 I think many of us have that. And the result is what we 145 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:48,160 constantly reach for the throne. But what happens after every 146 00:08:48,160 --> 00:08:51,760 time is that we fall. Every time we reach for the 147 00:08:51,760 --> 00:08:55,040 throne, we fall. So from the Garden of Eden to 148 00:08:55,040 --> 00:08:59,000 all to today, the story of humanity is a story of pride. 149 00:08:59,040 --> 00:09:00,600 And that's the pattern of the Bible. 150 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:04,360 That's what I want to show you. We just want to in the Bible. 151 00:09:04,360 --> 00:09:09,880 And today we try to live without God, only to find ourselves more 152 00:09:09,880 --> 00:09:14,680 empty, more alone, more disconnected, and less human. 153 00:09:15,040 --> 00:09:18,160 So the question I want to consider reading today is why 154 00:09:18,160 --> 00:09:21,280 does pride still lead us to fall? 155 00:09:22,360 --> 00:09:26,160 Why is pride still effective? Because we saw that in Genesis 3 156 00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:29,040 and after Jesus in redemption. Now we have the Holy Spirit. 157 00:09:29,040 --> 00:09:31,360 Why does it still lead us to fall? 158 00:09:31,360 --> 00:09:33,480 And how can Christ lift us up again? 159 00:09:33,680 --> 00:09:36,520 Three things we're going to see. The first thing is why? 160 00:09:36,520 --> 00:09:40,120 Because we tend to exalt ourselves against God. 161 00:09:40,720 --> 00:09:45,120 There's a innate human nature, a human sinful nature that we tend 162 00:09:45,120 --> 00:09:49,840 to exalt ourselves against God. Pride is not, you know, firstly 163 00:09:49,840 --> 00:09:55,800 not about arrogance. Sometimes we tend to think that, 164 00:09:55,800 --> 00:09:57,720 oh, it's pride is about arrogance. 165 00:09:57,720 --> 00:10:00,000 No, pride is initially not about arrogance. 166 00:10:00,200 --> 00:10:04,120 It's about autonomy. It's the desire to live apart 167 00:10:04,120 --> 00:10:08,720 from God's rule and say, I want to be living under my own rule. 168 00:10:08,720 --> 00:10:10,640 I want to be the center of my life. 169 00:10:10,840 --> 00:10:14,240 In Genesis 3 when the serpent tempted Adam and Eve, he didn't 170 00:10:14,240 --> 00:10:19,120 say, well it didn't say eat this fruit, it tastes good, right? 171 00:10:19,400 --> 00:10:20,440 That's not what the serpent says. 172 00:10:20,440 --> 00:10:24,840 Serpent said eat this and you will be like God, you'll be like 173 00:10:24,840 --> 00:10:26,600 God. And pride begins not in 174 00:10:26,600 --> 00:10:30,680 rebellion against rules. Any sins doesn't start with the 175 00:10:30,680 --> 00:10:35,040 wrong things. Pride and any sins starts in 176 00:10:35,040 --> 00:10:38,880 rebellion against a relationship and that's what the serpent 177 00:10:38,880 --> 00:10:40,960 does. Notice how the serpent works 178 00:10:40,960 --> 00:10:42,640 here. He questions God's word 179 00:10:42,640 --> 00:10:44,760 initially serpent question God's word. 180 00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:47,040 It says, did God actually say that? 181 00:10:47,680 --> 00:10:51,280 Did God actually say you will die if you eat this fruit? 182 00:10:51,880 --> 00:10:54,200 And then he questions God's character, right? 183 00:10:54,360 --> 00:10:56,480 God's holding out on you. He's not, there's something he's 184 00:10:56,480 --> 00:10:59,960 not telling you because if you really eat this fruit, you'll be 185 00:10:59,960 --> 00:11:01,680 like God. But he doesn't want that. 186 00:11:02,040 --> 00:11:04,240 So he's not telling you. Go for it. 187 00:11:04,760 --> 00:11:06,600 And then finally offers the bait. 188 00:11:06,920 --> 00:11:12,520 You can be your own God, right? And that's the root and origin 189 00:11:13,120 --> 00:11:18,440 of pride, self exultation that dethrones God so that you can be 190 00:11:18,440 --> 00:11:22,160 your God. You know, today we don't have a 191 00:11:22,160 --> 00:11:24,760 tree that we literally eat from, right? 