Gabriel Ruhl: Pride

Luke chapter number 18 Gospel of Luke in the New Testament of your scripture this morning chapter number 18 we're going to continue in our series the grace filled family and our pastor two weeks ago started this series and we learned about communication last week about forgiveness and the resolution of conflict we're going to continue of that series this morning with the subject of pride Luke chapter 18 let's all stand together and our feeders are physically able and of reverence for God's Word and let's look together at verse number nine Luke chapter 18 and verse number nine and he spake this parable unto searching which trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others two men went up into the temple to pray the one a Pharisee and the other Republican the Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself God I think thee that I am NOT as other men are extortioners unjust adulterers or even as this publican I fast twice in the week I get tithes of all that I possess and the publican standing afar off would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven but smote upon his breast saying God be merciful to me a sinner I tell you this man went down to his house justified rather than the other for everyone that exalteth himself shall be abased and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted and let us pray Heavenly Father we sure love you and we are grateful for the privilege to gather together in this place today to be with brothers and sisters in Christ worshiping you in song and giving and now having the opportunity to open your word and to receive a lesson and we pray today that our minds and our hearts would be open that we would do our best to set aside any distraction and that with the help of your spirit we would focus on what you would for us today from your word and we pray that we would hear specifically from you that we would apply what it is we're hearing to our life that we may live a life that pleases and honors you in every relationship that we have and we will promise to praise and to thank you for it in Jesus name Amen thank you you may be seated so as we think about the grace-filled family as we think about all the relationships that we might have in life in the need that we have to conduct those relationships according to the principles of the word of God no doubt as we think about the threat against those relationships one of the major ones is pride Jesus is teaching his followers and he is helping them to see and to understand the destruction that pride can bring to their life and those around them as well and in order to teach this lesson the Lord Jesus could trust two people in this parable he mentions the Pharisee and the publican now the Pharisee was a teacher of the law this is someone with some clouds in the religious system this was the preacher this was the pastor this was the leader this is someone that was known for his knowledge and his expertise and experience when it came to the things of the Word of God this was a teacher of the Bible and then the publican contrasted here in this story by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ now the publican was the tax collector and nobody really likes the tax collector and he was even worse for this guy because he was a Jew serving as a tax collector for Rome so by his own people he was viewed upon as a traitor somebody certainly not liked at all and the Lord contrasts this Pharisee with this publican to teach us an important lesson about pride now it is said that pride is the instigator of all sin it was pride that convinced laziness that someone else should do the work for us it's pride that convinces lust that my pleasure is more important than gods priority of purity it is pride that convinces anger that if I don't get my way someone should pay it is pride that convinces gluttony that I should get my fill it is pride that convinces greed that the more that I want the more I should have it is pride that convinces Envy that I deserve better than you now pride has been defined as a high or an inordinate opinion of one's own dignity importance merit or superiority and we have our words that we would use to describe someone that we think is proud or is full of themselves we might say this person is egotistical we might say they're arrogant or selfish or vain conceit it both full or big-headed and there may be lots of others that we could come up with that we would use to describe this person struggling with pride and pride as we will learn this morning is arrogance it is a self worship it is exalting ourselves and placing our self and our needs and once over any body else's and here's what will understand this morning is that pride destroys relationships now notice this powerful thought in proverbs chapter 13 and verse 10 in your notes only by pride cometh contention but with the well advises wisdom now only by pride cometh contention hey if there's anything at all between a husband and a wife this morning if there's something going on with you and a co-worker if there's something going on with you and somebody on the street you live on the Bible says only by pride cometh contention I can lead to the destruction of relationships there was a couple in Texas and they had a rough marriage there was lots of problems and lots of arguments and lots of disagreements and so forth and it had just kind of been that way most of their married life and they had just kind of come accustomed to it but it was nothing desirable by anybody whatsoever well on a particular day they went into the bank together they were going to do some business shoots on they were standing