Quiet Pride
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Did you hear about the clever salesman who closed hundreds of sales with this line: "Let me show you something several of your neighbors said you couldn't afford."
There is perhaps no one of our natural passions so hard to subdue as pride. Beat it down, stifle it, mortify it as much as one pleases, it is still alive. Even if I could conceive that I had completely overcome it, I should probably be proud of my humility.
Benjamin Franklin, from his autobiography.
Introduction to the Theme: "Quiet Pride"
Introduction to the Theme: "Quiet Pride"
Introduce the concept of quiet pride.
I recently realized that pride was my problem.
But first, I need to give you a little history lesson on Innovate Church because I need your help discerning something.
When would you consider the birth of Innovate Christian Community Church to have occurred?
The idea, calling, was birthed in January 2019
Park Cookout April 28, 2019
Incorporation May 3, 2019
First small group in early June 2019
Non-profit documents sent to the IRS September 2019
Basement/Church space renovation November 2019
Christmas series November 2019
Red Letters series began January 2020
501c3 Approved February 2020
Very first Facebook video, Psalm 1 March 31, 2020
Very first YouTube sermon, Palm Sunday, April 5, 2020
When would you consider our birthday to be?
This matters because...
I haven’t celebrated, or encouraged you, our Church family, to celebrate Innovate Church’s birthdays, mainly because I’ve been to self-conscience about our size compared to others.
Teddy Roosevelt once said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.”
Comparison leaves us with feelings of inferiority or superiority.
Small from the start…but somewhere that contentment changed.
In-person, weird, and small.
Online, opened up a worldwide reach concept
Compared us to other churches
Was even once questioned why we hadn’t grown
All of this lead me to realize, I have a pride issue.
The Danger of Pride
The Danger of Pride
Most sin comes from the sin of pride.
It was the cause of Satan, a heavenly angelic being, guarding God’s thrown, being cast out of heaven,
You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’
Pride led to his self exaltation.
He tricked Adam and Eve into the same sin, “You’ll be like God.”
He tempted Jesus with the same in the wilderness, but Jesus overcame.
I recently purchased J. Oswald Sander’s book, “Spiritual Maturity,” and in studying for today’s sermon I consulted his chapter on Pride, so I’ll be sharing some quotes from his book today and have it linked in the video description.
“Pride is the self-sufficiency of a selfish spirit that desires only unrestrained independence.” J. Oswald Sander
Unrestrained independence.
To do and be what we want without the rules or limitations of God.
However, sometimes pride can be hidden, or as I call it today, “Quiet Pride.”
This isn’t the boastful, “I don’t need God,” kind of pride. It’s a more sneaky beast that we may not even be aware of, as I feel I wasn’t, initially.
But, it can be just as dangerous.
Section 1: Identifying Quiet Pride
Section 1: Identifying Quiet Pride
Recognizing Subtle Pride
How pride can manifest in subtle ways.
I always thought I was humble.
Pride can be...
Quote from Oswald Sanders: "It can be humble or haughty at will."
When you think of yourself, where do you think you fall in the area of pride?
Quiet Pride can be seen in ourselves when:
We feel ashamed of not accomplishing things as others have.
We can feel shame because of our small beginnings
Who do you think I questioned the most about our small size?
Myself. Even in asking God, it is a question of is there something I’m not doing right, or have done wrong. Is it something in my past or present?
Basically, a “why not me” kind of question as though I deserve something from God.
Can you relate?
Are there victories in your life that you’ve not celebrated because you felt they weren’t much? Others had bigger, or maybe “normal” people wouldn’t care because it’s something they do everyday?
If we are comparing ourselves to someone else, then we are often doing so in pride. Again, either in inferiority or superiority.
I don’t look as good, or I look better.
I’m not as righteous as they, or they are more righteous than I am.
I go to church, read my bible, say my prayers, so why isn’t God giving me or healing me as He did that sinner?
Quote from Oswald Sanders: "Pride is the only disease known to man that makes everyone sick except the one who has it."
