There is a sin a very dangerous sin that in my estimation is doing more
to hold back revival than any other sin doing more to destroy homes than
any other sin doing more to ruin this nation than any other sin
causing more Christians to live in failure and defeat than any other sin it is the sin of pride
the Bible says that there is a sin that started war in heaven it's the sin of pride
when the devil decided and lifted up himself and five times said I will I will I will
and that pride now has come down to earth
and pride is the grossest sin the mother of all sins
in fact C.S Lewis says this about pride he says according to Christian teachers the essential
vice the utmost evil is pride unchastity or being unpure anger greed drunkenness and all
that are mere flea bites in comparison it was through pride that the devil became the devil
pride leads to every other vice it is the complete anti-god state of mind pride says
that I want to be like God lucifer in the kingdom of heaven fell from heaven with the fallen angels
because he says God I don't want to worship you I want to be like you Adam and Eve in the garden
says God we don't trust you you say that that's not good but we want to see what it is we think
maybe you're holding goodness from us that's pride pride is dangerous I'm convinced that pride is the
underlying sin that causes many Christians and many leaders to fail look what James chapter 4
verse 6 says God opposes the proud do you know what that means it means God's on the other side
you become an enemy of God but he gives grace to the humble Proverbs Chapter 11 I'll just give you
some scripture here Proverbs chapter 11 verse 2 says when pride comes then comes disgrace but
with humility comes wisdom there's a scripture in Proverbs 13 and 10 that says where there is strife
there is pride but wisdom is found in those who take advice Proverbs 16 and 5 says this the Lord
detests all the proud of heart be sure of this they will not go unpunished Proverbs chapter 16
and verse 18 says pride goes before destruction a haughty spirit before a fall I don't know if y'all
picking up on this but everywhere that pride shows up it's accompanied by disgrace strife
things that are detestable punishment destruction and ultimately a fall so it would seem that it's
really important for us to be on the right side of pride given the choice to humble yourself
or have God humble you choose A always choose A pride is extremely dangerous
and it's defined as to be lifted up to be high-minded
to indulge in self-esteem or self-confidence and to glory and self-achievement I hope you
noticed how many times the word self is used in that definition self self self self self self
the Bible says if we're going to follow Christ we need to take up
our cross and follow him forgetting ourselves
pride is the most destructive thing in the universe it was pride that created the devil
it was pride that turned lucifer the son of the morning into satan the father of the night
that's what satan's kingdom is built on no wonder pride defies God pride ruined the human race
in the Garden of Eden when satan came to tempt Eve do you think that the temptation
was to taste a particular kind of fruit that wasn't the temptation the temptation was
take this and you will be as God look at all heartache all tears all sorrow all war all
strife all pain all agony all shame and you can say pride did it pride did it C.S Lewis said as
long as you're proud you cannot know God a proud man is always looking down on things
and people and as long as you are looking down you cannot see something above you
the man who's looking down on others is not looking up at God at the same time
the place to be humbles in your heart and in your mind and if you have a humble heart and
a humble mind then it's going to come across in a right Godly way a humble person doesn't
think more highly of themselves than they ought to but they don't think lowly of
themselves either they really just don't have themselves on their mind that much
they know who they are in Christ and in him they're bold and courageous God has
called us to be bold and to be courageous but that doesn't mean to be obnoxious and to walk
all over people and to hurt other people you defeat pride when you live for others
pride says I deserve to be served everyone should look to me everyone should serve me
those who depend on God say I'm here to serve Matthew chapter 23 verse 11 beautifully crafted
scripture it says the greatest among you will be your servant every day serve someone
every day every day add value to people every day serve one every day live the intentional life of
of doing for others sometimes what they cannot do for themselves and if you will put people first
and add value to them and serve them it becomes absolutely amazing what you and I are going to
have and achieve how we're going to help people and in return how it comes back to us Benjamin
Franklin said this no one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of someone else
only one time in the gospel says it recorded that Jesus said follow me and follow my example
only one time and that's what he was washing the feet serving the disciples he's washing the feet
of one who will betray him one who will deny him who will lie about him and will curse about him
and every one of the people's feet that he will wash in his deepest darkest hour will forsake him and run
because I want you to see this passage because when we serve others here's
what's beautiful we serve Jesus I was hungry you fed me Jesus is talking by
the way I was thirsty you gave me drink I was homeless you gave me room I was shivering you
gave me clothes I was sick you stopped the visit I was in prison and you came to me
whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored that was me you did it
to me because you see every time you serve a person you serve Jesus
I'm going to serve people that's what Jesus did who has the name above all names he comes
to serve that's the title that Paul and Peter and James and Timothy that's the
title that they took upon themselves your identity is not in what you do
it's in whose you are I think that God loves a humble heart because God has a humble heart
and we see that humble heart just in the way that when he came here he came here
to serve us even with his life and even in his death he came here to serve us
humble people have a servant heart they know that the purpose of life it's not about themselves
it is serving God serving others to love God is to love others Jesus described himself
as gentle and humble when you learn to be humble you are most like Christ