Man's Pride
Notes
Transcript
Thanks to Lucas.
Today we’ll actually be jumping BACK into our trek through 2 Kings...
It SEEMS like we’ve been out of it for a couple of months even though it’s only been - 6 weeks...
But with that said - let’s revisit where we were last time we were in this book.
7 weeks ago - we read through the story of the Shunammite Woman whose son Elisha had restored.
Elisha ends up helping GUIDE her away from the coming FAMINE - a 7 year famine...
And so IN THAT - we saw God’s PROVIDENCE...
God’s guiding hand over His people.
We also saw God’s PROMISE to help His people persevere.
By FAITH - the Shunammite woman lasted 7 years in the land of the Philistines.
…And so GOD - in His divine providence - RESTORES the Shunammite woman following the famine…!
7 weeks ago - we saw the PATH of RESTORATION...
And in light of LAST WEEK’s sermon - from Lucas...
Where we saw the CALL by God to - walk in the NEWNESS of life...
to PUT OFF the old self
And to deny SELF...
We KNOW - that we will - FAIL in that endeavor.
We will at times = FALL.
And so - how comforting it is = to know that we serve a GOD that - RESTORES US...
in HIS POWER!
TODAY - we’ll see and focus in on - NOT a Characteristic of God - but a characteristic of man.
So let’s get to our text - and then circle back around to see what we see...
7 Now Elisha came to Damascus. Ben-hadad the king of Syria was sick. And when it was told him, “The man of God has come here,”
8 the king said to Hazael, “Take a present with you and go to meet the man of God, and inquire of the Lord through him, saying, ‘Shall I recover from this sickness?’ ”
9 So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, all kinds of goods of Damascus, forty camels’ loads. When he came and stood before him, he said, “Your son Ben-hadad king of Syria has sent me to you, saying, ‘Shall I recover from this sickness?’ ”
10 And Elisha said to him, “Go, say to him, ‘You shall certainly recover,’ but the Lord has shown me that he shall certainly die.”
11 And he fixed his gaze and stared at him, until he was embarrassed. And the man of God wept.
12 And Hazael said, “Why does my lord weep?” He answered, “Because I know the evil that you will do to the people of Israel. You will set on fire their fortresses, and you will kill their young men with the sword and dash in pieces their little ones and rip open their pregnant women.”
13 And Hazael said, “What is your servant, who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing?” Elisha answered, “The Lord has shown me that you are to be king over Syria.”
14 Then he departed from Elisha and came to his master, who said to him, “What did Elisha say to you?” And he answered, “He told me that you would certainly recover.”
15 But the next day he took the bed cloth and dipped it in water and spread it over his face, till he died. And Hazael became king in his place.
In this passage today - we’re gonna see 5 different TRAITS - of a particular characteristic of mankind.
And then to CLOSE it out today - we’ll see a POTENTIAL 6th TRAIT - that MAY or MAY not apply to the text - as i’ll explain - BUT that no doubt still applies to us.
back to v7
7 Now Elisha came to Damascus. Ben-hadad the king of Syria was sick. And when it was told him, “The man of God has come here,”
8 the king said to Hazael, “Take a present with you and go to meet the man of God, and inquire of the Lord through him, saying, ‘Shall I recover from this sickness?’ ”
9 So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, all kinds of goods of Damascus, forty camels’ loads. When he came and stood before him, he said, “Your son Ben-hadad king of Syria has sent me to you, saying, ‘Shall I recover from this sickness?’ ”
Elisha was a POPULAR man…!
Was he ALWAYS popular?
NO - but why now?
The King - ben-hadad was sick - and wanted to know if he’d recover!
And so he orders his assistant (Lieutenant) - HAZAEL - to go to Elisha - and TAKE SOME - presents with him!
40 - camel loads
It SEEMS here - that King Ben-Hadad wanted to - do what he could - to potentially - PUT HIMSELF in the best position to receive - GOOD NEWS!
And so - YEAH - bring some presents!
What does this speak to?
SLIDE: Man’s Pride: Seeks to Put God in Our Debt
Man’s Pride
Man’s Pride
if we were to look up the word PRIDE in the dictionary - we would find this...