192 00:11:25,600 --> 00:11:28,760 But again, we, I think we do the same thing practically almost 193 00:11:28,760 --> 00:11:32,800 every day when we say or when we think in our minds, you know, 194 00:11:32,800 --> 00:11:37,400 I'll forgive that person when I'm ready, not what God says, 195 00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:41,600 I'll talk to that person. I try to take the initiative and 196 00:11:41,600 --> 00:11:45,760 then reconcile when I'm ready. Not necessarily when God says or 197 00:11:45,760 --> 00:11:47,880 when we say. I'll give when it's comfortable, 198 00:11:47,880 --> 00:11:52,720 but not when it costs. I'll serve when I feel like it, 199 00:11:52,720 --> 00:11:55,800 when I want to, but not necessarily when it costs me 200 00:11:55,800 --> 00:11:59,440 something or when we decide. I'll define what's right for me, 201 00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:03,120 what's godly for me, what's working for me. 202 00:12:04,120 --> 00:12:08,920 Every sin whispers it's it's packaged differently, but every 203 00:12:08,920 --> 00:12:13,160 sin whispers the same voice and that is I know better than God. 204 00:12:13,560 --> 00:12:17,360 So CS Lewis, he said pride leads to every other vice. 205 00:12:18,200 --> 00:12:20,480 It's the complete anti God state of mind. 206 00:12:20,960 --> 00:12:24,360 That's why pride isn't just one sin among many. 207 00:12:24,560 --> 00:12:27,560 Pride is actually the soil in which every sin grows. 208 00:12:27,560 --> 00:12:31,360 It's the sin beneath all sins. That's why it's worth paying 209 00:12:31,360 --> 00:12:34,400 attention and uncovering and bringing our heart to God and 210 00:12:34,400 --> 00:12:40,040 see what God surfaces up and see what what's the root of it. 211 00:12:40,040 --> 00:12:45,200 Lord, when do I try to just grasp onto my pride and live my 212 00:12:45,200 --> 00:12:47,720 own life? In the book of Daniel in the Old 213 00:12:47,720 --> 00:12:52,440 Testament chapter 4, we find a great king of Babylon named 214 00:12:52,440 --> 00:12:56,040 Nebuchadnezzar and he's looking over his great nation, you know, 215 00:12:56,240 --> 00:12:58,200 just great troops and everything. 216 00:12:58,480 --> 00:13:02,160 And he tells himself in Daniel chapter 4 verse 30, he says, is 217 00:13:02,160 --> 00:13:07,480 not this great Babylon which I built my by my mighty power as a 218 00:13:07,480 --> 00:13:11,080 royal residence and for the glory of my majesty? 219 00:13:11,080 --> 00:13:13,440 Isn't this great? And God says, oh, you think 220 00:13:13,440 --> 00:13:14,960 you're good and you think you're God. 221 00:13:15,160 --> 00:13:17,080 Let me show you how you're an animal. 222 00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:20,080 And what happens is he lost sanity. 223 00:13:20,200 --> 00:13:25,160 And he begins to crawl on all fours and eating grass for years 224 00:13:26,200 --> 00:13:29,640 until he finally comes to realize and acknowledges that 225 00:13:29,640 --> 00:13:34,640 oh, I am not God, God is God. And just 7 verses later, this is 226 00:13:34,640 --> 00:13:38,080 Nebuchadnezzar's confession. It says now I Nebuchadnezzar, 227 00:13:38,080 --> 00:13:42,400 praise and extol and honor the King of heaven for all his works 228 00:13:42,400 --> 00:13:47,160 are right and his ways are just. And those who walk in pride, 229 00:13:47,400 --> 00:13:51,840 he's able to humble. You see, what we see here is 230 00:13:51,840 --> 00:13:56,000 that pride dehumanizes. It makes us less than a human 231 00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:59,800 being that we need to be and we can be because it disconnects us 232 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:03,560 from God, whose image we bear when we say God, I know better, 233 00:14:03,760 --> 00:14:06,640 God, I am better, I can do this on my own. 234 00:14:06,680 --> 00:14:09,640 What happens is that we become a less human, not more. 235 00:14:09,760 --> 00:14:13,880 And that's the tragedy of pride. It promises to lift you up and 236 00:14:13,880 --> 00:14:16,520 say you'll be great. And that's what the problem. 237 00:14:16,560 --> 00:14:18,920 That's the how idol promises in the Bible. 