Section 2: God's Protection through Limitations
Section 2: God's Protection through Limitations
God, in His grace can work to keep us from falling prey to pride in our lives.
Main Text: 2 Corinthians 12:7
So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.
Conceited - to be overly proud, to rise in pride.
Paul had been given the knowledge of great things of God and had seen the miraculous himself. It would have been easy for him to be full of pride.
In speaking of his thorn, he says it was given to him to keep him from becoming conceited…or independent we might say.
Had learned to accept it as a gift of God’s grace.
God's Use of Limitations
Sometimes God will allow us to have, or give us, certain limitations as protection from pride.
I come to realize the danger of having a larger platform and receiving more attention than I am ready to receive personally.
I could easily be upset with my wife and her anxiety disorder for the limitations it has placed upon me, but instead I’ve realized and trusted that God is working through her to keep me on the straight and narrow as much as He may be doing for her.
Quote from Oswald Sanders: "Do we recognize, in some crippling limitation, some painful malady, some thwarted ambition, the gracious ministry of God to deliver us from something worse, the ascendancy of pride?"
What limitations are you tired of and praying for relief from so that you can “be more normal” or do more than you can now?
Could it be a gift of God’s grace in your life?
If it is can you, or have you, told Him you are thankful for it?
It very well could be the way God has chosen to protect you from sin, from danger, or what He has used to keep you close to Him.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Biblical Examples of God's Protection
Gideon’s Army (Judges 7): God reduced Gideon's army to ensure victory was attributed to Him, not to human strength.
Moses’ Speech Impediment (Exodus 4:10-12): God used Moses’ weakness to demonstrate His power.
David Numbering the People (2 Samuel 24, 1 Chronicles 21):
Discuss how David's decision to conduct a census was driven by pride and self-reliance.
Satan incited David to number Israel.
David did not count those below twenty years of age, for the Lord had promised to make Israel as many as the stars of heaven.
Explain the consequences of David's pride, including God's displeasure and the resulting plague.
But David’s heart struck him after he had numbered the people. And David said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O Lord, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done very foolishly.”
Quote from Oswald Sanders: "In God's moral universe, pride and self-exaltation are the essence of sin. The divine opposition to pride is rooted in God's very nature."
David’s temptation was his independence. He’d forgotten the promise of God that He would make the nation of Israel as numerous as the stars in the sky.
But David was finding the crowd to be his doing. The bigger the crowd, the better he was as a leader.
It went from being a work of God, and a blessing of God, to David seeking affirmation of his own power through the numbers that were now following him.
God desires to do mighty works through us, but it is not for our glory but His.
Through Christ, God glorified Himself. His desire is to do the same through us.
Personal Testimony
I’ve prayed and sought money many times and spent more to get it than I received.
I’ve spent both money and lots of time on trying to grow an audience, and God has prevented it.
I’ve come to realize it is possibly due to the peril of both.
Money can lead to ruin if you are not wise enough to handle it, and it too can lead to pride. It can also be where we find our peace and comfort versus finding it in the Lord. It becomes our idol.
The same can be said for those of us with a platform as I have here. This too can lead to one’s destruction if not gifted by God and prepared to receive and handle it.
There are many stories of pastors that have gotten caught up in the power and prestige of their churches.
There are also those that succumbed to the pressures of those same churches and took their own lives.
I can think of many ways I could go wrong with more attention than I currently have. Many ways I could become puffed up leading to bad decisions and possible destruction in my life.
Is God’s grace absolutely sufficient for me? Absolutely!
He has always said to me from the beginning, “I will build my Church.”
The discernment process for me, is making sure I am doing my part. My part may simply caring for the flock He has already given me.
Section 3: Practical Steps to Combat Quiet Pride
Section 3: Practical Steps to Combat Quiet Pride
How can we resist pride?
William Law wrote. “Pride must die in you or nothing in heaven can live in you.”
Humility and Contentment
Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
We must seek a mindset of gratitude and trust in God's timing.
Gratitude
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Trust
He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
Humility
Quote from Oswald Sanders: "Humility, on the other hand, is the acknowledgment of our utter dependence upon God. It is the fundamental recognition that all we have and are is due to God's grace."