there in line and that all of a sudden these men came in and they were in masks and they had guns and they began to rob the bank everybody was frozen and the men instructed everybody put their heads down and not to look and these men were telling the tellers that they wanted all the cash and they commenced to rob this Bank well they finish the job and they were making their way briskly out the door and as they did one brave Texas customer reached over and he grabbed the mask off one of the assailants and the minute he did that that man turned around without even thinking it's shot this Good Samaritan as the man did that he looked over one of the tellers behind the counter kind of was looking at him and fiddling under the counter and he thought that she was sounding the alarm and so he shot her as well boy everybody in the bank was froze scared to death not knowing what would happen next and that robber with that gun drawn after shooting those two people he said well did anybody else see me boy everybody was just frozen head down nobody moved in fear and all of a sudden that old codger that husband in the back he raised his hand he said sir I didn't see it but I think my wife's got a pretty good look at you sometimes that's the way we kind of want to handle things you know we're so good about seeing what's wrong with somebody else we're so good at articulating what it is about our spouse or about this person in our family or about that co-worker that is so wrong and the stuff they need to do in order to make it right CS Lewis said pride is a spiritual cancer it eats up the very possibility of love or contentment or even common sense and there's no doubt that pride can destroy the relationships that we hold dear today so we've got to understand what is pride where does it come from and how do we get victory over it in our life and to know that I want us to examine this parable this lesson from Jesus Christ and that apply it to our life let's notice as we study Luke 18 first of all the root of pride now if we're going to get rid of pride in our life then we first must understand where does it come from what what is allowing it into our life and what is encouraging it maybe in our everyday living and we see this clearly in the life of the Pharisee this morning in Luke chapter 18 we see it first of all this morning and his self-righteousness this Pharisee was self-righteous he was a proud man he was full of himself in fact look at verse number 11 the Bible says the Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself god I thank thee that I am not as other men are extortioners unjust adulterers or even as this publican it would be like me coming into church this morning and praying for this service and saying God thank you for this wonderful service and thank you that I'm not like everybody else in this room and all of their problems thank you that you have blessed me and given me a better life than they thank you that I don't do all the bad things they do and then I'm not like them that's what this Pharisee was praying Lord thank you that I am NOT like them his attitude was all about himself and he was grateful for the fact that he wasn't like these other sinners in the room he was more spiritual than thing because of his religious status because of his accomplishments because of his superiority to them when it came to the knowledge of the law of God and the truth of the matter was he was just good at putting on a show he knew how to walk the walk he knew how to talk the talk he knew how to look the part but God was not impressed and by the way God is not impressed with our righteousness this morning either the Bible says in isaiah 64:6 and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags i don't bring anything to the table that impresses god i didn't walk into the auditorium a few moments ago and God hushed evidence said whoo-hoo Gabe is in church today that it happened God is not excited that I am here to offer my abilities and talents and all of these things to the Lord and my goodness that doesn't excite God at all my righteousness all the good that I can muster up God says there's filthy rags you know and as I study what he means when he says filthy rags it was the leopardus colonies where they would have the poles and the midst of the colonies and they would have the canvases around the poles and those suffering from leprosy would walk up and they would take those strips of canvas and they would use it to soak up the pus of their decaying skin from their disease and God says Gabe when I see your good that's what I see that's your righteousness that's the good you can muster up on your own the Bible says in Ephesians 2:8 9 for by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast it's not going to be me coming to God and saying well I deserve to come into heaven for Who I am God is not pleased or impressed with my righteousness and this Pharisee was full of pride and for themselves because he felt himself to be self-righteous sometimes people are so self-righteous they are looking for a vacancy in the Trinity I mean they feel like they're kind of right up there you know and God doesn't see you and I that way you know why sometimes we struggle to worship God for who he is because we don't want any of the worship not to be about us and that's where this Pharisee was he came in and from the moment he entered in that synagogue it was all about him it was never about God it was about him and the the telltale sign is beware of self-righteous beware of thinking yourself better than you are beware of thinking well I'm better than all these people because I don't do what they do