238 00:14:18,920 --> 00:14:22,640 All throughout the Bible. If you bow to me, if you give in 239 00:14:22,640 --> 00:14:26,560 to me, I'll give you the world. In the end, no idol keeps a 240 00:14:26,560 --> 00:14:29,640 single promise, and that's what pride does. 241 00:14:30,040 --> 00:14:35,000 So we fall in to pride because we tend to exalt ourselves 242 00:14:35,040 --> 00:14:38,040 against God. Second reason why we give in to 243 00:14:38,040 --> 00:14:41,880 pride is because we tend to elevate ourselves above other 244 00:14:41,880 --> 00:14:45,720 people. That's what pride does, right it 245 00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:48,880 it disconnects us from God and it disconnects us from others. 246 00:14:48,880 --> 00:14:53,720 It's a passage we read in James 4/6 and it says God opposes the 247 00:14:53,720 --> 00:14:56,600 proud, but it gives grace to the humble. 248 00:14:56,600 --> 00:15:00,880 Now, the word opposed in Greek is interesting word because it's 249 00:15:00,880 --> 00:15:03,320 supposed not in the sense that he's just standing against you, 250 00:15:03,760 --> 00:15:05,160 but it's in the battle formation. 251 00:15:05,160 --> 00:15:08,560 It's a military word. So when God says, when God sees 252 00:15:08,560 --> 00:15:12,640 a proud person, he's not saying I don't like it, don't do it, 253 00:15:12,640 --> 00:15:15,760 let's find a better way. He's saying I am standing 254 00:15:15,760 --> 00:15:19,640 against you in battle formation. I'm going to fight you. 255 00:15:19,880 --> 00:15:22,440 I'm going to fight pride. You know why? 256 00:15:22,800 --> 00:15:25,640 Because it disconnects you from others. 257 00:15:28,720 --> 00:15:30,440 It disconnects us from other people. 258 00:15:30,440 --> 00:15:32,280 How does it separate us from other people? 259 00:15:32,280 --> 00:15:35,040 There are probably many things we we find, but at least two 260 00:15:35,040 --> 00:15:37,440 things I want to share. The first thing is because pride 261 00:15:37,440 --> 00:15:40,760 constantly seeks comparison, right? 262 00:15:41,000 --> 00:15:43,400 Always. Pride always needs somebody to 263 00:15:43,400 --> 00:15:46,000 look down on. So it doesn't. 264 00:15:46,200 --> 00:15:50,600 Pride never says I'm good. Pride always says I'm better, I 265 00:15:50,600 --> 00:15:54,640 know better, I know more. That's why pride can exist in 266 00:15:54,640 --> 00:15:57,520 the heart of a Pharisee as much as in the heart of a preacher 267 00:15:58,200 --> 00:16:01,680 and as much as in the heart of a parent and as much as in the 268 00:16:01,680 --> 00:16:05,120 heart of a politician. With all the unbelievable things 269 00:16:05,120 --> 00:16:07,040 that's been happening around this country, I'm not going to 270 00:16:07,040 --> 00:16:09,360 get into that. But as we see these things, we 271 00:16:09,360 --> 00:16:13,080 might be tempted to say, oh, I can't believe he did that or she 272 00:16:13,080 --> 00:16:16,120 said that, or he did that. But The thing is that same 273 00:16:16,120 --> 00:16:19,840 desire and heart is right here in us as well. 274 00:16:20,440 --> 00:16:24,400 We're no better, as the Bible indicates, and it speaks to us. 275 00:16:24,800 --> 00:16:27,120 You can even proud of your own humility. 276 00:16:27,600 --> 00:16:29,800 It's very sneaky. It's hard to detect. 277 00:16:31,120 --> 00:16:34,680 Back in Austin high school, I was part of the praise team and 278 00:16:34,680 --> 00:16:37,600 what we did very in a sneaky and subtle way, is that when we 279 00:16:37,600 --> 00:16:41,560 circle up and share our devotions, what we did is we'll 280 00:16:41,600 --> 00:16:44,920 often end up sounding more like just bragging about how simple 281 00:16:44,920 --> 00:16:47,920 we were and underneath we were bragging to each other. 282 00:16:47,920 --> 00:16:51,800 I'm more godly because I confessed worse sins. 283 00:16:52,080 --> 00:16:55,560 So it's like, hey, I, I, I said that to my parents, I'm worse 284 00:16:55,560 --> 00:16:57,640 and then I cheated on my exam. OK, you're worse. 