W4: The Pride of Life (MS: Ephesians 2:8-9; SS: 1 John 2:16, Proverbs 4:23)

Capture: Grab their attention with an illustration.

• Illustration/Story: Share a story about a time when someone tried to impress you but

did a poor job. Maybe they were extremely boastful about something not very

impressive. Illustrate how unimpressive it is when people do this!

As a basketball trainer, I've done a lot of camps. I have met a few kids who try to impress me so much. One kid I remember was vary prideful and thought he was the best of the best in the camp. To the point he will try to get close to me to recognize me. Let me tell you, he was not good at all. (Like serious he was trash!)

• We are guilty of the same thing when we live our lives in pride. Pride is hidden deep

within the heart of all humans because we are selfish creatures with sin!

Context

Ephesians was written by Paul around the years of 51-55 AD. He penned this letter while he was in prison. 

The central message of this book is the re-creation of the human coming in according to God’s orignal intention and order for mankind for His Kingdom. 

This is showing that Jews and Gentiles are brought together in Christ as one people, for everyone who trust in Jesus is one. 

So this new body, the church, has been endowed by the power of the Holy Spirit to enable those comprising it to serve together in unity. Christ is the one that bring everyone together. 

Verses 8-10 points us back to verse 5 and is expanding on salvation by grace. 

5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

So our main scripture today shows us, that a grace-by-faith salvation is not something you can work for, it is God’s gift to His people! It is not human efforts! 

Now works do not produce salvation, but salvation does produce good works! 

So that mean believers are God’s creation and that mean being crated for this purpose: to do good works! It is pointing us back to the garden! 

So that mean without Christ we walk in sin, but with Him we walk in good works! 

So in our scripture, there is no such thing as boasting. Trying to work for this. No one can’t put people down or show off all they know because we all need Jesus and salvation is a gift! A free gift for anyone on this earth to receive! 

The only thing you can brag about is Jesus because He is the one that saved you! Not your works! Pride must leave out of your heart! 

1. Pride is the Devil!

• Tension Question: Do you struggle with pride? The pride of life in its

accomplishments, achievements, possessions, or anything similar is a temptation that

we all must be mindful of!

Scripture: 1 John 2:16 

16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.

We seen this verse for the whole month and it is still key for us today and for the rest of our lives. We can see people that have the popularity, money, power, etc. And make us want to make those things our gods and we should only focus on God as our Lord and Savior. 

For today message, we see prideful that they did everything their self. That they are better for people. People will also use the Bible and Christianity to boast them that God blessed them more because of the giving they do, the service, or all they do for the Kingdom. But the pride points back to them and not to Jesus! 

John is trying to tell us here that we must keep Jesus and eternity in our mind instead of the things of the world. 

We must remember that the flesh promises to satisfy legitimate desires in illegitimate ways. The world tempts your mind through what your eyes see. 

Worldliness makes the “now” more important than eternity, but remember you are going to pass through and the world is going to pass by. 

Jesus’s warning to the disciples is that temptation offers temporary cravings for the flesh, the eyes, and life. Today, we focus on the pride of life.

Now how can we resist temptation of pride if it is the devil? 

2. Resist Pride in your Heart! 

• Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-9 — The pride of life is the opposite of God and His plan for

salvation. There’s nothing to boast about in life except for Jesus Christ!

• What is “the pride of life?” The Greek word for “pride” describes someone bragging

to impress others with their own importance.

Now we must remember there is a good type of pride that Paul does talk about. 

Paul expresses a positive kind of pride when speaking of confidence in Christians (this is in 2 Corinthians 7:4= 

4 I am acting with great boldness toward you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort. In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy.) or of strength in the Lord in chapter 12= 5 On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses. 

But this prideful we talking about is the latter sinful meaning of pride which most frequently appears in the Bible both in the OT and NT.

The pride of life is a heart issue — it’s a desire to be the ruler of your own life. When

you rule your own life, Jesus cannot rule it for you.

We see this throughout the Bible of people downfall because of their pride and thinking they are their own god! 

In Ephesians 2:8-9, this grace is only available through faith and faith alone! 

Grace is God’s gift! It is received, it is not earned! We do not earn it! It does not come by the means of works so that mean no one can boast! 

That mean there is no one that can boast anywhere, even in heaven! The only way you can brag is to the grace of God and the work of Jesus! Not the works of yourself! You are not god or your own master! 

This then leave it to verse 10, where God intention for you is to do good works for the earth! You were created to do good works for the Kingdom of God! God’s free gift of grace reminds you that you are saved, you were created to do His purpose and pleasure from Him through His orders and His way! Not your way! 

• If you want to resist temptation from the enemy — recognize that it is a heart issue.

We must reject pride and boast only in Jesus. This is only possible inside of a heart that belongs to Jesus!

• Recognize that you can’t take credit for anything! This is a gift that comes from God.

Receive Jesus in your heart. Boast in Him alone. When you do, you will have the

strength and support to resist temptation in your heart!

Bottom Line: Resist temptation in your heart.

3. Guard Your Heart

• Scripture: Proverbs 4:23 —

English Standard Version Chapter 4

Keep your heart with all vigilance,

for from it flow the springs of life.

Wisdom recognizes that the heart is our source for life.

The word “heart” in the Hebrew more closely translates to the whole personality of

the individual — heart, soul, mind, etc.

The heart in Proverbs refers to the center of one’s inner life. It is from this place that a person does all thinking, feeling, and choosing. 

So in the book of Proverbs, by taking words of wisdom into the heart is of the greatest importance, because out of the heart flow all the thoughts, words, and choices of a person’s life. 

• The heart is our source. With a healthy heart, even in difficulty, we have life, joy, and

peace. 

With an unhealthy heart, even in the happiest of circumstances, all a person

will know is defeat and sadness.

Jesus even said good and evil are produced from what is “stored up in” it. In Luke 6:45

45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. 

• Elsewhere in Scripture Jesus talks about how our mouth is only an instrument for

what is truly in our heart (Matthew 12:34).

34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

So even with our mouths, it will lead us how our heart truly is! 

• It is critical that we protect our heart, guarding it with truth and a relationship with

Jesus Christ. He is the only one who can truly protect and guide our hearts into

health.

Application: Guard your heart.

Bring it to the Cross

When I view pride, it is the only disease that makes everyone sick, except the one who has it. It shows that when you are the god of your life, there is little everyone around you, and it makes you feel like you are worthy and equal, or even worse, better than God, which is not good at all! 

So this is a reminder or even a check-up in your life. Do you look at other people saying, ‘At least I am not like them?” Or “Man, my life is better than the people in the world.” This is a reality check because we must remember that we would not be here without God and His Son's work on the cross! That he lived the life we could not live and died the death that we should have died! That is key for us! Pride will make you think you are greater than the next person, even to the point that you will use the Bible to attack people and bring people down. And the only way when you are up is for God to put you down, as we see it throughout the Bible with prideful people. 

Pride is the devil, humility is Jesus. The Bible is more of a mirror to check on your heart than a way to show that you are better than others because you obey more than the next person. That is what the Pharsiee did. (Remember, there is a difference between defining the faith and using it to attack people or be like them.) Because it is His gift that is given to us, we are even able to have purpose and do good works! 

Call: How do we respond to the message?

• Altar moment: Check the status of your heart — is it healthy or corrupted? Does it

find peace and joy even in difficulty? Do you depend on God’s strength? or is it constantly hurting even when things are

good? Do you depend on your own strength, even if you trying to obey the scripture? Or like I said, you depend on the free gift of salvation by Jesus? 

Only Jesus can restore a broken heart. Give your heart to Jesus!