SLIDE:
Pride: A sense of one's own proper dignity or value; self-respect
In OTHER words - we could describe pride as - ARROGANCE!
To TRY to put God in our debt - we try to PAY God - for SOMETHING DESIRED - in return!
When you borrow MONEY from a bank -
The BANK puts YOU - in it’s DEBT
you then OWE the bank!
When someone borrows MONEY for you...
You put THEM - in your debt!
They then OWE you - money!
It seemed here - King Ban-hadad - wanted to put GOD in HIS DEBT...
That if he brought ENOUGH PRESENTS - maybe God would allow him to RECOVER from his illness!
That by GIVING God the GIFTS - God would then OWE HIM - a favor!!
NOW - we can do this _ TODAY - in many ways!
Some of us try to PUT God in our debt -
by ATTENDING church!
If I go to church ENOUGH - then God will OWE ME - heaven!
Some of us try to put God in our debt -
by joining a ministry!
giving financially to the church!
teaching a class
WHATEVER it is - fill in the blank
Some of us try to put God in our debt - by WORKING for Him.
And here’s the problem with that!
33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?”
35 “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?”
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
What does God LACK??
Does He lack - my preaching? - - NO!
Does He lack - your service?? - NO!
He lacks NOTHING!!
We’re called to PARTAKE -
But He doesn’t NEED us!
He needs - nothing!
25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.
But our PRIDE will convince us that God owes us something.
17 Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.
18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money,
19 saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!
21 You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God.
22 Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you.
God CANNOT be put in our debt...
His GIFTS CANNOT be BOUGHT - SOLD or the like!
But PRIDE will convince us otherwise...
But what else?
9 So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, all kinds of goods of Damascus, forty camels’ loads. When he came and stood before him, he said, “Your son Ben-hadad king of Syria has sent me to you, saying, ‘Shall I recover from this sickness?’ ”
10 And Elisha said to him, “Go, say to him, ‘You shall certainly recover,’ but the Lord has shown me that he shall certainly die.”
11 And he fixed his gaze and stared at him, until he was embarrassed. And the man of God wept.
I believe that this GAZE by Elisha - into the eyes of Hazael - caused him to REALIZE WHO was actually GAZING at him.
Hazael - KNEW that Elisha was a man of God - and so when Elisha made it known that King Ben-hadad would recover from the sickness = but yet CERTAINLY DIE...
And then he STARED right at Hazael - to the point where Hazael - was EMBARRASSED - in a sense - TURNING away from Elisha...
I think we can PULL this from the text...
SLIDE: Man’s Pride: Revealed in the Light of God’s Truth
Man’s Pride
Man’s Pride
Man’s PRIDE - is POWERFUL - against US...
But against GOD?
No - man’s pride - is KNOWN before God.
God knows the motives that lie BENEATH - the things that you and I do!
He knows the REASONS WHY - we do things!
5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
… God knows the MOTIVES of the heart...
The REASONS for why we do things!
38 whatever prayer, whatever plea is made by any man or by all your people Israel, each knowing the affliction of his own heart and stretching out his hands toward this house,
39 then hear in heaven your dwelling place and forgive and act and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways (for you, you only, know the hearts of all the children of mankind),
What does it mean that God knows man’s HEART?
9 O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you.
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.
9 “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.
God KNOWS our hearts - our MOTIVES...
And so OUR PRIDE - is revealed in the light of God’s TRUTH!
God’s truth - EXPOSES pride!
God’s LAW - exposes our pride!
God’s Character traits - expose our PRIDE....
And so - When we DON’T line up with what Christ would do....
Then you can bet - PRIDE is at work in us.
But what else?
11 And he fixed his gaze and stared at him, until he was embarrassed. And the man of God wept.
12 And Hazael said, “Why does my lord weep?” He answered, “Because I know the evil that you will do to the people of Israel. You will set on fire their fortresses, and you will kill their young men with the sword and dash in pieces their little ones and rip open their pregnant women.”
We can see here the AIM of man’s PRIDE!