listen friend the ground is level at the cross it's like the CEO of the fortune 500 company his wife who rather than an afternoon drive and enjoying a beautiful day much like today and they were getting along gasps and so they found a gas station and they pulled in and they begin to get a tank and there was a attendant there that was helping them and the wife had gotten out and they were in small talk and just in that short time the wife and this gasoline attendant discovered that they went to high school together as they reminisce those memories they had even gone out of a date or two now they finished the conversation and got the tank of gas and paid and made their way out you know and that's CEO sitting there in the driver's seat kind of think a lot of himself you know he looked over his wife she said you know honey what I'm thinking I'm thinking if you were to marry that guy you would have been the life of a gasoline attendant that's a good thing you married me you're the wife of a fortune 500 company CEO she said that's funny I was thinking if I married him he would have been the CEO and you would have been the gas sometimes the good that we may see in us it really isn't us it's him and that's what that Pharisee failed to see he was full of self righteous but actually not only did pride come from this sense of self righteous but I see it also came from being self sufficient self sufficient now notice this with me in verse number eleven of the prayer of this Pharisee the Bible says the Pharisee stood and prayed thus with him self God I think thee and what interesting phrasing the Pharisee stood up in church and prayed thus with him self you know who the prayer si was prefer see was praying to him he wasn't praying to God it wasn't about a seeking time with God it wasn't about worshiping God it wasn't about praising God it wasn't about learning from God the Pharisee was praying thus with himself the Pharisee had already determined in his heart I have no need of anyone else he was self sufficient when you and I fall prey to the trap of believing that we are self sufficient then that pride in our heart is what keeps us from getting help it's like the husband or the wife where there is some struggle in marriage and they probably do need some counseling but pride says no it's like the household where the money problems are mounting up and the bills are coming in and and things are just chaotic on every side and maybe some some some instruction would be helpful or an elective on a Wednesday night but pride says no maybe it's a parent with a child or maybe it's somebody with the workplace issue or whatever and the truth of the matter is we need help but we're unwilling to seek it because we have pride and the pride in our heart says I don't need anybody else I can handle it can I share with you something this morning you already know none of us can handle it God created me to live a life that I can only successfully live in his power if I try to live it in and of myself I will fail every single day I will fail it doesn't matter how hard I try it doesn't how many a matter how many hours I work it doesn't matter how many books I read it doesn't matter how many internet websites I I study none of that matters if I am trying to live my life aside from God I will fail that is not God's intention I am intended to have his help and then I can claim a promise like flipping is 4:13 where I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me are you tired this morning of trying to live life on your own are you tired this morning of the relationships in your life always being a drain this Pharisee is teaching us a valuable lesson pride begins to take root when we feel like we are self-sufficient we don't need the help of anybody and God reminds you now in Genesis 3 in your notes that for dust thou art and dust thou shalt return God says game you know what you need to remember your dirt I created you from the ground you're nothin I'm breathing into your life I'm giving you the oxygen in which to breathe I'm giving you the strength in which to live I'm blessing you every step of the way this isn't meant to be done without me you have to have me and it's why the Bible says in st. Corinthians 3-5 not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything of ourselves but our sufficiency is of God church family where's your sufficiency this morning because pride says you don't you got it and this Pharisee believe that he was self-righteous he was self-sufficient but noticed early he was self-centered look at this prayer in verse 12 I fast twice in the week I give tithes of all that I possess south was a very prominent feature in this prayer in fact five times in this short prayer the Pharisee uses the personal pronoun of I he was emphasizing all of his achievements and all of his accomplishments in all of his goodness but he never one-time mentioned a need that he might have and that's what pride does pride prevents us from getting the help we need and pride prevents us from helping people that may have need around us why because pride is all about me it's the worship of self the middle letter of pride is I it's all about me and this is what happened when sin entered the human race notice in the Genesis chapter three and verse number six in her notes and when the woman speaking of Eve saw that the tree the tree that God told them not to eat the fruit thereof was good for food it was going to taste good that it was pleasant to the eyes and a tree to be desired to make one wise she took the fruit thereof and did eat and gave also unto her husband with her and he did eat why did Adam and Eve eat the fruit