285 00:16:57,640 --> 00:16:59,680 OK, you're more humble. All right, I did this. 286 00:16:59,680 --> 00:17:02,480 All right, you're more humble. It's like the outset, see, we're 287 00:17:02,480 --> 00:17:06,880 talking about sins and confession and still it can turn 288 00:17:06,880 --> 00:17:11,680 it into as a form of pride. It's very sneaky, you know, have 289 00:17:11,680 --> 00:17:17,119 you ever posted something online on I can't think of anything 290 00:17:17,119 --> 00:17:21,839 Facebook or Instagram or TikTok or different platforms and maybe 291 00:17:21,839 --> 00:17:24,680 about serving or giving or and then have you noticed? 292 00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:28,040 Have you ever caught yourself like constantly checking views 293 00:17:29,320 --> 00:17:32,000 and how many people watched, how many people liked it? 294 00:17:32,680 --> 00:17:35,000 And perhaps you've been overlooked for recognition at 295 00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:38,920 work and life and you suddenly notice the resemble resentment 296 00:17:38,920 --> 00:17:40,800 bubbles up. You think, why don't they 297 00:17:40,840 --> 00:17:43,960 appreciate me? I did all that for them. 298 00:17:43,960 --> 00:17:47,400 And how come nobody says a single thank you? 299 00:17:47,400 --> 00:17:52,120 And I can't believe that. Pride, you see, doesn't need 300 00:17:52,160 --> 00:17:56,840 applause to survive. Pride just needs attention and 301 00:17:56,840 --> 00:18:01,120 recognition. So Rebecca Deyoung, professor at 302 00:18:01,120 --> 00:18:05,240 Calvin University in Grand Rapids, MI, she defines pride as 303 00:18:05,240 --> 00:18:09,400 the excessive desire for recognition and approval from 304 00:18:09,400 --> 00:18:11,960 others. You see, pride is not about 305 00:18:11,960 --> 00:18:15,080 being first. It's just about being noticed. 306 00:18:16,120 --> 00:18:19,120 Pride says look at me or we're going to get there. 307 00:18:19,120 --> 00:18:21,640 When humility says look at Jesus. 308 00:18:22,680 --> 00:18:24,760 Pride constantly draws people into you. 309 00:18:24,760 --> 00:18:26,440 Look at me, what do you think of me? 310 00:18:27,200 --> 00:18:28,800 How do I look? How do I sound? 311 00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:34,640 Another way pride separate us from people is by hiding our 312 00:18:34,640 --> 00:18:36,560 insecurity. That's what pride does. 313 00:18:37,040 --> 00:18:41,600 It hides our insecurity. That's how we disconnect us from 314 00:18:41,600 --> 00:18:43,880 other people. Pride is often the armor we bear 315 00:18:43,880 --> 00:18:46,640 to hide our fear. It says, if I can impress enough 316 00:18:46,640 --> 00:18:51,000 people, if enough people come to believe that I'm good, I'm put 317 00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:56,880 together, I'm OK, then I'm OK. So we spent a lot of our energy 318 00:18:56,880 --> 00:19:01,040 and efforts to look OK, to sound OK, don't we? 319 00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:06,080 Oh, I'm fine, I'm OK. And underneath, you know for a 320 00:19:06,080 --> 00:19:09,960 fact that you're not doing well. But you can't be vulnerable with 321 00:19:09,960 --> 00:19:12,840 other people. You can't share your emotions 322 00:19:12,840 --> 00:19:13,840 with other people. Why? 323 00:19:13,840 --> 00:19:19,080 Because if you do that, you feel like you're going to lose a part 324 00:19:19,080 --> 00:19:21,440 of you. Oh, I can't give that. 325 00:19:23,920 --> 00:19:27,680 But no amount of approval or recognition can quiet a soul 326 00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:29,520 that's disconnected from God's grace. 327 00:19:29,840 --> 00:19:33,800 If we don't know how to receive God's love, you will never know 328 00:19:33,800 --> 00:19:37,000 what it's like to be content. And what's going to end that? 329 00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:39,920 We're going to end up just always chasing after something 330 00:19:39,920 --> 00:19:45,680 more and more and more. And then what happens is that 331 00:19:45,680 --> 00:19:49,440 we're going to constantly try to avoid people because we have to 332 00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:52,040 hide. Or we're going to constantly try 333 00:19:52,040 --> 00:19:57,480 to meet people so that we are going to look, OK, but we're 334 00:19:57,480 --> 00:19:59,840 going to think, Oh yeah, you, you meet a lot of people, so 335 00:19:59,840 --> 00:20:02,320 you're good. The other extremes that 336 00:20:02,320 --> 00:20:06,080 sometimes we see in ourselves. Again, CS Lewis, he says as long 337 00:20:06,080 --> 00:20:08,760 as you're proud, you cannot know God. 338 00:20:09,160 --> 00:20:13,240 A proud man is always looking down on things and people. 