Practical Ways to Identify and Combat Pride
Prayer: Regularly seek God’s help in identifying areas of pride.
Accountability: Have trusted friends or mentors who can speak into your life.
Service: Engage in acts of service to cultivate humility.
Celebrating Small Victories
Encourage celebrating small milestones as part of God’s plan.
Section 4: Applying Paul's Lessons to Our Lives
Section 4: Applying Paul's Lessons to Our Lives
Relating to Paul's Experience
Moses couldn’t speak well. Paul had a past and an ailment of some sort.
God made use of both of these great men, through their limitations, to change the world.
What is the work God is doing in you and your limitations?
Embracing Our Journey
Each of us has been given a unique journey in life. Seek to trust God’s plan for growth and success in His timing and way.
Be careful to not try and manufacture something before He is willing to give it to you.
Enjoy the journey!
Importance of Gratitude
Keeping a mindset of gratitude for what He has done in your life, a humble recognition of where you were before His work in you, will aid you in overcoming pride and fostering humility.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Summary of Key Points
Recap the main points about recognizing and combating quiet pride.
Beware of comparison and trust where God has you.
Be thankful for the limitations He has placed upon you.
Trust in His timing and goodness.
Call to Action
Challenge the audience to reflect on personal areas of quiet pride and seek God’s help.
The Gospel
The Gospel
In his pride, Moses lost his temper and was kept out of the Promised Land (Numbers 20:1–13). Pride kept Joshua from seeking God’s will at Ai, and he lost the battle (Joshua 7). King Nebuchadnezzar’s pride turned him into an animal (Daniel 4), and Peter’s pride led to his denial of Christ (Luke 22:31–34).
bio.warrenwiersbe
Don’t let your pride, your independence to keep you from making it to the promised land.
Closing Prayer
Closing Prayer
Pray for humility, contentment, and God’s guidance in recognizing and overcoming quiet pride.
Closing Song
Closing Song
Post-Service Discussion Material
Post-Service Discussion Material
Reflect on the concept of quiet pride. What are some subtle ways pride has manifested in your life?
Scripture Reference: Proverbs 16:18
Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
Why do you think God allows struggles and limitations in our lives? How can these be seen as a form of protection?
Scripture Reference: 2 Corinthians 12:7
So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.
Discuss how Gideon’s story in Judges 7 illustrates God’s desire to prevent pride in His people.
Scripture Reference: Judges 7.
How did Moses’ speech impediment shape his dependence on God? What does this teach us about our own weaknesses?
Scripture Reference: Exodus 4:10-12
But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”
What can we learn from David’s decision to number the people and the consequences that followed?
Scripture Reference: 2 Samuel 24, 1 Chronicles 21.
How can we cultivate a mindset of gratitude and contentment in God’s plan, even when it includes limitations?
Scripture Reference: Philippians 4:11-13
Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
What are some practical steps we can take to combat pride in our daily lives?
Scripture Reference: James 4:6
But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
Share a personal testimony of a time when God used a limitation or struggle to teach you humility.
Scripture Reference: 1 Peter 5:6
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,
How can celebrating small victories help us remain humble and trust in God’s timing?
Scripture Reference: Zechariah 4:10
For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. “These seven are the eyes of the Lord, which range through the whole earth.”
In what ways can we support each other in our journey to recognize and overcome quiet pride?
Scripture Reference: Galatians 6:2
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
The more pride we have, the more other people’s pride irritates us.
C. S. Lewis
Other sins are against God’s law, but pride is against God’s sovereignty.
Thomas Manton
(See also: Boasting; Conceit; Egotism; Vanity)
Pride is the mask of one’s own faults.
Anonymous
The prideful man pours his contempt on others whom he esteems less worthy than himself.
Pride is essentially competitive in its nature.
It can be humble or haughty at will.
Pride transforms virtues into vices and blessings into cursings.
Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure.
For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar.
There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.
Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished.
But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.
“The subtlety of pride is seen in the fact that its victims are generally quite oblivious to their bondage...”
The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.