that God told them not to eat because of pride have you ever thought that all the way through God went to Adam and even said Adam and Eve I love you here's the Garden of Eden it's a utopia it's a splendor of incredible things the entire thing is for your benefit but there's one tree in the midst of it don't eat the fruit of that how in the world do you go eat the fruit of the one thing you can't have when you're surrounded by all this amazing stuff pride pride how is it that we can so struggle in our lives and we live in America we have the freedom to read the Bible everyday we have the freedom to be in church every time the doors are open we have the freedom to pray without ceasing God has blessed many of us in here with wonderful families when you count up all of those blessings why do we have problems why does Gabriel have problems I grew up in a pastor's home I had approach of accepting Jesus Christ when I was a young man I married way over my head God is blessed with four amazing kids I don't have an excuse to have problems but can I tell you something this morning I got him and you know why I have a pride because sometimes I Center life around me and I say stuff I shouldn't stay and I do stuff I shouldn't do and sometimes I can downright be a jerk and those problems come simply because of Pride and this Pharisee was showing it's all about me so we see the root of pride but then I want us to see secondly this morning the reality of pride what does this life of pride look like if I have it what's happening to me now it's true that there is a positive pride and a negative pride there is a positive pride that would be about someone endeavoring to be who God created them to be and to maximize their potential God has given me a life God has created a will for me to follow and if I will with all my heart mind and soul pursue God's will for my life and strive to beat who he desires for me to be that is a good kind of pride to attain it's like her mom's and dad taught us to take pride in your work they weren't encouraging us to sin they were encouraging us to do a good job sometimes we were taught to have pride about our name a good name is rather to be chosen than great riches son your name means something and keep that up or we might have heard from somebody I'm proud of you and they weren't saying I'm encouraging you dissented and to make life all about you but they were encouraging us towards the right thing so there is a positive pride when we are striving to be whom God created us to be in to pursue his will in his way for our life and the Bible says in Galatians 6 for but let every man prove his own work and then shall he have the rejoicing in himself alone and not in another God desires for you and I to prove the word and to be who he created us to be but certainly this morning as we see in the life of this Pharisee there is a negative pride and the negative pride is the pride that says it's all about me and I am better because look at everybody else and the Bible warns you now in 2nd Corinthians 10:12 that measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves among themselves are not wise you see the measuring rod the standard for whether or not you and I are doing well in life or well in our relationships is not the people around us sometimes we want to look at our life and say well I may not be doing this and this but look at that bum over there and we can justify where we are in our relationships by the shortcomings of others that isn't the way we're supposed to measure anything that's pride the only measuring rod that I have for my life is this God does my wife pleased you am I the husband you want me to be am I the father that you want me to be am i treating my neighbors like you would have me treat them do I conduct myself in the workplace like you would have me to do God very simply am i placing you that's the standard that's the measuring rod that's the expectation of God and pride doesn't want any part of that so what is pride pride first of all is deceptive pride walls you and I into thinking that we are better than everybody else as we compared to them and by the way none of us compare fairly right we judge everybody by their actions but we judge ourselves by our intentions they didn't get it done and it's obvious we may not have either but we knew what we meant to do and that's got to count for something but as we begin to think of ourselves better than we ought to think because we're comparing ourselves with others God challenges United his word that this is a sin because we are literally putting ourselves in the role of God and we began to put others beneath ourselves the Bible says in Psalms 10 for notes the wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God God is not in all his thoughts pride would cause you and I not to seek God not to ask him whether or not we're pleasing him but rather to just say well I'm doing better than they are I must be okay but the Bible says in proverbs 21 for a high look and a proud heart and the pining of the wicked is sin but Robinson said pride is the only disease known to man that makes everyone sick except the person who has it pride is deceptive but watch this with me this morning secondly pride is demonic now we don't have time to develop all this this morning but I want you to catch it in the Book of Ezekiel in the Old Testament the prophet Ezekiel was given a challenge by God to pronounce the judgment on the king of Tyrus and in this pronouncement of judgment God was giving an indirect judgment directly sentenced to Satan it was Satan who the king was following the king was to be taken down but God was declaring he was