339 00:20:13,400 --> 00:20:16,880 And of course, as long as you're looking down, you cannot see 340 00:20:16,880 --> 00:20:19,360 something that's above you, right? 341 00:20:19,800 --> 00:20:22,120 If our eyes are down here, we cannot look up. 342 00:20:22,480 --> 00:20:25,000 And when we are down here, we cannot look to God. 343 00:20:25,680 --> 00:20:28,320 And we're just busy here taking care of our own lives. 344 00:20:28,600 --> 00:20:31,880 And that's the truth of pride. The more we create to be seen, 345 00:20:31,880 --> 00:20:35,440 the less we actually are. And if that sounds modern, let 346 00:20:35,440 --> 00:20:38,720 me tell you, this is something that was already defined and 347 00:20:38,720 --> 00:20:40,960 processed and dealt with in the early church. 348 00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:44,000 Well, we read that in the Bible, but early church in the 4th 349 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:48,320 century, as Saint Augustine once called pride as the love of own 350 00:20:48,320 --> 00:20:51,640 own excellence. And what we get here is that 351 00:20:51,680 --> 00:20:55,360 it's the pride is really the oldest addiction in human 352 00:20:55,360 --> 00:20:57,360 history, which is the addiction itself. 353 00:20:58,440 --> 00:21:03,280 I love me, me, me saturated society. 354 00:21:03,280 --> 00:21:07,040 In a sense. I'm afraid that our generation 355 00:21:07,040 --> 00:21:11,200 has given pride in microphone when people go for it. 356 00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:13,840 And we live in a world where self promotion is not just 357 00:21:13,840 --> 00:21:16,000 tolerated, it's rewarded. It's celebrated. 358 00:21:16,520 --> 00:21:17,880 What? This is a society that 359 00:21:17,880 --> 00:21:20,800 celebrates Independence Day. When you're 18, what do you do? 360 00:21:21,320 --> 00:21:26,880 You become an independent adult. We love independence, So what we 361 00:21:26,880 --> 00:21:31,080 do is that we create, we add it, we present only the best angles 362 00:21:31,080 --> 00:21:35,760 of our lives to look good. We turn the mirror into a stage. 363 00:21:35,760 --> 00:21:40,280 And yet the more we do that, the more we post in pride, the more 364 00:21:40,280 --> 00:21:43,600 we live our lives with pride, the low near we become. 365 00:21:43,600 --> 00:21:46,280 You know why? Because pride cannot sustain 366 00:21:46,280 --> 00:21:48,960 community. And one way in which I want to 367 00:21:49,080 --> 00:21:55,040 suggest you think about it in your own heart is notice your 368 00:21:55,040 --> 00:22:04,480 heart about CGS, about joining ACG if you're not and in CG, can 369 00:22:04,480 --> 00:22:06,880 you open up your heart with other believers? 370 00:22:08,200 --> 00:22:10,480 And of course, we don't want to share all, everything. 371 00:22:10,480 --> 00:22:12,920 We don't want to over share. That's that's another case. 372 00:22:15,040 --> 00:22:18,120 But can you open up? Can you share your heart? 373 00:22:19,720 --> 00:22:23,040 Or do we constantly think about how to avoid that conversation? 374 00:22:23,560 --> 00:22:24,960 Oh, I'm good. I'm fine. 375 00:22:24,960 --> 00:22:27,240 Life is OK. Yeah, I'll listen to you, but 376 00:22:27,240 --> 00:22:28,640 you're not going to listen anything. 377 00:22:28,640 --> 00:22:30,120 You're not going to get anything out of me. 378 00:22:30,120 --> 00:22:34,480 I don't want you to pay attention to that. 379 00:22:35,480 --> 00:22:38,160 You can't truly love people you're competing with. 380 00:22:40,560 --> 00:22:44,640 That's why James says God gives grace to the humble, because 381 00:22:44,680 --> 00:22:47,840 only grace can break that comparison game. 382 00:22:49,520 --> 00:22:56,080 Only grace can break that our our tendency to hide from other 383 00:22:56,080 --> 00:22:59,840 people, hide our insecurity to say I'm OK, I'm good. 384 00:23:01,360 --> 00:23:04,080 Exactly what's grace? How do we receive that grace? 