Elisha says here - HAZAEL - your pride will set on fire the fortresses of the people of Israel..
Your pride will KILL their young men
And DASH into pieces their little ones
And RIP OPEN their pregnant women.
This is what we see...
SLIDE: Man’s Pride: Comes Before the Fall
Man’s Pride
Man’s Pride
The Bible speaks clearly to this...
18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
I know (well - i assume) most of US - have heard this before...
But why is this true?
Why does PRIDE lead to - destruction - or a FALL?
Pride is another way to describe - ARROGANCE…!
And so - AT BEST - pride is a MISUNDERSTANDING of REALITY!
What do I mean?
Think of the things you own.
Think of the NUMBER of things… (A LOT - right?)
But what does REALITY say…?
7 For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?
So think through this...
How many things in our lives - do we BOAST about?
MANY things yes??
And so - while we SHOULD be PRAISING God - for the things we HAVE - ALL the things we have...
We INSTEAD - will OFTEN - rob God the GLORY DUE HIM!!
We’ll begin to BOAST about these things - AS THOUGH they are due to OUR work...
When in REALITY - God is in control of ALL of this!!
Robbing God of the Glory DUE HIM - will lead to - a fall
Will lead to DESTRUCTION!
Why did Satan and the angels FALL in the beginning?
12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low!
13 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;
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’
What’s THIS?
PRIDE.
It comes before - the Fall...
But what else can we see about PRIDE…?
12 And Hazael said, “Why does my lord weep?” He answered, “Because I know the evil that you will do to the people of Israel. You will set on fire their fortresses, and you will kill their young men with the sword and dash in pieces their little ones and rip open their pregnant women.”
13 And Hazael said, “What is your servant, who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing?” Elisha answered, “The Lord has shown me that you are to be king over Syria.”
What do we see here?
SLIDE: Man’s Pride: Plays Possum (Pretends to be Dead, But is Alive)
Man’s Pride
Man’s Pride
The pride of man - is smart!
It KNOWS how to - WIN
What we see in this section of the text - is a FORM of DECEPTION!
back to v12
12 And Hazael said, “Why does my lord weep?” He answered, “Because I know the evil that you will do to the people of Israel. You will set on fire their fortresses, and you will kill their young men with the sword and dash in pieces their little ones and rip open their pregnant women.”
13 And Hazael said, “What is your servant, who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing?” Elisha answered, “The Lord has shown me that you are to be king over Syria.”
Hazael asks Elisha - WHY do you weep?
NOW- Elisha just got done STARING him down....
to the point where Hazael - had to LOOK away!
THAT seems to point to Hazael - KNOWING why Elisha was staring at him.
And if THAT’s true - then Hazael’s question of - WHY DO YOU WEEP....
Is a question of deception.
He’s trying to PRETEND - that He doesn’t know WHY Elisha is looking at him.
His PRIDE - here - is playing dead.
Playing DEAD - as though he’s MR. HUMILITY 886 B.C.
He continues and says this in v13
“what is your servant - who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing?”
He’s saying - WHO AM I - but just a nobody...
It seems here - that his pride is - PLAYING DEAD...
PRETENDING to be humble...
YET - we can’t forget how he reacted to being STARED at by Elisha -
When Elisha said that Ben-hadad would surely die - But NOT from the illness!
Listen - Our Pride will...
Convince ourselves that we’re humble.
That our MOTIVES are pure...
That our SERVICE to God - is NOT a burden
That our sacrifice is NOT for our own glory...
When MANY times - probably too many times for us to admit - those things ARE FOR our own glory.
It feels GOOD - to be made MUCH of.
And so we need to KNOW - that our PRIDE is very good at - playing possum.
READ v13 again...
And lastly...
v14...
14 Then he departed from Elisha and came to his master, who said to him, “What did Elisha say to you?” And he answered, “He told me that you would certainly recover.”
next verse
15 But the next day he took the bed cloth and dipped it in water and spread it over his face, till he died. And Hazael became king in his place.
This is what we see...
SLIDE: Man’s Pride: Seeks its Own Glory
Man’s Pride
Man’s Pride
Hazael wanted this POWER for himself...