getting ready to take down Satan himself now watch us in Ezekiel chapter 28 beginning of verse well son of man take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus and say unto Him thus saith the Lord God thou seal us up the sum full of wisdom and perfect in beauty thou has been an Eden the garden of God every precious stone was thy covering the sardius topaz and the diamond the Beryl the Onyx and the Jasper the sapphire the Emerald in the carbuncle the gold and the workmanship of thy caverns and of thy pipes was prepared in the end the day that that was created for thou art the anointed cherub that covereth and I have set thee also that wast upon the holy mountain of God thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire that was perfect in thy ways from the day that that was created till iniquity was found in thee by the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence and now have sinned therefore I will caste as profane out of the mountain of God and I will destroy the old covering cherub from the midst of the stones of fire thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty thou has corrupted thy wisdom by reason of they brightness I will cast into the ground I will lay thee before kings that they may behold thee thou has to file thy centuary by the multitude of thine iniquities by the iniquity of thy traffic therefore I bring forth the fire from the midst of thee it's out devour thee and I will bring the ashes upon the earth in the sight of all men that behold thee all they that know the among the people shall be astonished at thee they shall be a terror and shall debt and never shalt thou be anymore now here was a pronouncement of judgment coming to the king of Tyrus and coming to Satan himself why because they had been given so much by God and pride crept into their heart and God was casting them down for the sin of pride you see pride began and started in the heart of Lucifer he took pride in the perfection and in the beauty of the creation that God had made him and he was an authority in heaven he was chief amongst God's creation but when pride came into his heart God was casting him down from the mountain of God in fact the Bible says in Isaiah chapter 14 and verse 2 of how art thou fallen from heaven Oh Lucifer son of the morning how art thou cut down to the ground which didst weaken the nation's for thou has set in thy heart I will ascend into heaven I will exalt my throne above the stars of God I will sit also at the Mount of the congregation in the sides of the north and when pride began to come into the being of Satan God cast him down that church listen to me we are never more like Satan than when we are prideful pride is demonic every major mistake man has ever made has been rooted in pride why did Adam and Eve eat that fruit pride why do they want to build the Tower of Babel to prove God wrong pride why would Absalom not reconcile with his father had his hair cut the tree and lost his life pride why did Jesus a Judas Kiss Me portray the Son of God it eventually took his own life and suicide pride pride is not only deceptive it's demonic when it is in our life or in our home or in our relationships we can be certain this morning that is not pleasing to God that is exactly what God was casting out of heaven and then we see thirdly that pride is destructive I think about the story in the scriptures of Samson I think about the Nazarite vow that Samson was given in the extraordinary strength and all that God had potential the Samson to accomplish and yet we've know that through an immoral relationship with Delilah and through her persistency of wanting to know what was the secret to Samson's strength for she desired the great sum of money that was promised her from the Philistines that she could find out what it was that was giving Samson this incredible strength and time and time again she would ask and he would tell her a lie and he would break free from their bondage and finally because of the pride in Samson's heart convincing himself he didn't need God he can handle this he told Delilah the secret to a strength that if ever his hair were cut he would be as any other man in his sleep she cuts us hair the footings are called and they come in in Samson it's no match he's bound he's taken captive they pluck out his eyes they fastened him to a beam that is fastened to a stone that does the milling of the wheat and Samson now is doing the job of a donkey he cannot see how how how did this life so blessed and anointed and prepared by God in this way pride pride destroys and I want to encourage you this morning friend if you're on the path of pride whatever relationship that's in your life is headed for destruction you've got to turn around the Bible says in proverbs 16:18 pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall in proverbs 18 12 before destruction the heart of man is haughty impoverished 29 23 and man's pride shall bring him low hey don't let the root of sin take hold in your life because the reality of pride is not something you and I want anything to do it so then what is it that we can do let's notice thirdly and as we close the remedy of pride how do we get victory over pride in our life I want us to study the publican what is it about this publican that we need in our life today first of all notice his realistic view of himself if you and I are gonna have victory over pride in our life it begins with having a realistic view of ourself notice that the public universe 13 and the publican standing afar off would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven so here's the Pharisee coming into the synagogue on he's got the