385 00:23:04,080 --> 00:23:07,120 And that's the Third Point that I want to understand, I want to 386 00:23:07,120 --> 00:23:11,320 consider today, which is instead, instead of elevating 387 00:23:11,320 --> 00:23:16,160 ourselves, we must encounter the humility of Jesus. 388 00:23:16,680 --> 00:23:18,960 We must encounter the humility of Christ. 389 00:23:19,440 --> 00:23:22,640 If pride is self exultation that dethrones God. 390 00:23:22,920 --> 00:23:27,200 Humility is the self surrender that enthrones Christ to say 391 00:23:27,200 --> 00:23:30,680 God, you are God. As Nebuchadnezzar said, you are 392 00:23:30,680 --> 00:23:33,160 God. God is God, right? 393 00:23:33,440 --> 00:23:35,560 We see that in Philippians 2. It gives us the ultimate 394 00:23:35,560 --> 00:23:37,720 reversal. We see in verses 6 through 8 395 00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:43,920 says though he was in very nature talking about Jesus, it 396 00:23:43,920 --> 00:23:46,360 wasn't that Jesus was in very nature of God. 397 00:23:46,440 --> 00:23:49,520 He did not consider equality with God something to be 398 00:23:49,520 --> 00:23:52,640 grasped, but he made himself nothing, taking the form of a 399 00:23:52,640 --> 00:23:57,440 servant, and he became obedient to death, even death on a cross. 400 00:23:57,560 --> 00:24:01,080 What happened is that in the Garden of Eden, humanity grasped 401 00:24:01,080 --> 00:24:03,040 that being like God. And what happened? 402 00:24:03,320 --> 00:24:10,080 We fell at a Calvary where Jesus died, God himself humbled to a 403 00:24:10,080 --> 00:24:12,320 point of dying on the cross. And what happened? 404 00:24:13,040 --> 00:24:17,040 He saved us, right? The cross is a great turning 405 00:24:17,040 --> 00:24:20,440 point of all humanity. Where Adam said my will, not 406 00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:22,440 yours. The same place. 407 00:24:22,440 --> 00:24:25,720 The second Adam, Jesus said not my will, but yours be done. 408 00:24:26,760 --> 00:24:29,600 And he took that cross. Pride built the distance between 409 00:24:29,600 --> 00:24:31,560 heaven and earth, between US and God. 410 00:24:33,600 --> 00:24:36,280 Humiliate breach, that when we're talking about the 411 00:24:36,280 --> 00:24:40,240 humility, sometimes we I don't think it has a good connotation 412 00:24:40,240 --> 00:24:42,200 on us anymore, especially in our society. 413 00:24:42,200 --> 00:24:45,480 But what is true greatness? And I can tell you the greatness 414 00:24:45,720 --> 00:24:50,240 is not grasping for position and giving ourselves for others as 415 00:24:50,360 --> 00:24:55,120 Jesus humbled himself. When Jesus knelt to wash his 416 00:24:55,120 --> 00:24:58,760 disciples feet, have you noticed that Jesus did not? 417 00:25:01,360 --> 00:25:04,640 Jesus did not stop being God when He knelt down to wash the 418 00:25:04,640 --> 00:25:07,760 feet of disciples. Did you notice He always was 419 00:25:07,760 --> 00:25:10,200 God? Even when he was washing the 420 00:25:10,200 --> 00:25:12,760 feet of disciples, He still was God. 421 00:25:13,640 --> 00:25:17,640 What he modelled for us then was that he model for us what 422 00:25:17,640 --> 00:25:21,720 Lordship look like, what it means to live a Christian life. 423 00:25:22,400 --> 00:25:27,480 Can you steep low and wash other people's feet as Jesus did? 424 00:25:28,320 --> 00:25:30,840 Again, CS Lewis hopefully explains humility this way. 425 00:25:30,840 --> 00:25:34,240 He says humility isn't is not thinking less of yourself. 426 00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:36,640 Humility is thinking of yourself less. 427 00:25:37,480 --> 00:25:40,400 In other words, what humility is about is not that you have to 428 00:25:40,400 --> 00:25:44,360 constantly put yourself down. What humility is just stop. 429 00:25:44,680 --> 00:25:48,960 What's a little bit less thinking less of your thinking 430 00:25:48,960 --> 00:25:52,840 just a little about yourself, right? 