Think through it...
Hazael USED the sickness as a cover for his own PRIDE!
The death of Ben-hadad would have simply looked like a DEATH - DUE to the illness!
PRIDE - under God - is - - what?
SIN
And so PRIDE - as we see here - SEEKS to HIDE sin...
And PRIDE - will USE SIN - to HIDE SIN...
Hazael was asked by Ben-hadad...
WHAT did the man of God say?
And instead of telling him ALL that Elisha had said - that he WOULD recover but that he was still DIE...
Hazael opts to JUST tell him the good news...
And in DOING so - I believe Hazael’s INTENT all along - is REVEALED!
GOD’s TRUTH - revealed Hazael’s PRIDE.
God’s Truth - reveals man’s pride.
WHY?
Because God’s TRUTH - INDICTS man’s pride!
The REASON that mankind would KILL a man who HEALED the lame...
Healed the blind
Raised the dead...
Is because of PRIDE.
The REASON the religious leaders at the time of Christ couldn’t contemplate REPENTING… of sin...
Was because of - PRIDE
When satan and the angels fell (pride)
Adam and Eve sin in the garden (pride)
Cain killing Abel (pride)
Tower of Babel (pride)
Jacob and Esau (pride)
Pharoah refusing to let the Israelites go (pride)
The Israelites murmuring in the wilderness (pride)
Refusing to take the land (pride)
Saul going after David (pride)
David and Bathsheeba (pride)
David and Uriah (pride)
and on and on and on.
SLIDE:
Our pride doesn’t want us submitting ourselves to anything outside of ourselves!
And so - FOR US - the battle is on.
NOW - to close...
Throughout TODAY - I have assumed that Hazael MEANT to kill Ben-hadad - all along.
I feel like the text POINTS to this...
BUT - let’s say he didn’t plan on this...
Let’s say - SOMETHING triggered him DURING this conversation that he had with Elisha...
At one point in their conversation - Elisha tells Hazael - that he will RULE as king.
13 And Hazael said, “What is your servant, who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing?” Elisha answered, “The Lord has shown me that you are to be king over Syria.”
So to close today- Let’s just assume that THIS was the moment - that the IDEA came to him...
..to KILL Ben-hadad.
If that was case - what would we see...
We would see this...
SLIDE: Man’s Pride: (Still at work) Will Use God’s Truth to Embolden Itself
Man’s Pride
Man’s Pride
This IDEA - comes straight from Romans 6 which Lucas spoke about last week.
1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?
What is Paul speaking AGAINST here?
And why?
What did Paul label himself - in terms of SIN…?
he said he was the - CHIEFEST of all sinners..!
The worst of the worst.
Paul was just elevating God’s GRACE…in chapter 5 of Romans.
He begins Romans 5 by speaking about PEACE with GOD by FAITH...
He then says this to close chapter 5...
20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,
21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
PAUL KNOWS - what the heart of man will do when reading this...
The heart of man will read - WHERE SIN INCREASED…GRACE ABOUNDED ALL THE MORE!!
Well - listen - as believers WE KNOW that GRACE ABOUNDING = is a GOOD thing!
WELP - how do we make GRACE ABOUND?
The verse tells us...
INCREASE the SIN!
Alrighty - let’s GET ON WITH THE SINNING!
NO Paul says - next verse
1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?
Answer? No!
But this is what PRIDE will do ...
Pride will take TRUTH - even God’s TRUTH - and will try to USE IT… to INCREASE itself!
And if PRIDE is increasing itself - WHAT is ACTUALLY increasing??
SIN.
Pride is - sin.
SO EVEN if - Hazael had not planned - ALL along - to kill the King, but only decided to do so after hearing he would be king...
PRIDE would still have been - at work!
SUMMARY
Man’s Pride:
Seeks to Put God in Our Debt
Revealed in the Light of God’s Truth
Comes Before the Fall
Plays Possum (Pretends to be Dead, But is Alive)
Seeks its Own Glory
Will Use God’s Truth to Embolden Itself
Let’s Pray
(Mark Fender will come up during prayer to speak)
Have a Great Week