garbin he's got the look and he's got the walk and he's got the family Bible and man he's ready to go to church and he stands in the midst of the people and he prays in that deep loud voice and everybody's like wow the man of God and here's this publican kind of in the back standing afar off the Bible says he has us head down because the Bible declares that he did not feel himself worthy even so much as to lift his eyes to heaven what a contrast Jesus is teaching you and I you would victory over pride in your life start with seeing yourself as you really are and I don't know about you friend I'm a whole lot more like that guy than I am that guy I have a whole lot more reason this morning to come to church and put my head down and just listen then I do to come to church and say look at me I'm amazing most often I need to come to church and hear from God and get some things right and be willing to make some adjustments in my life that I may live as I should and if you and I are going to get victory over pride it begins with a realistic view of our self we've got to see ourselves for who we really are it's like the deacon who was teaching the Sunday School class for the little boys this particular quarter in the church and he was working hired to teach them the importance of the Christian life in living as a Christian should and being recognized as a Christian he looked at the boys look a little bit of pride in his heart and he said well boys why do you think people call me a Christian and all the boys kind of looked at him you know and little Bobby in the back raised this and he said well maybe it's because they don't know you and sometimes we're not as good as we think and if we're going to get victory over pride we've got to be willing to say you know what I've got some work to do I haven't arrived my wife is not blessed just to have me show up I haven't achieved all things I haven't perfected every relationship I I have room for improvement a realistic view of self this publican thought himself unworthy even to look to heaven the Bible says in 1st Peter 5 humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time let another man praise thee and not the own math of strengths are not the own lips and when you and I have a realistic view of self at least secondly to a responsible view of our sin now watch this in the life of the publican and the publican standing afar off we're not so much as lit design to the heaven but smote upon his breast saying God be merciful to me a sinner here's this publican in the back standing afar off his head bowed not worthy to look unto heaven and as he's thinking of his life he begins to pound his chest and says God have mercy on me I'm a sinner the publican was saying I'm frustrated with me and the decisions I'm making I need God a realistic view of self always leads to a responsible view of our sin it's not somebody else's fault it's not her fault or his fault it's me it's me it's me o lord standing in the need of prayer help me to take responsibility for what it is that I have done wrong the Bible says in Proverbs that the fear of the Lord is to hate evil pride and arrogancy in the evil way and the forward mouth do I hate the publican knew he was going to give an account of his life to God and he was standing in fear of his life as it were but this responsible view of his sin led his reconciliation with this Savior watch this in verse 14 as Jesus concludes this parable I tell you this is Jesus now this man talking to the publican went down to his house justified rather than the other for everyone that exalteth himself shall be abased but he that humbleth himself shall be exalted as Jesus shares the parable he's teaching the people and he's saying hey this Pharisee came in full of himself Oh ash oh and praying and all these things but he left that day with his head bound because God put him well but this publican standing afar off not worthy to look to heaven the smiting of his breast and frustration of the sin the Bible says Jesus justified that man and he went home exalted it now listen pride is the enemy of any relationship so how do we get victory over pride well we have to recognize this morning that the root of pride is exalting self and we must see ourselves as God sees us then we see that the reality of pride is endless suffering if every relationship you are involved in feels like it's just a dream it's always a problem can I encourage a friend that's not what God wants but the reality of pride is in the suffering so what's the remedy emulating our Savior being more like Jesus Christ and if you're here this morning and you do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior God loves you and He gave His Son who died on the cross that you might have an eternal home in heaven and just like this publican you can leave this house of worship justified because you place your faith and trust in Christ and if you came into this house of worship this morning struggling some relationships you too can leave here helped by seeing yourself as God sees you taking responsibility for what's yours and saying God help me to recognize I've got to have your help and help me to live as you would have me to live this week not full of myself not in Pride but emulating Jesus Christ

Channel: Lancaster Baptist Church

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Keywords: preaching, sermon, Christian, God, Jesus, Lancaster Baptist Church, Lancaster Baptist, Pastor Paul Chappell, Paul Chappell, Gabriel Ruhl, pride, self

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Length: 42min 2sec (2522 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 27 2017