431 00:25:53,720 --> 00:25:55,560 Kind of slow down. Oh, is it about me? 432 00:25:56,280 --> 00:25:59,600 If you noticed, if we, if you have a tendency to make things 433 00:25:59,600 --> 00:26:03,160 about you, that's when we can slow down and say, oh, is this 434 00:26:03,160 --> 00:26:08,320 about me or is this about this person or is this about God? 435 00:26:09,120 --> 00:26:13,360 What is it about whose is about? It's refusing to build your own 436 00:26:13,440 --> 00:26:16,320 worth in other people's opinions or your own achievements. 437 00:26:16,600 --> 00:26:19,320 And that's the freedom. Pride can never give you the 438 00:26:19,320 --> 00:26:23,560 freedom to love without needing to be noticed. 439 00:26:26,200 --> 00:26:31,240 So how do we live that way? Well, easier said than done. 440 00:26:31,280 --> 00:26:35,440 But James 47 gives us A1 clear way. 441 00:26:35,560 --> 00:26:41,240 It says submit yourselves to God, submit yourselves to God. 442 00:26:41,960 --> 00:26:45,000 Humility begins when you stop fighting for the control and 443 00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:48,080 start surrendering. And this is not something that 444 00:26:48,080 --> 00:26:52,600 we have to go to 48 hours, 72 hour or ten months intense 445 00:26:52,600 --> 00:26:55,400 retreat to actually do it, but something we can practice on a 446 00:26:55,400 --> 00:26:58,480 daily basis. Just as you go about your day, 447 00:26:58,480 --> 00:27:00,680 you can say, Lord, I don't have to be right all the time. 448 00:27:01,360 --> 00:27:03,480 I don't have to be admired. I don't need people's 449 00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:07,960 recognition all the time, but I need to be formed by you, Lord, 450 00:27:07,960 --> 00:27:09,560 would you do that work in my heart? 451 00:27:09,920 --> 00:27:13,920 Lord, I, I need to worship you. Would you prompt in my heart to 452 00:27:13,920 --> 00:27:16,480 do that? Would you work in my heart? 453 00:27:16,480 --> 00:27:20,840 The gospel frees us from proving ourselves because Jesus has been 454 00:27:20,840 --> 00:27:22,960 approved for us. So we don't. 455 00:27:22,960 --> 00:27:25,600 We no longer have to climb up the ladder and say, look at me, 456 00:27:26,160 --> 00:27:28,000 because Christ came down from it. 457 00:27:28,840 --> 00:27:32,120 And when we try to go up that ladder, we're trying to undo 458 00:27:32,120 --> 00:27:36,360 something that cannot be undone. And how about we receive that 459 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:41,760 grace of Jesus and say, Lord, I will live my life with you. 460 00:27:42,360 --> 00:27:47,080 So the question is, VMC is not if we struggle with pride, we 461 00:27:47,080 --> 00:27:51,440 all do one or the other ways. The question is, where in your 462 00:27:51,440 --> 00:27:55,240 life are you grasping for control instead of surrendering 463 00:27:55,240 --> 00:27:58,280 for grace? Is it in your marriage you feel 464 00:27:58,280 --> 00:28:00,360 like you have to always have the final word? 465 00:28:01,880 --> 00:28:03,720 Or is it work? You just feel like you need the 466 00:28:03,720 --> 00:28:06,720 recognition People need to validate you all the time. 467 00:28:06,720 --> 00:28:09,400 Maybe it's in your heart. You feel like I have to build my 468 00:28:09,400 --> 00:28:13,240 life, build a case for myself to say I'm enough, I'm necessary, 469 00:28:13,480 --> 00:28:17,080 I'm lovable. And the good news is that the 470 00:28:17,080 --> 00:28:20,680 past same passage we read in James 46 comes to us as a 471 00:28:20,680 --> 00:28:25,320 blessing and comfort. It says God opposes the proud, 472 00:28:25,760 --> 00:28:27,600 but he gives grace to the humble. 473 00:28:28,320 --> 00:28:31,000 And that grace has a name, and his name is Jesus. 474 00:28:32,000 --> 00:28:35,960 He gives grace. He gives Jesus to us. 475 00:28:36,480 --> 00:28:41,960 So how about we go to Him now and one way we can do is right 476 00:28:41,960 --> 00:28:44,400 now I just want to give you just a few minutes to bring your 477 00:28:44,400 --> 00:28:46,880 heart to God and just begin this process. 