The Great Commission
Part 4 – Growing in the Lord
OVERCOMING: Pride
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House of Faith – www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org
ANNOUNCEMENTS
6:00PM Evening Service at the church –
“Seminary Students will be preaching”
September 28th – Deacon Kurt Ulman
October 5th – Grace Steadman
October 12th – Lori Ulman
October 19th – Lynnette Higgins
October 26th – Walker Spriggs
WHERE WE
† Spending Time with the Lord in Prayer
† Spending Time with the Lord Reading the Word
† Spending Time with the Lord in Fellowship
† Spending Time with the Lord, One on One
† Growing in the Lord : OVERCOMING The Carnal Mind
† Growing in the Lord : OVERCOMING Satan
† Growing in the Lord : OVERCOMING Worldliness
† Growing in the Lord : OVERCOMING Pride
INTRODUCTION
TIME magazine October 2008 Issue, “Real Victims in a war of words”
“Because of soaring inflation and food shortages, a loaf of bread in
Revelation 6:5-6
5 When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6 Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, "A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages…
I. Pride Always Comes Before the Destruction
a. Proverbs 16:18-19 – Pride before the destruction
18 Pride goes before destruction,
a haughty spirit before a fall.
b. Proverbs 28:25-27 – The Prideful are fools
25 A greedy man stirs up dissension,
but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper.
26 He who trusts in himself is a fool,
but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe.
27 He who gives to the poor will lack nothing,
but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.
c. Jeremiah 13:15-16 – Pride leads to captivity
15 Hear and pay attention,
do not be arrogant,
for the LORD has spoken.
16 Give glory to the LORD your God
before he brings the darkness,
before your feet stumble
on the darkening hills.
You hope for light,
but he will turn it to thick darkness
and change it to deep gloom.
Because of Pride our land is darkened.
If we want our country to be healed…we need to listen to what the scripture says.
2 Chronicles 7:14
14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
1st we are to humble ourselves.
Pray and seek the Lord.
Repent.
THEN He will forgive our sin and heal our land.
God will continue to allow darkness to fall upon our country as long as we continue to be arrogant and prideful, as long as we go on without praying and seeking the Lord, as long as we do not repent…
Job 38 God is in control!
II. Humility Always Comes Before Closeness with God
a. James 4:6-7, 10 – God resists the proud
6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
"God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble."[b]
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
b. Psalm 138:4-6 – Prideful are far from God
4 May all the kings of the earth praise you, O LORD,
when they hear the words of your mouth.
5 May they sing of the ways of the LORD,
for the glory of the LORD is great.
6 Though the LORD is on high, he looks upon the lowly,
but the proud he knows from afar.
c. Proverbs
10 The name of the LORD is a strong tower;
the righteous run to it and are safe.
11 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city;
they imagine it an unscalable wall.
12 Before his downfall a man's heart is proud,
but humility comes before honor.
All those who have their trust in the stock market instead of the Lord…
All those who think because they are rich, they are safe…
Their wealth is their security, which is not security at all.
There were many rich people in the south at the end of the civil war.
All of their riches became filthy rags when the confederate money was declared worthless.
We need to realize that the only strong tower, the only security is in the Name of the Lord and no where else.
Before a man’s downfall his heart is full of pride.
For those who wish Honor from the Lord, we need to do as the scripture says, and humble ourselves.
Pride comes before the fall.
Humility comes before honor.
III. Therefore Be Like Christ
a. Proverbs 27:1-2 – Do not boast
1 Do not boast about tomorrow,
for you do not know what a day may bring forth.
2 Let another praise you, and not your own mouth;
someone else, and not your own lips.
b. Matthew 3:1-3 – Bragging about your works
Giving to the Needy
1 "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2 "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Prayer
5 "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Fasting
16 "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,
c. Luke 18:11-14 – The Pharisee prayed and was not justified by God
9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'
13 "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'
14 "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
d. II Corinthians
17 But, "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." 18 For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.
We can talk all day about how great we are…
But unless it is God commending us, it is nothing but prideful boasting.
e. Matthew
28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
CLOSING