478 00:28:46,880 --> 00:28:50,200 Lord, what's at the root? Where in my life am I trying to 479 00:28:50,200 --> 00:28:54,920 grasp for control and power and my voice to be heard and for my 480 00:28:54,920 --> 00:29:00,560 image to be seen in a certain way to frame but and notice what 481 00:29:00,560 --> 00:29:04,320 surfaces up, what God brings up. And instead of just rushing 482 00:29:04,320 --> 00:29:07,120 ourselves into the gospel and say, oh, God is good, Oh, I'm 483 00:29:07,120 --> 00:29:09,440 good, God is good. How about we slow down and see 484 00:29:09,440 --> 00:29:12,160 Lord, what is it that you're bringing up to surface and how 485 00:29:12,160 --> 00:29:14,800 can I sit in that? How can I receive your love in 486 00:29:14,800 --> 00:29:16,480 that? So one way I can help you. 487 00:29:16,480 --> 00:29:19,400 I wanted to help. Something I share with my church 488 00:29:19,400 --> 00:29:24,880 is I don't know if we're some of you guys have the bulletin or 489 00:29:24,880 --> 00:29:27,280 the sermon note with you on the right side. 490 00:29:27,520 --> 00:29:33,200 I thought I brought one. Oh yeah, for this community 491 00:29:33,200 --> 00:29:38,600 groups, maybe before the community groups this week or or 492 00:29:38,600 --> 00:29:41,240 just by yourself before the community groups or during the 493 00:29:41,240 --> 00:29:43,000 community groups. You don't have to go all you 494 00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:45,080 know in one sitting. But what I would encourage you 495 00:29:45,080 --> 00:29:47,600 just I hope it's self-explanatory, but as you go 496 00:29:47,600 --> 00:29:52,640 over, just ask yourself and the Lord, Lord, where am I still 497 00:29:52,640 --> 00:29:55,640 where am I still reaching for control and all these things am 498 00:29:55,640 --> 00:30:00,120 I won't note that encouragement. Well, I'm sorry, 2 is 1 is try 499 00:30:00,120 --> 00:30:04,920 not to rush into the gospel. We have the gospel so we can do 500 00:30:04,920 --> 00:30:08,480 this without the gospel, we won't be able to pray, right? 501 00:30:08,480 --> 00:30:11,480 We pray because we have the gospel of Jesus because we are 502 00:30:11,480 --> 00:30:13,600 safe in Jesus, we can pray to him, right? 503 00:30:14,000 --> 00:30:17,640 So when things come up in your heart just discomforting and 504 00:30:17,640 --> 00:30:21,240 uncomfortable, sit in that and ask the Lord, what what are you 505 00:30:21,240 --> 00:30:24,160 bringing up in my heart, Lord, and how do I, what do I do with 506 00:30:24,160 --> 00:30:26,880 this? And the second thing is debrief 507 00:30:26,880 --> 00:30:29,520 with your community, with other people. 508 00:30:29,920 --> 00:30:32,320 You don't have to give an ultimate answer or try to fix 509 00:30:32,320 --> 00:30:34,000 each other. We can't, we can't do that. 510 00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:36,240 We know that. But what I the reason I'm 511 00:30:36,240 --> 00:30:39,560 sharing this is because don't get stuck in your own prayer in 512 00:30:39,560 --> 00:30:41,440 your heart and think, oh, I'm miserable. 513 00:30:42,440 --> 00:30:45,400 But as something comes up, just share with your community groups 514 00:30:45,400 --> 00:30:48,560 not to a degree that you'll regret sharing that at night. 515 00:30:48,560 --> 00:30:52,120 And why did I say that? Not to that point, but enough 516 00:30:53,040 --> 00:30:57,600 for you to feel lighter and enough for your community to 517 00:30:57,600 --> 00:31:02,240 pray for you and say, I don't know what we're doing exactly. 518 00:31:02,240 --> 00:31:05,040 I don't know where this is going, but how about this is 519 00:31:05,040 --> 00:31:07,520 what I sense? This is something that was come 520 00:31:07,520 --> 00:31:09,280 up and I just wanted to give it to you. 521 00:31:09,640 --> 00:31:12,280 And can you pray for me, right? No trying. 522 00:31:12,720 --> 00:31:16,200 Let's not try to fix each other, but let's pray and listen 523 00:31:17,040 --> 00:31:18,840 because the Holy Spirit is right among you. 524 00:31:19,720 --> 00:31:22,840 So as you do that, I want to transition into time of prayer 525 00:31:23,120 --> 00:31:27,520 before that main point, as when we stop grasping for glory and 526 00:31:27,520 --> 00:31:32,280 start giving in to God. Grace sets us free. 527 00:31:32,680 --> 00:31:33,840 Will you join me in prayer?